how to get a Cliff Burton like distortion tone

[bass_reaper]

hey guys. I been listening closely to Cliff's sound(specially Anesthesia pulling teeth) but I just can't get the tone right.
which pedals and settings should I use?

[Falloffthebonetone]

Re: how to get a Cliff Burton like distortion tone

http://www.uberproaudio.com/who-plays-what/387-cliff-burton-bass-rig-metallica

Here is all of his recorded gear he used, though there may be a mistake or 2. I know for a fact the bridge pickup in his Rick was a Duncan Jazz bass pickup and not a Dimarzio.

That being said he used a Big Muff for distortion and a Morely wah to get the Anesthesia tone. The particular wah he used is discontinued but I have gotten great results using the Fulltone OCD and the Dunlop Bass wah, most kinds of distortion will do as long as they don't suck out your low end.

As for settings, he used a good amount of highs and mids. If you have a bass with 2 pickups then you will get closer using both on for his earlier stuff and the neck pickup for Puppets but thats just my experience.

I should also mention that most of the time, he used steel bass strings and played with his fingers.

[bass_reaper]

Re: how to get a Cliff Burton like distortion tone

thanks for the link.
I also had some questions about what noise gate settings I should use since my current settings suck my tone

[AdamR]

Re: how to get a Cliff Burton like distortion tone

You can find the Morley Power wahs on ebay.

[Falloffthebonetone]

Re: how to get a Cliff Burton like distortion tone

thanks for the link.
I also had some questions about what noise gate settings I should use since my current settings suck my tone

If you're having problems then I would either lower the threshold to almost nothing or just turn it off. Cliff didn't use an absurd amount of gain to produce that kind of noise nor did he use a noise gate.

[bass_reaper]

Re: how to get a Cliff Burton like distortion tone

oh k. and some guys recommended that I place the wah pedal after the distortion pedal. your opinion?

[jon the art guy]

Re: how to get a Cliff Burton like distortion tone

here's this. If you can get past the Hawaii drawl.

[Falloffthebonetone]

Re: how to get a Cliff Burton like distortion tone


Heres a picture of the order his pedals were in. It looks like the wah is in the middle so sure, you can put the distortion before, though I find the wah more controlled and effective before it.

[bass_reaper]

Re: how to get a Cliff Burton like distortion tone

whats the pedal after the wah?

[Falloffthebonetone]

Re: how to get a Cliff Burton like distortion tone

whats the pedal after the wah?

I believe the one on the right is a boss compressor. And I also believe the green looking pedal there is an Ibanez tube screamer, which he used some times in place of the big muff.

The guy in the video had it, distortion, wah, then compression, and that seems like how he has it in the picture, though I prefer the distortion to come later and the compression earlier in the chain.

[bass_reaper]

Re: how to get a Cliff Burton like distortion tone

the order of the effects makes no sense :/

[Falloffthebonetone]

Re: how to get a Cliff Burton like distortion tone

the order of the effects makes no sense :/

When you get the pedals just mix them around until you find an order that works for you. He used the wah in the middle so you can work from there.

[dystrust]

Re: how to get a Cliff Burton like distortion tone

Here's a pretty decent video explaining Cliff's fuzz tones. The guy who recorded the video is in a Metallica tribute band in the Netherlands.

[bass_reaper]

Re: how to get a Cliff Burton like distortion tone

^ thanks guys

[zenmindbeginner]

Re: how to get a Cliff Burton like distortion tone

I recorded a band that had two bass players (no guitarist or keyboard players). One had a James Jamerson like thumpin' bass sound out of a vintage SVT rig with the 8x10 cabinet. That bass player played with his fingers and was all vintage warmth.

But the other player played with a pick and used a vintage Big Muff + Morley combination through a Sunn Coliseum with the 1X 18 inch cabinet. he was all Cliff Burton and he absolutely nailed the tone.

So in my personal experience, the Big Muff + Morley wah combo through a quality amp will get anyone most of the way there.