Clean Tone
Children of the Grave
Black Sabbath
Bassrock1970s
Original Gear
BassFender Precision Bass (early 1970s, likely 1968-1971 model)
AmpAmpeg SVT (early blue-line, 300W tube head) with matching 8x10 cab
PickupsSplit single-coil Precision pickup
Amp Settings
gain0
bass5.5
mid6
treble5
presence4.5
compression3
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Studio recording, 1971, Master of Reality album. Geezer Butler tracked bass in studio, likely amp-mic'd with some DI blend, but no explicit DI-only evidence.
Tone Character(9)
deep and thumpyfull-bodied low endclear note definitionslightly woody attackwarm, vintage tube characternatural sustainminimal compressionclassic rock presenceno audible drive or fuzz
Difficulty
The clean section requires tight, fast fingerstyle playing with consistent articulation and stamina to maintain the driving rhythm, but does not involve advanced techniques or complex fills.
Sources
The isolated bass on Black Sabbath's 'Children of the Grave'How To Sound Like...Geezer Butler of Black Sabbath - YouTubeSound settings Black Sabbath : r/Bass - RedditThe story of Black Sabbath's Children Of The Grave: “If you listen to critics too much, you’ll lose your identity. We didn’t listen." | MusicRadar
Create an account to adapt this tone to your gear
Create Free AccountBassrock1970s
Original Gear
BassFender Precision Bass (early 1970s, likely 1968-1971 model)
AmpAmpeg SVT (early blue-line, 300W tube head) with matching 8x10 cab
PickupsSplit single-coil Precision pickup
Amp Settings
gain0
bass5.5
mid6
treble5
presence4.5
compression3
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Sources
The isolated bass on Black Sabbath's 'Children of the Grave'How To Sound Like...Geezer Butler of Black Sabbath - YouTubeSound settings Black Sabbath : r/Bass - RedditThe story of Black Sabbath's Children Of The Grave: “If you listen to critics too much, you’ll lose your identity. We didn’t listen." | MusicRadar
Notes
Studio recording, 1971, Master of Reality album. Geezer Butler tracked bass in studio, likely amp-mic'd with some DI blend, but no explicit DI-only evidence.
Tone Character(9)
deep and thumpyfull-bodied low endclear note definitionslightly woody attackwarm, vintage tube characternatural sustainminimal compressionclassic rock presenceno audible drive or fuzz
Difficulty
The clean section requires tight, fast fingerstyle playing with consistent articulation and stamina to maintain the driving rhythm, but does not involve advanced techniques or complex fills.
Children of the Grave settings for your amp
Exact settings ToneAdapt players use on these amps.
More Black Sabbath tones
- Paranoid · riff
- Iron man · riff
- War Pigs · riff
- Into the Void · riff
- Sabbath Bloody Sabbath · riff
- Paranoid · solo
- Children of the Grave · riff
- N.I.B. · riff
- A National Acrobat · riff
- Sweet Leaf · riff