Amos Williams of Tesseract Talks Bass Tone | Reverb Interview

Amos Williams, bassist of English Progressive Metal band Tesseract, stopped by the Reverb office to discuss his bass tone. Williams revealed his theories behind cutting through the mix with carefully equalizing and compressing his bass as well as with his style. Read more about Amos Williams and his rig at bit.ly/2ho089T
tesseractband.co.uk/
Amos plays:
Kiesel Vader VB5 Headless Bass - bit.ly/2i7k5pI
Avalon U5 Direct Box & Instrument Preamp - bit.ly/2hXg1oN
MXR Ten Band Equalizer M108 - bit.ly/2hWGouW
Electro-Harmonix Black Finger Compessor - bit.ly/2hXmHD8
Darkglass Electronics Vintage Deluxe Overdrive Preamp - bit.ly/2hQZMJZ
Darkglass Electronics Super Symmetry Compressor - bit.ly/2hXhSKi

[@veridianmusic2084]

This guy sounds exactly how he looks.

[@germanperezbottesi4458]

He looks like the teacher or that Simpson's episode when Homer is like Kurt Cobain.

[@kamucho]

Hugh Grant?

[@thiagoore2179]

??? Wtf

[@MN-de]

It’s not only appearance, it is also the talking. As he says: mushy

[@thewobblywobbler5383]

Like a genius

[@you_tube618]

I want this man to narrate audiobooks.

[@returntolifeband]

Just listen to Parallax on repeat

[@red9317]

You Tube we have the same shade of red, nice

[@Cheeseboiga]

Him and Guthrie Govan.

[@fleamarketfloppydisk]

@@returntolifeband as much as I am a fan of btbam and tesseract, when I first heard that part I started laughing my ass off. pretty corny

[@surajkatuwal7088]

😂😂😂

[@patrickhunter]

An absolute legend, love the emotion he puts into his playing

[@perryv.d.veekens3649]

The way he talks about his tone makes me think about how I approach my tone and rig. I also find it really interesting that he finds specific tonal regions to sit in when playing with his band, might do that myself too. Great vid!

[@lkzprd]

he approaches bass like a scientist ... its also interesting to note that his playing truly serves the song ... i can tell the riffs from which tesseract song they are but on their own they sound quite weird, but hear in them with drums and in context and they are massive

[@somnus6179]

he's so composed and articulate

[@Shad0wz69]

I think we need an Amos solo album

[@andymcleod8276]

Shad0wz69 definitely

[@HayterTater01]

I think he has tons of solo albums under the moniker "Tesseract"

[@Metalweasel]

Came to hear about a bass rig, 1 min in now I'm meditating.

[@Philtoid]

ive never found a bassist more interesting. this man is a genius

[@LeonTodd]

Looks like Hugh Grant and Jaco did the fusion dance from DBZ.

[@MikeEnx]

and it went wrong

[@cleveryetdull]

I miss the growl of his Warwick, but still a good tone.

[@dumbohill42]

Voice of a narrator, face of Hugh Grant, bass skills and tone of a god!

[@andymcleod8276]

Absolutely love his work in TesseracT.

[@bassguitar1919]

Absolutely one of my favorite bass players and favorite bands!

[@worstghosthunting3466]

This guy makes the concept of playing bass guitar sound like the name of his band

[@sacredxgeometry]

Feels a little cut short, I can't be the only dude to notice that...anywaus, Amos is awesome and his diction is incredible. I love musicians that know what they're talking about.

[@richardgudino7630]

Wow, probably the most helpful bass tone chat ever. Amos Williams, thank you!

[@alejandroguerrero5130]

im about to move into bass only because this guy is an inspiration

[@ianwichmann2697]

No lie, that's why I bought a bass! Amos gives such an incredible soul to the instrument that it persuaded me to give it a try. I've been loving it every since.

[@offtherealm5438]

I just seen him live....he Roadies his own gear before the show, he wears a black hoodie.... it's funny, removes the hoodie, then he's the bassist in the band.

[@rocioiribe5841]

he removes the hoodie and the SHOES, then he's the bassist in the band ;)

[@GlennMcComb]

Heh yeah he sold me the t-shirt I bought before the gig. Was rad.

[@offtherealm5438]

@@rocioiribe5841 Damn it, I forgot to mention he plays barefoot. He's obviously very passionate about bass playing in general.

[@bassguitar1919]

I get the impression that generally that's the type of people the whole band is. They're humble guys who enjoy making music, and they seem to have a real respect and appreciation for their fans.

[@offtherealm5438]

@@bassguitar1919 😎 Cool

[@bassheadjazz2708]

Love the look of the new Kiesels, but his tone is so much "better" to me when hes playing his Warwicks

[@themodernguitarist]

His tone WAS better with the Warwicks. Carvin/Kiesels sound pretty flat, while Warwicks tend to have a signature growl. Guys like Amos Williams, Ryan Martinie, and Robert Trujillo just sound so distintive because of their Warwicks. Although Im personally more of a fan of Spectors. :p I'm sure Kiesels are extremely well-built, but they just sound extremely meh.

[@matthewcurtiss7557]

Kiesel as a company has been way better to him so i get it

[@bassheadjazz2708]

Matthew Curtiss Yea, Kiesel is on a grassroots mission with the Djent/Prog crowd

[@matthewcurtiss7557]

Oh yeah dude they got everybody

[@Herreken]

Do you know why he switched to these basses? I haven't really followed the band since their first album so I'm out of the loop. I wonder if the weight of the Warwicks had anything to do with the switch to these Vader basses. I definitely hear the Stingray sound in that bass which is a good thing to me. Warwicks are cool too.

[@mattnsim]

When David Attenborough passes, I vote for Amos to narrate all wildlife documentaries. 👌🏻

[@carnivorehitman]

This!

[@seth691]

the Avalon is absolutely amazing..used one in the studio and fell in love with it.

[@mattnsim]

So articulate, and he plays so beautifully too. My favourite bass player. 🤘🏻

[@Stratocoaster08]

I just keep finding more and more reasons to love this guy! Amos is quickly becoming one of my all time favorite bass players! ...I'd say #1 favorite, but I'm sure you'll understand why I can't take that distinction from Geddy Lee...

[@nonono7973]

So happy that he finally has a signature bass with kiesel.

[@Yriel129]

I like this guy's approach to bass. Very intuitive thinking and delivery.

[@down7unedpc740]

OH MY GOD I WAS NOT EXPECTING THIS TO HPPEN

[@ironblast5]

Big influence on my current rig. I have used very similar gear from my start as a bassist. I used a warwick fna jazzman with a tech 21 sansamp vt deluxe instead of a darkglass b7k, digitech synthwah boss ns2 noise gate tc polytune, and a black finger for the same reasons. Now im running a tech 21 qstrip parametric eq/ di, two notes torpedo cab, darkglass hyper luminal compressor, fortin zuul noise gate, morley mini wah/ volume, and a custom Verellen Meatsmoke tube preamp with in ears. This setup is a game changer

[@rainbowslushy223]

Whats settings do u use for the synth wah and what context

[@eddiekalista3222]

I love when a musician actually KNOWS his gear and his tone. I've always been anal about my guitar tones, often spending weeks fiddling with dials and settings to find the sweet spot for every pedal, channel, and song. It drives me nuts to meet players with the "I just turn all the dials all the way up and play" mentality.

[@jery3385]

I'm still 2 months into playing bass,I have a bb234 and as an amp I have a blackstar fly amp,I know every combination at this point in order to get a nice tone. I believe that a lot of bass and guitar players don't get to know their gear and tone,and half of them have no idea how to get a certain sound,or don't know why they can't get that tone. I mean some guys put stratocasters in drop G ffs.

[@JeDxDeVu]

Yea but those are the people that make albums. Stephan carpenter has pickups because they look cool and just uses presets. Couldn’t care less about gear. Has a sick tones.

[@Yakushii]

His voice is my ideal bass tone.

[@santiagovanegas3812]

Jedi Bass. Would love to see Amos jam with Abasi or Govan.

[@jahazielramirezbass]

Imagine a conversation between Amos and Govan....lol

[@carnivorehitman]

Fuck!!! Him and Abasi... Wow!

[@josephharvey1762]

Man, that massive, massive Dystopia slap line. I've been working on that, and I can see that he finds it as addicting as I do :D

[@stormcorrosion176]

Great interview!

[@jacoblopez659]

2:58 thought he was going to play Portrait of Tracy by Jaco Pastorius

[@andromeda6463]

Jacob Lopez I honestly wish e did. It's a masterpiece

[@JakeStaffin]

He's an orchestral percussionist? Damn, I always pictured him to be classical or jazz bass player outside TesseracT!! I'm a classical percussionist and drum set player, very inspired by Jay from TesseracT but I've always wanted to learn guitar and bass in a more prog context. I guess those techniques can really cross over!!

[@kwaapie]

Wow, how he uses the darkglass on the high mids is great!

[@rainbowslushy223]

Its funny i’m watching this on my phone and when the dark glass came on i was like that bass dam!!!

[@alex_experience9188]

Made my day!

[@pavlovsbell7979]

I keep expecting him to break into the parallax monologue

[@matthewcurtiss7557]

Is he the voice on that? I always thought it sounded like him but

[@felixdesrochers9940]

He is

[@TundraCH]

Oh shit really? that is very cool

[@padureancalin8096]

This guy is on it! His knowledge is amasing!

[@ferna2294]

I have never listened to a musician talk this deep and technically about the sound of their instrument. He is actually backing up what he says with frequencies and stuff that is not abstract or subjective. Most musicians nowadays can´t really explain to this degree the reasons of their gear. Also Periphery´s bassist is a beast when talking about his sound. They really know their shit.

[@rainbowslushy223]

Ive never liked nollys bass tone this guy he HAS TONE nollys bass sounds like it was eqes by a guitarist

[@volpe_sol]

Love your movies, mann. Especially About A Boy, It was awesome.

[@alecifitation]

It says 'Smile' on the green tape, like the name of the new single

[@BruceHeffner]

Brilliant musician with a fresh approach. Thank you Amos and have a great new year from "old man" Bruce Heffner.

[@shadowfox3051]

I take lessons from jay, but man, Amos is a great bassist, cant wait to meet him

[@kuringmundo]

at 0:30, is every bass player when you ask them "So you play bass?"

[@jakedoingmusic]

Ed O'Brien's long lost metal brother

[@CheeseLord]

EEEEEEEDDDDDDD

[@This1sSp4rta]

Amos sounds exactly like Peter serafinowicz and I love it

[@ZombryaTheDark]

Its four in fuckin morning!

[@abshmusic]

I really miss you playing Warwick basses, Sir Amos Williams!😭

[@MartinBergnerGuitar]

Amos' sound is so good... dear lord!

[@TheHunter2]

I have no clue what he's talking about it, but somehow I love it

[@dngrouscrgo]

Hearing him swear was so unexpected XD

[@thunderthumbs83]

Bradley Hudson though said with context and class

[@40ozSLURPEE]

just learnded a lots

[@jeremiahfernandez9161]

asmr with bass

[@Cpmnk]

Amos and nolly in one room must be incredible

[@MarkArandjus]

I don't usually like headless basses, but that guitar is GORGEOUS and holy shit that distorted tone!

[@ansonstiles]

Brilliant

[@Makkino]

What a fucking voice. Smart man too.

[@illuminatiCorgi]

Your Bassist is evolving! Adam Nolly Evolved into...Amos Williams!

[@shanewalton3769]

I keep watching this video eagerly anticipating my own AW5 from Kiesel. :D

[@jmiddlefinger]

Wow, Amos’ analysis and understanding of the signal chain seems almost like PhD level, especially as compared with mine, which is more crayons and coloring book level. Between this and trying to figure out the polymeters in TesseracT’s music, my brain just feels woefully inadequate, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t find it kind of an enjoyable state.

[@carmushroom]

Amos is a really fitting name for a prog metal band member

[@angryman4484]

This man plays on a different level, and thats why he's the best

[@Vonthelion]

His descriptions are so deliciously scientific it literally got me wet.

[@shredx81]

Literally?

[@carlchameleon9847]

@@shredx81 physically

[@pillepalle3614]

This guy has brought the whole thing a step further

[@ryc.9400]

man that first and last riff is sick! new album material?

[@FDBCandTCFD]

Jack Black its dystopia from the album polaris

[@johntodd495]

It's off polaris; dystopia if i remember correctly.

[@ryc.9400]

yea now that you say it i recognize it ^^ i love his percussive style

[@moustaphabalde7581]

i like the tone

[@wildturkey007]

Such a badass

[@FrinkyDinky]

asmr? more like Amosmr...I'll leave now

[@Stratocoaster08]

You stay as long as you like, my friend!

[@rainbowslushy223]

Stay....

[@johannrajan6357]

Don't leave me. Don't leave me.

[@MMMCLXXX]

Bringing *that playing and tone* to the mainstage of the mix, made *_Polaris_* outstanding. So enjoyable in a dense-heavy and powerful way, which almost reverberates like atoms literally. • If you haven't seen *TESSER/\CT* live, it's time you did. Every instrument, including the vox, is its own obelisk, in the *T* entity. No exaggeration. • Saw them for the first time opening for *Devin Townsend* [Mr. IV-D]. Ran down from a mezzanine to buy some merchola and a CD, and I was face to face with the singer explaining that they were sold out of *EVERYTHING* . Mind blown. Looking around at everyone wearing tasty shirts laughing in down-pitch slow-motion... ¹ "Everyone?" ² "EEHHHHHVVVVRRRRREEEEEEWWWWWUUUUUUUNNNNN!!!"_

[@JeremiahFernandez]

damn that darkglass' low end sounds gnarly

[@johnrinehart8866]

Yes

[@grantwilliams2650]

I wish I had his composure

[@nsiepmann]

He's put a LOT of thought into his sound - love it. (Also, can anyone place his accent? It strikes me as the sort of one that happens when someone from the South of England has lived in a bunch of different places for a long time... Not important, I'm just kind of intrigued!)

[@joninawhitecoat]

Tesseract are from - I think - around Milton Keynes. Amos has a southern accent mixed with a bit of posh.

[@nsiepmann]

Yeah, I figured it was something of that sort - combination of pronouncing his terminal Ts but words like 'through' coming out as 'fru'. As a child of American parents in the UK, I just get kind of interested in how accents are put together... ANYWAY BACK TO BASS TALK. Yum, Darkglass.

[@joninawhitecoat]

Two compressors, the saucy bitch. What do you think of the Kiesel?

[@nsiepmann]

Jon Hallam It's definitely pretty - I'm not usually that into that MusicMan style pickup, but this is making me wonder whether that's just because I usually hear it set to that scoopy, basketball-ish kind of slap tone...

[@joninawhitecoat]

It's set further forward than on a Stingray. Almost in the P-pickup position. He also does emphasise the mids. Watching this is making me want to put my Blackfinger back on my board.

[@jamesgerbino9939]

That Kiesel Vader bass. !!!!!!

[@rileylam2883]

jeepers hes intoxicating

[@jeremiahfernandez9161]

I'm gay for his voice

[@The404Erorr]

Amos with shoes on.... wtf

[@VeryScaryBiscuits]

I want to say I know what he's talking about. Anyway, totally bomb musician and fun to listen to.

[@Pure_KodiakWILD_Power]

the bass even sounds good on my phone 👍👍

[@ChilyCheezeFryz]

Thanks Lord Elrond

[@edgarspavlovics3540]

this video has more views than most of tesseract songs

[@leonardfrykman2960]

Please correct me if I’m wrong. It looks like he puts his Avalon at the end of his chain, which surprises me.

[@deanbunting75]

Probably one of the 'sexiest' bass tones in any metal band, imo

[@shaymiantewhau3014]

His voice?

[@malodesi]

Dang, thx for that 200Hz and ear distance thing. My inner producer and my inner scientist are now kissing eachother! XD

[@Harrysound]

a 200hz waveform is 1.71 meters long using the calculation of 343 (meters per second-speed of sound ) ÷200 (hz= cycles per second) Thats a big head....

[@ZRisyad]

I want this man read a bedtime stories for me

[@andrewcoates4952]

He’s got an interesting view on bass tone

[@blacklotus3205]

5:43 voice crack But jokes aside I love Amos and Tesseract

[@VanLeucia]

Amos definitely uses the prod

[@scottwarner6357]

Okay anyone know where I can find this strap though?

[@HaleBopp24]

Anyone knows about the music at 3:00 please ?

[@user-qg6ld8te5h]

When Jason Mraz started play the base?

[@NintendoCaprisunish]

The Elrond of prog metal

[@ashplaysbass]

Is it just me or is he a rather attractive individual

[@jestle]

it's not just you 🥴

[@ARawFueledLife]

1:47 Did he say accenuate?

[@Deathptbr]

Wait, does he use a DI directly into his cab?

[@jeroenolislagers6227]

But are the pedals first in the chain or is the Avalon di first?

[@mmpdj5654]

I am not sure how I feel about the amputated headstock. I mean it's really cool but it feels like a date that when you bring her home turns out to have 2 belly buttons.

[@InfiniteRhombus]

well, the good news is that nobody gives a fuck what you think

[@mmpdj5654]

One guy gave enough of a fuck to reply

[@mmpdj5654]

perhaps a guy with indeed two belly buttons

[@Herreken]

Ha ha! Back on topic: I've never been a fan of headless basses but these are intriguing. The testicular bottom of the body is more off-putting than the lack of a headstock to me.

[@EclipseAtDusk]

While I don't have any headless instruments myself, for me, the appeal has always been the portability - they're much smaller than a similar instrument with a headstock, plus now no chance of a headstock breaking off if mishandled. For touring, it's fantastic. And for the record, while I don't really - I sure as hell look like I have two belly buttons

[@markmeloney2643]

so which frequency range does he accentuate? :s

[@hldr4345]

Mids, mostly mids He gets some low mids as well, but mostly mids

[@DrummerRF]

I think everything above 600Hz is already longer than your head but perhaps below 200 it is significantly impaired.

[@jakubowskij]

Did this dude roadie for Fightstar in 2007?

[@jayw5122]

Lord Elrond