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High End Guitars and crowd perception (Rush Content)

Baird6869

Baird6869

Feb 16, 2007
16,717
5,037
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
#1
Took my 17 year old to see Rush tonight and found it kinda interesting that Geddy only played 3 different Jazz basses. Generally a normal black Jazz with a maple neck with white (not black) inlays. He also played his red Jazz (downtuned) for 2112/Temple and the cool new relic-ed surf green Jazz with matching headstock. No RIC, no Wal, no Steinberger, etc.

I mentioned this to my son and a guitar playing buddy and they said "who cares? It sounds great".

I thought it was interesting that I actually noticed what bass was played, but most people (including other musicians) could care less. Of course Fenders are pretty normal looking (as are Sadowskys, Alleva Coppolo, Nordy, Lull, etc.).

I guess my question is... if Geddy started playing coffee table Foderas or crazy looking Ritters with LEDs, would it really be any different (or would they even notice) for the majority of the folks in the crowd?

I ask as I love my high end non Fender basses (MTD, Spector, Modulus) as well as my Fenders, but I find it funny that to many people (excluding the majortity of us GASing TB maniacs), the type or style of instrument a musician is playing is generally not even worth noticing.

Thoughts?

P.S. Alex played Les Pauls for everything (acoustic stuff included) except 1/2 a song when he played his white ES-335. No Tele, PRS, etc.
 
#3
Geddy likes nasty(in a cool way) sounding basses. If he played anything too perfect sounding the audience would know.

As for Alex...I'd rather he stuck with the regular brands. I just don't care for boutique six string guitars.
 
#6
chef wong said:
Geddy likes nasty(in a cool way) sounding basses. If he played anything too perfect sounding the audience would know.

As for Alex...I'd rather he stuck with the regular brands. I just don't care for boutique six string guitars.
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Geddy used to use a Wal from 1986-1993. I wouldn't call Wal basses "nasty".
I still wish he would bring the Rickenbacker along for the tour. Theres a couple of songs that he could use that bass for. And, Alex plays Gibson Les Pauls and a Fender Tele. Last I checked those werent boutique guitars. They are "regular" brands.
 
#7
Somehow, I can't even imagine Geddy ever performing live with a boutique bass guitar - like a Fodera, a Ritter, a Benavente, or an MTD. In a recording studio? Yeah, possibly. Maybe.

But in general, it would conflict at a fundamental level with Geddy's entire ethos as a player: He isn't some kind of cloistered, perfectionist/purist cat who like, writes books and stuff. Geddy is a regular, working musician; just a regular guy, who plays "regular guy" basses - the kind that most of us have owned and/or played at one time or another.

I can see him playing, however, something like a MusicMan. Or a Sadowsky. Possibly even a Warwick or a Spector. :hmm:

MM
 
#10
What a funny thread. Belongs on a Rush Blog...

As a bassist I notice people's gear. I'm a Rush fan, so of course I notice what Geddy plays, washing machines and all.

But why in the world would you ask any non musician what they think about the guitars that Rush played on any given night?

The guys in Pink's band? What did they play? Betcha can't say, can ya? Don't tell me you don't like the music. Tell me you pay attention to every band at the same level and expect your friends to as well.

Who cares?

Rush fans are like no other. There's a geeky quality to them and that's cool. But it's like the SNL episode with James Shatner: Get a life.

My girlfriend is a die hard Rush fan and hits every single tour multiple times. Think she can name Geddy's gear? Alexs'? She doesn't care. But if I'm singing one of their songs and muff a lyric, it's no nookie for me. Isn't it funny the things we're into? :D

For me, I've heard Geddy play his entire set on all of the basses he's played over time and it's still a great set. No one cares what the bass player plays but the bass player.

Unless it's a double neck....... And who's doin that?
 
#12
lowfreq33 said:
In an arena all subtleties of tone are lost. I suspect Geddy learned this a long time ago.
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I can't tell you how much I disagree. True that some subtleties get lost in an arena, but when I'm in an arena, I can still tell the difference between a Precision and an Alembic, an SVT and a GK, or a Whirlwind Imp 2 and a REDDI, and I pick up on a lot more differences in an arena setting than I ever thought possible. Much of it has to do with the vast improvement in arena PA's over the last 10-15 years, and I think the "lost subtlety" thing is a holdover from the days when arena PA's were not good.
 
#13
MysticMichael said:
Somehow, I can't even imagine Geddy ever performing live with a boutique bass guitar - like a Fodera, a Ritter, a Benavente, or an MTD. In a recording studio? Yeah, possibly. Maybe.

But in general, it would conflict at a fundamental level with Geddy's entire ethos as a player: He isn't some kind of cloistered, perfectionist/purist cat who like, writes books and stuff. Geddy is a regular, working musician; just a regular guy, who plays "regular guy" basses - the kind that most of us have owned and/or played at one time or another.

I can see him playing, however, something like a MusicMan. Or a Sadowsky. Possibly even a Warwick or a Spector. :hmm:

MM
Click to expand...

Oh..I'd lose it if he walked onstage with an old school Alembic.
 
#14
This.
Most listeners, even pretty rabid fans, aren't fellow bassists, nor rabid gearheads.
They just want to hear "good," and really aren't gonna notice how you get there in most cases.


JimmyM said:
Audiences only care that you play well and give it your best effort. Only I care what gear I use. That's enough, though.
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#15
JimmyM said:
I can't tell you how much I disagree. True that some subtleties get lost in an arena, but when I'm in an arena, I can still tell the difference between a Precision and an Alembic, an SVT and a GK, or a Whirlwind Imp 2 and a REDDI, and I pick up on a lot more differences in an arena setting than I ever thought possible. Much of it has to do with the vast improvement in arena PA's over the last 10-15 years, and I think the "lost subtlety" thing is a holdover from the days when arena PA's were not good.
Click to expand...

Systems have improved dramatically in the last 20 years, but there's nothing you can do with a PA system to reduce the reverb time in a large untreated space. You can use RTA's and EQ's to attempt to flatten the frequency response, but when a building has an RT60 of 3.2 seconds you're playing catch-up at best.
 
#16
I've had a similar discussion on drum forums. WE care whether we are playing a Ludwig Black Beauty or Radio King snare drum, nobody else knows or cares.

I've done this experiment. One night I played a 1958 Slingerland Radio King solid steam bent maple snare drum. The next night I replaced it with a no name $35 snare that I picked up in a pawn shop (in the same finish). At the end of each night I asked the guys how the snare sounded. (And yes, they know that I often use high end vintage gear.) "It sounds GREAT!" and "That Radio King ALWAYS sounds killer."

When I showed them the drum they laughed their butts off.

The same experiment can be done with drums, guitars, basses, etc...
 
#19
MysticMichael said:
Somehow, I can't even imagine Geddy ever performing live with a boutique bass guitar - like a Fodera, a Ritter, a Benavente, or an MTD. In a recording studio? Yeah, possibly. Maybe.

But in general, it would conflict at a fundamental level with Geddy's entire ethos as a player: He isn't some kind of cloistered, perfectionist/purist cat who like, writes books and stuff. Geddy is a regular, working musician; just a regular guy, who plays "regular guy" basses - the kind that most of us have owned and/or played at one time or another.

I can see him playing, however, something like a MusicMan. Or a Sadowsky. Possibly even a Warwick or a Spector. :hmm:

MM
Click to expand...

Really, you wouldn't put Wal in this group?:rolleyes:
 
#20
got tickets to see them on the 30th, can't wait. I think geddy is going to sound like geddy because of his phrasing, right hand attack, bass set up and signal chain. in that order. his choice of bass probably comes last IMO. he'd sound like geddy even if he played a thunderbird. Now if he played a stingray or a Rob Allen fretless The average listener could tell the difference.
 

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