how to get the geddy lee tone - Page 2

wulf · #21 07-22-2003, 08:25 AM

Wow - so Mr Lee moves his hand to different positions to get a range of tones suitable for the song

Unnecessary sarcasm aside (sorry about that

), with most bassists, it's going to be hard to get 'their' tone... cos like the rest of us, they're also constantly seeking new ways of approaching things, aiming to serve the song, etc, etc...

Interesting to see the wide range of answers though - certainly some ideas to try even through I've got no burning ambition to 'sound like Geddy'.

Wulf

GianGian · #22 05-17-2008, 09:16 PM

I ressurected this because I really want to know the gauge of his strings...does anybody know?

bassybass · #23 05-17-2008, 09:51 PM

I grew up on Rush, some Yes, etc. etc.---many great, idiosyncratic bassists of the time, and as a lad, I would even go so far as to try and emulate famous player's rigs, etc, right down to the strings and picks or whatever. But this kind of obessesion with copping somebody else's tone just starts getting silly. What do you HEAR, and FEEL, in your own sound you're getting--or nor getting--what does your band/projects NEED tonally? I suspect they don't need Geddy, they need YOU to be YOU--bring yourself, baby.

GianGian · #24 05-17-2008, 10:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bassybass

I grew up on Rush, some Yes, etc. etc.---many great, idiosyncratic bassists of the time, and as a lad, I would even go so far as to try and emulate famous player's rigs, etc, right down to the strings and picks or whatever. But this kind of obessesion with copping somebody else's tone just starts getting silly. What do you HEAR, and FEEL, in your own sound you're getting--or nor getting--what does your band/projects NEED tonally? I suspect they don't need Geddy, they need YOU to be YOU--bring yourself, baby.

I just wanted to know it because of the tension...I feel that my light gauge is still a bit tight...I heard he used very light strings...I just wanted to know if it is true.

bassybass · #25 05-18-2008, 12:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GianGian

I just wanted to know it because of the tension...I feel that my light gauge is still a bit tight...I heard he used very light strings...I just wanted to know if it is true.

Sorry to sound critical. I just mean, it ends being sort of a chase with no end, 'cause as mentioned above there are so many variables to how a tone happens, whether live, studio, etc. etc.
But I'm NOT saying to not draw inspiration from the greats like Geddy, and sometimes it does mean trying out similar set-ups. (Think of how many of us jumped on the flatwound wagon again after we heard Pino on "Voodoo" . . . .

It's all good.

GianGian · #26 05-18-2008, 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bassybass

Sorry to sound critical. I just mean, it ends being sort of a chase with no end, 'cause as mentioned above there are so many variables to how a tone happens, whether live, studio, etc. etc.
But I'm NOT saying to not draw inspiration from the greats like Geddy, and sometimes it does mean trying out similar set-ups. (Think of how many of us jumped on the flatwound wagon again after we heard Pino on "Voodoo" . . . .

It's all good.

I understand your point, I just think you overreacted, but that is OK. I just wanted to know the gauges out of curiosity. Knowledge is never too much.

bassybass · #27 05-18-2008, 11:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GianGian

I understand your point, I just think you overreacted, but that is OK. I just wanted to know the gauges out of curiosity. Knowledge is never too much.

No overreaction here, just my point of view, about these kinds of threads in general. Nothing to do specifically with you and your string gauge inquiry.

thundepulse · #28 08-04-2008, 09:51 PM

One word of advice is...do not use a tweeter. Geddy's tone comes from his harsh playing style, proper equalization, overdrive/distortion and speaker compression. For EQing, the 1.5-2.5k range is really, really exaggerated. I say 1.5-2.5k because eq needs to be adjusted depending on the room. The 200-600hz range is usually scooped and you do not want too many lows beneath 80hz. These settings may sound really nasally and nasty, but this is where the no tweeter thing comes in. First of all you want to make sure you have speakers that have a frequency response of about 4-4.5khz. This is something not to be overlooked so nothing over 5khz. To smooth out the nasty nasal sound, really boost the highs a lot, and I mean a lot. I recommend somewhere around the high 2-3k range. This causes the speakers to compress and produce smooth highs rather than a harsh tweeter type sound. Tweeters just cause a lot of annoying clicking and they drive me nuts. Don't get me wrong, tweeters can be awesome for certain sounds, but definitely not this one. To put the icing on the cake, blend some overdrive into the effects loop and if you feel it necessary, use an actual compressor. However if you do not play aggressively, this will all probably sound like crap. The only time a tweeter might work is if you run your rig through a speaker simulator first to compress your sound and then run that out of a full range system. I haven't tried that yet, but it could be really cool. These are just guidelines of how to get that sound. So mess around with it and come up with your own unique sound.

mrokern · #29 08-04-2008, 10:00 PM

Geddy uses Funkmasters (Roto 66s) last I heard. Gauges are 30/50/70/90.

-Mark

thundepulse · #30 08-04-2008, 10:08 PM

I believe he used the funk masters on his wal bass in the 80's. More specifically, the power windows/show of hands tour. I also think all he used were a couple furman eq's (I belive pq 3's) for his tone.

**Engine207** · #31 09-08-2008, 05:50 PM

I'm a big Squire/Geddy/Entwistle fann myself. I've spent some time (without much success, though) trying to figure out the settings that yield that twangy, pianoish sound. Using my Ric 4001 with RS66s, I have come closest by plucking over the bridge pick-up using the bridge on full volume and the neck at about 1/2. I've turned all three bass eqs down as well as the high, while cranking the three mids. I also keep the gain up pretty high.

I haven't quite got it, but I'll keep noodling...

Anybody else have a favorite setting for the Squire/Geddy/Entwistle sound on a Sunn? Thanks...207

jeffgnr90 · #32 02-06-2013, 06:59 PM

I think I've nailed his tone..kinda. idk how it sits in a mix but I can say for sure in a weekend or two. here's what I used..

Acoustic b600h into 2 Acoustic b410's
Gain 1:00/Vol. whatever it needs to be at/Freq. 2:00/40hz 2:00/120hz 2:00/350hz 1:00/800hz 2:00/2k 1:00/5k 3:00

Squier VM jazz bass w/Model J pickups
Rotosound Swing Jazz strings
Digitech RP80
Compressor setting 2/noise gate setting 5/modulation phaser setting 1/EQ flat
Sansamp BDDI Deluxe
drive full on/bass 11:00/treble 12:00/presence full off/blend 9:30/lvl. 11:30

There's a Boss OC3 in the fx chain which i wasn't using but if you were to add it to the sound I would go for Poly mode/Octave 2 full off/Octave 1 9:00/lvl. 3:00

Sooo there you have it. Nice and detailed, hope it helps. I imagine I'll probably come back to it tomorrow and think it needs tweeking. The sound itself reminds me of Ged's Moving Pictures tone. YYZ and The Camera Eye to be specific. Of course low action and right hand technique are also required to get his tone.

beans-on-toast · #33 02-06-2013, 07:22 PM

Getting the tone is one thing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGdQUMzRVxA

jeffgnr90 · #34 02-06-2013, 09:04 PM

All too true!

fokof · #35 02-06-2013, 10:10 PM

I think there was an Ashly Sc-40 with the "Diode tip" in the FX send involved in his sound ....

R Baer · #36 02-07-2013, 12:42 AM

Have to agree that a lot of Geddy's tone comes from his hands. I can cop a pretty good Geddy sound, but I have to use a pick as I just can't hit the strings as hard as he does. I really think the gear is very secondary. I've been copping good Geddys sounds for years on various basses and rigs, Eden, Ashdown and my current set up. It's all in the
attack and the distortion. You don't need to recreate his rig to do it. Heck, Geddy has always sounded like Geddy and look how many times he has changed rigs over the years.

**Razzmatazz** · #37 02-07-2013, 12:55 AM

Two simple things got me close to the Rick era tone. Right hand placement (just before the neck pickup) and the vintage tone selector up (Rick 4003). Also playing with assertiveness helps a lot. I agree the rest is secondary but in my case I use a Ross type compressor to highlight the "Rick honk".

Edit: I forgot to mention the nickel roundwound strings.