BassDistortedDistorted
Ace of Spades Bass Tone Settings — Motörhead
Motörhead · 1980s · rock
studio
Original Recording
A reconstruction of the bass tone. Gear attributions and estimated settings are explained in the research notes below.
Bass
Rickenbacker 4001
Pickups
Dual single-coil (neck and bridge)
Amp
Marshall Super Bass Head ('Murder One') into Marshall 4x12 and 4x15 cabinets
Pickup Position
Both pickups balanced (Rickenbacker 4001, likely both on full)
Studio recording, 1980, Ace of Spades album
Amp Settings
Suggested starting points on a 0–10 scale, not documented studio knob positions. Match to your gear for controls specific to your setup.
Mids7
Bass5.5
Gain8
Treble6
Presence7
compression2
Effects Chain
Rickenbacker 4001 (both pickups full, passive) → Marshall Super Bass Head ('Murder One') → Marshall 4x12 and 4x15 cabinets (amp overdrive only, no pedals or DI)
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Tone Character
- extremely aggressive midrange
- raspy, biting overdrive
- very little low end
- guitar-like distortion
- spiky, percussive pick attack
- raw and uncompressed
- power chord clarity
- noisy, clanky upper mids
- no warmth or roundness
- in-your-face presence
Playing Technique
- pick
Sources
- 10 timeless bass guitar tones and how to recreate them | MusicRadar
- Lemmy’s bass tone on Motörhead’s Ace of Spades: secrets revealed | Guitar World
- Motörhead Members, Gear & Sound | Equipboard
- How can I sound more like Lemmy? : r/Bass - Reddit
- My band is doing a cover of Motörhead - I need help with Lemmy's EQ.