Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

This question has been probably posted before. I searched around and couldn't find a answer. I figure one of you guys/gals might know. Why did Geddy Lee stop using his 4001's ? My understanding of the Jazz bass is that he had bought one in a pawn shop in Michigan many years ago and liked it. I have a Fender Geddy Lee Sig. bass it is a great bass. I like the Badass II bridge. And it even gets a lot of the growly tone too.

Anyways just curious

Well, you'll have to define "stop" as he still uses the Rick in performances, playing "Passage to Bangkok" on tour the last few years.

He didn't know about the Treble pickup cap bypass.

By chance his Rickenbackers are heavy and his Jazz is fairly light (I know it is often the other way around) and he does not like the weight so much these days...

Eden.

Because they are terrible--we should all stop while there's still time to conform.

It's all here again..... http://www.bassguitarmagazine.com/index ... ack-issues

It's just like with any brand of guitar,the Ged found a particular J bass that did what he liked,and favored it. I am not sure how that morphed into him having about 6-7 differnt j basses on the tour rack,but he must prefer the ergonomics of the j to everything else these days. And well,why not? I have a franken j bass that i like a lot (not nearly as much as my ri cks,tho),but it has a wicked tone that is quite unlike any of my rics.

RicOSoundMan wrote:This question has been probably posted before. I searched around and couldn't find a answer. I figure one of you guys/gals might know. Why did Geddy Lee stop using his 4001's ? My understanding of the Jazz bass is that he had bought one in a pawn shop in Michigan many years ago and liked it. I have a Fender Geddy Lee Sig. bass it is a great bass. I like the Badass II bridge. And it even gets a lot of the growly tone too.

Anyways just curious

Andy, he bought his first Jazz in a Kalamazoo pawn shop while on tour here.

johnallg wrote:

RicOSoundMan wrote:This question has been probably posted before. I searched around and couldn't find a answer. I figure one of you guys/gals might know. Why did Geddy Lee stop using his 4001's ? My understanding of the Jazz bass is that he had bought one in a pawn shop in Michigan many years ago and liked it. I have a Fender Geddy Lee Sig. bass it is a great bass. I like the Badass II bridge. And it even gets a lot of the growly tone too.

Anyways just curious

Andy, he bought his first Jazz in a Kalamazoo pawn shop while on tour here.

Right, John. And he told me he paid $200 for it! He simply says that it's the best sounding bass he's ever played.

Mike, it was the mid 70s, right? I saw them in concert then at Wings Stadium in the Zoo and I'm thinking that was when he got it. He played the Rick that concert.

mgauction wrote:He simply says that it's the best sounding bass he's ever played.

That settles it then. Lucky him, he's found "The One".

ilan wrote:

mgauction wrote:He simply says that it's the best sounding bass he's ever played.

That settles it then. Lucky him, he's found "The One".

I wonder if the person that brought that old Jazz Bass to that pawn shop for some cash ever thinks about it's history now......

2112 wrote:

ilan wrote:

mgauction wrote:He simply says that it's the best sounding bass he's ever played.

That settles it then. Lucky him, he's found "The One".

I wonder if the person that brought that old Jazz Bass to that pawn shop for some cash ever thinks about it's history now......

Or, wants it back?

Well, I'm sure he at least got fifty bucks for it....

I have read numerous interview with Ged over the years and here is my recollection:

Geddy bought a old used Fender Jazz in the early 70's. He used it for the first RUSH album. Once the band cought on, the record company (Mercury) paid for them to get better instruments. Geddy got a 4001 because it was what his heros were playing (Chris Squire, etc.). Geddy played the RIC 4001 (and some 4002s and 4080s) for the rest of the 70s.

While recording Moving Pictures, Geddy was looking to change his sound around and was trying to get a different feel. He pulled out the Jazz and used it on several tracks. In fact, he used the Jazz on all the tracks except "Red Barchetta" and "The Camera Eye" with which he still used the RIC 4001.

My understanding is that Ged used the Rickenbacker 4001 for Signals as well as part of Grace Under Pressure. With GUP, Ged was looking for a more new wave style and ended up using the Steinberger on the tour.

With Power Windoes, producer Peter Collins had a Wal Bass and talked Geddy into using it. Geddy like the sound and used it for a couple tours. But after a while, it was too heavy for his aging back. So by Roll the Bones, Geddy had returned to his old Jazz because it was lighter.

Now granted, the Jazz is nice, but no way is it lighter than the Steinberger, so that cannot be the only reason. I suspect that the fact that Fender has a Geddy Lee model out there is the main reason now. I suspect that contractually, in order for Fender to continue to pay Geddy for his sponsership, Geddy has to be seen playing his Jazz a certain percentage of the time. Hence the use of the the RIC 4001 for just one song.