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4001 Mashup

#521
I envy you both. I never the pleasure of meeting him. I first saw him in concert during the Drama tour (Sans Jon) and that was my first exposure to Yes. As you know, that album was heavily Squirized, still one of my favorite LPs, Yes or otherwise. It proved that Yes could exist without Jon, but I agree with you Maple. There is no Yes without Chris.
The first bass that I purchased myself in 1983? - a blonde Rickenbacker. I got Phil Keaggy to sign it, but always hoped I would get Chris to sign it too. After all, he was the reason I bought it and the reason I still play bass today. Before Chris, bass was boring. There are other great bass players, but there was something in his playing that grabbed me and never let go. I will greatly miss the man I never met.
 
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#524
1979 Jetglo 4001, my first bass. I was 17 and had just seen Yes with Wakeman in Boston in the round stage. That was it for me, he sounded like he was playing the bass piano keys, never really heard his tone any better. I remember picking up a P bass after a few months in with the Ric, the P felt like a plank with strings, still does, I guess.
 
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#525
BassHappy said:
Hey Mapleglo

I remember in 1969-1970 - there were a bunch of musicians in Indiana who really enjoyed progressive music and our singer/flute player Cliff - who was eventually in Happy the Man - worked at a record store. He would come home every night with a new record or two and we would all gather round a couple of nights a week to listen to the new albums. Of course, if the artwork was cool and bizarre he would bring it home - there was nothing else to judge it by - it was all about the artwork. That is how we got turned on to all of the progressive bands of the day. The cool thing was, the stuff we didn't like - Cliff could take it back as "defective" - so we had a constant supply of all the great unknown music of the time - Yes, Genesis, Gentle Giant, King Crimson, Touch, The Flock, The Litter, Van Der Graf Generator, Ekseption, Aorta, Spookytooth, Jethro Tull - the list went on and on.

We all fell in love with "Time and A Word" and my guitar player friend Dale Newman found out they were making a US run and he went to a show early to see if he could meet the guys. As it turned out, not only did he meet the guys, but when Steve saw how well he got around on the guitar - he asked him to do the US leg of the tour as his guitar tech. Long story short, it wasn't much of a tour as it was their first time in the US and their first record had just come out. Nobody knew who they were but it certainly established YES as a force to be reckoned with.

My thing is that I couldn't believe the bass sound at the end of "Everydays". The first time I heard it, I completely lost my mind. I mean completely. I will remember the riff forever - it still haunts me (right around the 6:00 minute mark) It goes by quick, but oh my god..... Listen to it cranked up and it will still knock your socks off:



I must have lifted the needle and played that short section 500 times. I was so intrigued by the sound when it was isolated. I kept playing that over and over and tried to emulate that same sound. His bass almost sounded like a chains saw or glass breaking or something on that passage. Funny, that it was pre-Rickenbacker - my recollection is that Chris was playing a Fender through Orange amps in those early days. No reflection on anything for me, I loved him on a Rick just as much if not more - a great player is a great player - he sounded like Chris either way. He was a huge influence on me and I am so sorry that he has passed. I guess God needed another bass player.

As a side note, Steve Howe recommended Dale to Mike Rutherford shortly after the Yes run ended - when Genesis hit the US for their first tour. Dale not only got the gig - he just retired from the Genesis organization about a year or so ago after nearly 45 years as Mike's stage tech and the caretaker of the Genesis "Farm" complex and recording studio in Chiddingfold.
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Thanks for that link. I pulled it up in iTunes - I have the album, and yeah, Chris Squire was the tone master.

Robert Canfield said:
I envy you both. I never the pleasure of meeting him. I first saw him in concert during the Drama tour (Sans Jon) and that was my first exposure to Yes. As you know, that album was heavily Squirized, still one of my favorite LPs, Yes or otherwise. It proved that Yes could exist without Jon, but I agree with you Maple. There is no Yes without Chris.
The first bass that I purchased myself in 1983? - a blonde Rickenbacker. I got Phil Keaggy to sign it, but always hoped I would get Chris to sign it too. After all, he was the reason I bought it and the reason I still play bass today. Before Chris, bass was boring. There are other great bass players, but there was something in his playing that grabbed me and never let go. I will greatly miss the man I never met.
Click to expand...

I too bought my first (and second, and third) Ric because of Chris Squire. And I agree, after all this time, I think he was the sound behind Yes. And that's not to diminish the other member's contributions. They are all great players in the own right, and each have their signature sounds. But without Chris Squire, I think there's no Yes.

D-Smith said:
That picture is great! Looks like you might spontaneously combust at any moment!
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Heh, I was smiling so hard my face hurt :P It was one of my biggest thrills though, to meet him.

Jon Clegg said:
Never met him either, but did get to see him live during the Going for the One tour. Parallels rocked with the pipe organ blasting over Chris' awesome bass line. I agree, Chris was probably the most irreplacable member. RIP.
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Agreed.

Gilmourisgod said:
1979 Jetglo 4001, my first bass. I was 17 and had just seen Yes with Wakeman in Boston in the round stage. That was it for me, he sounded like he was playing the bass piano keys, never really heard his tone any better. I remember picking up a P bass after a few months in with the Ric, the P felt like a plank with strings, still does, I guess.
Click to expand...

Bass piano - yeah, that's a great way to describe him. I still like a P bass. I picked up a MIM a year or so ago, and it's one of my main players. But all through the 70's and 80's, when I was gigging regularly, I had one bass. A Ric. And if I had to choose just one again, it would be a Ric.

Anyway, regarding this build, no progress, and there likely won't be any until the weekend. Last weekend we were out of town visiting my husband's family. Ugh, plane travel. And it seems I picked up a cold somewhere. So I'm trying to take it easy. I don't want this to turn in pneumonia again.

Plans include routing the pickup locations, shaping the neck a bit more, and shaping the body. Then I have to level the frets at some point. Then I can think about what I'm going to do for paint.
 
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#526
mapleglo said:
Ugh, plane travel. And it seems I picked up a cold somewhere. So I'm trying to take it easy. I don't want this to turn in pneumonia again.
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I too hate plane travel and take heavy doses of AIRBORNE, and ZICAM before, during and after flying. It's a floating germ chamber, and uncomfortable as well! Hope you get well quickly.
 
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#527
JIO said:
I too hate plane travel and take heavy doses of AIRBORNE, and ZICAM before, during and after flying. It's a floating germ chamber, and uncomfortable as well! Hope you get well quickly.
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I'll have to give those a try, next time I fly.

I did a little more work this morning. We're off from work today, but I don;t want to over do it. I'm still a little under the weather.

Set up the routing template for the pickups.

t6403p.jpg


Clamped and glued it, and let it set.

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Then I worked on the neck a little more. Pretty much the final shaping. I'm pretty close to the truss rods as it is. This is the down side of dual truss rods. Don't want to get too close to them.

ndplig.jpg


Once the template had set, I marked out the areas, and drilled out as much as I could. My drill press doesn't have a deep enough throat, so I had to do some of it with the hand drill.

znk0bd.jpg


I clamped the template in place.

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And after a few minutes with the router.

2h3c4eg.jpg


Of course, the 1/2" router bit does not have a tight enough radius for the corners of the pickup covers. I'll either have to get a smaller router bit, or do it by hand. Or use the wood covers I made.
 
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#528
Glad to see you're back!
I like how you have taken an obvious love of this design to a more personal, functional level, while still making it look good (and making it look easy!)
I'd definitely have you build me one of these someday, rather than going new on a (possible) bag of structural and political b.s.

(quick aside- saw Yes 3 times, all with Squire/Anderson etc. That is Yes to me. Spent many countless hours learning to play bass with Squire and crew teaching me through the magic of vinyl, still have Squire's solo album [now pretty worn from overplaying], and usually have Lucky 7 on a semi-permanent loop in my head. I don't play like him, but he taught me to play. Too bad I never met him, would have thanked him. RIP.)
 
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#529
wraub said:
Glad to see you're back!
I like how you have taken an obvious love of this design to a more personal, functional level, while still making it look good (and making it look easy!)
I'd definitely rather have you build me one of these someday, rather than going new on a (possible) bag of structural and political b.s.

(quick aside- saw Yes 3 times, all with Squire/Anderson etc. That is Yes to me. Spent many countless hours learning to play bass with Squire and crew teaching me through the magic of vinyl, still have Squire's solo album [now pretty worn from overplaying], and usually have Lucky 7 on a semi-permanent loop in my head. I don't play like him, but he taught me to play. Too band I never met him, would have thanked him. RIP.)
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Yes, I love the design, but to me, that doesn't mean I can't improve it :P

Also have his solo album. It's almost as if it's the forgotten Yes album. It is in this album, one can really hear how much Chris Squire made Yes sound like Yes.

Speaking of improvements, a spent a little time with the rasp, belt sander, and sandpaper.

294772r.jpg


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What an improvement in ergonomics. This bass is actually extremely comfortable now. I'm looking forward to see how it feels when it's competed.
 
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#531
wraub said:
I am upset because I can only like a post one time.

Also agree on FOOW, totally a document of Squire's influence on Yes, along with some usual cohorts. But, I am a Bruford fan too, so...
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I have mixed feelings when it comes to Bill Bruford. There's no question that he was a great drummer. I think he became better after he left Yes, and I prefer Alan White's style, which I think complements the music of Yes better. However, for my favorite Yes music, Bruford was the drummer - The Yes Album through Close to the Edge - so I have to believe that White might have used the drum parts Buford wrote as a starting point, and played off of them. Bruford is more a percussionist, with a jazzy influence, where White is pure rock. Frankly, I'll listen to either - they're both great - but I'd pick Alan White given a choice.
 
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#532
I do appreciate White as a rock drummer, and I think that he fit the role in Yes quite well. That said, I find his approach simpler than the jazzy, off time approach (where's the snare gonna be?) of BB.
Also, I copped more stuff from Berlin on the Bruford albums that I could comfortably admit...
 
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#533
Drilled out the jack/control panel holes.

1zqpsh4.jpg


r2rehk.jpg


Also drilled out the control panel to pickup channel and control panel to bridge ground channel. I have a fret leveling bar on order from StewMac, and I guess it's time to think about paint. Any suggestions for white and pink trans sources?
 
#534
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#535
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#536
I really like how this is coming together Mapleglo.

I have only seen Yes once and that was on the 90125 tour.
I would really have loved to see them on the Relayer tour because, in my opinion, "The Gates Of Delirium" is one of the greatest pieces of music ever written and I would have loved to have watched that line up of Yes perform it.
To my eternal regret , I was unable to go see them when they came through town last year, it was the tour on which they were playing "Fragile" entirety.
Like so many others, Chris was a huge influence on me and his passing is a huge loss.
I am curious what will happen to Yes at this point. Not only was Squire an integral part of their sound but he also owned the rights to the name, that is why the band could only be billed as Yes if he was in it (or gave permission).
 
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#537
mapleglo said:
Thanks for the link. I thought to seal the wood with that west systems epoxy. Will that be compatible? And what should I use for clear over this?
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What woods are you using? If its maple I would skip the epoxy. Closed grain woods dont really need a grain filler. As far as the pre mixed candy needing a clear, I will have to get back to you on that. I would say yes but Im not sure
 
#539
Basshappi said:
I really like how this is coming together Mapleglo.

I have only seen Yes once and that was on the 90125 tour.
I would really have loved to see them on the Relayer tour because, in my opinion, "The Gates Of Delirium" is one of the greatest pieces of music ever written and I would have loved to have watched that line up of Yes perform it.
To my eternal regret , I was unable to go see them when they came through town last year, it was the tour on which they were playing "Fragile" entirety.
Like so many others, Chris was a huge influence on me and his passing is a huge loss.
I am curious what will happen to Yes at this point. Not only was Squire an integral part of their sound but he also owned the rights to the name, that is why the band could only be billed as Yes if he was in it (or gave permission).
Click to expand...

Thanks!

I would imagine that they will keep touring, just like they did after Yes and Anderson parted ways. I think they have Billy Sherwood filling in on bass for the reminder of this summer tour. I was lucky to see them last year when they came into town at the Mesa Art Center. They are releasing a BluRay of that concert in just a few days. I have it on pre-order. But yes, a huge loss.
 

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