Chris Squire's Rig???

[beyondthe48]

can you name what chris uses?

[moogboy]

Chris Squire uses:

Amps:
Marshall 100 Watt Super Bass Amp driving a 4x12 Marshall cab
two Ampeg SVT-2 Pros each driving its own Ampeg 8x10 cab
SWR SM-500 driving an Energy 2x15 cab for the bass pedals

Effects:
Custom-Built Tremelo
Maestro Bass Brassmaster
T.C. Electronic Chorus/Flanger
Lexicon MP-5 Multi-effects
Roland SRV 2000 Reverb
MXR 1500 Delay
Morley Volume Pedal
Octave Divider-no info on the brand is on Chris' website no info on his Wah either. i think its a Morley or a Vox
ADA Preamp EQ'd for the lows on his Tobias basses
2 Samson wireless units for his basses outputs

Basses:
Rickenbacker
Custom Triple Neck-Top Neck 6 string tuned AaDdCg, Middle Neck 4 string Fretted EADG, Bottom Neck 4 string Fretless tuned EADG
8-string built by Chicago Luthier Eric Ranney
Fender Jazz Bass
Green Mouradian 4-string
Westone Electra from St. Louis Music
Lakland Joe Osborn neck on a Bob Glaub body finished in Inca Silver Metallic
Warwick Streamer LX Fretless
Several Michael Tobias basses, including a 5-string bass that has his name inlaid in the neck

Misc. stuff that wasnt listed but i could make out in the pic of his rack:
Sound Sculpture Switchblade

this info can be found at www.ChrisSquire.com

here is a pic of the rack that he has. maybe you can figure out what else is in there:

[iamthebassman]

Corrections:
The Energy cab is a 2-15.
The Lakland is a Bob Glaub with a Joe Osborn neck. This bass replaced the Fender Jazz which was retired due to neck problems.

[moogboy]

Originally Posted by iamthebassman

Corrections:
The Energy cab is a 2-15.

*slaps face so hard eyeballs fly out and calls himself retarded over and over*

[knarleybass]

The triple neck was made by Wal.

[iamthebassman]

Originally Posted by knarleybass

The triple neck was made by Wal.

Yes..and no.

The original was made by Wal and is now owned by the Hard Rock Cafe. The one CS tours with now(which the list is referring to) is a copy of that bass, made by a Japanese company.

[moogboy]

Originally Posted by iamthebassman

Yes..and no.

The original was made by Wal and is now owned by the Hard Rock Cafe. The one CS tours with now(which the list is referring to) is a copy of that bass, made by a Japanese company.

very good Grasshopper

[moogboy]

Originally Posted by knarleybass

The triple neck was made by Wal...

...for Rick Wakemans Bassist for the King Arthur And the Knights Of The Round Table on ice shows and was then given to Chris Squire by Rick Wakeman.

the bass sat until one magical session in 1978 for the song 'Awaken' where Chris overdubbed 3 different bass parts each using a different style of bass. the tour came along and the band was flabbergassted! how are we to recreate this wonderful song live? then, Chris Squire saved the day by pulling out the Wal Triple Neck bass. the first 4 or so minutes of the song were played on the top three strings of an 8 string bass. the top neck of the Wal was a 6-string neck. the neck was outfitted with strings so that Chris could properly play this great song. the middle neck was for the good old 4 string fretted. the bottom neck was used for the Fretless parts in Awaken.

now, fast forward to the 1980s. the band had stopped playing Awaken live. the Wal was then donated by Chris Squire to the Hard Rock Cafe. in 1984 the Wal was in California. how do i know? my mom and dad went to California for their honeymoon and they saw that bass. well, Yes lost their Progessive Rock status by allowing Trevor Rabin to play Tapping solos and have a horrid guitar tone and there was no Awaken during this period. then, Yes got Steve Howe back into the band, and they decided to start playing Awaken again. Chris then had a Japanese luthier copy the Wal. Chris stated once that the new Triple-Neck is better than the original.

and that, child, is the story of Chris Squire's Triple-Neck bass.

does this mean that i am obsessed with Yes and all of its members?

[PhR]

There's also some interesting gear he used to use, such as:

Gibson Thunderbird
-a non-reverse model used on "Release, Release", "Does It Really Happen?" and (probably) "Our Song"

Rickenbacker 8-string prototype
-one of two built, the other belonged to that The Who bassist whose name was...Ace Kefford?

Fender Telecaster (or an early P-Bass)
-a white one with an extra bridge pickup, used on "Sweet Dreams" and "Time And A Word"

Rickenbacker 4001MG
-the one he used on "The Yes Album"

Guild JS fretless
-played on "Tales From Topographic Oceans"

[moogboy]

Originally Posted by PhR

There's also some interesting gear he used to use, such as:

Gibson Thunderbird
-a non-reverse model used on "Release, Release", "Does It Really Happen?" and (probably) "Our Song"

Rickenbacker 8-string prototype
-one of two built, the other belonged to that The Who bassist whose name was...Ace Kefford?

Fender Telecaster (or an early P-Bass)
-a white one with an extra bridge pickup, used on "Sweet Dreams" and "Time And A Word"

Rickenbacker 4001MG
-the one he used on "The Yes Album"

Guild JS fretless
-played on "Tales From Topographic Oceans"

*Slaps face so hard eyeballs pop out again*

the Who's bassists name was John Entwistle. RIP.

the bass in the above photo is a Gibson EB-3

Release, Release is one of my favorite Yes songs. the Rickenbacker 8 was used on Going For The One and it was also used for the first 4 or so minutes of Awaken. the Fender Tele Bass was setup for Eb most likely so that he could play those songs. now i need to find my copy of Tales and listen for the Fretless.....

[PhR]

Originally Posted by moogboy

*Slaps face so hard eyeballs pop out again*

the Who's bassists name was John Entwistle. RIP.

Gotcha!

Originally Posted by moogboy

the bass in the above photo is a Gibson EB-3

No, it's a Guild JS fretless.

[PhR]

He also (over)used the Colorsound Dipthonizer pedal on "Tormato", that autowah sound almost on every song. I'm not sure what they meant with "harmonised Rickenbacker bass" but I bet it was a chorus effect, at least it sounds like a chorus, for example on "The Silent Wings Of Freedom".

How about his old amps and cabs? He had Fender amps (probably Dual Showmans) and also used Sunn solid state heads (Coliseum perhaps) at some point. This old gear I'd like to learn more about.

[moogboy]

Originally Posted by PhR

He also (over)used the Colorsound Dipthonizer pedal on "Tormato", that autowah sound almost on every song. I'm not sure what they meant with "harmonised Rickenbacker bass" but I bet it was a chorus effect, at least it sounds like a chorus, for example on "The Silent Wings Of Freedom".

How about his old amps and cabs? He had Fender amps (probably Dual Showmans) and also used Sunn solid state heads (Coliseum perhaps) at some point. This old gear I'd like to learn more about.

Colorsound Dipthonizer? i saw a Mutron III in a pic of the Going For The One tour.

[moogboy]

Originally Posted by PhR

Gotcha!



No, it's a Guild JS fretless.

QUIT MAKING ME SLAP MY EYEBALLS OUT!

[PhR]

Originally Posted by moogboy

QUIT MAKING ME SLAP MY EYEBALLS OUT!

Slap something else then, like your bass. That Guild JS is a very nice looking bass BTW, I wonder if Squire still has his?

[PhR]

Originally Posted by moogboy

Colorsound Dipthonizer? i saw a Mutron III in a pic of the Going For The One tour.

I can't remember from where I got the info. Here's the pedal:
http://filters.muziq.be/model/colorsound/dipthonizer

EDIT: It was from allmusic.com (!). From "Tormato" review:
Of special interest is the pounding "On the Silent Wings of Freedom," which pushes Chris Squire and Alan White to the front of the mix, establishing the kind of aggressive and straightforward rhythms that would propel the band through the '80s. Bass freaks, take note: this tune also marks one of the few appearances of the Dipthong(sic) pedal, accounting for Squire's distinctive "bow bow bow" sound.

[Sneckumhaw]

Originally Posted by PhR

Rickenbacker 8-string prototype
-one of two built, the other belonged to that The Who bassist whose name was...Ace Kefford?

Good one! Ace Kefford, you never hear that name around here.

I was actually playing the bassline to Fire Brigade by The Move right before I read that!

[moogboy]

1974 Winter Tour Book Gear List For Christopher Russel Edward Squier:
2 Rickenbacker 4 string basses
Rickenbacker 6-string guitar
Rickenbacker 12-string guitar
Rickenbacker 8-string bass
Fender Telecaster 4-string bass
Fender Jazz Bass 4-string
Fender Stratocaster 6-string guitar
Gibson Thunderbird 4-string bass
Gibson Ripper 4-string bass
Gibson Double-Neck 4-string and 6-string
Gibson EB1 Violin bass
Gibson Melody Maker 6-string guitar
Guild Fretless 4-string
Guild 12-string acoustic guitar
Danelectro Longhorn 6-string bass
Ampeg 4-string Stand Up Electric bass
Earthwood 4-string Acoustic bass
Hohner Clavinet C
Kentucky Mountain Dulcimer

[PhR]

Originally Posted by Sneckumhaw

Good one! Ace Kefford, you never hear that name around here.

I was actually playing the bassline to Fire Brigade by The Move right before I read that!

The Move's bassists and their bass sound was a bit comparable to Entwistle's, especially when Rick Price came to the band. And Roy Wood's bass playing and sound on The Move's "Message From The Country" and the last Harvest label singles is absolutely fantastic.

Back to Squire: It's a shame that he didn't use the T-Bird very much, he got a great sound out of it. Apart from the songs I mentioned I suspect it's also used on "You By My Side" off "Fish Out Of Water".

[Sneckumhaw]

Yeah, not to hijack the entire thread, but I too think Wood was The Move's best bassist in addition to his numerous other incredible talents. To be honest, I think the bass on Message From The Country makes Entwistle and Squire sound timid. That band did more for bass heavy music than will ever be fully comprehended.

First note of the bass on MFTC knocks me off my chair, and I stay there for the length of the record. There's something to be said for sheer power and outrageousness, that's why we love Squire, Entwistle, Bruce and so on, so why not the boys from The Move!