Geddy Lee Jazz Bass

[spongebob]

Has anybody got one of these?

In the UK, they retail for around £6-700 - far less than half the price of a new 4003!

I was just wondering how they differ in sound, feel, and so on from a 4001/03. I would never defect.....but I am interested in the difference, and maybe hearing the benefits of what made Geddy change.

[ilan]

I had one of the early ones, sold it and never regretted. It's nicely built but the neck is shaved down to a freighteningly thin profile, and I like beefier necks. I was starting to get cramps in my left hand, it's even thinner and narrower than those Ibanez pencil-necks.

Some had serious neck problems - bowed neck and maxxed out truss rod. The not-so-elegant fix is to add washers to the truss rod.

I also wasn't a big fan of the BadAss bridge. Some Geddy owners replace it with a standard bent bridge. The controversial theory is that the BA gives more sustain but cuts bottom end.

On mine, the bridge pickup was pretty much useless solo'ed (too thin).

OTOH two of my friends - both are professional players, one of them is a Ric bass collector - have Geddys and absolutely love them.

So my advice would be to try before you buy, and take a good look at the neck - don't leave the store without a proper setup, make sure the neck is perfectly straight and the truss rod isn't stressed.

[rickenbrother]

I'll move this thread to Forum 51 - The Quest For Tone. It will also stay in the Rickenbacker Basses forum for a while, then it will just be in Forum 51.

[paologregorio]

I have one. I really like it, though it's no 4003. Our bassist used it for awhile and was quite pleased with it, as was a former bandmate of ours who switched from a 4001to a Geddy J-bass.

I haven't fiddled with enough J-basses, or bridges in general to know how the Badass bridge compares to the factory bridge, but from a purely aesthetic standpoint, it doesn't look as cool as the original with the lovely chrome cover, though string changes are quite easy and I have no complaints from a functional standpoint. I am also less than enthused that an instrument of mine has "Badass" stamped into a piece of its hardware; it's a rather crude name for a brand.

[rickenbrother]

I have one. I really like it, though it's no 4003. Our bassist used it for awhile and was quite pleased with it, as was a former bandmate of ours who switched from a 4001to a Geddy J-bass.

I've never played Paul's Geddy Lee Jazz Bass, but I've heard it at one of his gigs. It sounds pretty good.
Some people claim that there is a variance in the quality of the Geddy J-basses.

[JakeK]

My bass playing friend Dylan considers a Geddy Lee J-bass his holy grail. I told him "that's a good bass, but what about a Rickenbacker 4001CS?" He replied, "I don't have the MONEY for one of those!"

[tennis_nick]

My bass playing friend Dylan considers a Geddy Lee J-bass his holy grail. I told him "that's a good bass, but what about a Rickenbacker 4001CS?" He replied, "I don't have the MONEY for one of those!"

You... DO know that other brands can be very nice too.... right?

[sloop_john_b]

Love 'em. It's no 4003, but then again, a 4003 is no Jazz, either.

[cjj]

I dinked around with a Geddy Lee Jazz Bass once when I was at a Guitar Center store. It seemed fairly decent, nice slim neck. It wasn't a Rick though, and I really prefer Ricks. Now, as to the question of why he went back to the Jazz, I've heard all sorts of answers, some from interviews with Ged. But something to keep in mind, the "Geddy Lee Jazz Bass" is not the same thing as what he plays. It's a modern replica made to look like his and probably be similar in a few other respects as well, such as the Badass bridge. I have no idea of what all the differences are, one is that his actually has fret marker inlays, the one you can buy are just silkscreened on, or so I've heard. Anyway, I'd say it was a pretty decent bass, but who knows if it's anything like his "real thing"...

[leftybass]

Geddy's original '72 has a new neck now for the original neck had bascially become wore out and non-adjustable over the years, so I have heard.

Jazz Basses from that period and earlier have great necks on them---the 'A' necks are the ones to have, they have a great feel and a nice, slim taper to them...

I have my own 'Geddy' Bass, a left-handed hybrid of a Fender body and an aftermarket neck (since Fender won't make one for me unless it's $3500 and a custom shop product)....it has a Badass II on it as well, and I love the feel and sound of it. It still doesn't feel as good as my CIJ '63 RI Jazz. I post a pic of it when I get time to take a few pics.

[jps]

In a recent interview I read with Geddy, he said he put a new neck on his '72 JB for the above stated reason, and the new neck is one straight off a GLJB!

[antipodean]

The GLJB is made in Japan, so it won't be garbage, and is cheap as chips....apart from the potential neck issues (use lighter strings!) and the strange branding of the Leo Quan bridge (what were they thinking?) what's not to love?

[JakeK]

You... DO know that other brands can be very nice too.... right?

I do, very much. I am not a "Rickensnob".

[whojamfan]

I'll move this thread to Forum 51 - The Quest For Tone. It will also stay in the Rickenbacker Basses forum for a while, then it will just be in Forum 51.

Thanks Joey, things are pretty dead over here

Seems Geddy has used what he has liked over the years, including the Wals and Steinbergers. He still uses his Rick from time to time, but his Jazz obviously has the magic for him. As far as the signature model goes, he wanted an approximation of his Jazz that a regular person to afford, thus the MIJ Geedy Lee signature. They must be a good value, or people wouldn't buy them. Like all other production guitars, turds will be found, but I've heard many praise the ones they own. You can always customize with hardware and electrinic upgrades, and still come out way ahead of a US reissue, or vintage.

Best thing would be to go play 2 or 3 of them and see what you think, IMO.

[JakeK]

I should tell Dylan about this bass soon, he's been using Rotosounds and has been listening to a LOT of Rush lately.