...Ok, Now on to Geezer Butler

[PFDarkside]

What are the basics of Geezer's bass tone on the first few Sabbath albums? Talking about bass, pickups, amps, the whole deal. Unlike the Iommi thread, Geezer's tone IS one I wouldn't mind getting close to. In fact, I might like his playing even more than Tony's. When Iommi solos, Geezer is basically taking a bass solo right along with him. I love it!

 

[Hellion]

Re: ...Ok, Now on to Geezer Butler

He's definitely inspired more than a couple of generations of bass players. I'm not sure what amplification he was using at the time of "Paranoid" & "Iron Man", et al; but the videos show him playing a Fender bass, which I'm guessing was probably a Precision (again, I might very well be wrong) just due to the rude sound through an Orange system. Recording wise, he might have used Sunn or HiWatt as well. The pickups would have been stock at that time, since there just wasn't any choice. Another bass player from around that time that I really like is Joe Bouchard from Blue Oyster Cult. Another really recognizeable bass sound.

 

[Sludgenutz]

Re: ...Ok, Now on to Geezer Butler

I love it too! I'm not up on bass player gear, but I think it's crazy seeing Geezer beat the strings with his right hand. One moment, he's the near the bridge, the next, he's over the neck joint! He might be the only stringed instrument player in history, that moved his plucking hand more than his fretting hand.

Killer natural brilliance!

 

[NoOnesFang13]

Re: ...Ok, Now on to Geezer Butler

not sure but i read in a The Rock n Roll Encyclopedia that for their first show as a band Geezer played a Telecaster down tuned to a bass through a fender amp of some sort lol

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: ...Ok, Now on to Geezer Butler

In the old days Geez played a Fender P Bass most of them time through...wait for it...thats right...Laney amps...

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: ...Ok, Now on to Geezer Butler

Makes sense, a lot if bassists were using guitar amps back then, his tone definately has that edge to it.

 

[Shinobi]

Re: ...Ok, Now on to Geezer Butler

What are the basics of Geezer's bass tone on the first few Sabbath albums? Talking about bass, pickups, amps, the whole deal. Unlike the Iommi thread, Geezer's tone IS one I wouldn't mind getting close to. In fact, I might like his playing even more than Tony's. When Iommi solos, Geezer is basically taking a bass solo right along with him. I love it!

Not a Bass Player but have been around a bunch of them as well as good friends.

What I hear is similar to what I hear with other metal bass players..I hear distortion and sometimes wah on Bass tones (thinking Cliff Burton)

But with early Sabath I hear Geezer using distortion. It kind of fills in like a guitar when Tony is soloing. The guy from System of the Down does the same....it is a cool effect when playing in a power trio (Venom) or in a band with only one guitar player...although Cliff Burton could pull it off even playing with two guitar players and it didn'st sound like crap.

 

[Pink Unicorn Horsey]

Re: ...Ok, Now on to Geezer Butler

Here are some snippets from a July 2004 Bass Player Magazine interview with Geezer:

When we recorded Black Sabbath, I had a 70-watt Laney guitar amp and a Park 4x12 cabinet with only three speakers in it—and two of them were wrecked! That’s how I got that really distorted sound. Actually, I hated the tone of that record at the time, but I’ve gotten used to it now. It’s nostalgic. I didn’t have any alternative; I couldn’t afford to buy new speakers. We had only two days to record, so we just plugged in and performed our live set in the studio. We were allowed one take for each song and stopped only if someone made a horrible mistake. It was out of our hands. No time to dial in the perfect bass tone.

My favorite tone would probably be on Master of Reality. So many people ask me how I got the bass tone on the first album. It was by accident! At times I have hated my sound, and I’ve tried to dial in whatever sounded modern at the time. It never worked.

I had two Tycobrahe pedals. With their wah-wah, which was a big blue pedal, you could get a weird sub-bass effect. Combined with their flanger, it created a really ethereal sound. I used that on the beginning of “The Writ” and on “Zero the Hero.” People think it’s a keyboard making those sounds, but it’s bass through the Tycobrahe pedals.

I don’t like using distortion pedals. They sound false to me. It’s almost impossible to get a natural distorted bass sound, especially now that amps are built so well. It just comes down to sheer volume. When recording, we would have to put the bass cabs in a different studio completely. It was deafeningly loud. You have to crank it up, but Ozzy doesn’t understand that—it drove him nuts on the last tour. He would never stand in front of the bass rig. He told me to turn it down one night, so for a laugh I turned it up.

You can find the entire interview here.

- Keith

 

[Shinobi]

Re: ...Ok, Now on to Geezer Butler

Here are some snippets from a July 2004 Bass Player Magazine interview with Geezer:


You can find the entire interview here.

- Keith

He may state that he doesn't like distortion pedals with the bass...but he is overdriving the amps to a point where they distort and the use of the Wah pedal well help to create that sound on an overdriven amp.

IMO what he is eluding too is that he doesn't like a distortion pedal but prefers to get the distortion by overdriving the amps by cranking them up to the loudest possible volume.

Thanks for sharing the post.

Here is one that clearly represents what I am trying to say.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOSvI6WP9DI&feature=related

 

[51501984]

Re: ...Ok, Now on to Geezer Butler

He may state that he doesn't like distortion pedals with the bass...but he is overdriving the amps to a point where they distort and the use of the Wah pedal well help to create that sound on an overdriven amp.

IMO what he is eluding too is that he doesn't like a distortion pedal but prefers to get the distortion by overdriving the amps by cranking them up to the loudest possible volume.

Thanks for sharing the post.

Here is one that clearly represents what I am trying to say.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOSvI6WP9DI&feature=related

You might have read from the Youtube posts that`s not Hand of Doom by Sabbath.

 

[jammertom]

Re: ...Ok, Now on to Geezer Butler

Geezer just cooks...

 

[51501984]

Re: ...Ok, Now on to Geezer Butler

When I saw Sabbath in `82 (w/Dio on vocals) the 2nd tune in the set was NIB. When Geezer started that bass intro I thought the walls of Cow Palace were gonna crumble. I have never heard a bass sound so powerful.

 

[Shinobi]

Re: ...Ok, Now on to Geezer Butler

You might have read from the Youtube posts that`s not Hand of Doom by Sabbath.

You are correct I was looking for a song and didn't catch that.
I can hear it being overdriven in this live version of war pigs though...great vid.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbxfe7DMxVo

Geezer just cooks...

That is a bizarre picture for some reason...he looks like a wax figure with an oversize head...killer bass player though.