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What are Geddy's fingers made of?

dStar

dStar

Mar 1, 2012
540
324
#1
I play a lot of Rush, so I’ve spent some time trying to emulate Geddy’s tone, and I can get part way there with the right bass and the right amp settings, but as we all know, tone is in the hands. Part of Geddy’s tone comes from his “flamenco” technique, hitting the strings with a back and forth motion of his fingers. It effects not only his tone, but his phrasing as well. Try as I might I just can’t do it. However, I can get pretty close using a pick. Up until recently, I had been using a Dunlop Nylon 1 mm, it’s pretty firm for a nylon, but still somewhat flexible, I thought it was a pretty good approximation of digging in with ones fingers and I can get the effect of the back and forth motion on the strings. I recently read in another thread, about [Invalid or Expired Link Removed], they are made from Graphite enriched Delrin, they are very stiff, and have a hardness somewhere between Nylon and Delrin. I ordered some to give a try, not even thinking that I would use them for Rush, but to my surprise, they get me closer to Geddy’s tone than anything else I’ve tried! Are Geddy’s finger impregnated with graphite? Has 45+ years of playing, calloused his fingers, so much, that they are as hard as graphite? I like to shake his hand some day and find out ;)
 
#3
I play the same way with my right hand middle and index fingers - back and forth across the strings as fast as possible bc I never learned to play the three fingers on my right hand the way I should have. There's plenty of stuff we play that's so fast I have to do it that way or I'll have to play every other note. I've got a Youtube vid of me playing Dream Theater's "Dance of Eternity" - and the bass solo is just such a place. I play it usually with one finger or the other, back and forth against the string. Forward to about 3:10:

 
#4
I'm not going to say I play like GL, but I can do the back and forth (up and down) thing because I keep really short fingernails. I don't know if others are the same, but when my fingernails are like 1/16 of an inch long there is a ledge there. The nail bed is softish, but the tip of my finger has it's callous which gives a hard edge and a pick-ish sound. I play that way by pushing down and popping up.
 
#8
kohntarkosz said:
Geddy suffered some sort of finger injury which made his nail grow back thicker. It sounds like he has longer fingernails than most bassists would chose to use.
Click to expand...

I heard that ... I also heard he damaged his middle finger and that is why he plays primarialy with his index finger.

Disclaimer:

I don't know if either of those stories are true.
 
#9
Ric5 said:
I heard that ... I also heard he damaged his middle finger and that is why he plays primarialy with his index finger.

Disclaimer:

I don't know if either of those stories are true.
Click to expand...

I'm not so sure about the middle finger injury. It must have been after Rush in Rio if it was, because he's very clearly using two fingers in, say, Driven.
 
#11
Vince Klortho said:
He uses two fingers in every video of them I have ever seen. Sometimes three if I recall correctly.
Click to expand...

I've seen him use 3, since I don't have the hands of god, I use 3.0 mm dunlop picks, any passive jazz bass( roundwound d'addario, DR or even ernie ball regular slinkies) turn the neck pickup all the way, turn off the bridge, crank the tone all the way up and boost the treble with the amp, strike/attack the strings, I've played my rush songs like this(maybe it only works for me in terms of comfort and the sound I get) and I get his sound pretty close. Sometimes I'll use fingers although the thick picks give me that "grunge" I make no promises who it will and won't work for but it works when I play aloud and gets lots of attention.
 
#14
Yeah, Ged's hands/fingers are pretty tough. The guy has been digging in for decades, and my fingers get tired just watching him play.

I like the Dunlop Ultex Sharp. Ultex is also harder than nylon, and I think a little harder than Delrin, but still feels supple and natural to the grip. But it gives a very distinct sharp attack, if that's what you're looking for.
 

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