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Mike in Chicago said:Rotosound Swing Bass...bass open up full, tone all the way treble...Tube Amp...bass all the way up, mid all the way down, treble all the way up.
that should get you in the general direction
zon6c-f said:Don't know if Geddy used it, but Squire used tremolo on a few songs. Intro to Starship trooper comes to mind. Flanging at the end. JPJ used it on "Good Times-Bad Times".
Sometimes, Squire's fuzz was so subkle as to sound more like "distortion".
Hydromantic said:Well, I have "Close To The Edge" in mind or songs on Tales From Topographic Oceans or their cover of "America" for example.
But maybe the fuzz I'm talking about is the od on his Marshall you're talking about actually
Do you get good results for this overdrive sound with Amplitube?
Hydromantic said:Here you can hear some isolated bass by Chris Squire on "Yours I No Disgrace" : YES - Yours Is No Disgrace 1 (Chris Squire's Bass Only) - YouTube
It's from a recent tour but it's still Chris Squire sound I love so much![]()
Which one? Montreux?
Charlzm said:I have a Line 6 Variax bass and a Line 6 BassPOD XT Live. There are settings for both the Rush "Tom Sawyer" sound and the Yes "Roundabout" tone in the Pod (which can control the bass model on the Variax). I don't have them here at work for reference, but if nobody else follows up on it before I get home tonight, I can post specific bass/amp/effect settings that Line 6 represents as close facsimiles.
DLaunder said:I've been intrigued and influenced by both Chris and Geddy's tone for years, so I'm digging this post. I read, and agree, that a great deal of tone comes from the attack - obviously. I think I read somewhere, and saw it posted her again, that Chris uses a pick and his thumb to double pluck the string. Geddy's tone IMHO is all about him digging in on his Jazz or Ric.
I can't comment on Chris's gear (old or new) because I'm not sure what he plays. Whatever he plays, the person that has come closest, again IMHO, is Dave Meros from Spock's Beard. What ever he does I think he's nailed it!
Geddy's tone has changed a great deal, to my ears, over the last few years. Tech 21 preamps showed up around Vapor Trails, I think, and I thought his tone on that album was too heavy. The albums that followed were more mellow, but still had that Geddy Lee edge to them. Below is a link that describes where that sound is today and how he achieves it (at least for live sound).
Bottom line for me is that I gave up a long time ago trying to copy the sound and ventured out to find my own. I think that Geddy and Chris might be doing the same thing themselves, even after all these years.
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May I give you the bottom line? I am not going to read all the pages of this thread. But can only say that these players, Geddy and Chris, will get their sound regardless of their amps or instruments. Squire has said in interviews that he got most of his tone from his neck toaster. So. Geddy sounds like Geddy whether he is using his Ric or his Fender. Go figure.
Why not forget about them and come up with your own signature sound? Find a compromise. Find what you want, and go with it.
Frankly, I can't believe that anyone is still trying to copy someone else's tone. I may believe this for someone who is in a garage band and only a teen. But no one else.
Sorry for the hard line.
dog1 said:Wow. I thought I would get dumped on for that post. Thanks for the +1.
All I can say is, find your tone. Go with it. Squire and Lee did it. Why not you? Your bass, your amp, your speakers. Your tone. Catch the ball and run with it.