Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Microfret/Shergold, I wasn't aware, I just remember it wasn't the Rick, keep in mind it was the early '70s and, well, you know...!

I do remember that the balls on Gabriel's Slipperman costume wouldn't inflate!!!

"Squire/Lee sound"? I prefer to call it "the Rickenbacker sound", and all it takes me to achieve it is a 4001 plugged into a Rickenbacker amplifier - no effects, no compression, no frills I should or should not be experimenting with. And whenever real power is required, a P.A. is used to complete the chain - real Rickenbacker tone.

Compression will dampen the peaks and enhance the valleys of a signal ... if you get the clicking and popping sound from your 4001/4003 strings hitting the pickups and 20th fret then compression can help ... if you play slap bass then compression will again help ... if you play fingerstyle then compression will help ... if you attack the bass aggressively then compression will help ... if you have an input that clips then compression will help ...

I find a very small amount of distortion and a moderate amount of compression improves the bass sound ... most of the music you listen to on a CD has a bass track with compression ...

but it is your bass and your rig ... do what pleases your ears ...

I think some part of Geddy's tone is also studiowork.
For me it is just a Ric, subtle quality overdrive, rotosound strings, mid boost and aggresive playing style over the neck pickup. Maybe not 100% Geddy's tone, but I sure damn love it!

Robert, I tend to find that compression sucks the life out of my sound too, so you're not the only one.

Power tube compression is the ONLY compression, IMO.

Wow I thought I was the only bass player that did not like compression. Just like you said it just seems to kill something special about the sound.

I've never liked compression!

The thing is, I always hear people raving about how helpful compression is, and I figure I *must* be doing something wrong if I hate it so much . . . but everything I try just sucks . . . I like my sound how it is now anyway . . .

I've recently started using a DOD rack compressor (I had a leftover space in my rack unit, which I thought about filling with a "palindrometer" but that's another story). So far, I haven't been pleased with what it does to the Rick sound...seems to accentuate single coil hum and takes the aggressive attack off. But I haven't really explored all the settings...Jeff, what sort of settings are you using?

In my limited experience, a little bit goes a long way. Too much and it robs your sound!

I use the bass pod one ... I have done zero deep editing ... but I also overwrote all of the existing patches ... I usually model the acoustic 360 or marshall major ... sometimes the ampeg flip top or the mowtown models ... I always set the compression a 5 and sometimes add distortion ...