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Geddy Lee Exit Stage Left Bass Tone

#21
Heheh... I like your sig, Ric5.


Not to be stickler though, but the Jazz never made an appearance on the ESL concert video. That's not to say he didn't play it on that tour (and it may have even been played on the ESL album) but in the video, it's all Ric.
 
#22
This is my $.02 regarding the basses used on each song on these 4 albums. I am truly confident these are all correct, in my opinion of course:

Permanent Waves:

Spirit of Radio - Jazz
Free Will - Rick
Jacob's Ladder - Rick
Entre Nous - Jazz
Different Strings - Jazz
Natural Science - Rick


Moving Pictures:

Tom Sawyer - Jazz
Red Barchetta - Rick
YYZ - Jazz
Limelight - Jazz
The Camera Eye - Rick
Witch Hunt - Jazz
Vital Signs - Jazz


Exit Stage Left:

Whole album is Rick
(including Xanadu, which is the double-neck)

Signals:

Subdivisions - Rick
Analog Kid - Jazz
Chemistry - Rick
Digital Man - Jazz
The Weapon - Jazz
New World Man - Jazz
Losing It - Jazz
Countdown - Rick
 
#26
While we know that he owned the jazz bass, the consensus seems to be mixed on whether or not he played it on the esl album. I attended their concert on that tour in Mobile AL. He did not play the jazz bass that night. This does not mean that he didn't play the Jazz on other nights. Does anyone know where the album was recorded and what basses did he play that night? This does not take into account that some portions may have been re-recorded in the studio, and then what basses were used? Cheers.
 
#28
funnyfingers said:
Except that Jazz tone that people mistake for that Rick tone, right? :hiding: :bassist:
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More truth than fiction my friend. I came up trying to imitate GL and Chris Squire. When I got my 76 Jazz bass, I was amazed at how good a "Rick" sound I got. When I later got my 78 4001, I was amazed at how much it didn't sound like Chris Squire. There's more to your sound than the brand of bass you play.
 
#29
The majority of Geddy's sound is indeed due to his playing style. I can get very close to his Rick tone and as-of-late Jazz tone with my MIA Jazz and small Ampeg combo when I dig into the strings. Anyone can try to imitate his sound on either bass, but those with a light touch will never come close.

On a related note to this thread, I think most people associate the Rick with Geddy so much that they don't realize that more than half of the songs on PW, MP and Signales was the Jazz and not the Rick. I have owned a Rick and now have my '08 Jazz and I much prefer the Jazz. It is just so tonally versatile that nothing compares to it, for me, anyway.
 
#32
SturmUndDrang said:
Didn't Geddy send his pickups to different amps? I thought I heard he used a Sunn in addition to the Ampeg.
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The neck pickup was run into amped SVT heads with V4b cabinets ( two 15s in a folded horn ). The bridge pickup was run into Sunn Colloseum amps with 215 cabinets. Info source: Guitar Player interview and front cover of All The Worlds A Stage.
 
#33
Ric5 said:
Exit Stage Left was all Rickenbaker except for YYZ which was the Jazz.
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I disagree. To my ears, it is pure Ric tone; while Geddy's true tone is in his fingers, there is no mistaking that that ALBUM (not the rest of the tour, nor any other anything) is all Ric. Even Tom Sawyer, which has been admitted as being a 'Jazz' recording, was played with the Ric. YYZ sounds *exactly* the same, tone-wise, and there wasn't the benefit of 'studio magic' to change anything live. Using the huge stereo set-up that he did at the time which was built around his Rics, it would have made no sense for him to switch to an instrument which couldn't utilize it.

ESL was the last great Ric run; he retired the double-neck, and pretty much the 4001 (especially live) from then on.
 
#34
I heard the first 6 or songs of 2112 on the radio last night. WOW! Great stuff. Especially loved some of the fills in the third song I think it was. Gotta find out that song and learn it! Would love to cover some, but the drummer wouldn't be able to do them, but can do Working Man:)
 
#36
sanderic said:
The neck pickup was run into amped SVT heads with V4b cabinets ( two 15s in a folded horn ). The bridge pickup was run into Sunn Colloseum amps with 215 cabinets. Info source: Guitar Player interview and front cover of All The Worlds A Stage.
Click to expand...

This is very Bizarre to me, as Geddy played through the "Dinosaur" rig through Grace Under Pressure Tour, and Brought it back for Presto. He was playing through Ashly Preamps and BGW 7500 Power amps. He started using that rig just after 2112. I never knew he added Ampeg and Sunn stuff after the Original Ashly BGW rack rig was assembled.
 
#38
I get bummed when I read how he used to use a Ric-O-Sound set up, and then he says he isnt using the Orange onstage amps/cabs because his road crew was unhappy with it. His live tone since he has used the direct set up has been disappointing IMO. But it was so good back in the day. Get a wall of Orange tube amps/cabs onstage, mic some with a direct out and bask in the glory Geddy!
 
#39
jgroh said:
I get bummed when I read how he used to use a Ric-O-Sound set up, and then he says he isnt using the Orange onstage amps/cabs because his road crew was unhappy with it. His live tone since he has used the direct set up has been disappointing IMO. But it was so good back in the day. Get a wall of Orange tube amps/cabs onstage, mic some with a direct out and bask in the glory Geddy!
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Wait!...Are you saying he has ditched the Orange Amp and 4x10 cab he used on the past two tours?? Please don't tell me that! I agree with you that the direct to board tone is unappealing to put it nicely.
 
#40
First -- I agree with some others here: Geddy's Ric tone is my favorite, then J-bass.


Mossmatic said:
After finally acquiring a Ric (many, many years later) I realized that Geddy's tone owed more to his use of overdrive/amp settings and his playing style than the Rickenbacker itself.

these forums are constantly full of threads about how to get that "Geddy tone" and I don't want people to make the same mistake I did. If you think that you have to spend $2,000 on a Rickenbacker to get there, you might be disappointed. Ultimately, Geddy's tone comes from his hands (and from there, his set-up, effects, amp settings, etc.).
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Geddy's overdrive/EQ is a huge factor. It's why we have such a hard time distinguishing Ric from J-bass, when they have extremely different tones when run dry.

Those who say "tone is in the fingers" (you are not) are often wrong. So many players have highly processed tones. Geddy's a great example, as are his tone mentors, John Entwistle, Chris Squire, John Wetton. Tony Levin's awesome tone on Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer" is slathered in effects -- he could not duplicate that through a vanilla practice amp, even with the same bass.

Mossmatic said:
Now that I'm older (and hopefully, wiser) I think it's better to find a bass/tone that best suits your playing style, while also having the flexibility to adapt to other musical styles. If Geddy gave you one of his own Rickenbackers, you still wouldn't sound like him.
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If you were given Geddy's entire rig (let's include his amp tech as well, to help you out with settings), and you had been practicing for years to emulate Geddy's technique, then you would sound reasonably close to Geddy.

But I agree with you! When I became older and wiser, I stopped worrying about copying tones, and simply use them as inspiration for tones that work best for me.
 

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