Questions About Geddy Lee's Rickenbacker

[Ric5]

ya ... the bad ass probably weighs less than the Ric tailpiece/bridge/mute assembly ...
Geddy seems to change his story why he switched away from the Ric ... but we as fans have to realize that he changes his taste as time goes on ... I think he should play the jazz, and the Ric, and the Wal ... and if you want heavy the old double neck Ric ...

 

[rarbass]

That's something I'd like to see again, the double-neck. But nonetheless, I don't think he should completely retire the Ric!! However I guess it is his preference hm? Who are we to say? lol

 

[EagleMoon]

Add a pound over the weight of the massive Rick bridge/tailpiece? Really?

Absolutely. The Ric bridge is very light weight and pretty thin metal. And you know I was being silly, right?

 

[ProfGumby]

Absolutely. The Ric bridge is very light weight and pretty thin metal. And you know I was being silly, right?

Yup...and I should have put massive in parenthesis too....

 

[the_hook]

It's too bad Ric's are so expensive, even used. The guy I bought my 2x10 Bag End cabinet from had some Fender P-bases and a 1978 Ric. I played them all, and loved the Ric; it's weight, feel and tone.

One day...maybe...I will get one.

 

[Bassgrinder77]

Geez! Geddy made his NAME playing Rickenbacker 4001 basses. Essentially EVERYTHING after the first album up through Moving Pictures (except Tom Sawyer and maybe one more) is a Rickenbacker 4001. 2112, A Passage To Bangkok, Spirit Of The Radio, Circumstances, Freewill, YYZ, Red Barchetta, La Villa Strangiato, Natural Science, Farewell To Kings, Xanadu, Closer To The Heart, Fly By Night, Limelight ... RICK RICK RICK RICK ...
Even Signals had some Rick on it.
When it comes to their biggest hits the question is when DIDN'T he play a Rick?

Alright so I just bought the new Rush Snakes & Arrows Live DVD and I absolutely love it. I also went to the concert (twice!) for this very show and I LOVED the concert.

For one of the encores, A Passage to Bangkok, Geddy uses his old Rickenbacker. This raises a few questions in my mind that I haven't found via searching Google or Talkbass yet.

First of all, does anyone know why Geddy doesn't use this bass anymore? It's been QUITE a few years since he last played it life, as far as I'm aware. I think it's been at least since before he started using the Steinberger.

Second, does anyone know which tracks he used the Rickenbacker on? I know there are several on Moving Pictures of course, but some of them were Fender Jazz as well, so I'm curious which is which.

Anyone who knows this information or can provide a link, it would be GREATLY appreciated as I'm very curious!

 

[Bassgrinder77]

+1 on Hemispheres/Rick. Circumstances Roolz!!!!!!!!!!!

Again, agreed. The breakdown of The Trees, to me, is THE TONE. Nothing quite like it. Punchy and wet at the same beautiful time.

 

[Bassgrinder77]

I agree with Geddy (that sounds ridiculous - he ought to know). Limelight is a Rick. Listen when he goes up higher on the neck during the solo. A Jazz doesn't ring as strong as a Rick up high. Fenders tend to get a little weaker the higher you go up the frets but not the Rick. A guitar-maker told me it's the neck-thru design that does that, along with all the hard maple. The one-piece maple neck helps the Jazz sound more Rick-like but it still doesn't bite up high like a Rick. The softer Fender body wood dampens out the higher notes a bit. I've noticed this on a p-bass I previously owned and on my jazz. My old Rick and my Spectors don't do that. The notes are super strong all the way up. That seems to support the neck-thru / maple theory.

Geddy Lee has influenced more than any other bassist, however I am inclined to believe he may have misspoken when he said that at least RB was the Ric...he also has stated that Limelight is the Ric, but my ear tells me that all of MP is the Jazz w/ exception of TCE.

But, this is my opinion after all, and I could be wrong...just my ears doing the talking. Anyone else have any opinion on this?

 

[the_hook]

Sounds like a Rick to me..or maybe a Jazz...

Very cool, I like the isolated tracks for each instrument, really blows me away how busy Geddy is on the bass. Great role model to pattern bass playing after.

I would have to say though that my top favorite bass tone of his, from what I've heard so far, is when he played the Jaco tribute bass in the Snakes & Arrows concert DVD.

When he opened up with the instrumental song Malignant Narcisissm, that tone totally floored me, and I was already impressed with the other Jazz basses he'd played up to that point, but that one nailed it for me.

 

[geddeeee]

A Ricky with a Badass Bridge and Grover Titan machine heads (what Geddy used) is pretty heavy. I've added both to my Rick and it's quite heavy now. I don't care though, the tone is gorgeous!!!!

 

[Jaymi]

out of the 90 Rics I have had, a lot of them could cop "the tone" we are talking about. His may be a boat anchor but I doubt it. I have had very few that were really heavy!

 

[Arthur U. Poon]

My fav Geddy tone is without a doubt, his Ric tone on Hemispheres. That is my holy grail of tone.

+1. Hemispheres is also my fav Rush album and IMO Geddy's tone is at it's best. His tone on A Farewell to Kings is a close second. The first time I heard Cygnus X1 I knew I had to get a Rick.

(BTW love the GSD's in your avatar. I have 2 GSD's myself. Great dogs IMHO.)

 

[RAM]

IMHO his best live sound was on the Different Stages CD, wherein he was still using a backline (Trace Elliots).

His back line TEs were dummy cabs, IIRC, with an actual smaller TE rig offstage.

 

[Hydromantic]

Sorry for bumping an old thread but it's a great one!!

I need your opinion about the 4003, do you think we can get close to Geddy Lee's sound with a 4003 or a 4001 is absolutely needed?

Thanks

 

[factorplayer]

4003 should be fine. Most 4003's have a push/pull knob for the 'vintage' 4001 circuit.

 

[Hydromantic]

Ok thank you very much I'm hesistating between a 4001 and a 4003

 

[roamershaker]

maybe deep down it was MONEY ???

 

[sanderic]

WOW! Im posting to a three year old thread!
According to GL's 1978 (?) Guitar Player interview, the first album was a Fender Precision. When the band was signed and recieved an advance from Mercury Records, he went out and bought a Rickenbacker "Because he wanted to sound like Chris Squire", and instantly went stereo with an Ampeg SVT and a Sunn Colloseum. The Rickenbacker was used up until Moving Pictures when the Jazz Bass appeared. I saw Rush on the 1980 Moving Pictures Tour in Mobile AL (still have the original tour program) and I do not remember seeing the Jazz bass at all ( believe me, I was looking), the only exception I remember is the double neck Rick on Bancock.
Geddy, in an interview with Keyboard Magazine (Signals Tour) stated that he quit playing the Rickenbacker because the headstock was banging into the Keyboards and Mic stands.
Because my attraction to Rush music was largely because of the Rick tone, I became board and lost total interest in them after Signals.
Fast Forward 20+ years to Snakes and Arrows, Geddy on a Jazz, and once again, I enjoy Rush. I have read an interview in the last few years, when asked about the Rickenbacker, ( Can't locate the source of the interview) that the Rickenbacker ( keep in mind, Geddy's statements must be filtered though a contract with Fender) had become difficult to play, that it didnt sound good unless the action was very high.
Just thought I'd add my two cents in.

 

[Ric5]

I'd like to see Geddy play a 2010 4003 bass ... jetglo of course ...

What attracted me to Rush was the bass tone on Freewill ...

 

[Korladis]

What year was Geddy's 4001 made? Mine is a '75, and it is really heavy. Fortunately, I kinda like the heaviness. Feels solid. Geddy, however, might not, ha ha.