Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

... Asia - Wildest Dreams

John Wetton claims he used his old Rickenbacker 4001; thought to be a 4001S.

Did he play a Rick with U.K. ?

he did play a Ric once in a while ... but when he was with UK and King Crimson the p-bass was his main instrument ...

I saw UK in 1977 (I think) at The Orpheum in Boston. He had a white P bass without a pickguard. Unbelievable band.

Interesting! I didn't know JW played a RIC on that track.

I asked him at the 2002 fan convention what he played the RIC on, and he only mentioned the Don't Cry video.

Just listen to ASIA - Only Time will tell and it's a great Tone !!! I was not aware John Wetton played Ricks, always seen him with his Jazz or P Bass and the SVT stack. In U.K., his Tone is absolutely awesome too.

Wetton is one underrated cat...

I think it was Jeff Rath that put up a soundbite from KC's USA album - I still have that on my desktop. Until I get the disc, of course!

I saw him at the Bajaprog 2000 with his band.
He was drunk and played all the old songs of KC and Asia, looked everybody with pretention and was booed because he refused to come on the stage with other bands. Very sad...

I just listened to it. It certainly sounds more like a Ric than a P-bass or anything else. Good track !

those first 2 Asia LPs are massive.

Never was too impressed with Asia...a few moments of a few tracks seemed to me to reach the point that they should have been at all the time. Like the Yes albums from that period I am a little less critical when I hear them now, but Asia as a whole diappointed me.

Now UK...there's a different bird. The final 1/4 of the album UK ("In The Dead Of Night" some might call it) is some of the finest bass playing Wetton put down IMHO. The instrumental in "Mental Medication" flies.

Never though he used a Rick...always seemed like a P with the tone cranked up, but depending on the amp I suppose those two sounds can be pretty similar. I actually played a P the other day and all in all I was a little underwhelmed...didn't have the beefy bottom I expected. With the tone pot open it was very bright.

I suppose they are like Rics in that respect, albeit on a lesser level. I have 2 P's and they both sound very different. They also both have very different shaped necks. I would still go with Wetton playing a Ric on that Asia track though.

OK. It's Friday evening and I've got a bit of time. I listened very carefully to "Wildest Dreams." With all due respect, I do not believe it's a RIC. Listen to the first time the bass pseudo-solos at 00:35. It's his P-Bass! Crispy and clear, but not a RIC.

I know JW has a RIC that he treats with great respect, but I'm pretty sure it's not on this track.

A great Rickenbacker track? Many come to my mind. How about Renaissance's Northern Lights (1978 version?
As for John Wetton, I remember seeing him (on TV? In a picture?) also playing a Gibson Victory.