Documented bass-string gauges, brands, and tunings Cliff Burton used with Metallica from 1982 until his September 1986 death. Rotosound Swing Bass 66 documented use, Rickenbacker 4001 + Aria SB-1000 + Alembic basses, Morley wah pedal effects. Historical, with citations.
Bassists
Sourced gear profiles for the bassists who shaped rock, metal, prog, funk, jazz, indie, reggae, and session work. Each page lists the instrument, the strings, and the records, with citations where the public record allows, and past-tense framing for historical players.
Showing 6 bassists tagged Heavy metal.
- 4-stringHeavy metalMetalThrash metal
Documented bass-string gauges, brands, and tunings Geezer Butler used with Black Sabbath (1968-2017) and across his solo + Heaven & Hell catalog. Signature TR Bass Strings (Geezer Butler Signature line), Vigier signature bass, defining doom + heavy-metal bass voice. With citations.
4-stringHeavy metalMetalDoom metalDocumented bass-string gauges, brands, and tunings Jason Newsted has used across Metallica (1986-2001), Voivod, and Newsted. D'Addario artist roster, Spector + Sadowsky basses, four-string + five-string contexts. With citations.
4-stringHeavy metalMetalThrash metalDocumented bass-string gauges, brands, and tunings Lemmy Kilmister used with Motörhead from 1975 until his December 2015 death. Rotosound Swing Bass 66 documented use, Rickenbacker 4001/4003 customized basses, Marshall stack overdrive. Historical, with citations.
4-stringHard rockHeavy metalRockDocumented bass-string gauges, brands, and tunings Robert Trujillo uses with Metallica. D'Addario artist, Fender Custom Shop signature Precision Bass, primarily four-string E and Eb standard. With citations.
4-stringHeavy metalMetalThrash metalDocumented bass-string gauges, brands, and tunings Steve Harris uses with Iron Maiden. Rotosound SH77 Steve Harris Signature Monel flatwound (.050–.110). With citations.
4-stringHeavy metalRockHard rock





