• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join freeLog in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Cliff Burton pic

The Misfits' Jerry Only played a RIC; pretty gnarly tones coming out of that thing.

(Before)
misfitslive.jpg


(After)
tumblr_nmckwvDDuu1u7aopzo1_1280.jpg
 
Damn, I saw Metallica just a couple of months before Cliff died (opening for Ozzy), and I since I wasn't playing yet, I didn't pay attention to what he brought out that night. I never mentally associated him with Rics :(

/fail

He was using the Aria Pro II during that tour, though I don't know if that was an exclusive thing or not. IIRC he didn't use the Ric much live after they recorded "Ride the Lightning".
 
  • Like
Reactions: EclecticLady
Maybe I wan't aware of what he played, but I recently saw a pic of him playing a Rickenbacher, believe is was a 4001. Never noticed as I wasn't playing bass or guitar back then, but I would have thought he'd have used a solid body and a more metal type bass.

Always thought of Ricks as being more for late 60's British rock and pop, not mid 80's what we used to call thrash.
Rickenbackers are solid bodies.

And also the most metal type of bass there is.
 
Cliff was in Metallica but wasn't a metal fan. A magazine republished his last interview on the anniversary of his death once. They asked him what other metal bands he was listening to. He said he doesn't like metal and the band he was really gravitating to at the time was a at the time little known band called REM. James and Lars have also commented over and over again about how his music collection was very diverse with everything except metal in it. It would've been interesting to get his take on the black album. My gut tells me he would've loved it.

But I've always associated Rics with metal.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mantis Tobaggan
Maybe I wan't aware of what he played, but I recently saw a pic of him playing a Rickenbacher, believe is was a 4001. Never noticed as I wasn't playing bass or guitar back then, but I would have thought he'd have used a solid body and a more metal type bass.

Always thought of Ricks as being more for late 60's British rock and pop, not mid 80's what we used to call thrash.
Yup. he played this Ric. He also had a Fender occasionally. The spoiler popped up once in a while also. Aria sent him three models to try out. There was an active model they sent him that he didn't take to. I think it was an IGB model. He also occasionally used an SB-1000 but seemed to take to Aria Pro II's B&G. This was a work-horse for him for a while. Many of his later more known pictures of him in Metallica feature this one. These Aria's have a nasally tone and seemed to fit well in the mix, in between the guitars and the very bassy drums. Its last iteration had a PJ Max pickup.
 
Cliff also still wore bell bottoms and listened to skynyrd and classical music. He did not fit your stereotypical metalhead profile.

Cliff was so the man. Very unique.

And yeah, I think Ric's are awesome for metal. I play in a thrash band and my Ric sounds amazing when we play. I think any bass can be used in metal depending on what sound you wanna go for. I'd play a Pbass or a Ric over one of those stupid looking warlock body things any day.

*ducks*
 
I'm pretty sure he got a SB1000 (the active one) and two Black 'n Gold basses. Lars Ulrich had one and its has been up for display a couple times, that's the one with the PJ Marx pickup. Connie (his sister) has the other Black 'n gold and a guitar he got from Aria. Not sure about this, but the SB 1000 could be in the Hall of fame on display (iirc I saw a picture)

The Alembic was stolen a couple of months after he got it, he left it against his car and when he returned it was gone... :-(
He used it at the end of '84, I'm pretty sure this is with the Spoiler:



This pic was taken in Amsterdam during that leg of the tour:

63813.jpg


The Precision bass was loaned for one gig and belongs to a TB member :-)
 
Last edited: