The Evolution of Geddy Lee's Bass Tone ISOLATED 1974-2012 (READ DESCRIPTION)

[@kevinsheppard2312]

There seems to be some confusion on why there is a large gap in the Steinberger and Wal bass era. These games in which the multi tracks are taken from never added them. Therefore I can only upload what these games have provided. Hope this clears things up. Side note, Hemispheres may have been recorded with the Ashly’s, I’m not too sure.

[@joedecker8096]

Yeah really....lol

[@joedecker8096]

Skipped 1984, and went to 2011.

[@kevinsheppard2312]

@@joedecker8096 I guess they wanted to appeal these games to the basic rush fans. In my opinion, some of their most interesting stuff is from 1984-2007.

[@colinburroughs9871]

@@kevinsheppard2312 that's a weird take. I like GuP and Power Windows (probably more than most, without getting weird too). But their most interesting stuff was clearly written when they were eager 20 somethings with a bit of THC in the system. It's of it's time, but frankly as we move along here and see more and more of the digital age and what it does for music, I can safely say at least for me, having grown up with modern Rush being contemporary, tunes like Carve Away the Stone or something like that isn't The Trees.

[@ObsidianLife]

@Kevin Sheppard HARD AGREE! Moving Pictures Signals Grace Under Pressure That was an amazing period of perfect technical writing with catchy songs. Such an amazing time….

[@FuzzWoof]

An important lesson here is how a lot of those bass tones really don't sound that great when solo, but they sit in the perfect place in the mix. I've worked with far too many musicians who have amazing sounds when solo but just disappear or muddy everything up when everyone else joins in. The best sound for the track is usually not one that's the nicest to hear by itself.

[@kevinsheppard2312]

100%. I’ve recorded the nicest bass tones but it gets completely lost when I’m trying to compete over quadruple tracked guitars with a big muff fuzz overdrive on them lol! Sometimes you need those “rancid” qualities to be heard in the mix.

[@SatanachiaVGS]

So true

[@stkittsdave1]

Snare drum tuning falls in line with this notion as well

[@TheSteelDialga]

Does this take into account eqing and frequency cancellation like Pierre mentioned?

[@jonathanthomasjohn8348]

Listen to the isolated vs mixed bass on soundgarden’s burden in my hand, same thing shows

[@fever_spike]

Geddy stated in an interview: “I hit the bass so damn hard that you can hear the frets whack and the string hitting the pickup. I’m a bit of an animal!”

[@Isen_hart]

i don't hear the microphonic noise of string hitting the pickup.

[@cliffords2315]

thats how you do it, if you dont break bass strings eventualy you arent doing it right

[@secrecysmith5001]

my hand just got petrified by reading it

[@segasonic23]

I absolutely love his early 80s tone. Truly a one of a kind artist

[@joedecker8096]

70’s tone isn’t too shabby either

[@segasonic23]

@@joedecker8096 They're both great. I do prefer the more aggressive sound of the 80s though

[@joedecker8096]

Sounds more real and pure in the early years, less distortion. The 70’s era.

[@Cydiacyn]

​​@@segasonic23The best albums was when he was playing his Black and gold inlay Wal mk1, It was first in Power Windows (82 or 84, i dont remember at the top of my head) and ended in Roll The Bones. Best albums they ever made because his right hand technique mixed with the raw power of the Wal is to die for.

[@blib3786]

This really goes to show how 90% of his tone actually came from his right hand technique rather than his gear.

[@IAmInfinitus208]

Much like John Entwistle before him, he really scratched/digged through those strings like there's no tomorrow!

[@milocabral7428]

I learned that the longer I played bass. I initially bought so much stuff I didn’t need before sitting down and really analyzing my technique. And now that excess stuff is sold and I’m happy with a sansamp Rick and a solid jazz that give me all the tone and playability I need but with much better playing.

[@keithkelly5692]

Technique and setup (action/relief, string and pickup height, choice of string gauge and tension, etc). He clearly prefers low action that results in a noticeable "clack" of the string agains the frets and/or pickups on most of his finger plucks. It makes the overall tone dirtier and more midrangey.

[@TrevWings]

Disagree with this. The gear makes a huge difference imo. Him playing a pbass sounds distinctly different from him playing a rick, which sounds distinctly different from him playing his jazz, and within playing the same bass, the amp he's playing through drastically changes how the same bass sounds. If you played with the same gear and attacked the strings as hard as him, you'd sound almost identical.

[@RushFanatic87]

My dad and brother (both bassists) gave me such hell because my right hand was so heavy early on thanks to learning to play like Geddy from Rush in Rio. When I showed them isolated tracks from Chris Squire and Geddy, they were like “I’ll never criticize anyone’s right hand technique ever again.” 😂

[@jessehenderson2967]

Geddy's early tone is always what I'm chasing from my bass. I love it soo much.

[@gianthills]

It has more to do with the sound engineer than it does with anything Geddy Lee is doing

[@fcamiola]

​@@gianthills What?

[@gianthills]

@@fcamiola plus his tone never stayed the same.

[@bradvake6853]

Heavy growl with a ton of punch...really stood out and was a huge influence to so many players.

[@intercommerce]

I am in awe of the way he can play his intricate bass lines and sing perfectly at the same time! And let's not forget his keyboard wizardry too! Singer, songwriter, bassist, pedalist, keyboardist, and a master of all of them! Truly, one of the greatest musicians of the 20th century! And he never got by on his looks or dance moves! Just fantastic music he made with two buddies and an army of techies!

[@JamesBrown-uh4mw]

have u heard of primus lad

[@commiecrusher]

@@JamesBrown-uh4mw uh...what does that have to do with anything? Or are you saying without Geddys genius Les would have never been Les?

[@JamesBrown-uh4mw]

@@commiecrusher im not here to argue weirdo i was just saying primus has parallels and could be a good listen for him cause les claypool. not everybody is sarcastic and passive aggressive

[@gianthills]

Most of what he plays goings along in unison with his singing and he simplifies parts for live performances.

[@2112jonr]

All three are incredibly talented musicians. But Geddy's proficiency at bass and multi-instrumental skills just blow me away as a non-musician. He could be that talented, know it, and a complete arse, yet every single interview I've seen with him, he's always seemed like one of the most genuinely warm and down to earth people.

[@tomwhiteside1779]

I always loved his bass tone from Spirit of Radio, and hearing it isolated here doesnt change my mind. A sound i'm always chasing witb my Ric

[@visog]

Wow... great analysis. He had a really good tone right from the start...

[@rationalmuscle]

Very interesting as Geddy live plays with such attack, but his right hand early on had a light touch. Thanks for posting this!

[@kevinsheppard2312]

Thanks!

[@EliAlexanderClark]

When you lightly slap the strings with your fingers you get a wonderful sound

[@jackthurman2642]

That's typically how playing live vs recording works

[@TheSteelDialga]

@@medium.fidelity.matt1 My theory is that because he learnt so many Chris Squire basslines (which were played with a pick), he ended up recreating that sound with his just fingers.

[@aprilcox871]

Wow you can really hear how aggressively he is hitting the strings with his fingers

[@hubbsllc]

A few years ago I was in a Guitar Center and some kid was trying to play Rush on a bass. I walked over and said to him, do not underestimate just how hard Geddy hits with his right hand. I had him hold down the C on the A string - tightly, I told him - reached down, gave it a Geddy-style whack and boom, there was the sound coming out of the amp. I showed him how Geddy used to play with his wrist bent more so that the centerline of his hand was more at a right angle to the strings and that later he was playing with his wrist straighter and his hand was more at an angle.

[@joedecker8096]

That's not Geddy playing

[@RH-xs8gz]

Yeah. He’s whacking the hell out of those strings

[@joedecker8096]

He always did

[@carpediemarts705]

As soon as Lee bought a Ric and discovered he didn't sound like Squire, he realized he had to develop his tone with his hands.

[@joeq.public281]

I like how his style progressed to a flamenco picking style, digging in more aggressively for ballsier sound through his Fender Jazz. 💪♥️

[@bluem30man81]

The YYZ pedal was a good buy I like it. They did a good job trying to recreate his tone in a little pedal

[@IAmInfinitus208]

The added features on the MP-40 (tight, shape-shifter, bypass) really add alot to an already great pedal!

[@CYTVim]

Same - I am enjoying that pedal alot. It is great to get a Rush flavor. It gives presence, over-drive and that indescribable glow that you hear on exit stage left or moving pictures.

[@deerfish3000]

I love the Rickenbacher 4001! Such a distinct nasaly, trebley sound... 👃

[@Apprentice_of_the_Leonine]

I've got a 4003 and it makes those amazing gnarly noises, but with lots more growl and oomph because the pickups are wound a good bit hotter these days. Somewhere around 11 or 12k DCR vs. the old ones being about 7 or 8k. Also, the old 4001's had a hi-pass filter cap wired in series with the rear pickup, which is still there now in the 4003, albeit rigged to a push/pull knob that activates or kills it. For me at least, there's no finer 4-stringed piece of rock n' roll furniture on Earth.

[@thesoundpurist]

I don't even play bass, he made want a Rickenbacker. What a tone and a playing

[@almostliterally593]

Chris squire of Yes is part of why I started playing bass. I loved that rick sound. I got a rick when I was 16. It was my only bass till age 29 aside from a few crappy chinese squires and epiphones ones I also owned. At 29 I got my Aria SB-1000, which knocked the everliving socks off my Rickenbacker. 😅

[@anthonysilva5312]

Shit did this guy ever get better or what! Exponential growth in tone, technique and musicality. St. Geddy……bring on the next solo album!!

[@MatChew75]

No wonder Neil Peart could lay down such incredible drum parts for rush. I mean listen to the bass tracks that Neil had to work with so spoiled. I mean absolutely genius. We're talkin Chris squire and John Entwistle genius. Imagine having that kind of thick rich-bass sound( to work with. Absolutely uncanny! How could you not come up with brilliant drum tracks and be on top of your game if you had that kind of bass sound backing you up. This Reminds me of another incredible Rhythm tandem John wetton and Bill bruford from King Crimson. It was sheer Genius absolute one-of-a-kind sound that they produced like Neil and Geddy. Or Chris Squire and Alan White! Being able to be a drummer in a band with any one of those brilliant bassists is an absolute one-of-a-kind experience. How can you not be a driving force in a band with that brilliant bass tone backing your drumming. Another tandem that doesn't go back as far but are just as brilliant and that's Les Claypool and Tim Alexander of Primus. I mean what?.........come on! Matter of fact I just saw Primus do the rush tribute show farewell to Kings the whole album I mean any band that can do that to absolute perfection our badass musicians and those three dudes in Primus( Larry Les and Tim) are as good as you get. It's easily top 3 show of all time it was better than the tools show I saw recently. My second favorite show is Faith No More at Tipitina's during King for a Day, fool for a lifetime and my number one show of all time is rush and Primus at UNO Lakefront Arena 1992. During roll the bones and sailing the Seas of cheese. On two hits of red rose acid. I guess my runner-up would be the tool show at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans the most recent one. They play their back in 2016 or 17 that was an amazing show but the 2022 show was brilliant they absolutely outperform themselves. Bravo 👏 👏, encore encore.

[@keith1r]

I think his playing got better working with Neil. I think if John was still the drummer he would not even be talked about as a great bass player

[@CrimsonKarl]

I've always said that that the Lee-Peart rhythm section was the best in rock, bar none..

[@keith1r]

@@CrimsonKarl not better than Bonham/Jones and Funk brothers. Those guys improvised. Neil and Geddy wrote their parts out and played it the same all the time

[@ReeseChown]

Every instrument had room to breathe, they were constantly in competition with each other without the parts overlapping or beating each other out in terms of velocity. Pure pocket. I am no hardcore Rush fan, but what fantastic musicians they are.

[@lightningfirst689]

He really went with a clearer, more organic sound around the time of Clockwork Angels. Just imagine that tone on something really bass-heavy like Freewill or, hell, any song off Hemispheres.

[@thatfunk]

And he's been using Sansamp for over 20 years now. He has some signature Sansamp gear that has come out in the last couple years that can really get you a great variety of these tones.

[@kevinsheppard2312]

I have the DI-2112 and it does a great job indeed!

[@walterevans2118]

FASCINATING .....Geddy always had lovely bass tone but you could tell in the changes over time he was always trying to get a new better sound he wanted in his head.

[@franktreppiedi2208]

I guess my favorite tone is the Ric/Jazz and Ashley SC-40. Freewill, Red Barchetta tones.

[@ags5696]

One of the amazing things about Rush was that each of their parts meshed perfectly more so than some bands. Each of them were masters of their interests. Geddy Lee is one of the greatest bassists of all time because he set the blueprint for the bass as a lead instrument.

[@gianthills]

he didnt set the blueprint

[@myselph1761]

I'd kill to have the Clockwork Angels tone. So crunchy yet clean!

[@RushFanatic87]

I’ve fiddled with a Tech-21 DI and gotten very close. Obviously, the majority of that tone comes from the way you play, but it’s incredibly close to that Snakes & Arrows/Clockwork Angels tone.

[@chrischoir3594]

The real power of this video is solidifying Geddy's spot as the #1 rock bass player of all time.

[@intercommerce]

Which he clearly is...

[@aidanfogleman2060]

Forget "rock" bass, just bass in general IMO

[@gianthills]

lol.. no

[@chrischoir3594]

@@gianthills so who is number #1 ?

[@gianthills]

@@chrischoir3594 Jaco Patsorius, Chris squire, many more

[@MaskedRiderChris]

Geddy is my King of the Bass, and when I was actively playing? "Moving Pictures" was a huge inspiration for me. He always has something interesting happening on the bass front underneath his vocal and his bass always sounds great. Thank you for sharing this, sir!

[@kevinsheppard2312]

Agreed!

[@IKIDIF]

Those Ric 4080 double neck guitar/bass are absolutely legendary! One just sold near me for 16k 😍

[@honkeytonklin2198]

His wonderful sense of melody 💙

[@_tiagorossoni]

He always used stereo Bass tones. Dirty and clean, with a Lot of punch.

[@terrydonegan1622]

Unspeakable talent and relentless pursuit of musical excellence

[@michaelrushlander7696]

Coolest video I've watched in a long time . . . thank you.

[@kevinsheppard2312]

Thanks for watching!

[@heavi-armed-infadel]

Awesome, Geddy is the reason I started playing bass 🤘🏻💯

[@iansorensen1790]

just got an ashly sc-40 and god it has the sound ive been searching for years for

[@kevinsheppard2312]

Welcome to the club! I recently bought an original blue face and a 3rd gen blackface SC-40. They will serve you very well.

[@kevinsheppard2312]

If you are interested, myself and a friends on Talkbass.com often talk about our SC-40s and we could create a club where we could discuss our tones etc.

[@regortex3364]

My fave tone is the Ashley SC-40, then the Furman PQ-3 and API-550 units along with the BGW-750C.

[@johnnypk1963]

That Rickenbacker bass sounds soooo good

[@freddiesoverbite6162]

Every time I hear that camera eye bass line the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

[@kevinsheppard2312]

That’s pure Rickenbacker and Ashly SC-40 + Ged!

[@Bawookles]

@@kevinsheppard2312 Yeah, I've read that The Camera Eye was recorded on Ric instead of Jazz and hearing that isolated bass clinched it.

[@kevinsheppard2312]

@@Bawookles totally agree. At that point (hemispheres-signals) he really targeted 2000-3000Hz for a mid range boost on the bridge pickup. Coupled with the distortion the preamp provides, thats the bulk of the tone. Compression is always nice.

[@Bawookles]

@@kevinsheppard2312 Oh, really? He boosted at 2-3K? I thought he boosted around 1K. Good to know, thanks.

[@maximilianodelrio]

Same with Tom Sawyer, when the solo kicks off

[@iggyfritz7150]

Myself have played and heard lots of amps over the years, but my favorite has been the sunn 200 s. They used similar circuitry as the dynaco stereo tube amps of the time. Also wanted to share a story where my Brother and I snuck into the arena early at a Rush concert and were supprised at stage right (Geddys side) was a stack of Orange amps. Then we were chased out 😁

[@swiv99]

Always with that high-end bite....Great tone as always!

[@richmueller6887]

Interesting the difference between the Fly By Night era and 2112 - both Sunn/Ampeg being used and FBN sounds huge with big bottom while pretty well defined. The 2112 stuff sounds a bit thin and nasal-like when isolated. The important thing is they all sound good in relation to the mix.

[@kevinsheppard2312]

Exactly. His early tones seemed to lean more towards the Rickenbacker neck pickup which had that particular quality.

[@Jacques4th]

Now this is cool! Great work Kevin.

[@TheLoudboyExperience]

❤ your channel/user icon. Counterparts remains a favorite! I've shared this many times in my Rush videos.

[@kevinsheppard2312]

Happy you appreciate it:)

[@CommonsenseMK]

I use a Rick from mid 70s and 70s Sunn Amp and cab. The sound is very close to their first and second albums.

[@kevinsheppard2312]

Love that setup!

[@Highcastle_of_Tone]

A video I didn’t realize I needed! Thank you, Sir.

[@LudwigSC93]

Thank you for the video. I wish there was more of the different sounds of the albums but considering what we have I have to go with Ashly then closely followed by Sunn/Ampeg. I almost want to say Sunn first but then his bass playing gets better and it makes me lean more toward the Ashly sound. Also there are factors such as the bass he's playing and effects.

[@Matthew-pn1qu]

Great video! Deserves more views.

[@ClayNico]

Awesome, great job!! Nobody else sounds like Geddy ;-)

[@ibassnote]

Oh what a treasure trove here. As noted you can hear how low his action is and how hard he hits. I have to say my favorite is Tom Sawyer because there’s a healthy bottom end that they kept in his sound. Was curious to hear the Wal, Big Money in particular, for comparison. Thanks for this. Pure joy.

[@IAmInfinitus208]

If I remember, someone around YT mentioned Geddy kept the Ricky at a somewhat high action at the time (I know Chris Squire did, though Geddy might have kept it low like you said? He did keep it low on his Jazz!) given the Rick's infamous disability to adjust the bridge saddles and you had to file down the nut if you want to the desired height according to the CEO of Ric. Unless you swap it for an adjustable one like the Badass bridge, though why Rickenbacker finally decided to release one with saddle adjustment by 2021 after decades is just baffling given they're late to the party.

[@ibassnote]

@@IAmInfinitus208 I just hear a lot of string chattering which would indicate very low action:)

[@Sheehy223]

​@@IAmInfinitus208That is 100% bullshit, you can get a very low action with a completely stock 70's 4001 but all of Geddys had Badass bridges installed. Both of my 4001's have the stock bridges and both play better than most of the Fenders I've owned.

[@carpediemarts705]

Never realized he used Sunn, but considering they were built close to home and were bulletproof and sounded good. Wish it was known or labeled which of the 2 rice went to which amp.

[@cary3428]

Close to home? Tualatin, Oregon?

[@duffer19]

Nice -- Only missing the two best!

[@davidtaylor6613]

Great job! Lots of fun!!

[@jagpanzer16]

AWESOME!!!! Video, thanks for posting this.

[@kevinsheppard2312]

Thanks!

[@JulieRoberts-g9g]

These tones were not necessarily from the amp but direct to the board. Geddy used a combination of mic’d cab with direct signal to the mixing board.

[@Yapostadodat]

One of the coolest things I've ever seen in a rock concert is when Geddy moves over to the synth, still wearing the bass, and plays these haunting melodies EXACTLY as they sound on the album! At 1:33; "Don't touch them! I wasn't going to touch them I was only looking at them. Well don't look at them!".

[@Thompsongs]

1:37 the black Rick in between the blue bass and the double neck Rick is one I've never, EVER seen before. Judging by the fretboard, it looks like it's fretless. Wow!

[@kevinsheppard2312]

You are right! In his book he said he used it on Madrigal. I also thing he used it on Different Strings.

[@Thompsongs]

@@kevinsheppard2312 that's the first I've ever seen it. Excellent photo collection in this video. My brain is exploding.

[@Thompsongs]

@@kevinsheppard2312 for Different Strings, didn't he use the 4002? (in the same photo)

[@kevinsheppard2312]

@@Thompsongs not sure! I feel like I can hear qualities of a fretless bass when he slides up and down the neck.

[@Farewelltokingz]

Upon further investigation, I believe that Hemispheres was recorded with the Ampeg as when I plug any bass into my Micro VR flat through a 1x15 it instantly gets that sorta hemispheres spank/subtler growl.

[@kevinsheppard2312]

@@Farewelltokingz Agree. In the Hemispheres tone part of the video, you can see the SVT with the photo dated during when they were in the Hemispheres recording sessions.

[@peterCuneo-j6s]

@@kevinsheppard2312 Something is different between the AFTK tour tone and the Hemispheres album tone. If he didn't use the Ashlys... It's smoother. More saturated. Did he aquire the new '77 Rick before the Hemispheres sessions? Or could it be the board at Trident?

[@kevinsheppard2312]

@@peterCuneo-j6s It’s a good question. For the hemispheres tour we can clearly see him using the Ashly’s but he also still had visible 2 SVTs to the side. Maybe he was just using it for power but I doubt it. Maybe as backup since the Ashly was new? It’s likely a combination of different amp EQ settings, miking techniques as well as what the EQ’d during the Mix

[@fcamiola]

Amazing video...cheers

[@kevinsheppard2312]

Appreciate it!

[@ObsidianLife]

I got into Rush in the 80s when he was playing the Rick and then the Steinberger…it’s weird because I rarely see pics of him with it nowadays

[@nellsonogmore5938]

Best sound he ever had was with the Wal basses.

[@DrKFC69]

I just wish someone would hurry up and try to find samples for the rest of the 80’s, 90’s and 2000’s. I wanna hear that Wal tone so bad.

[@Sheehy223]

@@DrKFC69 There's some documentary where Alex plays some of the isolated bass track from The Big Money and then exclaims "It's not bad". It's a shame that Geddy just shoved his Wal's into a corner never to be spoken of again, Power Windows is arguably the absolute peak of his playing. I'm a Jazz bass fanatic too but come on Geddy, using a different vintage Fender Jazz for every song isn't tonal variety 😂

[@duffer19]

@@Sheehy223 agreed, totally 👍

[@Ninang363]

I would kill for that last pedal board with he AxeFX in it

[@ridefast0]

When I saw the R30 tour, the vending machines and clothes dryers gave a great tone.

[@kevinsheppard2312]

I tried to Find the Maytag sansamp but they were out of my price range. Besides, I would rather own the Tech-21 Rotisserie Chicken unit.

[@carpediemarts705]

With the bleach, everything was bright. With the driers, nothing was flat.

[@joelclark9944]

Accept Mama Cass oh I thought you said fat sorry

[@andyharman3022]

Pause at 1:18 That is probably my favorite photo of Rush of all time. Handlebar mustache and doublenecks, playing all out on Xanadu. I saw them in concert on the FTK tour, and twice on Hemispheres. They performed Xanadu each time. Nothing can compare.

[@kevinsheppard2312]

That’s awesome! Definitely a classic picture.

[@joelclark9944]

Yeah I like Sinead O'Connor or Chris Cornell

[@duffoscope]

I thought I have also read interviews where Geddy said he used a Furman preamp. He used BGW power amps when he wasn’t using the Sunn heads.

[@kevinsheppard2312]

You are are right. He introduced them on GUP.

[@billcowie]

The man is a beast!

[@robertghanem1424]

Geddy at his best.sing,bass,keyboard= f n genuis

[@hendricksbriggs2109]

I'm a bass player good stuff I'm playing with a band called Jeteye we play Rush and Montose and Iron Maiden and black sabbath 😮

[@signorhilter1079]

The P-bass was a really interesting show of duality in geddy's sound

[@Sheehy223]

His sound really took off when he started adding gain to his bridge pickup with the Ashly, kind of makes his earlier tone sound a weak by comparison. He even used a similar technique with his Jazz basses albeit with the pickups in mono, Clockwork Angels had as many as five (allegedly) tracks so he could layer effects and EQ as he liked. I'm usually content with having two.

[@kevinsheppard2312]

Gotta agree! I do love the ampeg era but there’s something special about the Ashlys.

[@Sheehy223]

@bflo1000 He used both. The Ashly's went into a Sunn tube head for the bridge pickup and an ampeg SVT for the neck pickup. Rackmounts don't replace amplifiers, they're a preamp.

[@davin6175]

@@Sheehy223 Actually, by the time the Hemispheres tour rolled around and he was using the Ashley preamps, he had ditched tubes alltogether! He went from those EQ/preamps straight to BGW 750B solid state studio power amps. He continues to use those same a power amps and the custom "Thiele" designed 2x15" cabs until the RTB tour! By then it was called the "dinosaur rig" by his roadie.

[@Sheehy223]

@@davin6175 Interesting, I only recently got into amps so I've heard a lot of conflicting information about Geddys rig but sounds like you know your shit. It's interesting to see how almost everyone including me who tries to replicate his tone uses 10" speakers, he must've had his high mids just dimed on his bridge pickup to get to much top end out of 15's.

[@Thompsongs]

@@Sheehy223 when he switched to Ashly preamps, he only ran those into some BGW power amps. His setup went fully solid state.

[@Farewelltokingz]

Here’s what I think of what bass was used on each moving pictures song: Tom Sawyer, Vital Signs, Limelight, and YYZ = Jazz bass. Witch hunt = Rick with tone rolled off. Red barchetta = unsure but the top end sounds more like a nasally Rick to me. Camera eye = unsure.

[@kevinsheppard2312]

I agree. Witch hunt is a little hard to tell but Red Barchetta and the Camera eye I would confidently say is the Rick. Compare it to my video where I use the exact same signal chain he used. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fnquaIitZ6qjjsk

[@touchofredband]

definitely the biggest fan of clockwork angels bass tone, that's what I model mine after. But there are so many of the ric tones that I absolutely love, maybe Camera Eye is my favorite

[@kevinsheppard2312]

Hell yeah. Totally agree.

[@MatChew75]

I remember Gene Simmons Sunn application at the end of the 70s and early 80s and his bass sounded so thick and Rich through those amps Not that that has anything to do with Geddy Lee. But it didn't tell us what Getty used From Grace Under Pressure all the way up through the vapor trails, i mean was he still using Ashley SC 40s? I loved when he use the Steinberger and the wal bass. Justin Chancellor's made those wal bass popular again. I was surprised Geddy went away from that bass. The sound that Rush has live in 81 through 84 to me was their best sound and they were at the peak of their game. I really love the way they sounded on the Grace Under Pressure tour.

[@kevinsheppard2312]

Hey! My understanding from interviews, tour books and photos is that he ditched the SC-40 after the signals tour. He then started using Furman PQ-3 preamps for GUP and then started adding API EQs through the 80s. He used an SVT for the recording of counterparts and then had a stint with trace Elliot for the supporting tour. Then for Test For Echo, he started using sansamp.

[@seanwelch71]

This is great idea! Nice work.

[@kevinsheppard2312]

Thanks!

[@CreeperSkullDZ]

most of YYZ and the entirety of limelight was recorded with the 1972 Jazz Bass btw.

[@kevinsheppard2312]

I agree. That limelight tone is so compressed and unique I can barley tell which bass it is!

[@dominiccrimmings6925]

As was Vital Signs and Tom Sawyer

[@kevinsheppard2312]

@@dominiccrimmings6925 I’m going to release a tone Interpretation if Tom Sawyer and Vital signs with Ashlys soon so look out for that if you are interested.

[@davin6175]

YYZ and Tom Sawyer were the Jazz, but Limelight and Red Barchetta were not. They were the Rick.

[@kevinsheppard2312]

@@davin6175 you are right. I remember him saying Limelight was the Rick. Love that tone.

[@alexmayhew8989]

Geds tone has SO much mids that it really cuts yet still carries i big low end

[@alanboro]

his tone is somewhat consistent in this video regarding how "heavy" he always sounded, being in a power trio. You can really tell how he bangs on those strings like john entwistle. I think that the most he deviated from this sound was during the 80's, where he went for a middle rangy, pointy, angular sound with the headless basses and such... starting from power windows until his return to the heavy bottom end in counterparts. They went with the sound of the decade, it is a more sophisticated bass sound.... songs like "where's my thing", "primer mover", "the big money", you can exactly listen to the kind of sound I'm referring to.

[@digitaldesigner5284]

Power windows if I'm not mistaken he used a Wal bass, English lutierie.

[@owenandrew8108]

what's interesting is that even though everybody thinks entwistle was a heavy hitter, he actually didnt play all that hard. to get his "typewriter" technique to work well, he had his action set very low so he could get an aggressive sound with a fairly light touch. he relied a lot on his amps and the strings clanging against the neck to get his tone

[@Thompsongs]

During the segment featuring his Ashly SC-40/The Trees tone, I have a suspicion about why the tone still doesn't have the same wow factor as the PW/MP live tone. I may be wrong, but I wonder whether the difference was in the speaker cabinets. In the The Trees clip, was he still running through his Ampeg V4B cabinets? Because I know later when he used the custom-built cabinets with the JBL speakers, those paired with the Ashly preamps were an unearthly sound.

[@kevinsheppard2312]

I think it’s just simply the way he EQed it. Look at the videos on my channel where I reproduce them. Notably The trees live and ESL. If my memory serves me correctly, I think he used those ampeg cabs just as monitor cabs for his Rickenbacker neck pickup. After all, the neck pickup ran direct to the PA but he still needs to hear it.

[@buckemptier]

@@kevinsheppard2312 how did you make this video, did you really just EQ the albums, it's very impressive that you can isolate the sound so well, I don't if maybe you have some software that can do that for you or if you did it yourself.

[@kevinsheppard2312]

@@buckemptier They are actually the original multi tracks! They were taken from games like guitar hero. I downloaded them from Remixpacks.ru

[@buckemptier]

@@kevinsheppard2312 you're kidding! My mind is blown, that's very resourceful of you. Awesome.

[@kevinsheppard2312]

@@buckemptier I felt the same way! Glad it worked out.

[@davin6175]

I guess it's not covered in the big hole left between MP and CA, but Geddy switched off the Ashley preamps to API 550 board EQ modules around Signals or GUP. He also used some sort of Furman Parametric EQs in the mid '80's too. Same BGW 750B power amps and 2x15" cabs though.

[@kevinsheppard2312]

Thanks for sharing. I should’ve elaborated in the video why the gap is there. Some people are going absolutely mental on me lol.

[@davin6175]

@@kevinsheppard2312 No I understood. I was just thinking, hey he didn't use those Ashley FOREVER! And then I realized, when I was going to comment that the API didn't come on board until after MP anyway. But other than changing those EQs, the same rig (basses excluded) from '78 to '92! That's a pretty good run! Never blew up those amps...even with venue power outages!

[@kevinsheppard2312]

@@davin6175 that’s impressive when you look at it like that!

[@Thompsongs]

If I remember correctly, I think Geddy switched to the Furman PQ3 parametric EQs, before the GUP tour (maybe for the recording of GUP in the studio, too. I'm not sure).

[@kevinsheppard2312]

@@Thompsongs I know he definitely used them in the studio for grace under pressure. There are pictures on the signals tour with the Ashlys but I don’t know when he switched over to them.

[@claudiocruzat8777]

For some reason the Passage to Bangkok sound sticks with me. Ive heard that tone.. somewhere.

[@kevinsheppard2312]

It’s a classic!

[@ricknelson5621]

This is definitely a fun video for a Geddy Lee fanatic such as myself! Where did you happen to find most of these photos? I've never seen such a fantastic view of Geddy's portion of the backline!

[@kevinsheppard2312]

Like you, I’m a Rush fanatic so I’ve collected lots of great pictures from websites like Pinterest and Cygnus X-1.net. A lot I took from the toor books and 40th bundles. Some were taken by a technician who worked at Le studio named Roger Ginsley. His website is Tekxelectronics.net

[@ricknelson5621]

@@kevinsheppard2312 thank you so much! I love geeking out over what gear is used when, Ged’s definitely a bass player that’s connected to me in nearly every regard of his goals as a bassist, and his gear is fun to research!

[@mikesmith1778]

Thank the rock gods for these guys

[@sarcasticguy4311]

3:25 This is what I strive to make my Ric sound like.

[@MatChew75]

I was just going to say Vital Signs has amazing bass flow. Some of the baddest bass playing you will ever hear .....with Eraserhead looking over it all

[@joshdrilingas718]

best tone in the video

[@theirritatedirishman5440]

The BGW Poweramps with those Ashley’s was a great example of Geddy’s most recognizable sound. I thought someone said he had a BGW setup with an Alembic F-2B for a while? Either way great video

[@kevinsheppard2312]

I’ve never heard or seen anything about the Alembic F-2B. Probably a misinterpretation of the Ashly. I agree about the tone!

[@theirritatedirishman5440]

@@kevinsheppard2312 : There’s something about certain solid state setups with bass that just sounds great! That really blew me away! I’ve always dug the really old Acoustic Corp heads and some of those super old black/silver Peavey heads. Great videos brother

[@joelclark9944]

None of you guys are ever going to get Getty Lee's sound because you're not Gary Lee or Gary Lee just be yourself and rock on

[@theirritatedirishman5440]

@@joelclark9944 : I feel the same way. Same with all these EVH tone chasers through the years. It’s pathetic and a waste of time! None the less these are cool videos.

[@walterw2]

all that endless variation of gear over the decades and it still just sounds like geddy, like he needn't have bothered

[@ericbrintonmusic]

as a die-hard Ged fan, it''s nice to know that his basses buzzes just like mine :D

[@harveysmusicschoollizaman2290]

But every note buzzes the same way, that's the key to his sound. I don't think there's a bass player who digs in harder than he does and gets a sound out of it.

[@terrymiller111]

@@harveysmusicschoollizaman2290 Everybody who does it gets a sound out of it, just 99.9% of them are unusable. :-/

[@YouTube_User-9]

Put a little drive on that buzz and you'll get the tone your looking for.

[@NelsonMontana1234]

The amps and recording methods also need to be taken into account. In general, he went with a similar sound -- on the bright side with some overdrive. He also has a distinctive touch. I kinda like the sound he got with the P!

[@marudebaka6041]

I agree it was a great sound, but it looks like it was a J bass, not a P bass, at least in the picture. I have seen other pics of Geddy playing a J bass. I don't know if he ever played a P.

[@NelsonMontana1234]

@@marudebaka6041 Check again. In several of those pictures, he's using a P.

[@owenandrew8108]

i can get a pretty good geddy tone with my p bass! the very stout midrange of a p bass compliments that sound very well, especially with some of the more 70s era tones. of course, slamming the hell out of the strings with the might of zeus is vital to get the right attack and grind, but i think the p bass definitely works well for that tone.

[@MrE51917]

The Split P pickups I just got for my P bass have that growly P bass tone. I love it, sometimes more with the tone down

[@Darryl6636]

Damn Geddy could make a bass sound good eh?!! Geddy and Steve Harris were always my favourite and always will be

[@andrewgocken517]

Relatively the same tone, different basses and adjusting high/ lows, in accordance with each particular songs levels. Bi amped with some overdrive on the high side, and lots of nights with bloody finger tips. Thats Geddy's tone.

[@beready992]

The growing promence of the Fender jazz is easy to tell. Its sound has a nice warm fat pop. Easily the best work was on that bass.

[@digitaldesigner5284]

Ashly tone with RK is my favourite.

[@guitarzen7080]

Loved this!👍🏼 and subbed!

[@kevinsheppard2312]

Thanks!

[@MatChew75]

I know Grace Under Pressure has a lot of keyboards in it but some of Geddysburg baddest baselines are from that album just incredible and Neil's drumming as well. Easily some of my favorite drumming to play by Neil and the stuff off signals. I don't know if mr.lee was actually using a Steinberger in the studio for GUP or if he was still using a Rickenbacker or a Fender Jazz Bass at that point. I don't think he'd started using the Wal bass yet.

[@jamesnoble3502]

All of GUP was recorded with the Steinberger

[@siosio6935]

Wish his Wal basses had some isolation. Those sounded amazing on the albums they were featured on.

[@kevinsheppard2312]

Agree, it's a shame.

[@griiseknoen]

I actually really like the P-bass tone. Not at all what we've come to associate Geddy with, but still... 😀

[@liamheaton8198]

0:20 WHY DOES THAT PHOTO LOOK LIKE ITS IN 2015 WHEN GEDDY WAS SO YONG?!

[@kevinsheppard2312]

Hahaha I know!

[@bkdexter79]

I'd like to see an "evolution of Geddy's vocals"

[@kevinsheppard2312]

Good Idea. I'll see what I can do!

[@GuitarsAndLightsabers]

La Villa Strangiato was done with an Ampeg? I thought he was using the Ashly by then...

[@kevinsheppard2312]

I’m under the impression that it was with the ampeg because the picture is literally dated with the time they were recording hemispheres. It says in the tour book that he is using Ashlys but that’s just the tour.

[@GuitarsAndLightsabers]

@@kevinsheppard2312 You may be right, then. Where'd you find that photo? The thing that surprises me most about this is how his tone got darker after he switched to the Ashly preamps. That's... really not what I expected.

[@kevinsheppard2312]

@@GuitarsAndLightsabers I found it on Cygnus-X1.net and I think it was part of the 40 anniversary package for hemispheres. Hemispheres tone is very strange and had given me the most trouble replicating it’s bright but not harsh. Glad you enjoy this!

[@PrepperAction]

I might play the guitar parts to it, I call it, "Jammin' with Geddy."

[@GreenTeaViewer]

I know these are the "available" tracks, but it jumps from 1982 to 2012...damn

[@kevinsheppard2312]

I know, pretty unfortunate. Thanks for actually picking up on that. So many people seem to think that I have them all but I just choose certain isolated tracks that I like lol!

[@learnmusic488]

Yeah, the Ashly pres were cool, but The “BGW Power Amps” that they were going into, had ALOT more to do with that Crunch on their Live gigs than you think… (believe me, I had that same set up)

[@kevinsheppard2312]

Right on! I’ve always been curious of them.

[@MIEK2112]

Dude! Where you get the pic from the drum set in minute 2:30? I been searched long time and i cant find it 😭

[@kevinsheppard2312]

Lol! I found it by complete accident. It’s from tekxelectronic.net His name is Roger Ginsley and he used to be a Technician at Le Studio! I found this picture on like page 5 of Google lol. There are some other really really cool photos of Le studio on his website. You’ll recognize some of the pictures I put in.

[@MIEK2112]

@@kevinsheppard2312 I just downloaded it, thank you very much dude, you did me a great favor 👏👏👏

[@kevinsheppard2312]

@@MIEK2112 no problem! I love these niche Rush photos