Chris Squire's "Other" Rickenbacker 4001

Max_Grant · Post by **Max_Grant** » Sat Jan 20, 2001 6:19 pm

Hi everyone. I've got a little mystery. Everyone (that is, everyone who cares) knows that Squire played a 4001 Model 1999 Rickenbacker, made in 1965. The pictures here show that it has dot inlays, no binding, and the 'skunk stripe' on the headstock. Fine.

The other day I was looking through my albums (these being vinyl) and happened upon my copy of The Yes Album, which I haven't looked at in about 10 years since I bought it on CD. Inside the gatefold is a picture of Chris playing his rick. Ok. It's not quite the same color. It has a white binding running around the edge. It could have been a reflection or a photographic defect. But then I noticed the triangular inlays; definitely not a photographic artifact.

So does anyone else know about this particular bass? When did he play this? Does he still have it? Has anyone else seen it (maybe someone old enough to have gone to earlier Yes shows?). I at first formulated a theory that he maybe just posed for a photo shoot with it. But there's a microphone stand in the foreground and it's awfully dark and blurry to be a posed shot. My other theory is that maybe he was borrowing it at some point when he had damaged his original. I know he broke the headstock off at some point in '74. Since this picture must have been taken before 1971, that particular theory is shot to hell as well.

At any rate, I can provide an extremely blurry Quickcam photo for those who do not have a copy of the Yes album to examine it. The finish appears to be Mapleglo. . .

squirebass · Post by **squirebass** » Sat Jan 20, 2001 9:07 pm

Max,
I have been intrigued with this instrument for years as it is the first introduction I had to Chris Squire using a Rickenbacker bass, and it was pictured on the inside cover of The Yes Album LP I bought in 1971. I saw them in 1972 and I could've sworn for many years that he was playing this bass during the show, but I think it was more likely his original 4001S, which was at that time still mapleglo( he had the bass refinished after the Fragile tour, and this was when I saw them). I have never seen him comment publicly about this bass in any interviews I have seen, although he is said to have a large collection of basses, including quite a few Ricks. Some of these include an 8 string bass with the odd headstock, a six string white, and John Hall has said that he owns one of the first 4000 basses ever made. I would love to hear him comment about this instrument as it is obviously a vintage Rick - you can see the walnut headstock wings, edge-to-edge inlays, and toaster PU from the picture but it doesn't seem to have the horseshoe, which seems strange, given the time it must have been taken. I feel sure that the picture was taken on one of their early club dates, the stage outfit he's wearing is very typical of the spacy, neo-psychodelic gear they all seemed to wear during the early years. Still I'd love to have a good look at his Rick collection!!!
Oh, and one other thing, his "famous" Rick 1999 is actually a 1964 model, his website has the actual serial number and it starts with "D" (can't remember the rest).
There's more info at:
http://ntfe.org/Chris.Squire/equipment.html

squirebass · Post by **squirebass** » Sat Jan 20, 2001 9:14 pm

Max,
Sorry but the Chris Squire Website has apparently changed, to the Yesworld site, go to there and then band members/ChrisSquire/Equipment:
http://yesworld.com/

fatrat · Post by **fatrat** » Sun Jan 21, 2001 1:44 am

he has a really neat, 8 string that has a weird headstock not like a normal 4001 it is wavey looking, like on some of the hollowbody 4005 8 strings....
Didnt he also have a regular 4001 around that time also....Ive seen him with a Tele bass in a early video....
FATRRAt

squirebass · Post by **squirebass** » Sun Jan 21, 2001 9:28 am

He used a Natural finish Jazz bass for some stuff around the time of the Relayer album, the 8 string was the one I was talking about above. Apparently he has been a collector of basses and guitars since the early seventies, and has a large collection...

Landonion_the_bass_player · Sun Jan 21, 2001 7:40 pm

I noticed he also has a 60's style 4001S Fireglow that he used for his solo album stuff in the 70's..He can be seen playing it during the Solo albums segment on the YesYears video documentary, that came out with their CD box set back in 1991. I don't know if it is still in print though..It is a cool video history of Yes...worth checking out if you like Yes..

FRANK · Post by **FRANK** » Sun Jan 21, 2001 11:40 pm

I remember that...from Fish out of Water, thats a great record, it was better than any of the Yes records at that time...

FRANK M. ROBINSON III

Landon · Post by **Landon** » Sat Jan 27, 2001 12:52 am

Yea...I agree..A great record with some great Rickenbacker bass tone on it. It's better than some Yes stuff..I still listen to that CD when I need inspiration..

jwilli · Post by **jwilli** » Sat Feb 03, 2001 9:54 am

Since you guys are into C. Squire and his Ricks: I saw him at the NAMM '01 show. At the RIC booth, JH showed him the basses. He seemed to like a certain 4004 II in Translucent Red. He also hinted that he'd like a 5 string version. Pics are here:
http://www.homestead.com/aurs3/CSq.html

330fg · Post by **330fg** » Sun Feb 04, 2001 9:24 pm

Thanks for the great photos, John !! Maybe CS went home with a new toy !!!

JMP · Post by **JMP** » Thu Feb 15, 2001 4:03 pm

I'll check out some of the old pictures in an old Yes book I have and see about the bass in question. He's got one heck of a collection, I know that. I'd venture to say that he probably had several, or at least a couple by the time of the Yes Album. With all the touring and everything he'd have been stupid not to have a backup or two, so it's probably one he had hanging around, but I'm not sure what model it is.

A little off topic, but if you want to hear some great vintage Squire playing, pick up Rick Wakeman's "Criminal Record". He and Alan are on it and Squire's playing is excellent.

JMP · Post by **JMP** » Fri Feb 16, 2001 7:19 am

I checked some books and things and here are some notes about some of Squire's early basses…

One source mentions Squire owning a DC172 Special Rickenbacker. I have no idea what this is.

1. I can't really say what the models are, but he apparently had several different Rics. Very early on, in 1967 when with the Syn, he used one with a paint job suited for the time. This might be the one that underwent some refinishing and is his trademark favourite bass.

2. In 1969 he was using a Ric that had a darker finish, possibly a red or red sunburst type, with binding, horseshoe PU and a dot inlay neck. This bass is not his trademark bass as it also appears in the Fragile booklet in the background of the picture of Chris and his 'regular' bass. Perhaps this is the Fireglow one that Landonian mentioned Squire used later for the Fish Out of Water films.

JMP · Post by **JMP** » Fri Feb 16, 2001 7:22 am

3. The bass noticed on the Yes Album was one Squire used fairly often around that time. He's using it in 1970 at Steve's first gig with YES, and he's also using it for the film/video to "Astral Traveller." It has a light finish, triangle fret markers and the split coloured headstock. Although not evident from most pictures, this bass may very well be the one he used which on close inspection has hundreds of tiny black dots on the binding all the way around the instrument. (This is NOT the checkerboard binding) The dots are about the size of a small o as you see it on this page.

4. Squire also was using to some degree, a modified Fender Telecaster bass. It seems to have more knobs and a different plate covering the circuitry. It is used for the "Then" and "No Opportunity" videos. Humorously, Tony Kaye 'plays' it while Squire 'plays' the organ in the mimed "Then" video. This Tele also shows up in the background of the Fragile booklet picture.

leftybass · Post by **leftybass** » Wed Jan 22, 2003 3:40 am

In the latest Rolling Stone there is a small article on Yes about their first four albums..
There is an accompanying B/W picture(ca.1970-71) of Chris Squire along with Bill Bruford and Jon Anderson---Squire is holding a Rickenbacker bass that appears to be something quite odd...

It looks like a 4001-S (dot fretboard) with a horseshoe and neck toaster, but the body AND headstock appear to be bound...the body core has a thin laminate of darker wood (mahogany??) in the middle, in the same fashion that a Rosewood Tele has the lighter shade in it's construction...the finish seems to be a darker color than Mapleglo as well....

Obviously a custom-order; anyone know anymore about this one??? There seems to be some comment above about it previously....

squirebass · Post by **squirebass** » Wed Jan 22, 2003 5:16 pm

Squire's Mapleglo Rick that appeared in the original LP "The Yes Album" on the inside cover was his 21 fret bass. I would be willing to bet that one was used for at least some of the tracks on "The Fish"
Lefty, I'm gonna have to break down and buy me a copy of "Rolling Stone" just to see that pic! First issue I've bought in years!