Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

LOVE that song...and that album. Wasteland, Eton Rifles, Private Hell, etc.

Howdy,

John Lennon first and foremost. Later Pete Townsend and Jim McGuinn.

Respectfully,
Larry Carroll

I like Geddy, as well as Chris Squire, but it was Paul D'Amour who made me pick up my Rick, as well as a Mesa Boogie.
His tone was similar to Billy Gould from FNM's early stuff.

In 1978 I was 14;

Someone played the “YES” album at a party. I was playing bass for 2 years already at that point.

When that cranky Ric 4001 sound hit me, I remember saying, what the ##### was that….

I have been hooked ever since.

Cranky.
I like that word! Bass sounds angrier the more it's pushed!:mad:
Yeah, I think all those tones I like came from guys like Squire and Geddy, guys like Paul D'Amour just have a more evolved version of it.After all, he played a Chris Squire edition 4001 (I forgot the exact name of it, the cream-colored one)

?
I was trying to make a cranky-face
darn........

Pete Townshend. Chris Squire. Geddy Lee.

Chris;

Do you know what happen to Paul D'Amour after Tool (he was gone in 1995, I think)?

I was influenced strongly by my heroes...I call the "FOUR JOHNS"...John Lennon - John Fogarty - John Kay and most of all Prakash John. I was at a Steppenwolf concert to see John Kay when I was 13 at the O'Keefe Centre in Toronto. The opening act was BUSH. This band blew me away for good. Prakash John was playing a Ric 4001, drummer Pentii Glan was working a double-bass kit as though he was programmed from a computer chip and lead guitarist Dominic Troiano (RIP) on a Tele Custom needs no introduction. Prakash John later played with Alice Cooper, The Lincolns and apparently still lives nearby in Mississauga. John Kay's Ric 381 was unfortunately subbed out for a Dan Armstrong see-through that night so I never got my fill. Prakash John cracked open that 4001 and, well think of Stanley Clarke combined with Johnny Entwistle. I swear he had the first two fingers timed with the left kick drum and the last two fingers timed with the right kick drum. Yeah I went from a 13 year old Ric Boy to a 13 year old Ric Man that night !!!
(Sorry, I tried to upload an attachment of Prakash John for your enjoyment- but researching BUSH on a search engine is distracting to say the least).

Hey Dave, Paul D'Amour formed Lusk, a band with his wife shortly after Tool.
He now heads a band/project called Feersum Ennjin, and they play some music on their website.
Find out here...www.feersumennjin.com
He left Tool to play more melodic music.

Chris Squire, Paul McCartney, & Peter Buck.

I got into Yes in '75...the sound Squire got made me wonder exactly what kind of bass could possibly do that? When I discovered he was playing a 4001, I remembered seeing pictures of Paul McCartney from the Magical Mystery Tour booklet playing one as well. Squire's sound and ability was incredible but Paul's "smooth chocolate" tone was what I liked best. I only became aware of Rickenbacker guitars after getting into REM. Just like Squire on bass, I wondered what kind of guitar Peter Buck was playing that sounded like that? In both cases, the sound was so distinctive I had to follow it to the source.

Thanks Chris

Howdy,

I'm impressed and more than a bit surprised at the diversity of responses to the question of this thread. I asssumed that my response would've matched at least half of the other responses as well-John Lennon. Boy was I wrong!
I'm a British Invasion kind of guy. I'm 41 and play guitar. I love the Beatles, the 'Stones ,the Who and Chuck Berry.
I'm embarrased to admit that so many of the artists sited are bassists who I've barely heard of: Giddy Lee, Chris Squire..just goes to show that Rickenbacker has a more broad appeal than I knew. Glad to see it!

Respectfully,
Larry

I wanted a Rick since I first saw the Beatles on Ed Sullivan in 1964.I wanted a 3/4 size like Lennon's.I used to have the John Lennon Beatle doll which came with a tiny 325!The first real live Rickenbacker I ever saw in person was played by Paul Weller of the Jam(CBGB's Theater NYC 1978).I think it was a 330 in either Mapleglo or Fireglo,not sure which.I just remember thinking at the time that it was a "Blonde" Rickenbacker that matched they're Camel-Hair suits.Before this I thought all Rickenbackers were black(Jetglo). Another influence and fellow Rick-o-phile is my penpal and friend Naoko Yamano of Shonen Knife.I gave her a copy of Richard Smith's Rickenbacker book for her birthday in 1987.

John Lennon was the main inspiration but the first time I saw a Rickenbacker up close it was in the hands of Pete Townsend at a small club in Woolston (Southampton UK). Then I saw Gerry (Marsden) and the Pacemakers as well as the Big Three, The Fortunes, Les Fleur De Lys, and the list goes on. Every big band in England it seemed had at least on Rickenbacker in its line-up. So when if you wanted to be considered amongst the best you had to emulate them. When we came to Canada we were immediately identifiable as a British Band because of our gear.