Tom Hamilton

Tom can be seen in a live shot on the power ballad cover, 'Kings and Queens' from the album Draw the Line by Aerosmith playing a Music Man Stingray Bass.

According to Hamilton's tech in this interview at 2:45, Aeorsmith bassist Tom Hamilton uses these cabinets in his live rig.

At 0:45 in this Tom Hamilton gear run, one can see a Source Audio Pro Multiwave Distortion.

As seen in this interview with Tom Hamilton's bass tech at 3:40, Tom uses Gallien Krueger Fusion 550 bass amps in his live rig.

According to Tom Hamilton's guitar tech at 3:20 in this video, the biggest gun in Tom Hamilton's tone arsenal is a Sadowsky 5-string bass.

Used for Toys in the Attic, as stated by engineer Jay Messina in this March 21, 2017 Mix Online interview.

“We had [bassist] Tom Hamilton going through an [Ampeg] B15 amp, where we took an output—a custom direct out of the head of the amp—and we would mike it with an RE20,” Messina adds.

As seen in this interview at 3:00, Tom Hamilton from Aerosmith uses a Dusenberg Starplayer TV bass for an upright bass sound.

In this video at 4:00, Tom Hamilton's guitar tech calls this F bass the Aerosmith bassist's "best sounding bass."

According to the D'Addario website, Aerosmith bassist Tom Hamilton uses 4 string 45-100 and 5 string 45-130 gauge strings.

Tom can be see in this video with his new signature ASAT Bass guitar

This photo of Black and white Fender Precision Bass Guitar of Tom Hamilton was taken in Hard Rock Cafe at Cologne, Germany.

Used for the bass on Toys in the Attic, as stated by engineer Jay Messina in this March 21, 2017 Mix Online interview.

“We had [bassist] Tom Hamilton going through an [Ampeg] B15 amp, where we took an output—a custom direct out of the head of the amp—and we would mike it with an RE20,” Messina adds.

According to Hamilton's bass tech in this interview at 3:45, Tom Hamilton Uses these cabinets in his live rig.

In this video at 2:40, Tom Hamilton's guitar tech shows us the Aerosmith bassists' most recognizable bass.

At 2:30 in this video, you'll see Tom Hamilton's signature bass. He also uses the other G&L ASAT Bass Tom Hamilton signature model color schemes.

According to the D'Addario website, Aerosmith bassist Tom Hamilton uses 45 - 100 long scale XL Nickel Wound bass strings.

According to Aerosmith bassist Tom Hamilton's guitar tech, the TC Electronic Stereo Chorus Flanger is "the best flanger on the market." It can be seen in this interview at (0:40).

Tom Hamilton uses a Pigtronix Bass FAT Drive, according to Pigtronix's website.

In this video at 0:50, the TC Electronic Corona Chorus is right next to the Tom Hamilton's Source Audio pedal. The Aerosmith guitarist even has his own Sweet Emotion tone print.

At 0:35, Tom Hamilton's Mojo Hand Rook Overdrive pedal can be seen on the left.

According to TC Electronics website Tom Hamilton uses the MojoMojo Overdrive

" Whatcha think? Kick ass right!" Tom in a tweet from 24 Mar 2012

Article from Premier Guitar magazine 2/8/13: Fullerton, CA (February 8, 2013) -- Aerosmith’s Tom Hamilton has been playing G&L ASAT Basses for nearly twenty years since he bought his first blue metal flake ASAT Bass at 48th Street Custom Guitars in New York City. Since then, G&L has built several more ASAT Basses in a variety of finishes, but there’s something about G&L’s over-the-top metal flake finishes that keeps him coming back for more.

Tom loves the tone, the way the ASAT Bass cuts through the mix in a live setting and the way it tracks beautifully in the studio. Why mess with such a good thing? Well, after listening carefully to Tom’s live performance and studio tracks, G&L VP Engineering Paul Gagon thought he could dial in the pickups to suit Tom’s style even more. Ideas were exchanged and prototypes were built, carefully moving the output and resonant peak until the perfect spec was nailed. Aiden Mullen, Tom’s tech, had this to say:

“The new bass you built for Tom is fantastic, and he started tracking with it like twenty minutes after it arrived. Every G&L we get is excellent, and the new pickups are perfect.” Today, G&L is proud to introduce the new ASAT Bass Tom Hamilton Signature Model featuring the new “Hamiltone” Magnetic Field Design humbucking pickups mounted in a Western Sugar Pine body for reduced weight and an aged-satin-finished quartersawn maple neck that better withstands the rigors of worldwide touring. Naturally, the model features G&L’s stunning metal flake finishes, available in Blue, Red or Turquoise Metal Flake with a fresh twist: Silver Metal Flake faux double-binding for even more visual pop on stage. Tom’s signature and special caricature are placed discreetly on the rear of the headstock.

MSRP for the ASAT Bass Tom Hamilton Signature Model is $2,665.

[V.G.]: What was your setup for the recording?

[T.H.]: I had an Ampeg B15 and a Hartke Kickback combo, plus a DI. I had a group of basses that I would try out at the beginning of working on a song, then between me and Jack, we would decide which one fit the best. I had an old Kay, a Höfner, Gretsch, Mosrite, Parker Fly bass, Sadowsky bass, G&L ASAT Bass, and a stand-up bass. I was avoiding the twangy, stringy bass sound and going for the old vintage sort of thump, almost subliminal sound. So the tones of the different basses aren’t quite as apparent as they would be if it was a regular Aerosmith record.

My basses are set up with .045-.105 flatwound strings. I used a pick on a lot of the recorded versions of the songs on the album, but onstage, I only use a pick for “Baby, Please Don’t Go.” I use Herco picks – the gray ones. I’ve loved them since I was 14 years old!

Used for practice and the demos for Done with Mirrors, as stated by Hamilton and Aerosmith bandmate Joe Perry in this May 1986 Guitar for the Practicing Musician interview.

GUITAR: What's everyone's favorite new sound or toy?

TOMMY: I used a '59 Precision bass for the album. This record was a big turning point for me because Ted and our engineer got me to play with an extremely light touch with my right hand. I was hitting the strings harder with my left hand than my right, which was totally foreign. In this band I'm used to grinding my fingers into the strings. But each headphone had eight different pots for mixing, so I was able to put my bass way up in the mix, which meant I could just play super light and get the actual tone of the instrument. Though I didn't wind up using it for my tone, the Tom Scholz Bass Rockman has been an integral part of my writing and practicing for the last year. That thing is amazing.

JOE: All the demos were made with the Rockman; it's the best bass sound you could possibly get.

Mentioned in this May 1986 Guitar for the Practicing Musician interview.

TOMMY: [...] Until I got this '59 P Bass, my old fallback was a '63 Stack Pot Jazz bass which always seemed to make it onto the records.

The Reverb listing confirms that Tom Hamilton uses a Fender 6G6A/B Bassman, as it features a Bassman head owned by Tom himself.

Tom Hamilton utilizes a D'Addario 3" Padded Woven Bass Guitar Strap on one of his G&L basses, as evidenced by the image available on No Treble.