Question
Dear ScorpioN,
I am a bass player from Edmonton Alberta, Canada, and David Ellefson is one of my favorite players of all time! He is who inspired me to get a Jackson bass because I love the tone of his bass in all the Megadeth albums. My question is this:
How exactly does David achieve his tone? It's really "tinny", really bright and really punchy, but it still has that warm sound to it.
Thank you in advance for answering this!
-Kristian
Answer
Hello Kristian, I have an answer for you right from David Ellefson himself.
"Thank you Kristian and glad you're liking what you hear! My tone has evolved over the years but I do try and maintain that tight low end while having that "bite" on the top end to cut through the drums. The Jackson basses with SIT Strings Nickel Powerwound strings, medium heavy Jim Dunlop Tortex plectrums and Hartke amplification certainly help but it is also in how I attack the strings and anchor my hand on the bridge to control the string's performance. You can probably see this more clearly on my Rockhouse Method instructional DVDs and even You Tube videos of live Megadeth performances, too.
I hope this helps and I hope you enjoy your Jackson bass!"
-ScorpioN
