Geddy Lee is one of those rare bass players whose unique combination of skills results in an unmistakable sound. His powerful vocal shrieks, adventurous bass guitar countermelodies, and in-your-face tone set him apart in the world of rock.
Teaming up with guitar wizard Alex Lifeson and drum virtuoso Neil Peart, Rush achieved a massive sound that was as innovative as it was massive.
“He’s Geddy Lee, you know. Nobody plays like him,” Les Claypool told Bass Player. “His phrasing is unbelievable. It’s almost like Paul McCartney. His bass lines are melodic and lyrical in the way he phrases them.”
Lee was one of the first bassists to use a stereo bass rig, beginning around 1977 with A Farewell to Kings. He incorporated Moog Taurus bass pedals and a doubleneck Rickenbacker bass/guitar to create the lush soundscapes for the epic “Xanadu.”
“We wanted to have rhythm guitar behind some of Alex’s solos,” Lee explained to Bass Player. “We figured the best way to do that was for me to play my double-neck Rickenbacker, filling in the bottom end with the pedals. Eventually, we started using it to sneak in other melodic parts to help with the texture.”
This experimentation led Lee down a path of sonic exploration. “We were basically trying to invent MIDI before it existed. We created some incredibly complex machines, many of which were total failures.”
Though Lee embraced synth bass for many years, he became frustrated with not being able to play his main instrument. That all changed when MIDI came along. “MIDI and multi-note sequencers and samplers allowed me to make our records denser and more interesting,” he said.
“We’ve always been obsessed with being able to play our records live as a three-piece,” Lee continued. “We didn’t want other people on stage. That meant developing an increasingly complicated array of tools to make it happen. But we wanted it to be performance-based, not taped.”
Eventually, the complexity became overwhelming. “It got to be too much for me, so Alex and Neil started triggering keyboard events, too,” Lee explained. “As a bass player, it’s important to know the rules – and the best ways to break them.”
One thing that stood out during Rush’s live performances was how much fun Geddy had on stage. “There was always such a positive vibe from our fans. I really fed off that – it instantly put me in a great headspace.”
In an interview from the Bass Player archives, conducted after the 2005 R30: 30th Anniversary World Tour, Lee discussed his bass journey during the recording of Counterparts, the band’s first new album since Vapor Trails in 2002.
Lee had used various basses in the ’70s and ’80s, including Rickenbackers, Steinbergers, and Wals, but for the past decade, he had exclusively relied on his ’72 Fender Jazz Bass.
“So, when we started working on Counterparts, the band began heading in a more retro direction sound-wise. I went back to using an Ampeg SVT, and I rediscovered the glorious bottom-end of the Fender. I haven’t stopped exploring it since. I feel far more fluid playing the Jazz Bass than I ever did on the Rickenbacker.”
He explained that the Rickenbacker was a “slam-bam” type of instrument, which required him to play more aggressively. “The action was high because that’s how I got the tone I wanted,” he said. But the Fender Jazz Bass gave him a different feel. “It was easier for me to express myself and get that signature tone.”
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