Geddy Lee's Bass

[Spectrum]

Geddy has been a major tone chaser for sure, but for me that Ric tone from Farewell to Kings on to Exit Stage Left or so is pretty much the holy grail of rock bass tone.



Play it in stereo (Rick-o-Sound) with a driven guitar head on the bridge pickup and get that fingernail digging in technique down and rock out.

 

[fffreddy]

Saw Rush in concert at Memorial Aud in Kitchener, Ontario in the mid-'70's. I can't remember which bass Geddy was playing, but the opening band was Max Webster (who played in my high school a couple years earlier). I'm not a huge Rush fan, but "Fly By Night" does echo through my brain from time to time...

 

[Dec1975]

They did a second pass during the Test For Echo tour, first time in San Jose and then a few month later in Mountain View. I agree, normally they don’t do that but for some reason that tour was an exception.

Weird opening bands for Rush: The Melvins. They opened for them on the Counterparts tour, saw them at the Cow Palace in SF.

The Melvins? Yeah, that doesn't fit at all. My first Rush concert (actually, my very first concert) was the Roll the Bones tour, with Primus opening. That set the bar kind of high. The last time I say them with an opening band was on the Counterparts tour. The band was Candlebox. I'm surprised they weren't boo'd off stage.

Going back and listening to a lot of bootlegs, I must say that his Wal tone from the Presto & RtB tours is my favorite.

 

[hotrodjohn]

I saw Rush open for Bob Seger at the Academy of Music/Palladium in NYC. I'm old.

 

[Joeykun]

My first Rush tour I saw was A Farewell To Kings at the Orpheum Theater in Boston, MA on 3/10/78
The Babys was the opener. The following year the Hemispheres tour came to the Music Hall, Boston, MA
in January. Starz was the opener. I could go on......I've seen Rush over 25 times.

 

[japhy4529]

The Melvins? Yeah, that doesn't fit at all. My first Rush concert (actually, my very first concert) was the Roll the Bones tour, with Primus opening. That set the bar kind of high. The last time I say them with an opening band was on the Counterparts tour. The band was Candlebox. I'm surprised they weren't boo'd off stage.

Going back and listening to a lot of bootlegs, I must say that his Wal tone from the Presto & RtB tours is my favorite.

+1, with his Jazz being a close second. Big Money has the best bass tone IMO (Wal Mk1), with Animate being my second favorite ('72 Jazz).

 

[kcole4001]

For me it's still, and has always been, the Rick tone that tops all.
The P did sound good, even better than the Jazz in my opinion, but Geddy's Rick tone is like a really pissed off Viking swinging a piano at your head while screeching a blood curdling war cry.
Just sayin' it's the diametric opposite of a tame boring tone.

I found the Wal and Steinberger to be too snappy and lacking in depth.

 

[DigitalMan]

There's actually more to the deal than has been made public. I recently had a long talk with someone very close to the band.

I find your reply to be vague and unconvincing.

 

[DigitalMan]

Geddy used the Steinberger XL-2 for the entire Power Windows tour. He brought the Wal with but it never made it into the live show.

Again, from the top of the page, post #81...

"Grace Under Pressure is a much darker-sounding record; the bottom end is a different shape, and the top end doesn't have such a nice twang. Different sounds for different periods, I guess. After Power Windows was finished, I visited the Wal people, and they built me the bass I used in "The Big Money" video. They really build their instruments with a lot of care and take a lot of pride in their work."

Did you want anything special done on the bass?

"I just wanted to have it sound close to that bass of Peter Collins. The only difference was that most of the basses they make are in natural wood finishes, and I'm not a big fan of them. So I asked for a black one. The sound is slightly different because it's a more reflective surface than a natural. But it's only different in a positive way; it's probably a little brighter than the other ones."

What made you choose the Steinberger for this tour and the previous one?

"Well, number one, I wanted a different sound. I was sort of bored with the same sound I was getting. And number two, I liked the compact feel of the Steinberger. It's small and concise. For me, playing onstage surrounded by so much gear--keyboards, microphones, and stuff--it's a very practical instrument to use. I felt that if I could get a sound out of it that I was happy with, it would make a lot of sense to use it because of its shape. And in the end, I liked the sound I was getting out of it onstage. It's very ballsy-sounding. So the size and sound made it an ideal touring bass for me."

Are you using the Wal onstage at all?

"I'm still using the Steinberger onstage. I have the Wal out with me, and it sounds really good live. But until the show gets to a point where I feel comfortable enough to start changing basses from song to song, I'm going to stick with the Steinberger and slowly work the Wal into the show."

Tom Mulhern's Interview With Rush's Geddy Lee

And as far as I know...he never broke out the Wal on the Power Windows tour.

That's hard to believe since the four times I saw them on the Power Windows tour he used the Wal exclusively. Perhaps this article was written very early on in the tour.

 

[japhy4529]

That's hard to believe since the four times I saw them on the Power Windows tour he used the Wal exclusively. Perhaps this article was written very early on in the tour.

The Power Windows tour was a few years before my time, however, after listening to the sound board recording from the Philadelphia (Spectrum) show yesterday on YT, I can say that some if not most of the songs certainly sounded like he was using the Wal.

 

[DigitalMan]

The Power Windows tour was a few years before my time, however, after listening to the sound board recording from the Philadelphia (Spectrum) show yesterday on YT, I can say that some if not most of the songs certainly sounded like he was using the Wal.

The fact that the Power Windows tour was my time opens the possibility of me remembering incorrectly due to early onset senility.

 

[crucislancer]

The Melvins? Yeah, that doesn't fit at all. My first Rush concert (actually, my very first concert) was the Roll the Bones tour, with Primus opening. That set the bar kind of high. The last time I say them with an opening band was on the Counterparts tour. The band was Candlebox. I'm surprised they weren't boo'd off stage.

Going back and listening to a lot of bootlegs, I must say that his Wal tone from the Presto & RtB tours is my favorite.

Oh yeah that was the only time I've seen Primus, on the Roll the Bones tour. I have to have a look at my ticket stubs, but I am almost certain that they came around again on that tour as well, with a different opener.

His Wal tone on Roll the Bones (album and tour) is outstanding. Though I still think his Jazz bass tone for Counterparts and Test for Echo are my favorites, especially on the Different Stages live album.

 

[4001]

That's hard to believe since the four times I saw them on the Power Windows tour he used the Wal exclusively. Perhaps this article was written very early on in the tour.

What shows did you attend??..

here's the tour dates..

Power Windows Warm-Up Mini-Tour
March 10, 1985 Civic Center -- Lakeland, Florida [rehearsal]
March 11, 1985 Civic Center -- Lakeland, Florida
March 12, 1985 Civic Center -- Lakeland, Florida
March 14, 1985 Lee Civic Center -- Ft. Meyers, Florida
March 15, 1985 Hollywood Sportatorium -- Hollywood, Florida

Power Windows Proper Tour
December 4, 1985 Cumberland County Civic Center -- Portland, Maine
December 5, 1985 Civic Center -- Providence, Rhode Island (Steve Morse)
December 7, 1985 New Haven Coliseum -- New Haven, Connecticut (Steve Morse)
December 8, 1985 Civic Center -- Hartford, Connecticut (Steve Morse)
December 10, 1985 War Memorial -- Rochester, New York (Steve Morse)
December 12, 1985 The Centrum -- Worcester, Massachusetts (Steve Morse)
December 13, 1985 The Centrum -- Worcester, Massachusetts (Steve Morse)
December 15, 1985 Richmond Coliseum -- Richmond, Virginia (Steve Morse)
December 16, 1985 Capital Centre -- Largo, Maryland (Steve Morse)
December 18, 1985 Civic Arena -- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Steve Morse)
December 19, 1985 Richfield Coliseum -- Richfield, Ohio
January 9, 1986 Pensacola Civic Center -- Pensacola, Florida (Steve Morse)
January 10, 1986 Cajundome -- Lafayette, Louisiana (Steve Morse)
January 12, 1986 Reunion Arena -- Dallas, Texas (Steve Morse)
January 13, 1986 Reunion Arena -- Dallas, Texas (Steve Morse)
January 15, 1986 The Summit -- Houston, Texas (Steve Morse)
January 16, 1986 The Summit -- Houston, Texas (Steve Morse)
January 18, 1986 Erwin Special Events Center -- Austin, Texas (Steve Morse)
January 19, 1986 Convention Center Arena -- San Antonio, Texas (Steve Morse)
January 30, 1986 Cow Palace -- San Francisco, California (Steve Morse)
January 31, 1986 Oakland Coliseum -- Oakland, California (Steve Morse)
February 2, 1986 Thomas & Mack Center -- Las Vegas, Nevada (Steve Morse)
February 3, 1986 Sports Arena -- San Diego, California (Steve Morse)
February 6, 1986 Great Western Forum -- Los Angeles, California (Steve Morse)
February 7, 1986 Great Western Forum -- Los Angeles, California (Steve Morse)
February 8, 1986 Veterans Memorial Coliseum -- Phoenix, Arizona (Steve Morse)
February 10, 1986 Community Center -- Tucson, Arizona
February 12, 1986 Albuquerque, New Mexico
February 14, 1986 McNichol's Arena -- Denver, Colorado (Steve Morse)
February 27, 1986 Memorial Auditorium -- Buffalo, New York (Marillion)
February 28, 1986 Copps Coliseum -- Hamilton, Ontario
March 1, 1986 Civic Center -- Ottawa, Ontario (FM, Nash)
March 3, 1986 The Coliseum -- Quebec City, Quebec (Marillion)
March 4, 1986 The Forum -- Montreal, Quebec (Marillion)
March 6, 1986 Maple Leaf Gardens -- Toronto, Ontario (FM)
March 7, 1986 Maple Leaf Gardens -- Toronto, Ontario (FM)
March 20, 1986 Market Square Arena -- Indianapolis, Indiana (Marillion)
March 21, 1986 Rosemont Horizon -- Rosemont, Illinois (Marillion)
March 22, 1986 Rosemont Horizon -- Rosemont, Illinois (Marillion)
March 24, 1986 Mecca Arena -- Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Marillion)
March 25, 1986 Civic Center -- St. Paul, Minnesota (Marillion)
March 28, 1986 Joe Louis Arena -- Detroit, Michigan (Marillion)
March 29, 1986 Riverfront Coliseum -- Cincinnati, Ohio (Marillion)
March 31, 1986 Meadowlands Arena -- East Rutherford, New Jersey (Marillion) [recorded for A Show of Hands album]
April 1, 1986 Meadowlands Arena -- East Rutherford, New Jersey (Marillion) [recorded for A Show of Hands album]
April 3, 1986 Civic Center -- Springfield, Massachusetts (Marillion)
April 4, 1986 Nassau Coliseum -- Uniondale, New York (Marillion)
April 13, 1986 Broom County Arena -- Binghamton, New York (Blue Oyster Cult)
April 14, 1986 The Spectrum -- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Blue Oyster Cult)
April 16, 1986 The Spectrum -- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Blue Oyster Cult)
April 17, 1986 Baltimore Civic Center -- Baltimore, Maryland
April 19, 1986 Hampton Coliseum -- Hampton, Virginia (Blue Oyster Cult)
April 20, 1986 Charlotte Coliseum -- Charlotte, North Carolina (Blue Oyster Cult)
April 22, 1986 Greensboro Coliseum -- Greensboro, North Carolina (Blue Oyster Cult)
April 23, 1986 Greenville Memorial Auditorium -- Greenville, South Carolina (Blue Oyster Cult - not confirmed) [possibly played in Augusta, GA]
April 25, 1986 The Omni -- Atlanta, Georgia (Blue Oyster Cult)
April 26, 1986 Jefferson Civic Center -- Birmingham, Alabama (Blue Oyster Cult)
April 28, 1986 The Arena -- St. Louis, Missouri (no opening act)
April 29, 1986 Kemper Arena -- Kansas City, Missouri (Blue Oyster Cult)
May 1, 1986 The Myriad -- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (Blue Oyster Cult)
May 2, 1986 Kansas Coliseum -- Wichita, Kansas (Blue Oyster Cult)
May 11, 1980 Winnipeg Arena -- Winnipeg, Manitoba [date possibly dropped]
May 12, 1986 Salt Palace Center -- Salt Lake City, Utah (The Fabulous Thunderbirds)
May 15, 1986 The Olympic Saddledome -- Calgary, Alberta (Kick-Axe) [possibly rescheduled from May 14th]
May 17, 1986 Pacific Coliseum -- Vancouver, British Columbia (Kick-Axe)
May 19, 1986 Memorial Coliseum -- Portland, Oregon (The Fabulous Thunderbirds)
May 21, 1986 Seattle Center Coliseum -- Seattle, Washington (The Fabulous Thunderbirds)
May 24, 1986 Cal Expo -- Sacramento, California (The Fabulous Thunderbirds)
May 25, 1986 Pacific Amphitheater -- Costa Mesa, California (The Fabulous Thunderbirds)
May 26, 1986 Pacific Amphitheater -- Costa Mesa, California (The Fabulous Thunderbirds)

I saw them 3/21+22/ at the Rosemont Horizon. He used the Steinberger both nights.
I have 10 boots from the tour from beginning to end and there's no doubt that the Styeinberger is being used in every show, including that Philly show...

I'm just curious as to what show/s he used the Wal on the Power Windows tour because I have no solid proof of it, either in the form of pictures or audio.

 

[DigitalMan]

What shows did you attend??..

here's the tour dates..

Power Windows Warm-Up Mini-Tour
March 10, 1985 Civic Center -- Lakeland, Florida [rehearsal]
March 11, 1985 Civic Center -- Lakeland, Florida
March 12, 1985 Civic Center -- Lakeland, Florida
March 14, 1985 Lee Civic Center -- Ft. Meyers, Florida
March 15, 1985 Hollywood Sportatorium -- Hollywood, Florida

Power Windows Proper Tour
December 4, 1985 Cumberland County Civic Center -- Portland, Maine
December 5, 1985 Civic Center -- Providence, Rhode Island (Steve Morse)
December 7, 1985 New Haven Coliseum -- New Haven, Connecticut (Steve Morse)
December 8, 1985 Civic Center -- Hartford, Connecticut (Steve Morse)
December 10, 1985 War Memorial -- Rochester, New York (Steve Morse)
December 12, 1985 The Centrum -- Worcester, Massachusetts (Steve Morse)
December 13, 1985 The Centrum -- Worcester, Massachusetts (Steve Morse)
December 15, 1985 Richmond Coliseum -- Richmond, Virginia (Steve Morse)
December 16, 1985 Capital Centre -- Largo, Maryland (Steve Morse)
December 18, 1985 Civic Arena -- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Steve Morse)
December 19, 1985 Richfield Coliseum -- Richfield, Ohio
January 9, 1986 Pensacola Civic Center -- Pensacola, Florida (Steve Morse)
January 10, 1986 Cajundome -- Lafayette, Louisiana (Steve Morse)
January 12, 1986 Reunion Arena -- Dallas, Texas (Steve Morse)
January 13, 1986 Reunion Arena -- Dallas, Texas (Steve Morse)
January 15, 1986 The Summit -- Houston, Texas (Steve Morse)
January 16, 1986 The Summit -- Houston, Texas (Steve Morse)
January 18, 1986 Erwin Special Events Center -- Austin, Texas (Steve Morse)
January 19, 1986 Convention Center Arena -- San Antonio, Texas (Steve Morse)
January 30, 1986 Cow Palace -- San Francisco, California (Steve Morse)
January 31, 1986 Oakland Coliseum -- Oakland, California (Steve Morse)
February 2, 1986 Thomas & Mack Center -- Las Vegas, Nevada (Steve Morse)
February 3, 1986 Sports Arena -- San Diego, California (Steve Morse)
February 6, 1986 Great Western Forum -- Los Angeles, California (Steve Morse)
February 7, 1986 Great Western Forum -- Los Angeles, California (Steve Morse)
February 8, 1986 Veterans Memorial Coliseum -- Phoenix, Arizona (Steve Morse)
February 10, 1986 Community Center -- Tucson, Arizona
February 12, 1986 Albuquerque, New Mexico
February 14, 1986 McNichol's Arena -- Denver, Colorado (Steve Morse)
February 27, 1986 Memorial Auditorium -- Buffalo, New York (Marillion)
February 28, 1986 Copps Coliseum -- Hamilton, Ontario
March 1, 1986 Civic Center -- Ottawa, Ontario (FM, Nash)
March 3, 1986 The Coliseum -- Quebec City, Quebec (Marillion)
March 4, 1986 The Forum -- Montreal, Quebec (Marillion)
March 6, 1986 Maple Leaf Gardens -- Toronto, Ontario (FM)
March 7, 1986 Maple Leaf Gardens -- Toronto, Ontario (FM)
March 20, 1986 Market Square Arena -- Indianapolis, Indiana (Marillion)
March 21, 1986 Rosemont Horizon -- Rosemont, Illinois (Marillion)
March 22, 1986 Rosemont Horizon -- Rosemont, Illinois (Marillion)
March 24, 1986 Mecca Arena -- Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Marillion)
March 25, 1986 Civic Center -- St. Paul, Minnesota (Marillion)
March 28, 1986 Joe Louis Arena -- Detroit, Michigan (Marillion)
March 29, 1986 Riverfront Coliseum -- Cincinnati, Ohio (Marillion)
March 31, 1986 Meadowlands Arena -- East Rutherford, New Jersey (Marillion) [recorded for A Show of Hands album]
April 1, 1986 Meadowlands Arena -- East Rutherford, New Jersey (Marillion) [recorded for A Show of Hands album]
April 3, 1986 Civic Center -- Springfield, Massachusetts (Marillion)
April 4, 1986 Nassau Coliseum -- Uniondale, New York (Marillion)
April 13, 1986 Broom County Arena -- Binghamton, New York (Blue Oyster Cult)
April 14, 1986 The Spectrum -- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Blue Oyster Cult)
April 16, 1986 The Spectrum -- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Blue Oyster Cult)
April 17, 1986 Baltimore Civic Center -- Baltimore, Maryland
April 19, 1986 Hampton Coliseum -- Hampton, Virginia (Blue Oyster Cult)
April 20, 1986 Charlotte Coliseum -- Charlotte, North Carolina (Blue Oyster Cult)
April 22, 1986 Greensboro Coliseum -- Greensboro, North Carolina (Blue Oyster Cult)
April 23, 1986 Greenville Memorial Auditorium -- Greenville, South Carolina (Blue Oyster Cult - not confirmed) [possibly played in Augusta, GA]
April 25, 1986 The Omni -- Atlanta, Georgia (Blue Oyster Cult)
April 26, 1986 Jefferson Civic Center -- Birmingham, Alabama (Blue Oyster Cult)
April 28, 1986 The Arena -- St. Louis, Missouri (no opening act)
April 29, 1986 Kemper Arena -- Kansas City, Missouri (Blue Oyster Cult)
May 1, 1986 The Myriad -- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (Blue Oyster Cult)
May 2, 1986 Kansas Coliseum -- Wichita, Kansas (Blue Oyster Cult)
May 11, 1980 Winnipeg Arena -- Winnipeg, Manitoba [date possibly dropped]
May 12, 1986 Salt Palace Center -- Salt Lake City, Utah (The Fabulous Thunderbirds)
May 15, 1986 The Olympic Saddledome -- Calgary, Alberta (Kick-Axe) [possibly rescheduled from May 14th]
May 17, 1986 Pacific Coliseum -- Vancouver, British Columbia (Kick-Axe)
May 19, 1986 Memorial Coliseum -- Portland, Oregon (The Fabulous Thunderbirds)
May 21, 1986 Seattle Center Coliseum -- Seattle, Washington (The Fabulous Thunderbirds)
May 24, 1986 Cal Expo -- Sacramento, California (The Fabulous Thunderbirds)
May 25, 1986 Pacific Amphitheater -- Costa Mesa, California (The Fabulous Thunderbirds)
May 26, 1986 Pacific Amphitheater -- Costa Mesa, California (The Fabulous Thunderbirds)

I saw them 3/21+22/ at the Rosemont Horizon. He used the Steinberger both nights.
I have 10 boots from the tour from beginning to end and there's no doubt that the Styeinberger is being used in every show, including that Philly show...

I'm just curious as to what show/s he used the Wal on the Power Windows tour because I have no solid proof of it, either in the form of pictures or audio.

I was at the Cow Palace, Oakland Colisuem, Cal Expo, and Binghamton (of all places).

 

[Smooth_bass88]

I find your reply to be vague and unconvincing.

I'm ok with that

 

[baileyboy]

Anyone know the weight of his '72 Jazz?

 

[LGT]

FWIW, I've listened to the entire Spectrum boot that I posted, and I don't really hear anything that screams Wal to me. There's just not that distinctive midrange thing IMO. I can't say I noticed any real difference in tone between songs either, so I'd assume that the whole show is Steinberger.

 

[bassnyc1]

That's hard to believe since the four times I saw them on the Power Windows tour he used the Wal exclusively. Perhaps this article was written very early on in the tour.

Like lots of you, I'm a Geddy fanatic. I've been a fan since '82. He's the reason I play. The first time I saw them live was in 1984. I've seen them live 44 times.

Also, as a bassist, I've ALWAYS been very concious of which bass(s) he's used at every show.

He did NOT use the Wal onstage for the Power Windows tour. As said previously, he had it with him but never onstage. He actually had the Steinbergers onstage for the Hold Your Fire tour, too but during that tour he started working in the black
Wal. Maybe that's the tour you're remembering.

As for my favorite Geddy tone, his Ric on ESL is my favorite. I've never been a big fan of his Wal or Steinberger sound. I also think that for him, his #1 Jazz bass is best for his style. He can get it to sound similar to a Ric when he wants but it also has a bigger bottom sound. I also loved the way that P bass he used on the R40 version of Roll The Bones sounded.

 

[smcgov]

I have owned all the basses as I've chased Geddy through the years and IMO the Steinberger sounds the best for him and in the mix for his playing style. Listen to these clips, the l2 is defined but has a lower mid ballsy-ness that punches but is not too round like a jazz can tend to be (IMO). I always thought the Wal got washed out in their mix, I've owned 2 of them and my almost famous soundman asked me not to bring them anymore. I just think the Stein has the right mids and less bloat that make his riffs start and stop at a more precise time with no lag and more punch. Job loss made me reluctantly sell my awesome Steinberger last year and I would bring it to band practice and people would make fun of it but when the music started it just sounded so good in the mix, it was clearly audible but did not obliterate the other instruments and brought a cool 80's punch sound...we played Fantasy by Aldo Nova and it was like pure sex using that bass.

 

[japhy4529]

I always thought the Wal got washed out in their mix, I've owned 2 of them and my almost famous soundman asked me not to bring them anymore.

Wow! I've always thought the opposite - that the Wal really stood out in their mix. Just listen to the live album A Show of Hands and the 80's studio albums that featured the Wal (especially Power Windows, but really all of them). Also, I'm thinking of other albums that have featured Wal basses (RHCP - Blood Sugar Sex Magik, all of the Tool albums w/ Justin Chancellor, etc. - they all have bass tones that cut through like a buzz saw). I do think the Steinberger sounded good (how could it not, it shared the same "guts" as Spector basses! ), but I've always preferred Geddy's Wal and Jazz tones. But hey, that's why we have variety, to suit everyone's varying tastes.