I love the Rickenbacker bass sounds but I think we all have to agree, there's the Chris Squire Rickenbacker bass sound and then there's all the rest of the Ricky players out there. Chris was such a unique player. Even Geddy Lee said that when he got his first 4001 he was disappointed that it sounded nothing like Chris Squire.
barkbustin -- Geddy playing Roundabout at Yes' RRHoF induction must've been the very definition of bitter-sweet. I really think he should've played his Rick though. From what I heard, originally Steve was going to play bass on Roundabout, but I'm Geddy lobbied hard to get the gig. Perfect choice, and Rush were the perfect choice for the hosts. Although, I'm sure Dream Theater would've been glad to do it. JP said the band's goal was to be the metal Yes.
@@davep8221 i find it super cool that Rush would wait all night to get Yes tickets, then years later, Dream Theater met while in line for Rush tickets. The universe in balance.
As far as I recall from seeing Chris play many times in UK , He used a Maestro Fuzztone Z1b with the 4 transistors with 2 of 2N3992s in push pull output to drive the amp , an in active in line compressor (LDR/LED) and expression pedals in my case a modified Vox to Cloursound with the typical bass values for Rs and caps . I have successfully modified one of those cheap JHS pedals for the same effect for a mate, despite the fact it uses half a transformer core as the choke that is way off the impedance . Not something like that . I can get the same sounds with those pedal ( I have cloned the Maestro pedal with the same transistors and germanium diode on output ) on a PJ base with the neck pick up switched to parallel and both pickups on and volume full and tone adjusted to suit .With the neck pickup switched to series we have more grunt from that to emulate the other sounds for the noodled parts . Like Chris , once set he barely adjusted anything during a live gig, so much of his sound came from touch and ability . The reason you can do this on a single coil PJ style bass is the bridge pup of a PJ would sit next to the Rick bridge pup on the neck side , and allowing for slight scale length weirdness from Rickenbacker makes no difference on the node point of the strings . Wire wounds are essential Chris used Rotosound , I use Dean Markley flatwounds won't get you there . The amp is a '72 H/H 100w BassAmp VS ( very popular with most bands for bass ( some players just used the H/H MA 100 PA amp ) with a 4x10 Celestion ported cabinet as most valve amps were shit for bass and made better guitar amps eg Fender Bassman . You need a lot more copper and Iron to produce a good output transformer for valves and for 100w twice the size of the MT to get the lows . When you design an OT for an amp the Fq comes into the equation. A guitar you are dealing with 50Hz for a bass 20Hz and a dramatic increase in size occurs . The bass amp takes the H/H 'Clockwork Concubine' flanger based on the old EH pedal of a similar name ( Electric Mistress ) straight into the DIN effects socket in front of the amp as it uses a 48v supply . So there is an absolute minimum in the signal train from bass to preamp stage which is pulled up by the Maestro output . That pedal also adds the little Fuzz used on some numbers by applying it with the toe . I couldn't find the correct cable for the flanger as this has 2 screened sections to stop crosstalk , so had to make it from heatshrink and a multi cables as nothing like it existed . I still don't see the cable needed in any catalogue . If you use a single shield multistage cable that is available you get crosstalk like a tap tempo from the processor inside the pedal .
Richie, i am 62 and a bass player, Chris Squire has been my favorite since i 1st seen him do the fragile tour, i Have seen Yes in concert 17 times, your band does the best copies of Yes tunes I ever heard, Love your tone, it is spot on, Keep rocking, you are a fantastic bassist!!1 God Bless JD
I saw the last three tours of Yes with Chris Squire still around, and he always had his Classic mix of Amps . . . . 2, Ampeg SVT 8-10 cabs 1, Marshall 4-12 cab 1, Custom made 2-15 cab In 2013' I was in the 3rd row right in front of Squire's rig at a smaller venue and got the full sound from his Amps !!!! Just Fantastic !! Still so sad R.I.P
Right on Brother!! Chris Squire best darn bass player in the galaxy imo RIP. He added such an incredible dimension to YES music with his musicianship, sound, and singing!!
@@nickavenoso7851 I saw your reply and watched the video again. That growl is awesome and to me sounds like a giant clever thwacking a hanging side of beef! Gave me goosebumps just like the first time I watched it.
Amazing job. I was really glad to see Chris Squire again before he passed. And what a show. Close to the Edge in reverse and Fragile and a bunch of hits. So awesome.
Great bit of Bass Geekery Richie. I met Chris Squire in 1975 on the Relayer tour - he'd been a hero of mine since The Yes Album blew mw away in 1971. Shook his hand and went home a happy boy. Jon Anderson came from my home town. Loving your Yes covers. PS - I got a Ricky myself and have always been 'high in the mix' as a Bass player.
it's not just that he was so good, but the whole sound that chris squire brought about is just so heavy and sick, it just grabs hold of me whenever i hear it, your rendition sounds pretty close to my ears, it must be a lot of fun to do
Absolutely outstanding playing and doing Chris proud I met Yes several times in their hey day and git and album dedication on Tormato for my loyalty to the band after show at Wembley 78 Chris's bass tech came up to me and had clipped his bass strings from his Rickenbacker that he played the show with still have them treasured x
I just got my 4003!!! I can’t wait for it to arrive. I am very excited and your video just made me even more happy! I will have unbelievable tones with Ric-O-Sound and my Kemper !!!!
Saw Yes live in Dublin in 2001 - the boink sound of the bass was incredible; better than I imagined. And this is in a venue known to swallow bass sounds.
This brings back memories, I used to play bass in a band that covered some Yes songs. I had the 4003 with the "Rick-O-Sound" double outputs, I used the same Rotosound strings as you, and I had a Morley bass wah pedal. Man, I miss that bass, I regret selling it sooo much! Young and stupid, I still kick myself over that! I used a GallienKruger bass head with a couple of EV 15" cabs, two 4x10" Gauss cabs, and a Jands power amp preamp set up to get that stereo sound. It was punchy without sounding thin.
Thank you! I too love Chris Squier's sound, and have come pretty close with my Fender J-Bass. Use an original Line 6 Bass Pod, for the thick, fat, compressed sound going in. Then "in the box" I've been taking an aux send from the bass channel and running that through a small vitual overdriven guitar amp. It's worked pretty well, I guess, since other musicians have assumed I was using a Rickenbacker. But you have really nailed the sound. I think I'm relying too much on overdriving the small amp, and would get more what I'm looking for with EQ and compression. I'm glad you did one with the J-Bass, now I'm inspired. Thanks again, you rock.
I'm a guitar player, and though I have filled in on bass here and there, I don't think a lot about bass. But that slightly distorted Rick bass tone has got to be the most incredible bass tone of all time. Geddy obviously began his career obsessing over it.
Awesome amount of modern day knowledge of todays tools to get the right tones! Rock on bro! To think Chris worked though basic tools back in the day to get his various tones, makes you appreciate his skills even more! By the way, EVERY riff you just laid down here gave me a semi. X
Hey dude! I also play the bass in a Yes tribute band. You got an amazing tone and it's suuper awesome from you to share your setup! Congratulations/Thank you for that!
I always thought of YES as Chris Squire's Band, the one he put together to showcase his talent, and all the musicians he played with in YES recognized his talent _and were happy_ to build songs around his sonic dominance of the final product. They were smart to do so...
Richie, you're a great teacher, and player. There is a natural sense of generosity, and kindness about everything I've watched so far. Wish you lived on the West Coast... It would be fun to shred!!!
Love your channel. I'm around the same age as you and have so many of the same tastes in music. I even own almost all the same instruments you do as well. I live in Queens NY near by to you and have come to your store a few times in the past. I also have been a big part of my local music store Albertos Music in Queens. Albertos is another mom and pop music store in nyc I'm pretty sure your dad has heard of it. Chris Squire is also my favorite bass player of all time and I play bass for a rock/metal band from Staten Island "Pist.On". We practice out there close by to your dad's store. So happy to see your massive sucess online. It's well deserved. You, your dad's store and your family are wonderful people with a great reputation amoung musicians in nyc. It's so great to see you have all this sucess. I really enjoy seeing another Rickenacker fanatic like myself as well. I also play a vintage early 70s Rickenacker 4001 bass and own a vintage Rickenacker 325 ala John Lennon. I also mod my instruments a ton and love Brian May. I own so much of the same gear as you and have many of the same musical interests It's freaky. People have made jokes about how weirdly similar we are. That's why I love your channel and content so much. I hope you continue to blow up online. Your my favorite youtube channel. Love your music and band as well and you and your dad are such wonderful people. I wish you the absolute best of luck !
Thank you so much for making this available! I just received my Helix today, and I have wanted to replicate the Squire tone for years...nay!...decades! "Heart of the Sunrise" is one of my regular "workout" songs, and I need a "project" to get me familiar with this remarkable machine.
Very cool, Richie. You have a great knowledge of the parts Squire played, facility on the instrument, and the grasp for modern digital processing to simulate the sound he got with analog equipment 50 (YIKES!) years ago. The section of your post demonstrating the sound with basses other than the Ric were of personal interest. I was also impressed with your command of the Sound Chaser lick, which I think is one of Squire’s best, and one I have yet to attempt. I’d be curious to hear you discuss an approach to a live performance situation, and if you would use software or pedals, etc. to get the Fish-o-sound. Geek on, man.
Thanks Richie, for sharing the settings. I've been a big fan of Yes since the early 70s. I played bass in a band, and would try to get as close to this sound as possible. I figured the strings had a lot to do with it, but new bass strings were expensive for a high school kid. We went to see Yes in Kansas City on their tour right after the release of Relayer. We walked into the auditorium early in the afternoon to see where our seats were, and Chris Squire walked up on the stage and played a few riffs to check on the set-up. We were the only other people in the auditorium. When he finished, he walked right past us, obviously open for interaction. All we could manage was a dumbfounded smile, and "Hi." Ah, missed opportunities due to adolescent insecurities. I was immediately irritated that I hadn't said anything to one of my heroes. By the way, I have always liked Rick Wakeman, but I was blown away by Patrick Moraz at that concert.
Brilliant! I have long wondered how dealt with your Ric 4001 with the Helix, here you have answered so many latent questions on how you created some the sound we hear on the amazing Band Geek covers of Yes! Thanks Richie, great job! So many over-do the attempt to create Squire-type sound, you have kept it much cleaner and brilliantly apply compressors to allow the "clean" sound to come alive 'a la Squire' -- certainly works well with the vintage Ric! Keeping the neck P/U separate is really makes a difference, regardless of filter harmonics and drivers you choose to use. BTW, I love how you are willing to wear the musician and engineer hats separately ... it really makes it easier to understand where you are comin' from and goin' to on this journey -- you shift perspectives without muddying the big picture. Very cool indeed!
So many bassists from the 1970's were so awesome ... Chris Squire, Geddy Lee, Geezer Butler, John Entwistle, Lemmy, Paul McCartney. Now I have to try to figure out how to do something similar on my POD Go with a single signal chain.
Richie… I have been using a similar method to get something very much like this result from my bass. Just wanted to let you know that I may have a suggestion for you…I have used Rotosound 40s in the past as well but found that the brightness fades quickly when playing as aggressively as is necessary to make the sound happen. I have switched to Elixir 40-95 which have two benefits… they last incredibly long and stay bright for MUCH longer than Rotos also finger noise is less due to the coating which allows you to reintroduce some of the frequencies that you’re currently cutting to reduce the noise. They are available in all nickel or if you prefer something really close to the output of the rotosounds, you can get them in stainless steel as well. Give them a try if you’re interested and let me know how it works out… it WILL make a difference! Oh yes, and I love the work you put into all the band geeks stuff and a huge congratulations on your work with Jon Anderson… just excellent stuff!!!
Great job with the sounds. Great that you got that distortion element working in their. It really is a crucial part of the Chris sound. And...you sound more like Chris than either of the players touring with Yes.
Nice. Thanks, Richie. I remember asking Dave Meros of Spock's Beard how he got his Ric tone. His reply: Don't be afraid of distortion! But yeah, emulating the Ric sound on a Fender is of course what Geddy Lee was doing for the past 25 years. But to me the same thing happened for you: it sounded sorta choked off. The Ric just has a broader and fuller sonic spectrum, at least to my ears. Also, I've heard that many recording engineers absolutely loathe Rickenbackers. I understand why, but to me there's just no substitute.
I believe recording engineers don’t like Rics because they have a tendency to be noisey due to the single coil pickups. I personally love to record Ric basses, they have so much “note” in their midrange
@@jackrose8056 My past issues with engineers was that they insisted on running a Ric through the desk instead of mic-ing speakers, which from what I've heard is really the best way to record them. Going through the desk can result in the noise you're referring to, plus if it's recorded too cleanly you can also get "clank" from the string action.
Interesting Richie great video. I am gonna buy the Helix Line 6 soon based on this video. That said I have had the Rickenbacker 4001 stereo since the early 1970’s and found the Chris Squire sound back then. The neck pick up went straight into one input of the amp with the pick up tone on full treble capturing that typical signature Rickenbacker tone. The other bridge pick up went into a Maestro Brassmaster fuzz box (the fuzz on treble setting with very little fuzz on the depth of the fuzz box) then linked to a Cry Baby Wha Wha in its treble position then into the other separate input of the amp where the two separated stereo outputs mixed. The amp speakers were 4x12 or 6x10” but never 15” or 18” speakers. Like you said the bridge pick up sounds just tinny and trebley on its own but that is what gives you the Chris Squire grinding gutsy sound when mixed with the neck pick up. There are three eras of Chris Squire sound, Harold Land off 1st album, 2nd sound: Yours is No Disgrace & Roundabout then the third sound Close to the Edge, America & Revealing Science of God. The third version which had a more rattle clunky sound to the Rotosound Swing Bass strings where I found if you add a Electro Harmonics Electric Mistress flanger positioned after the Cry Baby and set on the non swirling setting, this gave a more metallic sound to the bridge pick up. Anyway, as you have kindly shared the Helix Line 6 with us which is a brilliant match to the Chris Squire sound. I share my sound setup before we all had Helix Line 6. The information came from vintage Chris Squire’s 1970’s Melody Maker question time and that is where I got the information from and it sounds great and works well. Apparently Chris Squire sometimes used the Marshall fuzz when using his white Telecaster bass, don’t know if that was an adapted stereo bass?
I actually think Chris Squire said in either his rig rundown video or a 90s master class video that's floating around that he only runs his effects through the bridge pickup, so right on there.
Glad I found your channel. I’m not a bassist, just a huge yes fan, and guitar player. Love the tones. I think I’ve seen the band in their more original configurations of Howe, Anderson, Wakeman, Squier, White, Rabin, and Moraz, maybe ten times. Looking forward to hearing more. Thanks! RIP Mr. Squier, truly one of the best.
Enjoyed this and it brought back memories from my first Ric experience in high school back in the 70s. I see there are others like me/us from the comments below. "Are we not Geeks? We are Castellano!"
Very well done many thanks for sharing your secret for the Chris Squire sound. I am more of a CS purest and lucky enough through the years to match pretty much every thing that Chris used.
Richie, thanks for all you do for the Helix community and music in general. As a Helix user I find your videos are very helpful, entertaining and they're much appreciated!
Richie, Thank you for you so much for presenting this. I’ve been searching over the years for a group of musicians who (beyond the actual members of Yes) understand their music and can present an in depth study of the sounds and techniques they’ve used over the years. It’s fantastic to actually see you playing these parts! You and your band mates have done an incredible job of the covers you’ve done, love watching them. Your wife’s voice is incredible! Could you talk little bit about Chris’s use of base peddles, I know he had them for years on stage and I can hear their usage predominately on the album “Yessongs” Sometimes it’s hard to distinguish wether it’s him or Rick creating the sound.
Born and raised a yes fan! Met the band and will pass the music to my children. My dad raised me on the best music!! Please play some Chris Squire fish out of water!!! Or Drama album!!! Thank you
Excellent! Now... how about Steve Howe? (Howe about?) Specifically, I would die for a Helix version of his tone on Yessongs. It's so damn ballsy, one of the best-recorded guitar tones of all time (IMO). There's something about the reverb or live bounce that makes it so exciting. Plus it's some of his best playing.. so aggressive and confident, 'Yours is No Disgrace' being one of the better examples. Keep at it Richie; we love it!
Thank you so much!This was an awesome tutorial! Not only are you a talented musician, your an excellent teacher in your articulation of making what your doing understandable. Thanks so much for sharing this! G-d Bless!
Excellent video. I bought my 4001 in '74 and still have and enjoy it. CS was my inspiration and you have done a great job in unpacking the tone secrets. I would only add one thing, which I don't think you mentioned in the video - you have to play really hard to force the strings to hit the frets - you do it very well but I'm not sure you actually mentioned the playing style aspect of the CS tone.
I can't believe I did a really good job simulating Chris's sound with simply using a split-er cable and two amps. Tweaked one to bass and the other to treble, worked good on my Carlo Robelle SG bass and Fender P-bass.
I don’t have any effects pedals or this “Helix” thing, but I get a fairly authentic Squire tone from just my Rick 4003 using Rick-o-Sound, the pull-out treble cap, a guitar amp for the bridge pup, a bass amp for the neck pup, and some knob twiddling on the amps themselves. The guitar amp lets me add gain and some delay to the treble signal. I agree you only want that grungy distortion when your attack is harder, and that’s what’s happening when I “dig in” with my current settings.
It’s amazing. Now matter how hard you try, a Jazz sounds like a Jazz, and a Rick sounds like a Rick. BTW I’d be interested to see how this can be accomplished with the technology of the time, like Squire did it.
I love the Rickenbacker bass sounds but I think we all have to agree, there's the Chris Squire Rickenbacker bass sound and then there's all the rest of the Ricky players out there. Chris was such a unique player. Even Geddy Lee said that when he got his first 4001 he was disappointed that it sounded nothing like Chris Squire.
Chris was one of the best bassist. RIP Chris 😔😔😔
i think he was the best ever. he tied all the moving parts together. amazing at writing and playing. no one else comes close
David Groll-Cook YES joke. Lmfbo
He inspired Geddy Lee of Rush. Geddy and Alex waited all night for Yes tickets. They were seriously inspired by YES.
I would wait a thousand nights to see Yes as they were in the 70s! These guys were so damn incredible.
barkbustin -- Geddy playing Roundabout at Yes' RRHoF induction must've been the very definition of bitter-sweet. I really think he should've played his Rick though.
From what I heard, originally Steve was going to play bass on Roundabout, but I'm Geddy lobbied hard to get the gig. Perfect choice, and Rush were the perfect choice for the hosts. Although, I'm sure Dream Theater would've been glad to do it. JP said the band's goal was to be the metal Yes.
@@davep8221 i find it super cool that Rush would wait all night to get Yes tickets, then years later, Dream Theater met while in line for Rush tickets. The universe in balance.
I first heard Yes as a young 12 year old. Listening to Starship Trooper and along Distance Run around. Been HOOKED ever since.
@@kitsune630 Back in the days when there wasn’t online or phone in for tix
As far as I recall from seeing Chris play many times in UK , He used a Maestro Fuzztone Z1b with the 4 transistors with 2 of 2N3992s in push pull output to drive the amp , an in active in line compressor (LDR/LED) and expression pedals in my case a modified Vox to Cloursound with the typical bass values for Rs and caps . I have successfully modified one of those cheap JHS pedals for the same effect for a mate, despite the fact it uses half a transformer core as the choke that is way off the impedance . Not something like that .
I can get the same sounds with those pedal ( I have cloned the Maestro pedal with the same transistors and germanium diode on output ) on a PJ base with the neck pick up switched to parallel and both pickups on and volume full and tone adjusted to suit .With the neck pickup switched to series we have more grunt from that to emulate the other sounds for the noodled parts . Like Chris , once set he barely adjusted anything during a live gig, so much of his sound came from touch and ability . The reason you can do this on a single coil PJ style bass is the bridge pup of a PJ would sit next to the Rick bridge pup on the neck side , and allowing for slight scale length weirdness from Rickenbacker makes no difference on the node point of the strings . Wire wounds are essential Chris used Rotosound , I use Dean Markley flatwounds won't get you there .
The amp is a '72 H/H 100w BassAmp VS ( very popular with most bands for bass ( some players just used the H/H MA 100 PA amp ) with a 4x10 Celestion ported cabinet as most valve amps were shit for bass and made better guitar amps eg Fender Bassman . You need a lot more copper and Iron to produce a good output transformer for valves and for 100w twice the size of the MT to get the lows . When you design an OT for an amp the Fq comes into the equation. A guitar you are dealing with 50Hz for a bass 20Hz and a dramatic increase in size occurs . The bass amp takes the H/H 'Clockwork Concubine' flanger based on the old EH pedal of a similar name ( Electric Mistress ) straight into the DIN effects socket in front of the amp as it uses a 48v supply . So there is an absolute minimum in the signal train from bass to preamp stage which is pulled up by the Maestro output . That pedal also adds the little Fuzz used on some numbers by applying it with the toe . I couldn't find the correct cable for the flanger as this has 2 screened sections to stop crosstalk , so had to make it from heatshrink and a multi cables as nothing like it existed . I still don't see the cable needed in any catalogue . If you use a single shield multistage cable that is available you get crosstalk like a tap tempo from the processor inside the pedal .
Richie, i am 62 and a bass player, Chris Squire has been my favorite since i 1st seen him do the fragile tour, i Have seen Yes in concert 17 times, your band does the best copies of Yes tunes I ever heard, Love your tone, it is spot on, Keep rocking, you are a fantastic bassist!!1 God Bless JD
I dont think Chris Squire played bass, he played Squire. He innovated that style/sound. Your diggin' deep into it. Great job, thanks!
I saw the last three tours of Yes with Chris Squire still around, and he always had his Classic mix of Amps . . . .
2, Ampeg SVT 8-10 cabs
1, Marshall 4-12 cab
1, Custom made 2-15 cab
In 2013' I was in the 3rd row right in front of Squire's rig at a smaller venue and got the full sound from his Amps !!!! Just Fantastic !! Still so sad R.I.P
Hearing some of those old songs and how well they were done, I honestly got a bit choked up...
Same here....such a crime that the media dumped real music for Punk Rock in 1978
Sounds Fishy...
So does that mean it's a BAss not a Base?
No. Schindleria Praematurus.
That the basst you can do? XD
Depends on your mood for a day 😉
@@WooBino. Neither..... it's Bath
Possibly one of the best sounds in ALL of rock 'n' roll....Fish's sound & Hammond + Leslie combo and Mellotron. Let me stop here... 😎
Thanks man. I love the Chris Squire growl. Rip Chris
Right on Brother!! Chris Squire best darn bass player in the galaxy imo RIP. He added such an incredible dimension to YES music with his musicianship, sound, and singing!!
Chris and Geddy. Just awesome tones. My favs! Thanks Richie. See you in St Charles next month!
Yup. And they both used the stereo pickup on their Rickys to split the signals to the amps like he's doing in this video.
funny though Geddy's sound came from his "Fender Jazz" (Moving Pictures)
.... (I know...I was SHOCKED as well)
and they both got thier sound from John Entwistle
William Roark Geddy also played a Rick on albums like Fly By Night, 2112, A Farewell To Kings, Hemispheres, and some tracks on Permanent Waves.
@@nickavenoso7851 I saw your reply and watched the video again. That growl is awesome and to me sounds like a giant clever thwacking a hanging side of beef! Gave me goosebumps just like the first time I watched it.
Amazing job. I was really glad to see Chris Squire again before he passed. And what a show. Close to the Edge in reverse and Fragile and a bunch of hits. So awesome.
Great bit of Bass Geekery Richie. I met Chris Squire in 1975 on the Relayer tour - he'd been a hero of mine since The Yes Album blew mw away in 1971. Shook his hand and went home a happy boy. Jon Anderson came from my home town. Loving your Yes covers. PS - I got a Ricky myself and have always been 'high in the mix' as a Bass player.
I bought "True" a few days ago. First, excellent musicianship by you and the rest of The Band Geeks! It brought back many fine Yes memories!
Saw you with Blue Oyster Cult last winter, you sounded killer on both guitar and keyboards, great performance, great show!
it's not just that he was so good, but the whole sound that chris squire brought about is just so heavy and sick, it just grabs hold of me whenever i hear it, your rendition sounds pretty close to my ears, it must be a lot of fun to do
Chris was incredible. Totally unique.
Squire's parts and musicality are very significant - visionary. THANK YOU for breaking this down and keeping the music alive.
Absolutely outstanding playing and doing Chris proud I met Yes several times in their hey day and git and album dedication on Tormato for my loyalty to the band after show at Wembley 78 Chris's bass tech came up to me and had clipped his bass strings from his Rickenbacker that he played the show with still have them treasured x
That bass sounded sooo lush and wonderful
Those tones were spot on.
Thank you!!! I have always been looking for a proper explanation of Chris's tone. This the best I've seen or heard.
The point you make at 8:00 is exactly what I thought too, thanks for reinforcing the theory.
I just got my 4003!!! I can’t wait for it to arrive. I am very excited and your video just made me even more happy! I will have unbelievable tones with Ric-O-Sound and my Kemper !!!!
Saw Yes live in Dublin in 2001 - the boink sound of the bass was incredible; better than I imagined. And this is in a venue known to swallow bass sounds.
This brings back memories, I used to play bass in a band that covered some Yes songs. I had the 4003 with the "Rick-O-Sound" double outputs, I used the same Rotosound strings as you, and I had a Morley bass wah pedal. Man, I miss that bass, I regret selling it sooo much! Young and stupid, I still kick myself over that! I used a GallienKruger bass head with a couple of EV 15" cabs, two 4x10" Gauss cabs, and a Jands power amp preamp set up to get that stereo sound. It was punchy without sounding thin.
Thank you! I too love Chris Squier's sound, and have come pretty close with my Fender J-Bass. Use an original Line 6 Bass Pod, for the thick, fat, compressed sound going in. Then "in the box" I've been taking an aux send from the bass channel and running that through a small vitual overdriven guitar amp. It's worked pretty well, I guess, since other musicians have assumed I was using a Rickenbacker. But you have really nailed the sound. I think I'm relying too much on overdriving the small amp, and would get more what I'm looking for with EQ and compression. I'm glad you did one with the J-Bass, now I'm inspired. Thanks again, you rock.
I'm a guitar player, and though I have filled in on bass here and there, I don't think a lot about bass. But that slightly distorted Rick bass tone has got to be the most incredible bass tone of all time. Geddy obviously began his career obsessing over it.
Awesome amount of modern day knowledge of todays tools to get the right tones! Rock on bro! To think Chris worked though basic tools back in the day to get his various tones, makes you appreciate his skills even more! By the way, EVERY riff you just laid down here gave me a semi. X
Hey dude! I also play the bass in a Yes tribute band. You got an amazing tone and it's suuper awesome from you to share your setup! Congratulations/Thank you for that!
Silent wings of freedom always takes my #1
And speaking of #1, your video takes the cake!
You’ve come a long way since this vid! Congratulations I hope this thing continues.
I always thought of YES as Chris Squire's Band, the one he put together to showcase his talent, and all the musicians he played with in YES recognized his talent _and were happy_ to build songs around his sonic dominance of the final product. They were smart to do so...
Richie, you're a great teacher, and player. There is a natural sense of generosity, and kindness about everything I've watched so far. Wish you lived on the West Coast... It would be fun to shred!!!
Wow! Fantastic sound!
I have 73 4001 and Helix.
Also I like Chris Squire.
You nailed all the things!!
Very nice video for me.
Thank you Richie!
Love your channel. I'm around the same age as you and have so many of the same tastes in music. I even own almost all the same instruments you do as well. I live in Queens NY near by to you and have come to your store a few times in the past. I also have been a big part of my local music store Albertos Music in Queens. Albertos is another mom and pop music store in nyc I'm pretty sure your dad has heard of it. Chris Squire is also my favorite bass player of all time and I play bass for a rock/metal band from Staten Island "Pist.On". We practice out there close by to your dad's store. So happy to see your massive sucess online. It's well deserved. You, your dad's store and your family are wonderful people with a great reputation amoung musicians in nyc. It's so great to see you have all this sucess. I really enjoy seeing another Rickenacker fanatic like myself as well. I also play a vintage early 70s Rickenacker 4001 bass and own a vintage Rickenacker 325 ala John Lennon. I also mod my instruments a ton and love Brian May. I own so much of the same gear as you and have many of the same musical interests It's freaky. People have made jokes about how weirdly similar we are. That's why I love your channel and content so much. I hope you continue to blow up online. Your my favorite youtube channel. Love your music and band as well and you and your dad are such wonderful people. I wish you the absolute best of luck !
Maybe we’re twins!
Thank you so much for making this available! I just received my Helix today, and I have wanted to replicate the Squire tone for years...nay!...decades! "Heart of the Sunrise" is one of my regular "workout" songs, and I need a "project" to get me familiar with this remarkable machine.
Very cool, Richie. You have a great knowledge of the parts Squire played, facility on the instrument, and the grasp for modern digital processing to simulate the sound he got with analog equipment 50 (YIKES!) years ago.
The section of your post demonstrating the sound with basses other than the Ric were of personal interest.
I was also impressed with your command of the Sound Chaser lick, which I think is one of Squire’s best, and one I have yet to attempt.
I’d be curious to hear you discuss an approach to a live performance situation, and if you would use software or pedals, etc. to get the Fish-o-sound.
Geek on, man.
I am a huge Chris squire fan and just bought a new maple ricky 4003s bass.. I have been experimenting with the ricko sound and it is fun.
Hit "play" to see how soon Rich said "Rotosounds". Was not disappointed. Great vid, as usual!
Chris Squire!!! Fantastic bassplayer en singer too!
Thanks Richie, for sharing the settings. I've been a big fan of Yes since the early 70s. I played bass in a band, and would try to get as close to this sound as possible. I figured the strings had a lot to do with it, but new bass strings were expensive for a high school kid.
We went to see Yes in Kansas City on their tour right after the release of Relayer. We walked into the auditorium early in the afternoon to see where our seats were, and Chris Squire walked up on the stage and played a few riffs to check on the set-up. We were the only other people in the auditorium. When he finished, he walked right past us, obviously open for interaction. All we could manage was a dumbfounded smile, and "Hi." Ah, missed opportunities due to adolescent insecurities. I was immediately irritated that I hadn't said anything to one of my heroes.
By the way, I have always liked Rick Wakeman, but I was blown away by Patrick Moraz at that concert.
Brilliant! I have long wondered how dealt with your Ric 4001 with the Helix, here you have answered so many latent questions on how you created some the sound we hear on the amazing Band Geek covers of Yes! Thanks Richie, great job! So many over-do the attempt to create Squire-type sound, you have kept it much cleaner and brilliantly apply compressors to allow the "clean" sound to come alive 'a la Squire' -- certainly works well with the vintage Ric! Keeping the neck P/U separate is really makes a difference, regardless of filter harmonics and drivers you choose to use. BTW, I love how you are willing to wear the musician and engineer hats separately ... it really makes it easier to understand where you are comin' from and goin' to on this journey -- you shift perspectives without muddying the big picture. Very cool indeed!
So many bassists from the 1970's were so awesome ... Chris Squire, Geddy Lee, Geezer Butler, John Entwistle, Lemmy, Paul McCartney. Now I have to try to figure out how to do something similar on my POD Go with a single signal chain.
Nothing but admiration for your talent, enthusiasm and interpretation of Chris Squire's sound here. Quite superb.
Richie… I have been using a similar method to get something very much like this result from my bass. Just wanted to let you know that I may have a suggestion for you…I have used Rotosound 40s in the past as well but found that the brightness fades quickly when playing as aggressively as is necessary to make the sound happen. I have switched to Elixir 40-95 which have two benefits… they last incredibly long and stay bright for MUCH longer than Rotos also finger noise is less due to the coating which allows you to reintroduce some of the frequencies that you’re currently cutting to reduce the noise. They are available in all nickel or if you prefer something really close to the output of the rotosounds, you can get them in stainless steel as well. Give them a try if you’re interested and let me know how it works out… it WILL make a difference!
Oh yes, and I love the work you put into all the band geeks stuff and a huge congratulations on your work with Jon Anderson… just excellent stuff!!!
Very good job at finding that very elusive Christopher Russell Edward Squire`s sound. Brilliant
Great job with the sounds. Great that you got that distortion element working in their. It really is a crucial part of the Chris sound. And...you sound more like Chris than either of the players touring with Yes.
Loved your breakdown of his sound. I have always been attracted to out front Bass players like Chris Squire, and Geddy Lee
Thanks Rich great patch, sounds perfect, Chris Squire was one of my favorites I got to see him three times in the round
been waiting 30 years for this video.. thanks!
I only watched 38 secs of this video and have to say you nailed it! Let me go and watch the rest of the video now.
Nice. Thanks, Richie. I remember asking Dave Meros of Spock's Beard how he got his Ric tone. His reply: Don't be afraid of distortion!
But yeah, emulating the Ric sound on a Fender is of course what Geddy Lee was doing for the past 25 years. But to me the same thing happened for you: it sounded sorta choked off. The Ric just has a broader and fuller sonic spectrum, at least to my ears.
Also, I've heard that many recording engineers absolutely loathe Rickenbackers. I understand why, but to me there's just no substitute.
And the rick has two completely isolated signal paths vs one common path with a crossover that is affecting the sound in not so great ways.
I believe recording engineers don’t like Rics because they have a tendency to be noisey due to the single coil pickups. I personally love to record Ric basses, they have so much “note” in their midrange
@@jackrose8056 My past issues with engineers was that they insisted on running a Ric through the desk instead of mic-ing speakers, which from what I've heard is really the best way to record them. Going through the desk can result in the noise you're referring to, plus if it's recorded too cleanly you can also get "clank" from the string action.
Interesting Richie great video. I am gonna buy the Helix Line 6 soon based on this video. That said I have had the Rickenbacker 4001 stereo since the early 1970’s and found the Chris Squire sound back then. The neck pick up went straight into one input of the amp with the pick up tone on full treble capturing that typical signature Rickenbacker tone. The other bridge pick up went into a Maestro Brassmaster fuzz box (the fuzz on treble setting with very little fuzz on the depth of the fuzz box) then linked to a Cry Baby Wha Wha in its treble position then into the other separate input of the amp where the two separated stereo outputs mixed. The amp speakers were 4x12 or 6x10” but never 15” or 18” speakers. Like you said the bridge pick up sounds just tinny and trebley on its own but that is what gives you the Chris Squire grinding gutsy sound when mixed with the neck pick up. There are three eras of Chris Squire sound, Harold Land off 1st album, 2nd sound: Yours is No Disgrace & Roundabout then the third sound Close to the Edge, America & Revealing Science of God. The third version which had a more rattle clunky sound to the Rotosound Swing Bass strings where I found if you add a Electro Harmonics Electric Mistress flanger positioned after the Cry Baby and set on the non swirling setting, this gave a more metallic sound to the bridge pick up.
Anyway, as you have kindly shared the Helix Line 6 with us which is a brilliant match to the Chris Squire sound. I share my sound setup before we all had Helix Line 6. The information came from vintage Chris Squire’s 1970’s Melody Maker question time and that is where I got the information from and it sounds great and works well. Apparently Chris Squire sometimes used the Marshall fuzz when using his white Telecaster bass, don’t know if that was an adapted stereo bass?
I actually think Chris Squire said in either his rig rundown video or a 90s master class video that's floating around that he only runs his effects through the bridge pickup, so right on there.
Thank you for the tutorial,
It took me almost an hour to get all the settings on my helix LT but it really gets a very good sound.
Glad I found your channel. I’m not a bassist, just a huge yes fan, and guitar player. Love the tones. I think I’ve seen the band in their more original configurations of Howe, Anderson, Wakeman, Squier, White, Rabin, and Moraz, maybe ten times. Looking forward to hearing more. Thanks! RIP Mr. Squier, truly one of the best.
Enjoyed this and it brought back memories from my first Ric experience in high school back in the 70s. I see there are others like me/us from the comments below. "Are we not Geeks? We are Castellano!"
This was an awesome video. As a Helix owner and bass player, there are few videos out there for bass sounds so I really appreciate you taking the time
Very well done many thanks for sharing your secret for the Chris Squire sound. I am more of a CS purest and lucky enough through the years to match pretty much every thing that Chris used.
Richie, thanks for all you do for the Helix community and music in general. As a Helix user I find your videos are very helpful, entertaining and they're much appreciated!
Amazing mate you have just found a new fan, excellent, i am a big Yes, and Chris fan, great playing Chris would be proud, superb
Dude best RIK Guy on the webs ...Thank you
Love that bass! And great playing, as always.
Great video, it helps me a lot to get closer to the Chris Squire sound. Thanks a lot!
Chris Squire is my favourite musician
Richie I love what you are doing! I really hope your tour comes to Portland, OR!
Wow I'm shocked to see someone nail this tone so well with a single box. You're tempting me to buy a helix!
Richie, Thank you for you so much for presenting this. I’ve been searching over the years for a group of musicians who (beyond the actual members of Yes) understand their music and can present an in depth study of the sounds and techniques they’ve used over the years. It’s fantastic to actually see you playing these parts! You and your band mates have done an incredible job of the covers you’ve done, love watching them. Your wife’s voice is incredible!
Could you talk little bit about Chris’s use of base peddles, I know he had them for years on stage and I can hear their usage predominately on the album “Yessongs” Sometimes it’s hard to distinguish wether it’s him or Rick creating the sound.
I love to see you do this with 2 amps, because I have no idea what you're using.
Born and raised a yes fan! Met the band and will pass the music to my children. My dad raised me on the best music!! Please play some Chris Squire fish out of water!!! Or Drama album!!! Thank you
Wow! This was really great. Thanks for sharing this with us!
Amazing and typical Fish sound😀😀👏👏👏
Top self tone. Chris would be proud.
Cheers for passing your knowledge.
Holy crap, that's spot on!
Excellent! Now... how about Steve Howe? (Howe about?) Specifically, I would die for a Helix version of his tone on Yessongs. It's so damn ballsy, one of the best-recorded guitar tones of all time (IMO). There's something about the reverb or live bounce that makes it so exciting. Plus it's some of his best playing.. so aggressive and confident, 'Yours is No Disgrace' being one of the better examples. Keep at it Richie; we love it!
Thank you so much!This was an awesome tutorial! Not only are you a talented musician, your an excellent teacher in your articulation of making what your doing understandable. Thanks so much for sharing this! G-d Bless!
Richie, You're so awesome-like some kinda genius or something! Thanks for sharing!
Excellent video. I bought my 4001 in '74 and still have and enjoy it. CS was my inspiration and you have done a great job in unpacking the tone secrets. I would only add one thing, which I don't think you mentioned in the video - you have to play really hard to force the strings to hit the frets - you do it very well but I'm not sure you actually mentioned the playing style aspect of the CS tone.
Love your Squire sound!
Thanks ! Sounds amazing ! Sounds much more organic than modern crossover pedals.
The girl is a fantastic singer!
Top work on the Ric
split + gear really gets you ballpark, but his picking technique is something worth analysis, that got me years and luck to notice
so good man. Now trying to do w/ vintage pedals. You absolutely nailed his tone and playing. Impressive. Thx.
You've got my like in the first 10 seconds.
I can't believe I did a really good job simulating Chris's sound with simply using a split-er cable and two amps. Tweaked one to bass and the other to treble, worked good on my Carlo Robelle SG bass and Fender P-bass.
Nice sound and beautiful '75 bass bro!
This is great info.
I always liked the Chris Squire punchy low bass.
I remember when this was all done with boxes, dials, switches, and patch chords.
I want more Soundchaser.
I don’t have any effects pedals or this “Helix” thing, but I get a fairly authentic Squire tone from just my Rick 4003 using Rick-o-Sound, the pull-out treble cap, a guitar amp for the bridge pup, a bass amp for the neck pup, and some knob twiddling on the amps themselves. The guitar amp lets me add gain and some delay to the treble signal.
I agree you only want that grungy distortion when your attack is harder, and that’s what’s happening when I “dig in” with my current settings.
That’ll work!!!
great info on his tonee and how to achieve it...thanks for sharing.
I love the Rickenbacker sound, some of it may be the Ampeg 8 10' Speaker cabinet. Thank You!
That sounds so amazingly wonderful!!! Thanks for your dedication!
Damn man, that’s scarily accurate! Fantastic job! I think Chris only used fuzz on the neck pickup, but if it works for you, who really cares?
He is my favourite bassist of all time, the J.S. Bach of Rock Bass I saw him recently called. I agree. He wasn't a bassist. He was a mini-orchestra.
Great tones and playing, Richie! Loved it!
It’s amazing. Now matter how hard you try, a Jazz sounds like a Jazz, and a Rick sounds like a Rick.
BTW I’d be interested to see how this can be accomplished with the technology of the time, like Squire did it.
As far as I'm concerned, you've nailed it. Damn I love that Chris Squire tone, nothing like it. The Music Man Sterling sounds sweet. Enjoyed it!!!