Geezer and John Birch

godofthunder · February 26, 2010, 10:05:49 AM

Found some footage of Geezer with a JB, not the one I was thinking of, his sound is a little tame but this should give you a idea of what a Birch can sound like.

Big_Stu · May 25, 2010, 11:50:27 AM

Was this the one you were looking for Scott?

Funkster · May 26, 2010, 06:54:47 AM

That was friggin cool!! Any idea what year that was?

godofthunder · May 26, 2010, 12:20:54 PM

Stu, I had never seen that !

The one I was looking for I think he had a green burst JB Ric, the footage was live and his sound was amazing. Whatever become of Geezers EB3 like bass ?

Highlander · May 26, 2010, 01:02:19 PM

I vaguely remember him playing a black and white chequered one on the Technical Ecstasy tour...

Not a great shot but one I took from too far away on the '77 tour...

Big_Stu · May 26, 2010, 03:27:23 PM

Quote from: godofthunder on May 26, 2010, 12:20:54 PM
Stu, I had never seen that ! The one I was looking for I think he had a green burst JB Ric, the footage was live and his sound was amazing. Whatever become of Geezers EB3 like bass ?

Ha ha! Ian from the Slade forum has a JB just like that - a green Ric copy, could it be d ya think?

Dunno what happned to his EB3's, tho' I read that he doesn't hold onto basses he don't use anymore.

Funkster; I dunno, but I was told it must be after '72 cos that was when Tony put the Monkey on the SG.

gweimer · May 28, 2010, 06:24:08 AM

Anyone who can hammer away at an 8-string without a pick like that has my automatic respect. Not like I didn't cut my teeth on Geezer in the first place.

Pekka · June 10, 2010, 08:51:15 AM

I've never seen Geezer with a JB Ric. I think he had the 8-string seen on the first clip, the striped EB -style bass on the '78 "Hard Road" promo, a black EB-style and this white one which he started to use in 1972 or 73:

Pekka · June 10, 2010, 08:55:08 AM

The black EB -style John Birch:

gearHed289 · June 10, 2010, 10:24:28 AM

That white one always mystified me. Never knew what it was. Geezer was rather stylish back then, wasn't he?

Pekka · June 10, 2010, 11:08:23 AM

Quote from: gearHed289 on June 10, 2010, 10:24:28 AM
That white one always mystified me. Never knew what it was. Geezer was rather stylish back then, wasn't he?

Well, at least I believe it's a John Birch. There used to be an old JB catalogue online somewhere...

This is my favourite pic:

Sabs were a colourful bunch back then and I like the image much more than the all black heavy metal bore they later adopted.

gearHed289 · June 11, 2010, 12:17:34 PM

Hey, what are those "Cord" cabinets?

Pekka · June 11, 2010, 02:30:12 PM

Quote from: gearHed289 on June 11, 2010, 12:17:34 PM
Hey, what are those "Cord" cabinets?

No idea. I think the photo was from US gig and they couldn't use their own Laney gear.

Big_Stu · June 11, 2010, 02:57:31 PM

Quote from: Pekka on June 10, 2010, 11:08:23 AM
Well, at least I believe it's a John Birch. There used to be an old JB catalogue online somewhere...

Certainly looks like a JB headstock, and it's a bound fingerboard on a two octave scale so I'd be inclined to think it is. Not many, if any, others were making basses with such necks then.

I'd no idea than Geezer had so many JB's!

Pekka · June 12, 2010, 01:11:59 AM

Was all of his JB's short scale? At least the white one and the 8-string look like shorties. Hmmm, short scale and the C# tuning...