Is it a Rick......or a Fender?

[loendmaestro]

We all know & love the classic "Rick Clank", but I've been fooled more than once by an aggressive P-Bass tone. Also, maybe there are recordings you thought were a Fender that actually turned out to be a Rick...you know more of a McCartney-esque type tone.
And after having some recent discussions with folks regarding some "mistaken identity" classic bass recordings, I thought it may be fun to open it up & see if anybody else had something to add.


For instance, I know many of us used to think that all of Moving Pictures was recorded with the 4001, most of us know now that it was the Jazz Bass on the lion's share of that LP.

Also, due in large part to the cover picture, the misconception was that Glenn Hughes played a Rickenbacker on Deep Purple's Made In Europe LP, when it actually turns out that it was a P-Bass. What clank though!

Sticking with the Glenn Hughes theme, I used to swear that he used a Rickenbacker to record the "Medusa" album when he was in Trapeze, but according to him it's actually a '61 P-Bass.

And lastly, I was shocked to hear Chris Squire say that "Lucky Seven" from FOOW was actually a Tele Bass (?!) with a Jazz p/u in it!

Anybody else care to chime in? Have fun with it!

[atomic_punk]

I just ran across a pic of Ged playing the Jazz on the Moving Pictures tour.
I'll post it later.

[just_bassics]

Squire using a Gibson bass for "Does it really happen", also, the cover of Machine Head by Deep Purple shows a P-Bass headstock, but if I'm not mistaken, Roger Glover was using a JG 4001 in those days. That bass run up the neck in "Pictures of home" still gets me. Glover could sound downright sinister! Maybe DP fans with more knowledge could weigh in on this subject.

I'll bet Squire, Glover, Lee or any other bass player of note could take just about any bass you gave them, string it up with their favorite brand, twist a few knobs and sound just like themselves. The great thing is that the sound really does start with the individual player, but the instrument of choice does say a lot about which direction they intend to go and RIC players just seem to be my favorites

[mikes123]

I'm listing to lucky 7 right now and the bass is missing the "clank" that we all love. I do recall seeing a tele bass in the booklet of Fragile.

[just_bassics]

I'm listing to lucky 7 right now and the bass is missing the "clank" that we all love. I do recall seeing a tele bass in the booklet of Fragile.

But he loved that bass! In the video, he mentions that it was stolen and would like to have it back.

[loendmaestro]

The great thing is that the sound really does start with the individual player, but the instrument of choice does say a lot about which direction they intend to go and RIC players just seem to be my favorites

Excellent point!

[beefandbones]

I absolutely LOVE the bass tone on Serge Gainsbourg's Melody Nelson LP, and I always kind of thought it was a P-bass, but recently I've heard a few rumors that it's actually a Rick.

[nattiep]

I just ran across a pic of Ged playing the Jazz on the Moving Pictures tour.
I'll post it later.

That pic?

[pacealot]

Great shot of Ged with the "wrong" bass!

I got fooled by the In The Wake Of Poseidon album by King Crimson, based on seeing Peter Giles' picture from the Top Of The Pops show playing a RM1999. I've since seen studio shots where a Fender headstock can clearly be seen poking over the baffles, and now to me it sounds like a J Bass. Makes sense, since Lake played a J, so maybe Fripp made Giles play one too.

Now that I know the White Album Jazz trick, it's hard to hear the Rick on that album actually! I wish Macca had tried putting as much top end on the 4001S as he did on the Jazz. (The Bass VI helped with the top end, too, of course.)

I've also used A Quick One and The Who Sell Out as tonal references for honing my V63 sound, even though I knew then that he was playing a P-Bass.

I realise that it's all in the same ballpark - it just feels (and looks!) much better coming out of a Ricky to me.

[weemac]

I saw the police live recently.
That cranky old P bass of Sting's at times could sound a lot like a 4001 with the neck pickup soloed. It's perhaps got something to do with it being a single coil one with the pickup in the right (or close to) position. It was not as mid grindy as a newer p but it really had the top and bottom thing going...
It was a life experience seeing the cops!
emac.

[anoukane]

When I head No More Heroes by The Stranglers I thought I was hearing a Ric, it's probably just a P-bass.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4pkNcE8nsM

[pacealot]

Agreed emac, I think the similar placement of pickup makes for a similar possibility of timbre between a P and a bridge p/u Rick. For awhile, when I was lazy and imbibing heavily onstage, I gave up using my stereo rig and just ran my old (Kevin's soon-to-be new!) HS p/u through whatever proper "bass" amp I could cadge, and it did sound suitably P-Bass-y when I rolled the tone off a ways. I still play all my band's old stuff on the Rick with the top rolled off, to replicate the old bass player's P tone. I tried using my J for the old stuff, but it doesn't do the same thing, even with just the back pickup going. Odd.

To me, though, any bright, roundwound bass tone that cuts in the mix is furthering The Cause! How 'bout the Move!