Chris has played fretless on a number of things over the years. Listen to parts of Tales From Topographic Oceans, for one.
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The first part of "Awaken" is on fretless. Wal no less.
If there is a magic box than can convert mwaaa to the Squire sound, I want one. To me it is like trying to make a stand up bass sound like a Les Paul. 2 exact opposites. Good luck with your search.
Heh.
I would think that you of all people would know that when someone posts on this board about a classic Rick tone, they're not talking about fretless figures in Tales.
Yes, Squire played fretless. He also played 8 string, 5 String, Fenders, and that wierd ass green thing he used for 92015 that I can't remember the brand name of. He also used multiple effects, tunings, overdubs, and his sound is different on every album. And he quite often dressed funny. Have we covered it?
But he's not famous for any of those things. The OP was asking about his classic Rick tone. Cuz that's all anyone asks about. If the OP plays fretless figures from Tales, the audience will think, "hey that's great, now can you do Chris Squire?"
OP: you still can't approximate Squire's classic sound playing fretless and flats no matter how many Squire fans go "er, on this one particular figure on this one particular song on this half baked album Chris tripped over a flanger, fell flat on his ass and while doing it glanced at a fretless 24 string, so that's how he gets his sound." No. You need a fretted 4001/3, a pick, roundwounds, a little overdrive, and a little punch in the high frequencies. You can't get that from a fretless Wal strung with flats. You can still play like him, but you can't get that sound.
Derailing: When I got my first fretless, I worked on my chops by trying to play anything on my fretless that I could play on my fretted. I used Siberian Khatru and Heart of the Sunrise as my models. Great for learning to get around on an unmarked fretboard but it was obvious that that ain't the sound.
And I'd rather listen to Talk than listen to Tales ever again. Really.
I don't think such a pedal exists. Too many variables outside of pedals/effects went into Squire's sound, which is why it's coveted & considered so unique.
Which is great, because would you really want to live in a world where every bassist sounded like Chris? Well, that'd be pretty rad but c'mon let's be honest
Which is great, because would you really want to live in a world where every bassist sounded like Chris? Well, that'd be pretty rad but c'mon let's be honest
I agree with @Ric5 about the "never gonna happen" part as well, if you're using a fretless with flats. My reference about the Steel Leather is if you have frets and rounds already. Then you might have a better chance.
Ric5
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- Jan 29, 2008
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Yes ... add frets and round wound strings and that gets you part of the way there
I can't think but this is a put on, a prank, a craigslist kind of gag. Fretless and flatwounds, Wal ? It's a joke right?
Now, where's that post of someone playing a fretted Ric, roundwounds, and wants a pedal to make it sound like Jaco?
Or the post on drummers forums where one asked about what effect to buy to make his snare drum sound like a crash cymbal...
Or where the sax player wanted an effect to sound like a trumpet...
.. oh, you know the rest...
Now, where's that post of someone playing a fretted Ric, roundwounds, and wants a pedal to make it sound like Jaco?
Or the post on drummers forums where one asked about what effect to buy to make his snare drum sound like a crash cymbal...
Or where the sax player wanted an effect to sound like a trumpet...
.. oh, you know the rest...
I agree with cataract, there are many variables to constructing a tone you're after. But I have found my Sansamp Characters can really morph a bass. My P with flats can get a raunchy Wetton tone with either the VTBass or the Leeds. And the Oxford really spits fire on bass. I combine that with the Leeds for anything from Geezer to Geddy to Justin. OK, for them I use a Jazz with rounds! But probably the most important ingredient is a pick.
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I am at the coast and don't have good speakers to listen through. I'm wondering how the man himself sounded on a fretless Wal compared to his own sound on a fretted Ric.
My point is, if HE didn't "sound like Chris Squire" on a fretless Wal, how is the OP gonna do it? Chris must have chosen to go with a different bass for a different sound. So maybe the OP should do the same thing in the opposite direction?
I have no idea what I'm talking about though. For all I know Chris didn't even record that track.
Frets are evil
And yet you are willing to buy a box to try to sound like a fretted bass?
