chris squire

just a distorted rikenbacker isn't it?

Yup, that classic Rick sound. Much like Geddy Lee in the 70s, or Lemmy
with a lot less fuzz.

The Rickenbacker has that distinctive sound that you either love or hate.
In guitars, too.

from Wikipedia:

Squire's bass playing is noted for being aggressive, dynamic, and
melodic. Squire's main instrument is a Rickenbacker 4001, which he has
owned and played since 1965; it was the third Rickenbacker 4001 ever
imported into Britain from the United States (the first was bought by Paul
McCartney). This instrument, with its warmth and distortion, is a
significant part of Squire's unique sound which is achieved by a technique
known as 'bi-amping'. By splitting the stereo signal from his bass (which
divided the signal from the pickups into dual high and low frequency
outputs) and then sending the low frequency output to a conventional
bass amplifier and the high-frequency output to a separate lead guitar
amplifier, Squire produced a tonal 'sandwich' that added a growling,
overdriven edge to the sound while retaining the Rickenbacker's powerful
bass response. Squire (who is self-taught) was also one of the first rock
bass players to successfully adapt electronic guitar effects such as
tremolo, phasing and the wah-wah pedal to the instrument. Squire's
vocals are also key to Yes' music, providing important harmonization with
Jon Anderson's distinctive countertenor.

Damnit! The one bass i always want and they cost a bomb over here.

CalamityDaemon wrote: I always thought basses sound the same. It's just a low "thlump". I also find it hard to respect a bass player, but I guess that's just me.

very wrong pal!!! I suspect you're not much into musical instruments...

Oh a pick, his strings, the Rickenbacker and watch a vid...he plays the strings very close to the start of the frets, so he gets maximum twang but does not lose the bottom end. Entwhistle is obviously (and he said it many times) his main influence, listen to the Who, especially 'Quadrophenia' and (even though Entwhistle was a finger guy, not a pick guy) you can hear that twang and 'lead bass' especially in 'The real me'.

Chris then took it to another level..jeez, wish they would play 'On the silent wings of freedom'...the WHOLE song...love his playing that.

penguindf12 wrote: you know, I could've sworn he played fingerstyle...

He only plays with a pick on occasion

The bass sound does not only come from his bi-amp splitting, here is his petal board setup:
On the floor in front of Chris is a custom pedalboard with buttons to activate preset effects combinations, as programmed by guitar tech Richard Davis. One button also toggles his combination Taurus/Dutron bass pedals, which sit off-stage.

The pedalboard is connected to a pre-programmed custom effects rack that organizes such things as a custom-built tremolo unit, a Maestro fuzz, a T.C. Electronic Stereo Chorus/Flanger, a Lexicon LXP-5 multi-effects, a Roland SRV 2000 reverb, an MXR 1500 delay, a Morley volume pedal, an octave divider, and an ADA preamp EQed for the low notes on the Tobias basses.

Also keep in mind his 1965 Rickenbacker 4001 is 2/3 the weight of a factory one due to a decal being sanded off in Soho before going on tour with Yes, which also gives his signature punch.

Eetu Pellonpää wrote: Damen wrote: He only plays with a pick on occasion On Fragile, no?

Yup, most noticeably on Roundabout.

Eetu Pellonpää wrote: Damen wrote: Eetu Pellonpää wrote: Damen wrote: He only plays with a pick on occasion On Fragile, no? Yup, most noticeably on Roundabout.  I actually even meant that song! I always mx the names of that song and the album it opens! I have so fragile mind...

 I thought so, but he does use a pick on Five Percent for Nothing and The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus) on the Fragile album as well.

Had to spin TFTO again to refresh my memory, and it indeed sounds like he's using a pick during that sequence, and some other parts of it.