Geddy Lee

admin · Post by **admin** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 1:30 am

While I have not followed Geddy Lee's basses closely, a recent ad for his Fender Geddy Lee Jazz Bass had me thinking that he borrowed a number of his favourite features from his Rickenbacker days including the near full length fretmarkers (albeit it rectangular), the black body with white guard, a bound neck and maple neck to simulate a lacquered one, perhaps. Here are some reference photos below. What do you think?

Also, as a follow-up question, what adjustments has he had to make to his amplification in order to maintain his sound after switching to Fender. Surely the Fender single coils are quite different from the Rickenbacker pickups that he used. Or perhaps I have simply made a rush to judgement.

leftybass · Post by **leftybass** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 2:32 am

Peter, with the exception of the Badass tailpiece/bridge, Geddy's original Jazz(a '72) is stock. He bought it in a pawn shop in the late '70's for $200, and started using it selectively around the time of the 'Permanent Waves' album.

Ted Nugent's bass player uses a Geddy signiture model, and it sounded just like Ged's Jazz when I heard Ted in early March of this year..

When he started using the Jazz exclusively, he used a Trace Elliot bass rig in place of the old component system he had for the 4001, now it's just a Sansamp bass driver and a cabinet modeler of some sort, direct into the house. IMHO lacking in presence and definition from the days of real amps...easier to tour with, though. LOL

admin · Post by **admin** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 2:37 am

Lefty: With regard to the fretboard, was the 1972 pawn shop special also bound. Part two of this question would be, who was the first to have binding on the neck of their basses, Rickenbacker or Fender.

leftybass · Post by **leftybass** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 2:43 am

The Jazzes started having bound necks/rosewood boards/block inlay around 1966(not counting custom orders), and the 4001 pre-dates this by a long shot; Rickenbacker made a model 4000 with deluxe features in 1960.

The maple boards with black trim/inlay on the Jazz Basses made their debut in the late 60's, I'm gonna say '68-'69, thereabouts...

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 3:03 am

The Geddy signature basses are far east knock offs of an american made 70's Fender Jazz bass ... I love the look, but EVERY single Geddy jazz bass that I have played was a dissapointment ... they are NOT player basses ... if you want wall art then this is your bass ... If you want to have a real Geddy Lee bass get a 70's American made Fender Jazz bass ... or you can make one with Warmoth or Allparts parts ...

These days Geddy uses a Sans amp and speaker simulators and various effects ... He sends 3 signals into the PA ... one with more bass, one with distortion and one with a flat eq ... I think most Rush fans prefer the sound when he played a Ric into an Ampeg ...

leftybass · Post by **leftybass** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 3:17 am

Yes I haven't heard too many things positive about them, and they won't make a left-handed one so I don't care, LOL....

However, I do have a lefty CIJ '62 reissue Jazz Bass with clay dots--I'll put it up against anything from the Fender Custom Shop. Love it.

rickde · Post by **rickde** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 3:30 am

That pic of Geddy w/the Ric is the pre-chop days. He had a BadAssII on there at one point.

tony_carey · Post by **tony_carey** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 3:44 am

He seems to be playing the Fender a little higher than the Ric. I noticed this on a new live DVD of Rush. Is this a comfort thing, or an age thing I wonder?

wayang · Post by **wayang** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 4:57 am

...could be that playing the 4080 altered his bass playing permanently...to have the 4080 bass neck in the same position as his 4001, the guitar neck would be somewhere around his knees...

A woman once told me that guys who wear their guitars/basses too high have misunderstood what makes watching them play so appealing to female fans (see Hendrix at Monterrey Pop for more clarification)...

admin · Post by **admin** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 5:53 am

You could lease Geddy your anti-gravity strings Dane for those fly by night gigs.

jeff_ulmer · Post by **jeff_ulmer** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 10:53 am

My only complaint with my GL is that in order to keep it authentic, they buried the truss adjustment under the pickguard. The GL plays and sounds great to me, although the wafer thin maple neck (like all wafer thin maple necks) doesn't enjoy changes in envoronment. Good for a climate controlled studio, but touring would make it a PITA to keep the neck straight.

jps · Post by **jps** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 12:33 pm

"...or an age thing I wonder?"

He's probably filled out some so the bass is riding higher, on his stomach!

atomic_punk · Post by **atomic_punk** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 1:17 pm

Just FYI, the older pic is from the Caress of Steel tour, I believe.

wayang · Post by **wayang** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 1:24 pm

I wonder if Geddy and I have matching hernias...

tony_carey · Post by **tony_carey** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 2:32 pm

I know what you mean Jeffrey. There comes a time in life that you have to decide wheather to go above or below the paunch! I've decided on lower....