How does he get this tone??

[White Cloud]

This has annoyed me since this LP was released way back in the day.....how does Geddy get this tone?

I love it...almost a touch of wah or phase..or something!?!? I'm sure he used the Steinberger on this recording as it was pre-Wal era - but I may be wrong. What else is he using???

http://youtu.be/9kJWkmtjoX4

[Lowender]

Actually sounds like a Jazz with a pick to me -- maybe a bit of chorus, a lot of compression and a big 4 K boost. And it was recorded on a $500,000 console.

Do that, and you'll get close.

[Judo Chop]

Sounds like a plectrum to me

[Dingus]

I love the tone on that track , too . It was indeed , as far as I know , the Steinberger . I have read Geddy saying in interviews that ,in retrospect , he was less than completly happy with his sound on that album and that he feels the Steinberger lacked a certain bottom -end warmth , but it sounds great to me . The pick-like attack is entirely due to Geddy's uniquely aggressive fingerstyle approach . To properly replicate that sound , though, you would need to roll up the sleeves of your jacket and a World -class mullet hairstyle .

Edited August 3, 2013 by Dingus

[White Cloud]

[quote name='Jack Cahalane' timestamp='1375552701' post='2162866']
Sounds like a plectrum to me
[/quote]
It does a bit....never known Geddy to use a pick though. Interesting.

It has that Wal "wah" type tone but I'm sure I read somewhere in the dim and distant past that he used the XL2 on this recording and tour.

[White Cloud]

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1375552900' post='2162870']
I love the tone on that track , too . It was indeed , as far as I know , the Steinberger . I have read Geddy saying in interviews that ,in retrospect , he was less than completly happy with his sound on that album and that he feels the Steinberger lacked a certain bottom -end warmth , but it sounds great to me . The pick-like attack is entirely due to Geddy's uniquely aggressive fingerstyle approach . To properly replicate that sound , though, you to roll up the sleeves of your jacket and a World -class mullet hairstyle .
[/quote]
Yup...love this tone too. My second favourite recorded Geddy tone to the Wal on "Power Windows".

[Dingus]

[quote name='White Cloud' timestamp='1375553004' post='2162873']
Yup...love this tone too. My second favourite recorded Geddy tone to the Wal on "Power Windows".
[/quote]

Geddy was in such great form in those days . He inspired a whole generation of bass players all over the World during that era . His sound and overall approach to playing the bass from Signals onwards were a really interesting attempt to incorporate some of the more modern sounds and styles for the bass guitar that were becoming so prominent in popular music in the 1980's . To be honest , his more recent sound with his Jazz Bass and the Sansamp is much less appealing to me . I like his sound and approach on Counterparts , but since then his sound has been less exciting to me . He used to have a markedly different tone on each new album , but for a long time now he seems to have settled on a kind of modern rock bass by numbers sort of sound i.e a Fender bass with a distorted top end , and I think it's time for a change .

[White Cloud]

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1375553819' post='2162880']
Geddy was in such great form in those days . He inspired a whole generation of bass players all over the World during that era . His sound and overall approach to playing the bass from Signals onwards were a really interesting attempt to incorporate some of the more modern sounds and styles for the bass guitar that were becoming so prominent in popular music in the 1980's . To be honest , his more recent sound with his Jazz Bass and the Sansamp is much less appealing to me . I like his sound and approach on Counterparts , but since then his sound has been less exciting to me . He used to have a markedly different tone on each new album , but for a long time now he seems to have settled on a kind of modern rock bass by numbers sort of sound i.e a Fender bass with a distorted top end , and I think it's time for a change .
[/quote]
You have just nailed my exact same sentiments!!!!!!!!

Could not agree more - his Fender/Sansamp combination over the last few years leaves me cold.

[Dingus]

[quote name='White Cloud' timestamp='1375554980' post='2162896']
You have just nailed my exact same sentiments!!!!!!!!

Could not agree more - his Fender/Sansamp combination over the last few years leaves me cold.
[/quote]

I read recently that Geddy has got a Spector bass recently ( I don't know what kind , presumably / hopefully an NS -style one ) , and he is really enjoying playing it at home . It would be great for him to make a radical departure and play something like that on the next Rush album .

[White Cloud]

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1375555664' post='2162905']
I read recently that Geddy has got a Spector bass recently ( I don't know what kind , presumably / hopefully an NS -style one ) , and he is really enjoying playing it at home . It would be great for him to make a radical departure and play something like that on the next Rush album .
[/quote]
Agreed...time for something new imo.

[morsefull]

I'd say there's definitely some chorus going on.

[wateroftyne]

[quote name='White Cloud' timestamp='1375556689' post='2162916']
Agreed...time for something new imo.
[/quote]

The Jazz is fine. An amp, a 15" cab and a nice mic is all that's missing.

[dmccombe7]

[quote name='White Cloud' timestamp='1375554980' post='2162896']
You have just nailed my exact same sentiments!!!!!!!!

Could not agree more - his Fender/Sansamp combination over the last few years leaves me cold.
[/quote]
Agree - preferred his earlier sound even when he used the Jazz.

[D-L-B]

I really can't hear anything special in the bass tone here.

[White Cloud]

[quote name='D-L-B' timestamp='1375603851' post='2163230']
I really can't hear anything special in the bass tone here.
[/quote]
This is a good example of the different individual perceptions that we all have. For me there is a very special, hard to define aspect to this tone.

[BigRedX]

IME chasing someone else's tone is a fruitless exercise. And doubly so when you're listening to something on a studio recording where the sound is so much more than just the player instrument and the amp. Plus the thing that makes any instrument sound great is not the instrument on it's own but how it fits in with all the other sounds in the arrangement. Change any one of those other instruments and the chances are that you'll also have to change the tone of the instrument that you are so admiring in order to make it sound great in the mix again.

[White Cloud]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1375607054' post='2163265']
IME chasing someone else's tone is a fruitless exercise. And doubly so when you're listening to something on a studio recording where the sound is so much more than just the player instrument and the amp. Plus the thing that makes any instrument sound great is not the instrument on it's own but how it fits in with all the other sounds in the arrangement. Change any one of those other instruments and the chances are that you'll also have to change the tone of the instrument that you are so admiring in order to make it sound great in the mix again.
[/quote]
Not sure what exactly you mean by chasing that tone?

If you mean "chasing his tone" by trying to understand how he did it then I disagree with you as I find it interesting, and it would make me happy to understand how he did it.
if you mean "chasing his tone" in the context of trying to copy it then I totally agree with you. I sound like me...and it is, and always will be wholly disimilar to the tone in question

[D-L-B]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1375607054' post='2163265']
IME chasing someone else's tone is a fruitless exercise. And doubly so when you're listening to something on a studio recording where the sound is so much more than just the player instrument and the amp. Plus the thing that makes any instrument sound great is not the instrument on it's own but how it fits in with all the other sounds in the arrangement. Change any one of those other instruments and the chances are that you'll also have to change the tone of the instrument that you are so admiring in order to make it sound great in the mix again.
[/quote]
Totally agree.
The amount of "tone chasing" on this forum is ridiculous. It just shows a lack of musical understanding, IMO. Even the original artist doesn't actually sound like what you're listening to. The tone on a recording is a concocted sound moulded out of what was captured on the day, often quite distinct from the raw sound actually captured. Listen to a band live and the tone can vary considerably from gig to gig depending on conditions.

The music of Rush leaves me cold. They're like a joke band, I can't take them any more seriously than I would Spinal Tap. However that doesn't stop me admitting that I have occasionally admired Geddy's tone. This however is not one of those occasions. It sounds pretty bog standard and a bit thin to me, like a programmed bass sample. I believe I could approximate it, as well as anyone including even Geddy, on most of my basses with a pick and the tone rolled back.

Edited August 4, 2013 by D-L-B

[wateroftyne]

The OP jut asked about someone's tone - on a bass forum, of all places - and he's accused of having a lack of musical understanding?

Get a grip.

[jezzaboy]

Yeah, he used the Steinberger on this record. He started using it due to it`s size and the fact that it had no headstock, which made it a lot easier to play all those bloomin keyboards at the time. He stopped using it as he wasn`t happy with the bottom end he was getting from it. The same excuse he used when changing from his Ric.

The Wal wasn`t used until he played Peter Collin`s Wal when they went back to record in the UK.

Good album.

Edited August 4, 2013 by jezzaboy

[miles'tone]

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1375555664' post='2162905']


I read recently that Geddy has got a Spector bass recently ( I don't know what kind , presumably / hopefully an NS -style one ) , and he is really enjoying playing it at home . It would be great for him to make a radical departure and play something like that on the next Rush album .
[/quote]

I do wonder if it may be difficult in some ways for Geddy to stop using the Fender Jazz due to his signature Jazz bass being so popular. Would he have a contract with Fender to continue to be seen using it? Would he miss the income he probably gets from having his name on such a successful model?
I wonder how such a deal works when you're a player at that level.

[xilddx]

[quote name='D-L-B' timestamp='1375608739' post='2163297']
Totally agree.
The amount of "tone chasing" on this forum is ridiculous. It just shows a lack of musical understanding, IMO. Even the original artist doesn't actually sound like what you're listening to. The tone on a recording is a concocted sound moulded out of what was captured on the day, often quite distinct from the raw sound actually captured. Listen to a band live and the tone can vary considerably from gig to gig depending on conditions.

The music of Rush leaves me cold. They're like a joke band, I can't take them any more seriously than I would Spinal Tap. However that doesn't stop me admitting that I have occasionally admired Geddy's tone. This however is not one of those occasions. It sounds pretty bog standard and a bit thin to me, like a programmed bass sample. I believe I could approximate it, as well as anyone including even Geddy, on most of my basses with a pick and the tone rolled back.
[/quote]

Yes yes, we all know the produced sound on a record is vastly different to the recorded sound and that there is much tone chasing on here. So what? How did you learn about tone? Or do you even care about your tone?

Chasing tones you like is a great motivator to refine your own tones and learn about eq and how tone profiles work in a band setting. I would not advocate spending loads of money on the same gear as your hero, however, it's possible to approximate tones on the bass gear you have already, and if you get a tone that works in your band and delights you, wtf is wrong with that? You don't come out the womb with pre-concieved notions of bass tone, you learn initially by imitation of what you like, then refine to suit your own evolving tastes.

I won't comment on your remark about Rush being a joke band.

[rogerstodge]

Can someone tell me what song it is ? The link won't work for me

[White Cloud]

[quote name='rogerstodge' timestamp='1375613745' post='2163384']
Can someone tell me what song it is ? The link won't work for me
[/quote]
Distant early warning from grace under pressure. Sorry the link doesn't work my friend!

[White Cloud]

[quote name='D-L-B' timestamp='1375608739' post='2163297']
Totally agree.
The amount of "tone chasing" on this forum is ridiculous. It just shows a lack of musical understanding, IMO. Even the original artist doesn't actually sound like what you're listening to. The tone on a recording is a concocted sound moulded out of what was captured on the day, often quite distinct from the raw sound actually captured. Listen to a band live and the tone can vary considerably from gig to gig depending on conditions.

The music of Rush leaves me cold. They're like a joke band, I can't take them any more seriously than I would Spinal Tap. However that doesn't stop me admitting that I have occasionally admired Geddy's tone. This however is not one of those occasions. It sounds pretty bog standard and a bit thin to me, like a programmed bass sample. I believe I could approximate it, as well as anyone including even Geddy, on most of my basses with a pick and the tone rolled back.
[/quote]
Oh dear....here we go again, someone is having a bad day.

Apologies for asking the question that seems to have upset you.....but you have the choice to simply ignore it.