Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

HeHe, no dryers, washers, fridges or cookers in my set up.

At the moment I just use the 4003 & the Jazz (x2). I'm on the lookout for a Wal. I haven't played a Wal since 1987, although I wish I'd bought one then (a friend had two made at what now looks like a very reasonable price). Never really thought about getting a Steinberger - the Jazz is used with some tweaking. I suppose I will pick one up eventually as we do quite a few from that period, but other things are higher up the list.

Everything runs through a Behringer Bass V-Amp Pro which has patches tailor-made for each song. These are actually controlled by the keyboard, to minimise the number of pedals I have to push. I know Behringer wouldn't be the choice of everybody, but I've been able to get some great sounds out of it, including some pretty close to Geddy's tones. Not only does it let me almost get away with only having the two types of bass, but it takes a lot of the guesswork out of using different amps (I don't take my amps to rehearsals, I just use what's there).

My own amps are Ashdown ABMs (1 x15, 4 x 10 + tweeter), although if the PA is up to it a direct feed from the Behringer can be used too.

Nothing feels quite like my 4003, but I enjoy playing the GL Jazz too and it's perfect for some of the newer Rush stuff.

Considering Steinberger just took up production of graphite-necked basses again, it might be worth looking them up. They don't produce the boat-paddle bass anymore (at least, not in graphite), but they have the really freaking nice Q-series, complete with Drop-Ball Tuner to make detuning easy. And besides, it's gorgeous and probably sounds a bit more organic than Geddy's bass, considering it's got a wood body.

Did Geddy shave down the neck on his Jazz, or was it like that when he bought it?

I think the 72 jazz was built with a slim neck ... he had a Leo Quan bridge installed and for a while it had a ric-o-sound type setup ... it is mono now ... I can't guarantee that is 100% accurate ...

So, is the consensus on a high-mass bridge like the Badass: more mass=more sustain, less mass=more lows?

I put a BA II on my Cal. P Bass Special, and there was no loss of bottom end, so that I think is a myth.

the bad *** bridge was state of the art in the 70s but there are many better ones now ... abm, schaller and others are better and cheaper than the Leo Quan bad *** bridge ...

if you want sustain and low end then get a Kahler bass bridge ... they have the BEST sustain of any bass bridge anywhere ...

Jo: I've read that Geddy had the neck shaved thinner than it was when he bought it.

Ged had his P bass made stereo.. his J has always been mono. When he gave his bass to Fender for the artist model he wouldn't let them mess with the electronics in case it was wired differently. He didn't want them to ruin the sound.

I wonder if Geddy has made a drawing of the wiring in his Jazz. If it is different, I wonder also if Fender applied the differences to the Geddy model.

I can take a look under the hood next weekend, I'll be meeting the current owner of my old GL Sig. But I don't recall it being wired differently than a normal Jazz bass - V/V/T.

I think Ged's bass was wired V/V/T.. but I thin he was worried about hem taking apart the wiring on his pickups.

A quote from the GCs interview with Geddy.

"Right now I'm looking for an old Rickenbacker 4000, single pickup. I've always used a double pickup model. Recently I was in Seattle at the music museum that Paul Allen set up out there, the Experience Music Project. They have a great collection of guitars. One of the things I saw in their collection was this beautiful 4000 model Ricky bass, and I've been kind of obsessed by it so I'm looking for one right now!"

The EMP museum has the only known surviving example of the world's first modern electric bass guitar - Paul Tutmarc's Audiovox Model #736 from 1935 (link). As much as I love Rickenbackers, if there's one instrument in the EMP museum I'd be obsessed by, that would be the Audiovox.

But I would really like to see Geddy back with a Ric in his hands. 4001, 4003 or an old 4000 - just as long as he doesn't swap the bridge for a BA-II...

I believe he'd like a 4004.

I don't think the sound would suite his tastes however.

Make a 4004 with Single Coils, Rickenbacker! Not everybody likes humbuckers and the over-engineered 4003!