High End Guitars and crowd perception (Rush Content)

[Biggbass]

I've only had a few occasions where someone commented on my bass at a gig.
I was playing my Lakland 44-64 Custom and a guy came up to me during a break and said, "that lakland sure sounds good".
A couple of weeks ago at a tavern gig where I was playing my Fiesta Red RW P bass (with flats) a guy commented on how good it sounded but only recognized it as a Fender bass.
Last weekend I was playing the Candy Apple Red Sadowsky NYC J4 and during a break a gal commented on the red finish. She liked the color.

 

[WoodyG3]

I've noticed that people who like Wals always wish Geddy was playing a Wal in concert. People who like Rics always wish he would use a Ric on stage. People who are basic Rush fans are quite happy just to see Geddy on stage and really don't care what brand his bass is. To me, if Geddy is happy playing what he is playing, why would I care at all? The guy always sounds fantastic.

 

[boynamedsuse]

Nobody notices anything.

The last Rush show I went to, the people around me couldn't tell the kick drum sound from the bass guitar. The average fan may have a dim idea that the bass is that big guitar with less strings on it. A few can tell a Les Paul from a Strat.

I think that sums it up pretty well.

 

[mp40smg]

While I largely agree.

I find it had to not consider any Fender Custom Shop instrument made specifically for a pro the level of Geddy Lee to his exacting specifications and wishes to be anything other than a high end, hand made boutique instrument.

 

[portlandguy]

I notice every guitar change bass or 6 stings when watching a band - whether it is RUSH (seeing them on Nov 13th in Seattle, my 30th RUSH show) or a band I am watching in a Bar/small club.

 

[drummer5359]

Yeah, OK. But can you tell the difference in tone between a Whirlpool backline and a Kenmore backline? Can ya?

MM

Everyone knows that nothing sounds better than an early 2000s Maytag Neptune... the SVT of dryers. The later Maytags are okay though.

 

[Greyfin10]

Who is James Shatner?

Two possibilities:

1) He was in a hurry and confunded the character's first name (James T. Kirk) and the actors last name (William Shatner)

- OR -

2) He's like a friend of mine who is so concerned with not being perceived as a sci-fi geek that he calls Star Wars and Star Trek (interchangeably) "Trek Wars".

-- OR --

3) We care WAYYYY too much about these little details

 

[Mystic Michael]

Well, audiences DO care what your gear looks like and how it fits into your overall look. So, the difference between a gold sparkle-finished Precision and a relic sunburst one is huge.

I absolutely agree with this...

Even if they have no clue about how your choice of instrument influences your sound, they're keenly attuned to how the look of your instrument - and the rest of your gear - affects your overall aesthetic. Very true...

MM

 

[JimmyM]

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.

Agreed. But it doesn't mask ALL subtlety IMHO.

 

[JimmyM]

I find it disheartening that so many people have such a disrespect for their audiences that they think they don't notice anything. Any moron can tell the difference between a $300 Best Buy stereo and a super duper high end audiophile stereo system. And they can also tell when you suck. As Chef said, they don't care what you use, but they want it to sound good.

 

[MarthaSamira]

People want the whole thing to sound good. Generally, they don't separate the bass sound from the rest of the band.

 

[Demon_Hunter]

What if a member in the audience is blind and can't see that someone is playing a stupidly-ridiculous-overpriced-coffee-table or a Jazz Bass? If it sound's good, who gives a rat's ass what it looks like?

 

[beans-on-toast]

Ya but Geddy's plain old Jazz Basses have custom shop necks that are built to his spec. Not the same as his signature model. What they call a sleeper because looks can be deceiving.

 

[JMimbs]

I notice no one has mentioned Geddy's Steinberger period.

Personally I think Geddy sounds like himself no matter what. Sure, his Wal sound was unique. So was his Ric sound. Those are unique basses. But these days he gets a wide range of tones with his Fenders, and he obviously plays what he likes.

 

[seang15]

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.

Charlotte huh? I am in Raleigh, can't make it. I hope they hit this area, or at least Greensboro, in 2013!

 

[lethargytartare]

I've heard comments at concerts like, "I can't hear what they're singing. The bass is too thick.". Quality matters so much.

Of course quality matters. Who said it doesn't?

I thought he was being sarcastic...

 

[lethargytartare]

Nobody notices anything.
...The average fan may have a dim idea that the bass is that big guitar with less strings on it.

Jemaine: Bass. It's called a bass guitar.
Murray: Well, I call it the 'Dad guitar' 'cause it's more like (deep voice) "Da da da da - I'm your Dad. Hey Murray, get into the shed and get the mower and do the lawns - de de de." You need Bret's 'Mum guitar' to add the beautiful tones (high voice) "Come on, darling, Murray's okay. Why you get home so late, Gordon?" (deep voice) "I was just havin' a few beers."

(Flight of the Conchords)

 

[hrodbert696]

In principle, I agree that audiences notice unusual-looking instruments, otherwise they don't notice and couldn't care less. They wouldn't know the difference between an custom shop Fender and a $100 SX, they look the same to a superficial glance. I think they notice the tone the way that non-chefs notice the flavor of food; they couldn't tell you what's good or what's bad about it, but they can tell, at least subconsciously, if they like how it sounds or if it sounds like crap. I don't think they even notice that a musician plays different instruments unless they switch out in plain sight or if they switch to something unusual-looking (Geddy seems to do most of his changes in blackouts between songs).

Having said all that, I think the bulk of Rush fans probably ARE more likely to be musicians and gear heads than the general public. They're not Justin Bieber (thank goodness). They probably do notice what the band is using more than the average crowd would.

And having said all THAT, I would point out that the OP is off in implying that Geddy plays "ordinary" instruments. Superficially, his Fenders look like any other Fender, but he's not playing standard MIMs or even MIAs. From the interview with his tech in Bass Player a couple months ago, they all come from the Fender Custom Shop, the pickups are wound with a little mysterious "extra voodoo," the necks are custom shaped to his preference, etc. I'm sure he's sunk as much or more cash into each one than you would on a Fodera or Wal and a pile more than on a production Rickenbacker.

 

[Bassorama57]

Nobody notices anything.

I don't suppose that RUSH fans are, as a holistic group, that much more aware than the general music-loving public, as to what gear's what. I sat on the very front row, stage right, on Monday night - about 10 feet from Rocco Prestia for two hours. I noticed his gear - my guitar and trumpet playing buddies didn't notice anything except he prefers four strings to five. Nobody else in the audience, far as I could tell, noticed squat.

 

[electracoyote]

Meh. Geddy has played a variety of very different looking basses over his career, I don't think the average Rush fan could care less. Hell, some of the die-hards can't even tell from track to track which bass he's playing.