How to get Geddy Lee's tone with any bass

Can you get the Rush bass tone from Moving Pictures songs like Limelight, Tom Sawyer, YYZ, and Red Barchetta using the bass you have? This video shows you how and tries the tips out on a collection of basses from Rickenbackers and Jazz basses to flatwound and fretless basses.
-- LINKS --
Propellerhead Reason
www.propellerheads.com/
Kemper Profiler
www.kemper-amps.com/
Tech21 SanAmp
www.tech21nyc.com/

[@thesaneparty4079]

Get Geddy's tone on any bass- easy: Just have Ged play it.

[@CptColtAnimation]

Truth

[@kevinmcgiffin10]

The only one that can sound like Geddy is Geddy folks.

[@caca_spaniel_1239]

True words of wisdom

[@RCAvhstape]

Favorite Geddy tone is the Ric, especially on songs like Cinderella Man, Circumstances, and Countdown. His Ric tone on Exit Stage Left is absolutely the voice of bass god.

[@soundslikeben]

The live version of Freewill on Exit, Stage Left is sooo incredible.

[@JakeAikens]

Circumstances is the best bass tone by anyone ever on earth. There’s probably an alien going, I got that beat, but he’s not on earth. There are a bunch of people with killer bass tone, including myself if I’m honest. I’m perfectly happy with my tone. But Circumstances is the holy grail. So angry, yet so clean. Distorted as hell, but still plenty of clarity. Just perfect blend of both worlds.

[@SonicXRage]

I wish that Geddy kept using his Rick. His highs were so crunchy with the Rick! I like his jazz bass tone but I wish he kept using both.

[@jkees6751]

The Ric on Hemispheres is killer too. There was a few times Geddy played it on the jazz bass like counterparts tour, R30 tour (in the overture), R40 tour. It doesn't sound bad, but to me Hemispheres needs to be played on a Ric.

[@taonakaz]

Don't forgot Cygnus X-1, opening bass always punches me in the face.

[@Cobalt985]

"No one sounds quite like Geddy"... except for Chris Squire, which is who Geddy was trying to sound like in the 70s ;) Geddy's style and tone are both heavily influenced by Chris Squire even according to him.

[@swordsinging1709]

Love Chris. What a natural talent. Both of them. A thing of beauty

[@rdsapar92]

I must say, Geddy did an incredible job with Roundabout when YES finally got inducted in to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

[@richardsimons6855]

In interviews, Geddy Lee has said that Tom Sawyer was recorded on a Jazz Bass.

[@soundslikeben]

Thanks for watching and commenting, Richard. Yes, Moving Pictures had both the Jazz and the Rick on it. Two more reasons to love that album.

[@matthewJ142]

I still think they used both, Rick for Top and Fender for bottom. Because funny, in the video, the basses are swapped. I never understood that.

[@stevenordstedt2535]

So was YYZ on His Jazz

[@MrClassicmetal]

@@stevenordstedt2535 Geddy himself has stated that he played his ’72 Jazz on the _Permanent Waves_ and _Moving Pictures_ albums.

[@stevenordstedt2535]

Awesome

[@hyalinamusic18]

I think my favorite Geddy tone is from Clockwork Angels. I'm a huge fan of prog metal, and Geddy's tone on that album is my dream! I do love his late 70s early 80s tone too.

[@soundslikeben]

Just listened to that album last week. Great tone!

[@bak1386]

Bro that dirty tone on that rick is amazing

[@soundslikeben]

Thanks, Bak!

[@kenhartman29115]

I'd love to see 'Will it Jaco?'

[@soundslikeben]

Fun idea, Ken

[@kurtevans-hulme974]

Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures have my favourite bass tones. Im fond of his tone on Counterparts too.

[@BassByTheBay]

This was great, though it'd be even better if you also let us hear the different basses soloed.

[@aTROPOSkEY]

The look of joy on your face as you play this line is priceless!

[@frednoce3043]

Loved your video and really enjoyed your playing. I have to say that for my ears, the Rickenbacker hit the nail on the head in terms of tone. I own a Fender Geddy Lee Jazz Bass (one of the early MIJ models) which I love...but now you have me really wanting to get a Rick!

[@raphaelcote3577]

A Farewell to Kings and Hemispheres are both my 2 favorite Rush albums! Great Video and basses! ;)

[@dbvetter7485]

Great video and information, been tying to get Getty’s sound on my Rick, but now I know I need the bass pre-amp.

[@soundslikeben]

Many if my favorite bass tones came from players who split their signal to run a clean signal through the bass amp and add crunch on the top end from a guitar amp. Chris Squire and Dug Pinnick are two great examples of this.

[@russellsidell]

When I heard how smooth and articulate you played these lines, I HAD to give a 👍...I'm a guitarist 1st & bassist 2nd but you are a guy that I would love to have in my band 🤘

[@pip5528]

Totally in the same boat! :)

[@soundslikeben]

Thanks so much for the kind words!

[@matthewhoag2609]

You play yacht rock, but it’s the drummer’s birthday… laughed so hard at the scenario. Good one - caught me off guard, lol!

[@boblathim7424]

Permanent Waves is When I really got into them. Of Course I had to go back to the rest of the Catalogue. What a Body of Art those 3 Men Produced! Rest in Peace Neil "The Professor Peart"!❤❤🙏🏻

[@soundslikeben]

Indeed

[@brandoncoaker8821]

My fave Geddy bass-tone is on the song Natural Science in particular.

[@st3v444]

It's either Hold Your Fire or Clockwork Angels for my favorite Geddy bass tone. A lot of people say the bass on Hold Your Fire is really poppy and it give them an allergic reaction. I love it though. The tone on Clockwork is similar, Just a bit more distorted it sounds like.

[@soundslikeben]

I dig the Wal tone on Hold Your Fire. I’ll have to listen more to Clockwork.

[@wilfredovazquez2942]

Thanks for the video. I enjoy a lot.

[@soundslikeben]

Thanks, Wilfredo!

[@ObzzorRock]

I love the sound on on Counterparts and Test for Echo! It is not what I would try to imitate but sounds great on those albums. Great video by the way!

[@soundslikeben]

Driven is such an epic bassline. Thanks for watching, Jan Danek!

[@Joetime90]

Counterparts is awesome. That's the sound I want.

[@chlum6295]

I loved that tone you get with the p bass!

[@soundslikeben]

Thanks. I do feel like the Squier Classic Vibe was money well spent.

[@jonniegibbins]

Impressive, but could you Geddy on a Chapman stick? ;-)

[@therealscarred2112]

Jon Gibbins I do. ;-)

[@McOuroborosBurger]

Jon Gibbins WrOnG cHaNnEl

[@larlluiz5902]

My favorite rush album is moving pictures, but in the bass it's clockwork angels

[@mrthundaboots]

I loved his sound on Hold Your Fire. He may have been playing a Wal. I’m a drummer learning bass. Thanks!

[@soundslikeben]

Yes, Hold Your Fire was his black Wal MK1.

[@timothyfritz2965]

Great video and your playing as well, 5 stars!

[@soundslikeben]

Thank you!

[@sylvadim1227]

Very nice!

[@soundslikeben]

Thanks!

[@57precision]

Thanks for this. Always been an illusive tone for me since I play lightly and have to force myself to hit the strings hard. Using your tips I'm happy to confirm that a Dingwall D-Roc 5 will in fact Geddy. The middle pickup is a reverse split coil P, but it's sort of in the Rickenbacker bridge position. Solo'd and running through a Sansamp DP-3X and I'm as close as I've ever been. Tried the Geddy signature Sansamp through a 70s jazz and couldn't ever be satisfied despite this being the obvious formula. Too ice-picky and trebly. The D-Roc is an inherently darker bass and is probably purpose built to take distortion well.

[@soundslikeben]

The D-Rocs are sooo cool!!

[@georgerobartes5989]

A PJ type bass with neck splits in parallel and both pickups full hot will give you the sound without too much modeling or peddling ex cept for some comp , either active or inactive . Just dial tone to suit .

[@TimGoins2112]

my favorite bass tone has got to be his Power Windows and hold Your Fire era with his Wal

[@The_Melonhead]

Fantastic video. Thanks! I own a Kemper as well. Which profile did you use? Do you recall the settings?

[@pip5528]

A Farewell to Kings and Signals have my favorite bass tones of his.

[@lukaszopitek5483]

You should try the fretless with the pick. Pick on a fretless emulates sound of frets

[@timhutchinson8485]

I definitely agree that the J and the Rick were the best, but I’m surprised how good the P sounded. Also, the Ken Smith seemed to have really low output? My favorite Geddy tones are probably from the classic era, but my favorite Rush songs are from the mid/late 80s.

[@sauki2348]

For unbeatable bonecrunching tone, listen to the Prologue on Cygnus X-1 on A Farewell to Kings.

[@nunoharris]

Hi. Can i get the Cliff Burton clean and dirty tones with this pedal? Thanks

[@carlmontney7916]

I think in this demonstration the Ric came the closest. However when considering Getty and his tone a lot of what he gets is due to not only the sansamp but also the way he plays. I saw an interview with Geddy where he's talking about how he uses the top of his fingernail on the strings which creates a unique attack.

[@wearetomorrowspast.5617]

That Ibanez sounds way cool. My favourite Geddy tone was on Hemispheres. Seems to me like he pushed the Rick sound as far as it could go and then for Permanent Waves took a totally different approach.

[@kenhartman29115]

Great video btw

[@soundslikeben]

Thanks, Ken!

[@8triagrammer]

On YYZ it sounds like he has some kind of stereo effect on it at times, maybe a chorus or something?

[@jimmypalavi]

Needed the volume turned up on your bass to hear whether it hit the pocket.

[@T.d.Mack74]

For me a mix of the Wal bass and the Jazz love me some big money tone.

[@marvinhanson9391]

I got a pretty great geddy sound on my early 60s danelectro shorthorn bass

[@soundslikeben]

I'd love to hear that, Marvin. Dano's are cool!

[@marvinhanson9391]

@@soundslikeben id be more than happy to record how it sounds, ill let you know when its up. I get a mean rickenbacker esque sound when i pluck hard around the centre of the body

[@fr3qh0pp3r]

Love the video on the multi bass comparisons !!! All of the Rush albums are my favorites. Why ??? Cause Geddy’ s in them, that’s why !!! Geddy-up and get some !!! R U S H ! ! ! … … I’m shouting while typing this out … … 🤟😎🤘

[@tamasostrolucky7109]

"it's almost impossible not to..." wonder where the sound of the bass is. I can barely hear it.

[@soundslikeben]

Thanks for the feedback. Definitely easier to hear the bass with headphones. Next time I'll mix it a little hotter.

[@AkimboCorndogs]

Nob the Knave You’d be right, but it’s specifically for a video about the bass, so it should be more prominent and easy to hear in the mix.

[@blue-tb2fd]

Nob the Knave - not when you're mixing a Rush song

[@michaelkemp327]

Nob the Knave is a knob for that comment 😷

[@seurinfrancois2232]

Yes musix to load but even lee when he live some song guitar covwr the sound of the bass to thin to my taste l love heavy bass l8ke reaggea not thiny shit on rinkrnbaker what the point l lov flea or pastorius miller u can hear all of thrm with different particular style but love flea for his crazyness fit pwrfectly with fruciante and loce pastorius genius guy lee he is nic2 man but rush dont pushthebass no interess

[@christianfoster3806]

The number one factor to sounding like Geddy is to pluck the strings REALLY hard, and not worry about string buzz.

[@lukedabassman7001]

I love the sound on the Rick can you help with my gear tho? I got a Geddy Lee Jazz bass with fresh rs66 strings and i use a Tech21 sansamp Bass Driver Programmable DI and my amp is a Fender Rumble 40 i can kinda get the tone but its wayyy too bright

[@soundslikeben]

Hi, I would suggest turning the presence knob down on the Bass Driver, or dial off some Treble on the Rumble 40, but keep the high mid

[@Klaus80804]

I also use the Tech21 Bass Driver DI a lot. The sample settings don't show it, because the blend control is always all the way up (no mix, only the SansAmp tone). But what works best is to make use of the blend control. Set the Blend around 10 o'clock. This way you mix the effected (SansAmp) and the dry sound. Use the effected part for the overdrive you need for the Geddy Tone (set gain high). The dry part will give you the fundaments the Geddy Tone has. Also mind: The Bass and Treble controls affect both parts, the Presence control only the effected part. With this you can control how bright the overdrive part of the overall tone will be. You can get very close to Geddys tone with the Bass Driver!

[@andrewloya76]

Damn....I need ine of those Gary Wilis models!

[@natevizzi2901]

Yo … you really have Geddy down … your guitars sound amazing

[@soundslikeben]

Thanks, Nate!

[@natevizzi2901]

@@soundslikeben you are quite welcome

[@jimmio3727]

Needs more drive and heavier expander/compression. Try throwing the bass signal into OTT and I bet you get closer tbh

[@eduardoapablaza8794]

Nice video!, man, the jazz bass is a Fender 70' Vintera or a Classic Vibe 70'?

[@soundslikeben]

Thanks for watching, Eduardo! It's a Frankenjazz. Fender custom shop body with a warmoth neck, dimarzio ultra-jazz pickups, and an Aguilar OBP-1 preamp

[@FelipeRigby]

The sound is coming just from the Kemper? Or has some effects outside?

[@marcs4091]

Love the Jazz Bass No Doubt no arguing that. But if you want to get a Geddy Lee sound you need to break out the Rickenbacker that's just how it is. He change the bridge is on some of his Jazz basses to make them sound more like Rickenbacker's. I wouldn't be surprised either if he had the pickup wired in series instead of parallel but that's neither here nor there.

[@soundslikeben]

It's funny to me how much more time he spent with the Jazz than the Rick, but so many feel it is Rick or nothing. I love the Wal years, but I'm just weird like that. Thanks for watching!

[@MagicRoosterBluesBand]

Rickenbacker all the way.

[@looniethemoonie5353]

I always loved the tone of geddys wal bass on power windows the best (I'll get one someday if i ever win the lotterey lol those things are expensive..)

[@soundslikeben]

Tommy, I agree. The black wal is my dream bass and getting that tone on a budget deserves it’s own video ;)

[@looniethemoonie5353]

SoundsLikeBen awesome! cant wait for it!

[@TH-gu4wj]

a Wal is the bass i want more than any other. a MK1. 27 months and $7k is a bit much.

[@TH-gu4wj]

and all the used ones are fretless or 5 string

[@Smurfman256]

That Rick fucking *nails* that tone.

[@xenomorph42]

Question: if I use a Strymon “Deco bass Demo” will it Geddy? If so tell me how.

[@soundslikeben]

Hi @xenomorph42. Thanks for watching. I haven’t used the Strymon Deco bass, but it sounds like it could get you close. You could certainly go with the Tech 21 YYZ if you really want a pedal to get you there. You should check out Tim Starace. He is the king of this era of Rush cover.

[@riffwizardsupreme]

Basically, if it's a bass it will Geddy

[@joannalewis5279]

I'm gonna Geddy

[@Sheltada]

On his rick, did use the bridge or neck pickup?

[@soundslikeben]

I believe he used both and split the signal with one pickup going through a bass amp (Ampeg?) and the other through a Sunn to add distortion.

[@fernandoroza6061]

Rickenbacker !!!

[@mzmadmike]

The tone is close. I think to get the actual feel closer, you need a lot more volume--Geddy, like Entwhistle and Squire, liked to be the loudest instrument on stage. And all those basses definitely need more grit. Listen to any of the isolated tracks or solos, they're raspy and gravelly. Once mixed, it's a mellow tone, but it's also a lot more present.

[@e3dave744]

All sounded cool but the Ricky and J 😘

[@seurinfrancois2232]

U can use what ever bass u want likr the guitar its the skill of the player point

[@michaelb.42112]

GEDDY IS A GOD !!!!!!!!!!!

[@soundslikeben]

Indeed

[@justinkline1294]

That tuxedo Ric is my birthyear. Don't suppose you would part with it?

[@soundslikeben]

I know longer have that one, but I do have an amazing 2023 4003s.

[@xh4r744]

Where do I get the kemper?

[@soundslikeben]

Sweetwater carries them. They are expensive, but they also cover a lot of ground. You can also get them directly from Kemper. www.kemper-amps.com/

[@Seano-ie8ne]

I like the Rick tone I never like his Wal tone that much but if I had to choose my favorites of his tone I would choose Jazz bass and Steinberger all the way the Steinberger has the right bottom end and top end.

[@soundslikeben]

It is rare to find someone who is a big fan of Geddy's Steinberger tone who doesn't also like the Wal tone. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@greedygringoprospecting6941]

how much was the ken smith that's a nice bass

[@soundslikeben]

Thanks for watching. I bought it years ago, so they go for more now - like just about everything else.

[@linleylaurencon3516]

You mentioned Steel Strings. Is this accurate ? Must it be Steel Strings. Why not just ordinary nickel round bass strings. Always open to new ideas. If it must be steel, then which brand ?

[@soundslikeben]

Steel strings tend to sound brighter. Geddy used Rotosounds Swingbass strings.

[@leemaddison1286]

Bet the fretless would rock Mal Nar though

[@therealscarred2112]

Regarding the Ibanez GWB-1, as a primarily fretless player Sean Malone (Cynic, Gordian Knot, John Wesley) used one in Mike Portnoy’s Rush tribute “Cygnus and the Sea Monsters” which played a one-off show in 2005 and released a CD/DVD package of the set a year later. Also consisting of Paul Gilbert on guitar and Jason McMaster on vocals, the setlist was as follows: 1. 2112 2. Cygnus X-1 3. Hemispheres 4. YYZ / Drum Solo You can check out their take on “YYZ” here: m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/lWHHZqp9nZdnn7s. Sean’s got his own thing going on as a Fretless Bassist & Chapman Stickist, but you can certainly hear his love and admiration for Geddy’s personal style and the music. \m/

[@soundslikeben]

Thanks for the recommendation. I love Sean’s playing and will check it out!

[@brananherndon6947]

The truth is, if it’s a bass it will Geddy. He even wrote a book that proves this as a fact. Geddy Lee’s Big Beautiful Book of Bass is the name. It showcases each bass he owns, and the book weighs over 10lbs

[@soundslikeben]

Thanks for watching, Branan. That book is super fun. It was fun to meet Geddy at a book signing event when that book came out!

[@brananherndon6947]

Sounds Like Ben that’s awesome!

[@tkosho24v1]

Grace Under Pressure on the Steinberger L-2..... First, Farewell to Kings on the 4001....... a close second.

[@raminaround]

2nd was closest

[@neonskyline1]

no point in having it if the sound guy is crap, most sound guys have a problem mixing Rush music, it has a different sound to other rock bands, and the voice .........my God ! there's a bit of reverb. nice video

[@soundslikeben]

Thanks for watching, Tom! And you are right, the sound guy and stage volume have a huge impact.

[@neonskyline1]

@@soundslikeben only one guy ever done a decent job, it was his venue and i think he was the guitarist in Blizkrieg, no a sound tech lol a friend of mine(another Rush fan) made a live video, it was better than the sound tech's lol

[@soundslikeben]

@@neonskyline1 I played Freewill at a Battle of the Bands in high school. The sound guy was playing Limelight as he was setting up earlier in the day. It was so cool to have the lights and sound perfect for our 3 song set (we also played a Phish and a Living Colour tune IIRC), and I'm sure the sound and lighting were as much a factor in our win as anything else. Good times.

[@rickyman2307]

America Chris Squire

[@flippipescuariable]

Geddy said he recorded limelight with the Ric

[@soundslikeben]

All the sources I have found say it was a Ric on Red Barchetta, but the Jazz on Limelight. The isolated track sounds like the jazz to me, but if you have an interview where he says it was the Ric, I’d love to read it. Either way, thanks for watching and commenting!

[@seurinfrancois2232]

Music to load we cant hear what u do wgat the point when this guy play same any way when flea play u can hear itsblasting

[@sbentsen2714]

Actually the P bass had a more Geddy tone than the jazz bass I'm surprised

[@soundslikeben]

I’m surprised too considering the string choice

[@RussellCatchpole]

Maybe not the Geddy tone, but that fretless is super-farty ❤

[@jasonmoore5675]

The Power Windows Wal Mk1 tone ...

[@soundslikeben]

Yes it is. I love that tone.

[@michaelgioia776]

The Jazz an the Squire sound the best

[@pensnut08]

The Ken Smith to me was the "Meh".

[@NoirL.A.]

he has always stated the FENDER jazz is his all time fave axe so i've always wondred why he pretty much exclusively used the RIC on stage fer all those years and i understand he used both quite alot in the studio basically switching as he pleased. i'd also be very curious to know what amps he used on stage over the years i know they were HIWATT at one point but no idea beyond that. also, nobody dares to say it because they don't want to defame the almighty GETTY in any way but he absolutely was quite heavily influenced by CHRIS SQUIRE especially during the 70's. am i alone in the opinion?

[@McDoinky]

the p bass just has barely any high frequencies thats flatwounds for you

[@soundslikeben]

Decade old flats at that. ;)

[@McDoinky]

@@soundslikeben With new rounds it definitely hits the Geddy territory

[@markpr73]

I’m sure I’ll take some shit for this, but I actually preferred the sound of the Squire over the rest. The grit/growl factor was very pronounced and separated it from the pack for me. The Ibanez sounded worst to my ears, having some strange harmonic presence that wasn’t exactly pleasant.

[@soundslikeben]

I think the biggest factor for the Ibanez is that it is fretless. Interesting that you like the Squier with flats the best. To each his own.

[@markpr73]

I appreciate the lack of condescension in your response. I sometimes resist commenting on things like this because, like appreciating any one particular band or song is a purely subjective thing yet people always bash you for your personal preferences.

[@rootpotato]

You're playing so quietly it's impossible to tell, or was that the idea?

[@Rabbit895]

The P bass 🎉

[@TimFromLA]

1984? Grace was 84, Signals was 82 and 83

[@soundslikeben]

Tim FromLA not 84. 1981. But if it sounds like I said 1984, perhaps I inadvertently created the next Laurel/Yanny :)

[@CreeperSkullDZ]

2:50

[@soundslikeben]

Ah. You are correct sir. I thought you were talking about the album release date for Moving Pictures.

[@philf4086]

Great sounds, but Ricky sounded the best!

[@michelhautier2997]

On Ric is Best Tone

[@alabalaportocala29]

I tried following your tips but I think I’m still not Geddy-ng it.

[@soundslikeben]

Well played.

[@MantraHerbInchSin]

I have a Gibson Thunderbird... I can get it to sound good, but not Geddy. I am not really good at getting the sound though :)

[@soundslikeben]

I have been jonesing for Thunderbird lately. They're so cool.

[@glennhynes5263]

Most of those basses wouldn't normally sound that way at all. You really didn t show how you did it with the signal chain. That requires some pretty specific settings that you did not show at all.

[@soundslikeben]

Hey Glenn, thanks for the comment. I talk about processing starting at 1:30 and show the compressor and EQ settings in the video. I could have done a better job calling out the settings on the Kemper. I used the Brass Diver Big J preset with the following settings: Gain 1.4, Bass -2.5, Middle +1.1, Treble +2.4, and Presence +1.0. The preset is profiled from a SansAmp Bass Driver DI , which is a more common piece of gear than the Kemper. I did have to tweak the settings slightly for each bass based off of pickup volume and bass character, but that is a good starting point.

[@Fretless99]

Not keen on the fretless here

[@soundslikeben]

Neither was I ;)

[@andreacassanelli4121]

That one guy who spent all of his entire bank account buying the same gear as Geddy Lee just to get his tone: my disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined.

[@matthewJ142]

Well if Geddy ever used a 6 string it would have to be a Wal, and they don't even make those!

[@dezsodebreceni4829]

Y Y *ZEE*

[@soundslikeben]

Or is it Y Y ZED? ;)

[@dezsodebreceni4829]

@@soundslikeben yes, yes it is

[@Dustin2112]

WAL

[@soundslikeben]

Wal indeed.

[@melodic777]

The best tone he had was the Wal.