my quest for geddy's tone

[CygnusX-1Bk2]

Although Geddy's tone was good on Counterparts. That was because of Kevin Shirley who told both Geddy and Alex what would work better. He kept Alex from over using reverb and made Geddy play through an amp that was pulled out of the garbage and got him to play his old J instead of the Wal. Well, part of him playing the J was Les Claypool (Primus, opened for Rush on the RTB tour) hounding Geddy about the Moving Pictures tones and telling him that was his goal for tone.

[maxbeckmann]

Although Geddy's tone was good on Counterparts. That was because of Kevin Shirley who told both Geddy and Alex what would work better. He kept Alex from over using reverb and made Geddy play through an amp that was pulled out of the garbage and got him to play his old J instead of the Wal. Well, part of him playing the J was Les Claypool (Primus, opened for Rush on the RTB tour) hounding Geddy about the Moving Pictures tones and telling him that was his goal for tone.

 

that makes me think. why he wouldn't return to rick with the whole rick-o-sound thing ? he sure loves his j's. on an ad, he also thanks fender for making "his bottoms so big".

 

next question would be : what is the definition of "fat"

[CygnusX-1Bk2]

1fat adjective \ˈfat\

: having a lot of extra flesh on your body : having a lot of body fat

 

: having a full, rounded form

 

: unusually wide or thick

fat·terfat·test

 

 

Full Definition of FAT

 

1

: notable for having an unusual amount of fat:

a : plump

b : obese

c of a meat animal : fattened for market

d of food : oily, greasy

2

a : well filled out : thick, big <a fat book>

b : full in tone and quality : rich <a gorgeous fat bass voice — Irish Digest>

c : well stocked <a fat larder>

d : prosperous, wealthy <grew fat on the war — Time>

e : being substantial and impressive <a fat bank account>

3

a : richly rewarding or profitable <a fat part in a movie> <a fat contract>

b : practically nonexistent <a fat chance>

4

: productive, fertile <a fat year for crops>

5

: stupid, foolish

6

: being swollen <got a fat lip from the fight>

7

of a baseball pitch : easy to hit

— fat·ness noun

[lerxt1990]

Geddy's tone is pretty bad since around Vapor Trails. The SansAmp/Tech 21 stuff has a rasp to it I find distracting and scratchy. I like his ESL tone which is the Ric (complete with Ric-O-Sound) through those amps he'd had for a while. You certainly cannot achieve it through an Orange with a mono signal. Not playing a J either.

 

The problem is recording engineers who become yes men when they work for Rush. They don't stand up and say what's best for their project. All of their tones have gone awry in recent years because there is far too much reverence given to aging rock stars who can't hear worth a damn anymore. So things get brighter to compensate for standing in front of amps for 30 years then mix engineers have to shoehorn all those upper frequencies together and you end up with over compressed pieces of garbage like VT and CA.

 

Stop sucking their dicks. Everyone.

 

Very interesting. As a layman I find what happened on VT to be unacceptable. I mean.. WTF?

[goose]

 

b : full in tone and quality : rich <a gorgeous fat bass voice — Irish Digest>

 

In other words, not what you'll hear on The Body Electric, for example.

[CygnusX-1Bk2]

I'm not sure I would consider Body Electric fat, being a Steinberger and all. The really low frequencies for Rush come from synths more so than the bass. Geddy's tone has mostly been quite midrangey and got particularly thin as he used the Wals, coupled with recording technology used during the 90s. That's why I referenced Fleetwood Mac because that is a very fat bass tone. John Deacon from Queen also had a fairly fat tone. The richest Geddy's tone ever got as far as I am concerned is ESL and more so on the video version than the album. These days it's more of a complex chain and he seems to like it which is what matters.

 

As for why Fender J over a Ric: the neck on a 4001/4003 are pretty bulky towards the headstock and the bodies have sharp edges. Fender necks play much faster and the J body contours nicely against the player. Geddy did play his Ric on Passage to Bangkok a few tours back. Ric-O-Sound is a stereo output where the pickups are split into their own path. These days his signal is split in other ways.

[KennyLee]

I'm not sure I would consider Body Electric fat, being a Steinberger and all. The really low frequencies for Rush come from synths more so than the bass. Geddy's tone has mostly been quite midrangey and got particularly thin as he used the Wals, coupled with recording technology used during the 90s. That's why I referenced Fleetwood Mac because that is a very fat bass tone. John Deacon from Queen also had a fairly fat tone. The richest Geddy's tone ever got as far as I am concerned is ESL and more so on the video version than the album. These days it's more of a complex chain and he seems to like it which is what matters.

 

As for why Fender J over a Ric: the neck on a 4001/4003 are pretty bulky towards the headstock and the bodies have sharp edges. Fender necks play much faster and the J body contours nicely against the player. Geddy did play his Ric on Passage to Bangkok a few tours back. Ric-O-Sound is a stereo output where the pickups are split into their own path. These days his signal is split in other ways.

 

Exactly. The Ric-O-Sound is stereo. Period. It has nothing to do with his tone except that he could split it back in the day easier. Splitting a signal is easier now.

 

Also, the Ric does "boom" a bit more than the Fender because of the wider neck. More resonance. But these days they can manipulate and process tone and effects so well, what bass you play has less to do with your sound than it used to. Geddy played the Jazz a lot on Moving Pictures which people still refer to as his best tone because they say videos where he played the Ric.

[CygnusX-1Bk2]

Ric-O-Sound is not simply stereo, each pickup is routed to a different amp/DI so that the combined signals can be more nuanced. It had everything to do with his sound on ESL.

 

It is no less difficult to split a signal now than it was 30 years ago.

 

Boom on a bass doesn't come from a wide neck, it comes from pickup type and placement coupled with the wood density. The inherent tone of an instrument matters considerably more than the gear it's run through. Why would Geddy ditch the Wals and go with Fender otherwise? They sound better that's why.

 

There are 3 videos from the Moving Pictures recording sessions. Tom Sawyer is the only one where he plays the Ric. He plays the J on Limelight and Vital Signs. Not sure what he played on the other songs but read that Barchetta is the Ric.

[maxbeckmann]

that has to be the oddest thing.

 

i just updated to mac's yosemite...and now i just cannot get the tone i had before.

 

(i'm playing through garageband)

 

anyone else experienced the same thing ?

 

boy that sucks.

[maxbeckmann]

that has to be the oddest thing.

 

i just updated to mac's yosemite...and now i just cannot get the tone i had before.

 

(i'm playing through garageband)

 

anyone else experienced the same thing ?

 

boy that sucks.

 

nevermind.

 

i did a stupid thing.

 

everything is back to "normal" now.

[Lifthrasir]

I use a 2008 limited edition Sterling Music Man, with roto sound strings (45-110)

 

for my amp I have an orange MK 200 head with an orange 4X10 isobaric cabinet

 

to get a similar tone to Geddy, I Crank the gain, boost the treble, and I use a Fulltone bass drive pedal to give it that real grit that we al know and love!

 

Heres a multi-cam cover video of me playing YYZ:

[maxbeckmann]

I use a 2008 limited edition Sterling Music Man, with roto sound strings (45-110)

 

for my amp I have an orange MK 200 head with an orange 4X10 isobaric cabinet

 

to get a similar tone to Geddy, I Crank the gain, boost the treble, and I use a Fulltone bass drive pedal to give it that real grit that we al know and love!

 

Heres a multi-cam cover video of me playing YYZ:

 

very good work. i am impressed by your play and your studio.

[Gilbertk]

On my Bass Sansamp I keep the mids borderline non existent then crank the high all the way, keeping the low a touch under (3-4 o'clock). That mixed with the bridge pickup on my jazz bass and making sure to play pretty forcefully gets it pretty close.

 

I'm lucky enough to have started playing bass because of Geddy, and watching a lot of videos on YouTube early on, so my play style actually reflects his a lot because that's just how I learned. (And his signature bass fits like a glove.. Really need to finally invest..) People always nag me for playing too hard haha

[maxbeckmann]

On my Bass Sansamp I keep the mids borderline non existent then crank the high all the way, keeping the low a touch under (3-4 o'clock). That mixed with the bridge pickup on my jazz bass and making sure to play pretty forcefully gets it pretty close.

 

I'm lucky enough to have started playing bass because of Geddy, and watching a lot of videos on YouTube early on, so my play style actually reflects his a lot because that's just how I learned. (And his signature bass fits like a glove.. Really need to finally invest..) People always nag me for playing too hard haha

 

dude, you've changed my life.

 

despite a big investment in gear (sans amp rpm + palmer speaker simulator pdi05 + orange ad200 mk3 - basically geddy's rig) i had yet achieved to reproduce a satisfying sound. (mainly because i kept the mids real high - my sound was muddy, almost "muffed" especially the E string)

now that i have cut the mids to almost nothing, i have a much clearer tone.

not sayin' i'm geddy, but i'm getting closer.

thanks for your attention.

[Tombstone Mountain]

I think his tone is more technique than it is equipment. He has a strong pick-like attack to the strings.

A huge part of his tone comes from his fingers...that is hard to replicate.

[CygnusX-1Bk2]

That is what I have been saying. :) Tone comes from the player especially in the case of someone like Geddy.

[cooheed2112]

I had put this up on a different post but here it is again. Interesting

 

[Geddy Jazz]

I use a 2008 limited edition Sterling Music Man, with roto sound strings (45-110)

 

for my amp I have an orange MK 200 head with an orange 4X10 isobaric cabinet

 

to get a similar tone to Geddy, I Crank the gain, boost the treble, and I use a Fulltone bass drive pedal to give it that real grit that we al know and love!

 

Heres a multi-cam cover video of me playing YYZ:

Great tone!..Rotos are the way to go to get as close as you can to "that" tone...sorry for other brands but the innovator keeps leading the pack...after all these decades....

[Geddy Jazz]

greeting all,

 

over the last couple of months i bothered a couple of you folks in my quest to reproduce as close as possible the beloved sound of geddy's bass.

 

most of you told me that it was impossible. i tend to agree. sound comes from the machine but mainly from the player. since i am no geddy, that will never happen.

 

but when i have something in mind, it is hard for me to think of something else. anyways, to make a long story short, my mother died a couple of months ago and thanks to her great sense of generosity, she left me a fair amount of money.

 

i decided to invest part of my heritage in gear.

 

 

 

i am a fanboi. i admit it. so i took the path of geddy and purchased most of his recent rig. let be :

 

- fender jbass geddy lee mij with special pickups made by tom brantley.

 

- an orange ad200 mk3 power amp

 

- a rivera rock crusher power attenuator

 

- a sansamp rpm preamp

 

- a palmer pdi-05 speaker simulator.

 

(now i miss the avalon u5 d.i. - but this will come soon)

 

 

i record myself and i wish you guys to give me an appreciation. an honest review please. please don't judge my playing. i'm asking you to tell me what you think of my sound. is it close or not to geddy ? sometimes when you are too "into it" you miss the objectivity.

 

my point is not to prove that i achieve to reproduce geddy's bass tone. my goal was just to get closer to it.

 

your constructive comments will be truly appreciated.

 

here is a link to my soundcloud page. the track i recorded is red barchetta. (don't mind the main monkey business track i recorded months ago on amplitude 3)

 

the link : https://soundcloud.com/dl04091976

 

best regards.

quite close!!...what are your settings on the Orange and the RPM if I may ask.....I miss some of the equipment but want to give a try on the rpm and an Orange 100 W combo I got as a bargain just 3 weeks ago.......

 

Thanks!

[New Digital Man]

You could just buy one of these for about $1200!

[maxbeckmann]

greeting all,

 

over the last couple of months i bothered a couple of you folks in my quest to reproduce as close as possible the beloved sound of geddy's bass.

 

most of you told me that it was impossible. i tend to agree. sound comes from the machine but mainly from the player. since i am no geddy, that will never happen.

 

but when i have something in mind, it is hard for me to think of something else. anyways, to make a long story short, my mother died a couple of months ago and thanks to her great sense of generosity, she left me a fair amount of money.

 

i decided to invest part of my heritage in gear.

 

 

 

i am a fanboi. i admit it. so i took the path of geddy and purchased most of his recent rig. let be :

 

- fender jbass geddy lee mij with special pickups made by tom brantley.

 

- an orange ad200 mk3 power amp

 

- a rivera rock crusher power attenuator

 

- a sansamp rpm preamp

 

- a palmer pdi-05 speaker simulator.

 

(now i miss the avalon u5 d.i. - but this will come soon)

 

 

i record myself and i wish you guys to give me an appreciation. an honest review please. please don't judge my playing. i'm asking you to tell me what you think of my sound. is it close or not to geddy ? sometimes when you are too "into it" you miss the objectivity.

 

my point is not to prove that i achieve to reproduce geddy's bass tone. my goal was just to get closer to it.

 

your constructive comments will be truly appreciated.

 

here is a link to my soundcloud page. the track i recorded is red barchetta. (don't mind the main monkey business track i recorded months ago on amplitude 3)

 

the link : https://soundcloud.com/dl04091976

 

best regards.

quite close!!...what are your settings on the Orange and the RPM if I may ask.....I miss some of the equipment but want to give a try on the rpm and an Orange 100 W combo I got as a bargain just 3 weeks ago.......

 

Thanks!

 

thanks for your word. here are the preset i use. it's not perfect though. my avalon u5 is still not connected.

 

http://s13.postimg.org/5cn1kpjcn/IMG_2051.jpghttp://s12.postimg.org/dyqhlikf1/IMG_2052.jpg

[Stugotz]

Heres a quick Moving Pictures Tone Test.

 

[Stugotz]

I think this gets pretty close, its a bone stock MIJ Geddy running through an EBS Multicomp and a Sansamp RBI direct into my Laptop.

 

Edited May 1, 2016 by Stugotz

[Geddy Jazz]

greeting all,

 

over the last couple of months i bothered a couple of you folks in my quest to reproduce as close as possible the beloved sound of geddy's bass.

 

most of you told me that it was impossible. i tend to agree. sound comes from the machine but mainly from the player. since i am no geddy, that will never happen.

 

but when i have something in mind, it is hard for me to think of something else. anyways, to make a long story short, my mother died a couple of months ago and thanks to her great sense of generosity, she left me a fair amount of money.

 

i decided to invest part of my heritage in gear.

 

 

 

i am a fanboi. i admit it. so i took the path of geddy and purchased most of his recent rig. let be :

 

- fender jbass geddy lee mij with special pickups made by tom brantley.

 

- an orange ad200 mk3 power amp

 

- a rivera rock crusher power attenuator

 

- a sansamp rpm preamp

 

- a palmer pdi-05 speaker simulator.

 

(now i miss the avalon u5 d.i. - but this will come soon)

 

 

i record myself and i wish you guys to give me an appreciation. an honest review please. please don't judge my playing. i'm asking you to tell me what you think of my sound. is it close or not to geddy ? sometimes when you are too "into it" you miss the objectivity.

 

my point is not to prove that i achieve to reproduce geddy's bass tone. my goal was just to get closer to it.

 

your constructive comments will be truly appreciated.

 

here is a link to my soundcloud page. the track i recorded is red barchetta. (don't mind the main monkey business track i recorded months ago on amplitude 3)

 

the link : https://soundcloud.com/dl04091976

 

best regards.

quite close!!...what are your settings on the Orange and the RPM if I may ask.....I miss some of the equipment but want to give a try on the rpm and an Orange 100 W combo I got as a bargain just 3 weeks ago.......

 

Thanks!

 

thanks for your word. here are the preset i use. it's not perfect though. my avalon u5 is still not connected.

 

Wowh..yo just got the massta´s rig!.....just curious....how do you route the signal ?? I understand Gedd makes a mix of the 3 paths...do you do the same?

 

http://s13.postimg.org/5cn1kpjcn/IMG_2051.jpghttp://s12.postimg.org/dyqhlikf1/IMG_2052.jpg

[Stugotz]

Ric-O-Sound is not simply stereo, each pickup is routed to a different amp/DI so that the combined signals can be more nuanced. It had everything to do with his sound on ESL.

 

It is no less difficult to split a signal now than it was 30 years ago.

 

Boom on a bass doesn't come from a wide neck, it comes from pickup type and placement coupled with the wood density. The inherent tone of an instrument matters considerably more than the gear it's run through. Why would Geddy ditch the Wals and go with Fender otherwise? They sound better that's why.

 

There are 3 videos from the Moving Pictures recording sessions. Tom Sawyer is the only one where he plays the Ric. He plays the J on Limelight and Vital Signs. Not sure what he played on the other songs but read that Barchetta is the Ric.

 

Limelight was the Ric. Tom Sawyer was the Jazz.......dont believe everything you see on TV. LOL