YYZ Shapeshifter Pedal GED Tone?

[sloppy_phil]

Well, good luck @Donavan12! I have no doubt the Rumble 100 will be a step up from what you're using currently, particularly due to the larger speaker. That alone is worth the price of admission!

That said, the Rumble amps have an inherent, aggressively mid-scooped voice which is really hard to dial out. The "baked in" tone is SUPER strong on these amps! It will need quite a lot of massaging to get you in the ballpark; the EQ knobs are not remotely intuitive. I use a Rumble 40 in one of my practice spaces, and I frankly hate it. I got it for super cheap, and it is *just* about loud enough, but good god it sounds awful.

I played in a Rush cover band for many years, and actually met The Man himself on a couple occasions (we both live in Toronto). His gear has changed dramatically over the years, but he always sounds like Geddy. I promise you, the two biggest factors to this sound are strings (the type, and how fresh), and extremely heavy plucking attack. He hits the strings so hard that the signal compresses naturally!

 

[Donavan12]

Well, good luck @Donavan12! I have no doubt the Rumble 100 will be a step up from what you're using currently, particularly due to the larger speaker. That alone is worth the price of admission!

That said, the Rumble amps have an inherent, aggressively mid-scooped voice which is really hard to dial out. The "baked in" tone is SUPER strong on these amps! It will need quite a lot of massaging to get you in the ballpark; the EQ knobs are not remotely intuitive. I use a Rumble 40 in one of my practice spaces, and I frankly hate it. I got it for super cheap, and it is *just* about loud enough, but good god it sounds awful.

I played in a Rush cover band for many years, and actually met The Man himself on a couple occasions (we both live in Toronto). His gear has changed dramatically over the years, but he always sounds like Geddy. I promise you, the two biggest factors to this sound are strings (the type, and how fresh), and extremely heavy plucking attack. He hits the strings so hard that the signal compresses naturally!

My Ric is currently strung with a fresh set of DAddrio EXL 165 nickels as I like to be a little easier on the fret wear and my fingers I do dig in pretty hard that I’ve developed callouses pretty often while playing lol I wash my hands before playing, and wipe down the strings, fretboard and neck after playing each time

 

[WRM]

Here's my Hot Take;
First there was the GED-2112 rack unit, but some folks didn't want to take the rack plunge.
So they made a stripped down version, in a pedal form, and called it the YYZ.
But then some folks said it was too stripped down, so they added some features, and made the DI-2112 desktop unit.
But then some folks said, but it doesn't have a footswitch!
So then they created another one, in pedal form, with a little more EQ control, and a boost...
and called it The ShapeShifter ...Shifter ....Shifter ....Shifter...

Don't forget the MP40?...

I believe your R100 has a 12" speaker (R200 has 15").

 

[Donavan12]

Don't forget the MP40?...

I believe your R100 has a 12" speaker (R200 has 15")

It was advertised as R100 1x15 I believe it is an older model since there are like 3 variations of that amp

 

[WRM]

It was advertised as R100 1x15 I believe it is an older model since there are like 3 variations of that amp

You confused me with "one of the newer models". I have an R100 V3 (12") and very happy with it for my living room amp.

@Parzival makes a good point and pretty much how I get the GL tone - Mesa TT-800 Boogie Channel with enough gain so that it breaks up when I dig in, sounds glorious!

Enjoy your new Amp and best luck in your journey!

 

[Donavan12]

It was advertised as R100 1x15

You confused me with "one of the newer models". I have an R100 V3 (12") and very happy with it for my living room amp.

@Parzival makes a good point and pretty much how I get the GL tone - Mesa TT-800 Boogie Channel with enough gain so that it breaks up when I dig in, sounds glorious!

Enjoy your new Amp and best luck in your journey!

Sorry for the confusion I meant it was one of the newer models in the sense that it’s not this old model(see picture) as in I didn’t get this one

I believe it’s a v2 with white knobs and silver mesh, but with a 15” speaker yes you are correct the v3 comes with a 12” speaker
rock on I’m excited to try it since my current amp doesn’t sound satisfactory no matter what I do with it

 

[Azari]

Honestly for his SansAmp tones I recommend fresh strings and FRFR speakers.

 

[D.M.N.]

For me, my best results for Ged like tone is two Ashly SC-40 preamps. For recording, I run those each into a Hiwatt model, then running into two cab IRs, a Sunn 2x15 and Acoustic 301. I also add 1176 compression, console drive, and Pultec EQ. I have the GED-2112 DI, and it's good, but the Ashly's are better, and allow proper stereo use of the two pickups in aa Ric style bass, where as the GED-2112 has a mono input that is then splitting to lows and highs.

I'm now building a stompbox with 2 SC-40 circuits so I can run that at the end of my board before hitting my amps. I've also had good success live with a combo of DOD FX10, Chasetone Secret Pre, and Suncoast HD1 pushing my Sunn 2000s into breakup. Bass wise, either my Greco PMB (4001s clone) or Fender '62 Precision.

 

[EncoremMP]

Sorry for the confusion I meant it was one of the newer models in the sense that it’s not this old model(see picture) as in I didn’t get this one

I believe it’s a v2 with white knobs and silver mesh, but with a 15” speaker yes you are correct the v3 comes with a 12” speaker
rock on I’m excited to try it since my current amp doesn’t sound satisfactory no matter what I do with it

If it has silver mesh and white knobs on the top it’s a V3 and is a 12” speaker

 

[Donavan12]

For me, my best results for Ged like tone is two Ashly SC-40 preamps. For recording, I run those each into a Hiwatt model, then running into two cab IRs, a Sunn 2x15 and Acoustic 301. I also add 1176 compression, console drive, and Pultec EQ. I have the GED-2112 DI, and it's good, but the Ashly's are better, and allow proper stereo use of the two pickups in aa Ric style bass, where as the GED-2112 has a mono input that is then splitting to lows and highs.

I'm now building a stompbox with 2 SC-40 circuits so I can run that at the end of my board before hitting my amps. I've also had good success live with a combo of DOD FX10, Chasetone Secret Pre, and Suncoast HD1 pushing my Sunn 2000s into breakup. Bass wise, either my Greco PMB (4001s clone) or Fender '62 Precision.

I can’t find any sc40s anywhere(they’re super scarce) but I’d love to have one!

 

[12bass]

If you already have a YYZ, I'm not sure I see much point in getting an SC-40 or BP41, as the pedal is already designed to make Geddy sounds. Instead of backing off on the neck, also try backing off a little on the bridge pickup for a somewhat different midrange voicing.

The amount of gain needed will depend on the particular instrument and how hard you play. On Moving Pictures, Geddy didn't generally use a massive amount of distortion, just a bit of drive when he digs in, so I'd suggest setting the gain similarly, listening for the breakup as you dig in. Too much will get fuzzy and mushier. Then there's dialing in the EQ and balancing the two channels for a nice blend. I suggest starting at noon and listening carefully as you sweep each knob and get a good sense of the range it covers. Then go back to noon and think about what's lacking, and what's poking out too much. Generally a little bit of subtractive mid-EQ can help for voicing, though a boost may also work depending on instrument and desired tone.

 

[Donavan12]

If you already have a YYZ, I'm not sure I see much point in getting an SC-40 or BP41, as the pedal is already designed to make Geddy sounds. Instead of backing off on the neck, also try backing off a little on the bridge pickup for a somewhat different midrange voicing.

The amount of gain needed will depend on the particular instrument and how hard you play. On Moving Pictures, Geddy didn't generally use a massive amount of distortion, just a bit of drive when he digs in, so I'd suggest setting the gain similarly, listening for the breakup as you dig in. Too much will get fuzzy and mushier. Then there's dialing in the EQ and balancing the two channels for a nice blend. I suggest starting at noon and listening carefully as you sweep each knob and get a good sense of the range it covers. Then go back to noon and think about what's lacking, and what's poking out too much. Generally a little bit of subtractive mid-EQ can help for voicing, though a boost may also work depending on instrument and desired tone.

Thanks for the reply, I will do that! I’m lately I’ve been playing with the knobs on full, and the push/pull in the vintage position and I’ve been liking the tone I’m getting, I’m still awaiting the rumble amp, should be here tomorrow or Tuesday and then i can dial in my settings
I do have a “parts” built jazz bass also that I just strung up with a fresh set of rotos(the ric is strung with daddario EXL165 45-105, using nickel strings to be easier on the frets, they sound good)
But been experimenting with the ric more

 

[slowburnaz]

Not affiliated in any way, but since I've had my eye on these, maybe it'd be an alternative option for you too?

Super Forty | Ashly SC-40 Instrument Preamp | Master Effects

The Super Forty is a pedal adaptation of the vintage Ashly SC-40 Instrument Preamplifier made famous by Geddy Lee of Rush.

www.mastereffectspedals.com

Probably a cheaper way to try out the SC-40 sound, anyway ;-)

 

[bassnyc1]

I remember when this pedal for the came out. The reviews seem basically positive.

 

[DigitalMan]

I'd recommend listening to Geddy bass stems or using good audio separation software to really dig into his Ric tone. His bass generally sounds great in the mix, but also gets a lot of help from the punch of the drums and the harmonic content of the guitars and keys. Trying to emulate his mix tone versus his solo tone are probably two different things.

 

[DigitalMan]

Coincidentally my YYZ pedal arrived today. I'm playing a GL Jazz through the pedal directly into an interface. The Rickenbacker shape-shifter setting absolutely nails the Cygnus X-1 sound, even accounting for the fact I'm not playing a Ric. I know the 4003 is a different animal from the 4001 even with the pot pulled. But I'm thinking maybe some improvements could be found in your setup? Also, it occurs to me that Geddy plays really, really hard, so that might be an element that could be missing.