Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Maybe this has been mentioned before, but I just got the "Yes - Symphonic Live" DVD/CD set this afternoon and Squire slaps quite a bit on Close To The Edge! What a great DVD with lots of excellent shots of Chris' playing.

Does anybody know what bass that is that Chris plays during Owner Of A Lonely Heart? I have never seen that one before. Is that his Westone Electra? It is white with Schaller M4S tuners, P pickup, large pickguard, body style sort of like a cross between a Vox Teardrop and an Astro!

That sounds like the Electra, I've seen him play it on "Tempus Fugit", but he usually plays the Mouradian on "Owner of a Lonely Heart".

Thanks Scott.

BTW, it looks like he has a V63 horseshoe pickup in the #1 bass, as the shoes don't look like mid 60s shoes, judging from the shape of them. The tops of the shoes are parallel with the body top, not angled up like these:



The V63 shoes are more like this:



The DVD shows some very good close ups of the pickup.

For those who don't own the DVD... here's what Jps is referring to...

-> Squire slapping...



-> Pickup...



-> Pickup...

He looks like he's enjoying slapping, too! Chris does it a lot throughout Close To The Edge.

I saw Yes back in '91 during the "Union" tour, had great seats, and noticed that from start to finish he played a CS signature., I could see the autograph on the pickguard. Makes me wonder if maybe he has retired the original, and maybe put the original guard on a signature model.????

But,,,relating to the pickup question, here's a pic from way back (not very good), but seems to suggest that his horseshoe may have deviated from the stock ones at the time.

Here's a pic of his Electra also.

That's it, I've never seen it before.

I wouldn't say Chris is playing slap bass. I've got the video too and he just strikes the "E" string with is thumb occasionally to get e specific kind of attack. When he starts alternating between popping a string with his ring finger and slapping another with his thumb we might have something. As a side note, I remember back around '79 or so being in a music store and seeing the Electra MPC bass and all 10 or 12 of the available effect modules too. In Squires bass instructional tape, he mentions that his Electra bass was the prototype of an idea that never went into production.

"I wouldn't say Chris is playing slap bass. I've got the video too and he just strikes the "E" string with is thumb occasionally to get a specific kind of attack."

I agree.

...more like "Squire strumming."

"he just strikes the "E" string with is thumb occasionally to get a specific kind of attack."

Isn't that what slapping is? I differentiate slapping from popping as you can do one without the other.

I'm not into "slapping" myself(at least not on my bass)but I believe it actually involves a percussive "slapping" of the strings with the bottom of several fingers outstretched on the right hand while muting the strings with your left hand and intermittantly fretting notes.

About the pickups and tone: Jim Mouradian is a friend of mine and knows Chris's gear. If you look at the live back-line you will see at least two Marshall tube heads. I've been told by Jim that the output from the original 4001S is so weak that they use the Marshall to Pre-Amp the signal path, taking a line level signal off the back of the Marshall, (I don't know if it's after the power amp section or right off the pre-amp part of the head) from there it goes to the effects and then to the power amps. So, it's unlikely that the original horseshoe has been changed out.
Kenny

Hey Chris, fancy a new set of pickups? Your 4001 shall thank you.