Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I have read many times over the years of Chris buying his RM1999 at Boosey & Hawkes, it being the third one, IIRC. Nowhere have I read about why he bought it in the first place. What was it about a Rickenbacker that piqued Chris' interest that he would want to buy it?

Chris has the below up on his own website at http://www.chrissquire.com

He purchased the model 1999 bass (serial number DC127) in 1965 while an employee of Boosey and Hawkes, LTD, a musical instrument retail business. It was the fourth bass of its kind to be imported into England (Rickenbacker is an American guitar manufacturer). Allegedly, the first three had pedigrees themselves, as Chris remembers, "Entwistle had one, the guy in the Kinks [Pete Quaife] had one, and Donovan had one."

I too have never seen an interview yet where Chris explained why precisely. It sticks in my mind that somewhere I heard someone say that since Entwhistle had one, Peter Quaife had one, and Donovan had one, Chris saw one come through the store at which he worked, liked it, wanted it, and bought it, perhaps with a bit of an employee discount one hopes.

The only way to know for sure is to ask Chris

Hey Chris, why DID you decide to buy the RM1999 when you did?

Good question Jeff.

chris has acknowledged early influence of the ox,especially the lead-style playing and aggressive roundwound tone,and ox's early choice of a rickenbacker bass probably played a part in that.

Before Chris got the job at the B&H store in St Giles Square, London, at age sixteen just after being expelled from school for "having long hair", he was talked into shopping Macari's Musical Exchange in Wembley to buy his first bass (a Futurama) by his friend John Wheatley. It must have been around this time that he described himself as holing up in his girlfriend's place, afraid to leave, and teaching himself to play bass while coming down from the effects of a bad trip. After getting the B&H job, he formed the Selfs and started playing that Futurama for real gig money.

One would think that, for a young fellow working in the store, playing in his own brand new band, that a spanking new, rather rare and expensive RM1999 would have been quite an enticement, particularly because John Entwhistle, five years his senior, something of a local "idol" to Chris at the time, and already well-established in the local area post-Beatlemania local scene, was already playing one. With the store discount, I am sure that upgrading from a Futurama to a cool and hip RM1999 was very, very attractive...

Instead of wondering why Chris Squire chose the Rickenbacker, I might counter with... why in the world would he not have taken the opportunity presented him to buy it!

I read once in one of the magazines that he was modeling himself after The Ox in every way - and because John was playing a Rick at the time, Chris had to have one too.

I suppose that would answer his use of Sunn Coliseum amps and cabinets, too.

What, THESE?? I can easily see why Chris would want a set of these.....

I had one for a while!



Chris Pappas has it now.

I used to have a Concert Bass amp, the later version in the late '70s.

Now you're gonna make me go take more photos and post them! I still have one of these 2x15s, and a 1x15, and I think a 4x12 out in the high-bay out back. Plus a couple of Coliseum Basses, a Coliseum Lead or two, three or four Concerts, a couple of Concert Leads, and some Sunn boards. The Concert was the lower-power version of the Coliseum I think, especially pre-Fender, with lower wattage and size, but they sold both simultaneously for years.

I think the bigger question is why Donovan had one?

This one:

The '60s horseshoe surround I sold to Vince Gallo was supposed to go on this bass, but he said it may go on another '60s 4001 instead.

I used to have 3 of those Sunn 2X15 cabs.
I sold 2 of them on Ebay and another at a local swap meet.
Too big I used to say. What did I go out and buy?

Er, and THAT's not too big, Steve??