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Geddy's R40 Basses (includes setlists)


gudbuytjane
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Geddy really mixed it up in Newark. Most (all?) of the changes can be found in the pics on Cygnus X-1: http://cygnus-x1.net...-06.27.2015.php

 

First and foremost, we have proof that he is using a different Zematis than the one he's been using for Distant Early Warning. The pickup configuration and headstock inlays are different. This second bass has been used for both versions of Losing It, and will likely be used again tonight in NYC.

 

Starting in Toronto, and again in Boston and Newark, Geddy used a Red Precision Bass, which looks like the same color scheme as the Jazz Bass he uses for Cygnus X-1, and it is not listed in the tourbook. It is definitely not the Burgundy Mist Precision Bass he uses for Jacob's Ladder.

 

In a move that blows my mind, he used the Gold Jazz Bass for Hemispheres. This bass had formerly been used for Subdivisions or Working Man (never for both songs in the same show). His signature Red Jazz, which he's used for 2112 since 1996, and Hemispheres on this tour, was not played.

 

For the first time so far, he used what looks like the Jazz Bass he uses for Cygnus X-1 on Working Man in the encore. The Lake Placid Blue Jazz was used for Subdivisions, which keeps the theme of "all new basses" in the encore.

 

Lastly, even with all the A-B-C-D-E-F setlist surprises, the JetGlo doubleneck has only been used on setlists with The Camera Eye. Toronto II had How It Is and Between the Wheels (like the B set), but the second set matched the C setlist, and the FireGlo doubleneck was present. In Newark, the setlist was B except the Losing It/Wreckers swap, and the JetGlo doubleneck was used.

 

Edit, because I'm watching the periscope feed from MSG right now. He did indeed use both Zematis Basses, back to back, since they played DEW right before Losing It.

 

I saw that different Zematis on the scope of tonight's show (NYC)... another bass definitely in the mix.

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This probably doesn't count as an R40 bass as he isn't playing it on tour, but I'm flipping through the R40 tourbook right now and in one of the pictures I see Ged warming up before a show with what I am 90% certain looks like the Rickenbacker Chris Squire signature bass. It looks the same too with its cream looking finish, the "horseshoe" bridge pickup plate thing, and the brown/cream/brown finish on the headstock. It would've been quite something to see him play the signature model of one of his bass heroes live on this tour.
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Set 2

. . .

Xanadu - 1978 Rickenbacker Model 4080/12 (FireGlo)Shoreline Gold with matching headstock)

 

Here is a cool impromtu backstage tour video from Tampa... the bass tech is taking a guy around.

[video removed]

 

The bass tech says that the Jetglo doubleneck is not his actual original one!

oops, yep it got pulled quick...let's just say with high probability, that it didn't take too long for this unofficial vid to get back to the band's management... move along, nothing to see here!

 

I'm glad you got to see it (as well as me) before it got the plug pulled!

 

One interesting thing, as they were looking at instruments the only 4001 was the BurgundyGlo one, unless I missed the JetGlo? Does that mean he's only using the Burgundy one? I just looked at the Tulsa video of Red Barchetta and I'm pretty sure now it's the burgundy, not the black (egad that is hard to make out, especially when all the lighting colours are either light blue or purple!). Curiouser and curiouser.

 

It did seem, too, from the tech's commentary that the only song Geddy's switching instruments from night to night is on Xanadu (the two doublenecks).

 

In this new video https://qello.com/concert/R40-on-the-Road-Webisode-3-6430#, Geddy says the double neck is a bass and a 12 string. I never knew that. Obviously the 4080/12 designation means 12 string. But, the black one doesn't look like a 12 string - I can't make out the machine heads and how that works. Do 6 of the strings wind around top posts and the other 6 go through the headstock? Is there some sort of Frankenwinder?! Awesome. That thing must be a beast to string and tune and no wonder Skully hates it!

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I think with Rickenbacker 12 string guitars, half the strings are strung like a regular guitar and then the other half are strung through the headstock like a classical guitar which would explain why the headstock isn't elongated like other 12 string guitars I see. Edited by PolarizeMe
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IIRC, for a Rickenbacker 12-string, half the tuners are oriented in the normal direction, and the other half are perpendicular so that the pegs you turn to tune it project behind the headstock, in stead of to the side. The result is a 12-string that looks like a six-string from a distance.

 

I'm sure I've described this so poorly, it will make sense to no one.

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IIRC, for a Rickenbacker 12-string, half the tuners are oriented in the normal direction, and the other half are perpendicular so that the pegs you turn to tune it project behind the headstock, in stead of to the side. The result is a 12-string that looks like a six-string from a distance.

 

I'm sure I've described this so poorly, it will make sense to no one.

 

Nope, I think you described it just right. There's actually a quick shot of it here in this video that shows exactly that.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-yTVHptvD0

 

I just never noticed that before. Learn something new every day!

http://i.imgur.com/G2i4WfH.jpg

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So in Denver, Geddy used Shoreline Gold 1966 Fender Jazz for Hemispheres. I'm 90% sure of this. I remember the Fiesta in Tulsa and it was definitely not that in Denver. I'm pretty sure it's 66 Shoreline but I just remembered it was different when reading this thread.
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So in Denver, Geddy used Shoreline Gold 1966 Fender Jazz for Hemispheres. I'm 90% sure of this. I remember the Fiesta in Tulsa and it was definitely not that in Denver. I'm pretty sure it's 66 Shoreline but I just remembered it was different when reading this thread.

 

For the first half of the tour, he was using his old Flame Maple Red Fender Custom Shop Jazz. Through the first half of the Time Machine tour, it had no pick guard, and since then has had pick guards with two different alchemy symbols. He was using the Shoreline Gold Jazz for Working Man (and Subdivisions for a short stretch), and the Lake Placid Blue Jazz was being used for either Working Man or Subdivisions (never for both in the same show). Beginning in Montreal, and continuing ever since, he's used the Lake Placid Blue Jazz for Subdivisions, the Shoreline Gold Jazz for Hemispheres, and what I believe is the 1966 Fiesta Red Jazz for Working Man.

 

Speaking of the 1966 Fiesta Red Jazz, I do not believe he has used it for Cygnus X-1 at all. It looks Candy Apple Red in every pic/video I've seen. He did use the 1960 Fiesta Red Jazz for Cygnus X-1 the first three shows (the same one for TSOR). In some shots, you can see wear on the horn on the bass he uses for Cygnus X-1, and it does not match the wear on the red one he uses for Working Man.

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I was at the San Jose concert last night. There were two different fiesta red basses "and" a candy apple red. He didn't play the flamey red bass that was used on the last few tours. Although he played 2 different white basses, neither was the white one used on the last tour. Nor did he play the sonic blue bass used for the Garden last tour. He also played the black one that has the dark pick guard.

 

He played his favorite black jazz for only 3 songs. I thought the first fiesta red bass he played was the best sounding bass of the entire night. It's the one that has some wear on it, and it's shown on that new video on Quello that gives a tour of his basses.

 

In my opinion the worst sounding bass was the white thunderbird. The bottom completely dropped out. The brown thunderbird sounded way better. I loved the Hofner and sunburst Rick. They sounded great, as did his maroon Rick.

 

Anyone know why he chose to leave his famous black Rick at home? I wish he would have played it.

 

The lake placid blue and the shoreline gold basses rounded out the night. The gold one sounded amazing. The lake placid blue was only used for Subdivisions. The paisley was cool too. I can tell he likes that Zematis, but it looked heavy and uncomfortable for him.

 

Alex was playing a 60 LP. Anyone know if that was a reissue or a real '60?

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The collector's gene is a problem. When I see people who collect things and obsess over it, it makes no sense to me, whether it be baseball cards, antiques, cars, etc. How many Porsche's does Seinfeld have? I guess if you can afford it, God bless. But what about those who can't and do it anyway? It's a sickness.
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he shoulda pulled the Stienberger with a racoon hat to match his old hairsyle in GUP-

 

Geddy talks about all his basses in this webisode. He said one tour with the Steinberger was enough haha.

 

https://qello.com/?feature=QelloCast&subid=Rush&postback=webisode4facebook&pub_name=QelloCast&pub_sub_id=Rush&pub_sub_name=webisode4facebook

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Anyone know why he chose to leave his famous black Rick at home? I wish he would have played it.

 

He donated it to the Canadian National Archives.

 

No. He donated his black double neck. That's not the bass I asked about. I asked why is touring with a burgundy 4001 instead of his black 4001.

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Anyone know why he chose to leave his famous black Rick at home? I wish he would have played it.

 

He donated it to the Canadian National Archives.

 

No. He donated his black double neck. That's not the bass I asked about. I asked why is touring with a burgundy 4001 instead of his black 4001.

 

D'oh, my bad. I read too quickly.

 

What are the little black bar things under the strings on many of his basses? They didn't used to be there.

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Anyone know why he chose to leave his famous black Rick at home? I wish he would have played it.

 

He donated it to the Canadian National Archives.

 

No. He donated his black double neck. That's not the bass I asked about. I asked why is touring with a burgundy 4001 instead of his black 4001.

 

D'oh, my bad. I read too quickly.

 

What are the little black bar things under the strings on many of his basses? They didn't used to be there.

 

They are called tug bars. On older basses they were put there for bassists to anchor their hand on and play with their thumbs. They were mainly on Fender basses of the 50's/60's. The bar moved on the top side of the strings (then called a thumb rest) after a few years then disappeared. (And has since come back on reissue basses) People could add a tug bar to a bass if they wanted. I saw the one on the Ric he's been playing this tour. That was obviously added by the previous owner.

Edited by EagleMoon
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I was trying to figure out what bass Lee is playing in the Dec. photo of the Rush 2017 calendar. This list helped a lot!

 

http://cygnus-x1.net/links/rush/images/calendars/calendar-2017/r40/12-dec.jpg

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I think Hemispheres is the D standard tuned bass seen since 1996 and The Main Monkey Business bass is not a 1965 jazz (maybe the '72 blonde listed in equipment).

The MMB bass is a 72 blonde Geddy says is the most similar to his #1 :geddy:
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What throws me for a loop on that bass is if it is truly blonde or olympic white that has yellowed.

 

While it is a nice bass, I feel like I have yet to see a picture or video that accurately represents the body and seeing R40 twice did not help (thanks, stage lights).

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What throws me for a loop on that bass is if it is truly blonde or olympic white that has yellowed.

 

While it is a nice bass, I feel like I have yet to see a picture or video that accurately represents the body and seeing R40 twice did not help (thanks, stage lights).

my bet is that is a blonde :eyeroll:
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What I really wish is that those "new projects" mentioned in Tech21's Ged2112 preamp add come to life and watch him play some of them basses onstage ( any) ever( with any other musicians) as he did with Yes last year.....also his Big Beautiful Book of Bass is due Fall 2018..... Geddy Rocks! :geddy:
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