Books·Canadian

Geddy Lee's Big Beautiful Book of Bass

A book by Rush frontman Geddy Lee.

Geddy Lee

Rush frontman Geddy Lee's love of the bass has been nurtured over a lifetime spent in the limelight as one of the worlds premier rock bassists. For the past seven years, he's dedicated himself to studying the history of the instrument that's been so essential to his career, collecting hundreds of basses from around the globe, 250 of which are presented here in breathtaking detail with specially commissioned photography by Richard Sibbald.

Representing every tone in the bass palette, every nuance of the rock and roll genre as well as blues, jazz, pop and country, this one-of-a-kind collection features so-called "beauty queens" — pristine instruments never lifted from their cases — as well as "road warriors" — well-worn, sweat-soaked basses that proudly show their age and use. Complete with personal commentary from Geddy that showcases his knowledge both as a musician and an aficionado, this luxuriously produced volume is a revelatory look at the heavy hitters in the world of bass — Fender, Gibson/Epiphone, Rickenbacker, Höfner, Ampeg — and lesser known but influential global luthiers such as Antonio Wandr Pioli, Dan Armstrong and Tony Zemaitis.

The book also features interviews with John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin); Adam Clayton (U2); Robert Trujillo (Metallica); Jeff Tweedy (Wilco); Bill Wyman (The Rolling Stones); Les Claypool (Primus); Bob Daisley (Rainbow); Fender expert and owner of the legendary Gibson Explorer, Bass Ken Collins; veteran guitar tech for The Who, Alan Rogan; plus comments from many other great players across three decades of rock and roll. (From HarperCollins)

Interviews

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