Distorted Tone
4th of July
Soundgarden
Bassrock1990s
Original Gear
BassFender Jazz Bass (likely Mexican Standard, red or white, passive, 4-string)
AmpMesa/Boogie Bass 400+ (studio, possibly blended with Ampeg SVT; Mesa is primary per era and interviews)
PickupsDual single-coil Jazz Bass pickups
Amp Settings
gain7
bass6
mid6.5
treble6
presence6
compression5
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Studio recording, 1994 (Superunknown sessions). Ben Shepherd favored Mesa/Boogie 400+ and Jazz Bass for this era; Wikipedia and interviews confirm.
Tone Character(9)
deep and thickgrowly midrangefuzzy overdrivecompressed and sustainingaggressive attackdark and rumblingsludgyminimal treble fizzfocused low-mids
Difficulty
While the part is rhythmically simple, the challenge lies in maintaining note definition and punch in a heavily distorted, low-tuned, and compressed context. Consistent attack and control are required to avoid muddiness.
Sources
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Create Free AccountBassrock1990s
Original Gear
BassFender Jazz Bass (likely Mexican Standard, red or white, passive, 4-string)
AmpMesa/Boogie Bass 400+ (studio, possibly blended with Ampeg SVT; Mesa is primary per era and interviews)
PickupsDual single-coil Jazz Bass pickups
Amp Settings
gain7
bass6
mid6.5
treble6
presence6
compression5
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Studio recording, 1994 (Superunknown sessions). Ben Shepherd favored Mesa/Boogie 400+ and Jazz Bass for this era; Wikipedia and interviews confirm.
Tone Character(9)
deep and thickgrowly midrangefuzzy overdrivecompressed and sustainingaggressive attackdark and rumblingsludgyminimal treble fizzfocused low-mids
Difficulty
While the part is rhythmically simple, the challenge lies in maintaining note definition and punch in a heavily distorted, low-tuned, and compressed context. Consistent attack and control are required to avoid muddiness.
4th of July settings for your amp
Exact settings ToneAdapt players use on these amps.
More Soundgarden tones
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- Outshined (Remastered 2016) · riff
- Spoonman · riff
- 4th of July · riff
- 4th of July · solo
- Beyond the Wheel · riff
- Black Hole Sun · solo
- Black Hole Sun · solo