I actually wanted to play bass. I started playing bass in 1968, and I asked my mom if she would buy me a bass. She was working at Sears at the time, and bought me a Silvertone Bass for my 14th birthday. I haven't stopped since. I've now been playing bass for 55 years.
I just bought my first Jazz bass (a very well made Japanese import, actually) and there is absolutely a reason Ged wants to own so many of the things. I’ve stayed up literally til sunrise playing the thing, they’re effortless.
I paid $75 for a 1973 jazz bass with a bound Maple neck and mother-of-pearl block inlays. After a Leo Quan bridge and Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounders that thing running like about hadlow action not a lot of string noise and great sustain. It had a Mojo but I've never felt in any other jazz bass. I hate myself jelly for having sold it. I had played many others I assumed they all played that way Lol
I had an uncle that played bass, when they would practice, he would let me sit on his bass guitar amp. The room is so crowded. That was the only place I could be. I chose to become a bass player. I loved the feel of the instrument. I was heartbroken when I heard about Neil’s passing.
VERY well done. Absolutely high level presentation. Professional, entertaining, seriously informative and INTERESTING. YOU do your homework sir. Greatly appreciated! Thank you.
Thanks for this: I'm a clasically trained percussionist who started playing drums in rock bands around 1976. RUSH is my favorite band, and Ged had a style & sound like no other bass player: bass lessons & collecting ensued. Alex, of course also has a sound & style like no-one else; as you may have guessed, guitar lessons & collecting ensued. All of this while still playing drums in rock bands. Oh, the correct pronunciation of Neil's last name is "peert", as in 'peer pressure' not "pert", as in; "she has really 'pert' -nipples".- Thanks for the crazy task of handling all Ged's gear. Amazing!
@@WhichBass That's cool; I didn't even know how to pronounce until I heard Neil say it himself in interviews & videos... I have all of his Instructional DVD/Blu-rays & same for every RUSH tour DVD/Blu-Ray as well. I can't wait to see more of my favorite bass players on your channel! Thanks! Rock On !!!
I started with guitars owning about 12 strats Les Pauls and 12 string Rickenbacker but Getty’s bass got me into bass about 10 years ago. I have Fender Jazz Bass Getty Lee signature and a Rickenbacker 4003.
Another great video. Al you asked for feedback in a previous video. I hope you don't mind if put it here. One thing, you hit the nail on the head, getting a Ric didn't make Geddy sound like Chris. For many bass players the technique they use during there recording may have as much to do with there sound as all the gear. I would love to know more about technique used, and what's influencing them at the time (since there tone can change so greatly form album to album and even song to song). But I'm a bass geek. And I do love your videos just they way they are. Keep up the hard work.
Thank you Rattbones, I love hearing feedback. Have you watched some of my earlier videos where I talk about their technique ... Mainly Flea and Steve Harris. Would you like to see something like that?
I started on drums. Then keys. Ah, then bass, I was in love. Simply fun. Geddy and Chris Squire were my primary influences. I play guitar, and enjoy it. But bass is my happy place.
This is so informative, particularly because it's such a weird collection of bass amps and cabs. As much as people think there'll be a secret to Geddy's sound, what really shines here is the fact that the secret was, there's no secret--at least, not in the gear. The Traynors at that time were made right here in Toronto, and he probably got them because they were convenient: I played guitar for years through a big Traynor solid-state keyboard amp because the price was right. But I get the feeling Geddy Lee could go into a pawnshop, buy a Squier precision bass and an old used Peavey amp, and in about five minutes of twisting dials sound just as good as he did on the records.
My number 1 bass is my 72 precision. I can’t explain why it sounds so good and plays so well. At one time, I also loved to play thru a fender twin. Geddy was my hero when learning bass
I was in college in 1977 and that summer I was asked by my friend if I wanted to use an extra ticket to see a band I never heard of. It was Weather Reports "Heavy Weather Tour at Beacon Theater, Brdwy-72st NY. I was 20 rows back from Jaco, and was totally amazed at what I heard him play. He even did his Teen Town solo where he ends it by putting the still vibrating bass on the stage floor and jumps from the darkness into the spot lighted bass to stop the note. There is a video of this done years later that I have seen. Went right out and bought 2 records, Heavy Weather, and Pastorius, Jacos 1st solo album. After that I was a Jazz-Rock fusion fan. "Return to Forever" with one of the best bassists, Stanley Clark. "The Jan Hammer Group", who wrote and played "Miami Vice" theme song on TV. Do Stanley Clark and Jaco, the Hendrix of the bass. Bass Player magazine ranked Jaco 2nd best, influential bass player for the past 100 years. Maybe the mags name is wrong, but the ranking is right. The most amazing part of the Weather Reports concert was everyone sat quietly and listened to the great music in this small venue, like an old time movie palace with 3 balconys and the ground level.
I don’t get the cracks about who wants to be the bass player. Maybe that was the case 50 years ago. Players like Geddy, the Ox and others, I think, made many of us choose the bass as our primary instrument.
The Steinberger bass guitar was brought in during the signals recording not Grace Under Pressure, even though he did use it for that album. I know because I saw the signals Tour live in Pittsburgh and he played the Steinberger on new world man digital man and a couple others. Oh yeah YYZ. A passage to Bangkok was not played on the R40 tour it was played on snakes and arrows tour. Just thought you may like to know.
Geddy recorded with the Steinberger on one album "Grace Under Pressure". He started using the Wal bass on "Power Windows" but, used the Steinberger bass live on that tour. Geddy also used the Rickenbacher on 2007-2008 "Snakes and Arrows" tour during "A Passage To Bangkok"
One thing you forgot was that the ‘72 jazz bass was actually first used on Permanent Waves - The Spirit Of Radio and Entre Nous Next time you listen to those two tracks, listen closely, and you can definitely tell that’s the jazz bass
I'm surprised you haven't done one of these on John entwistle yet. I for one would definitely like to see a video on him, he's the man who inspired me to pick up bass.
Ah ha! I was waiting to see this picture! The big double speaker cabinet on the bottom is an HZ industries cabinet using 2 Electro Voice DLX 18" speakers. It was rented from Westbury Sound and Lighting in Toronto Canada. I know because I worked there at the time when Geddy's tech came in looking for a cabinet to add more low end in his sound. He tried 2 of them and eventually chose this one. The cabinet is made of 3/4" Baltic birch, wrapped in a fiberglass with resin coating. It was built by Larry Gallant.
I wasn't that great at guitar the chord shapes were difficult, so I asked my mom for a bass in 1994 on Christmas I got one. And stayed up all night playing to nirvana nevermind. Its 2020 I still play I've never had issues with getting gigs seems bassists are hard to find!
That beast of a keyboard at 24:45 looks like an Oberheim 8-voice with an integrated Minimoog model D. That must have been fun to carry around. Also, I want one :)
Own his signature, love the hell outta it. Edit: Well I will be honest, Im a short guy and tend to strap it mid to high, and while Fenders have that massive headstock, it feels fantastic though and plays well.
Wow..wow...wow amazing video ! Always enjoyed your info on all my favorite bass players. I want to say thank you been a rush and geddy fan saw them in 76 78 79 ans so on. Thanks again for the best video up to date. Looking forward for your next one.
Went to this studio once, and they had a black MIJ Geddy Lee Jazz Bass with a black pickguard. Looked sexy, so I picked it up and plugged it into this Hartke head. Dealt the 5-band eq in and... HOLY FUCK, IT WAS THE MAN'S SOUND. I was so thrilled I just started playing "Circumstances". What an instrument, sounded fucking badass!
Something about the fender jazz can't deny struggled with this instrument for decades had a german hofner, fender precision and a Warwick vampyre sn, beautiful basses finally got a feder jazz pro 2 and overall I like it best
Farewell to Kings/Hemispheres is the quintessential Sound of Geddys Rickenbacker sound in my opinion as far as recordings. Permanent Waves has a mixture of Jazz Bass as well as the 4001. "Exit Stage Left" and his 4001 Rickenbacker sound on all tracks just left me in amazement, this was the power of the Rickenbacker in my estimation, Raw, Bottom end, Treble, distortion!!! Perfect!!!! "Subdivisions track" sounded incredible as well.. Still Love Farewell to Kings album bass sound as the best...
Geddy and Chris Squire inspired me to play bass. I bought a 4001 at cost when I worked at a music store which at the time waS about $340. When I put Rotosound round wound strings on it (which voided the warranty), I loved the sound. I'm now into 5-string basses, but can't afford a 4003 5-string, but there are a lot of good basses on the market these days,
07-29-2019...Happy 66th Ged Man.....The REASON I play Bass is because of "Dirk".....Heard "YEAH OHHHHHHH YEAH" back in High School and it All Came together To Make Sense! Cheers From Ohio
This channel rocks/ sharing it everywhere. WHERE IS THE CHRIS SQUIRE VID ?!?!? Ricks are coming back now, I just decided. New Orleans is gonna be the new home of the stereo Rick Prog Rig. Just got 4003 Fireglo fretless, my boys getting 4001 JetGlo from New York... when we run out of a Rickenbackers, we’ll rock Chickenbackers, frankenbackers....
Noice, o so noice. I play bass and I love Geddy Lee so much. Rush is so awesome. Please keep up the bass player episodes, man. So yeah, Geddy Lee is amazing. Rush is awesome. Other than that, cool:).
Glad you found it Mark, that would be a shame. How are the fingers?! Never guess what? ... I cut my fingers playing slap yesterday. We could start our own club.
Great vid man!! I'm became a Bassist because of Geddy Lee, and of course Cliff Burton. I always wondered what Geddy used early on, thank you for answering those questions, and many more. Keep em coming man👌
Thanks Dan, glad you enjoyed the video. I also made a Cliff Burton video too if you haven't seen that yet. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-3cb_99LWKnM.html
Really cool video, new comer here... Not sure what was a better segment, the bass or the keyboards? Wow, you really blew my mind with the details of all that equipment. Thanks for sharing.
Hiya Alfie, strange anomaly in the video or his book we know Geddy used a Steinberger L2 (all videos has him with one) but in his book he has a picture of an Xl2 M1 which would have sported a transtrem whammy bar to change tuning. The L2s tops were loaded from the front ala Grace under Pressure live video, Xl2s were screwed in from the back. My Xl2 is a rear loader. Anywhos, watched it again great video. Brian.
Hey Brian, that is weird. Is it just a picture of the bass or is he holding it? I don'e a quick search and even rush.com says he used an L2. www.rush.com/gear/steinberger-l2/ Thanks for watching again!
I would love to know what his rig looked like specifically in 1998 on the Live Stages album. The tone on that record is the best live rock bass tone I've ever heard. This video covers his bass line up around that time and some of his amps and rack gear, but there's no way that tone comes only from the Sansamp through a U5. What compression is he using? Sounds like he was running 2 separate signals also: what did that look like - what was he blending? Would also love to hear more about his pedal board. Overall this video was super interesting.
He was actually using Trace Elliot tube amps on the Counterparts and Test For Echo tours, there's an interview from the period where Geddy gives a detailed explanation on his rig
Im still gutted about the loss of Neil...can't believe I'll never get to see them play again. I've seen them at least 7 times over 3 decades...every show was different. Getty definitely laid down some of the coolest baselines in music history. I'm hoping Alex and Getty get back on the horse and go out and play together again.
Neil Peart (pronounced Peert NOT Pert) developed sores on his feet from getting wet in the rain, driving from venue to venue on his motorcycle. Basically swamp foot. Neil was struggling with tendinitis, and it was Alex who has arthritis.
5:02 The original 4001 was never used on the R40 tour, as A Passage to Bangkok was never played on that tour. You got it mixed up with the Snakes & Arrows Tour, from 2008.
So I am one of those exceptions that proove the rule. I got an acoustic guitar for my 12th birthday, and imediately threw away the B- and high E- string. Because l wanted to play Bass! I was educated on the Grand Piano during my childhood, and loved the tone of the low register the most. Next thing I collected some money to buy a Hoefner 182, a short scale bass. With this one and an old tube radio we started out a band with three other schoolmates, two of them on guitar, pluging their instruments into one Vox AC 30, and a guy that was two years older than we have been, who was on vocational training for his job and earned some money, so he was able to buy a used drumset. After a short time I bought my first bass amp, a F.A.L. Kestrel, 100 Watt solid state. Shortly after buying it I swapped the speaker who was pure crap to a EVM 15 L. We had our first gigs then. I have to stop before writing an essay about my upbringing as a Bassist until today, after 44 years of playing in different bands - and about all the gear I bought, sold and lost over this time. Stop! Now!
