Metal bass tone

When I first started playing bass I wanted that tone so bad as well. Its part playing and part amp/knobs. For amp, boost your mids alot and treble a bit. Using the clock system, 12 is normal, try putting mids to 3 maybe 4 and treble 1 maybe 2, if you still sound a little to bloomy, boost your mids and treble more. Keep bass at normal. I always put my guitar knobs at full but you may like the tone you get from slightly decreasing your precision pickup. New strings help as well, I use rotosound strings.

For playing style, play around the neck pickup (precision pickup) and play hard, dig in, which doesn't mean play loud for say, I mean to be rough come down with your fingers with some strength in your right hand. For some reason, I always get a better “metal tone” with my fingers, a pick always sounds a little more bloomy although everyone told me otherwise. But I suggest you try playing with a pick as well and see what sounds better for you.

When you say metal tone, I assume you mean something like these. Both of these are played with pick, but I have no problem using my fingers and getting that tone, again try both pick and fingers and dig in.

Have to? No. Could it help? Maybe, but definitely not necessary.

Roll back the volume and dial up the gain

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