In a 1973 interview for
Guitar Player magazine, Squire obtained his distinctive tone at the time by rewiring his RM1999 into stereo and sending the bass and treble
pick-ups each into a separate amplifier. By splitting the signal from his bass 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, overdrive edge to the sound while retaining the Rickenbacker's powerful bass response. This gave his bass sound bright, growling higher frequencies and clean, solid bass frequencies. This technique allowed Squire to utilise
harmonic distortion on his bass while avoiding the flat, fuzzy sound, loss of power and poor bass response that typically occurs when bass guitars are overdriven through an amplifier or put through a
fuzz box.
Squire claimed to have rewired his bass to stereo, even before Rickenbacker introduced the Rick-O-Sound feature, so he could send the output of the bass (neck) pick-up through a fuzz box, while keeping the treble (bridge) pick-up clean, because the last sounded "horribly nasal" when used with the fuzz effect.
[37] He also played with a pick which contributed to the sharp attack as well as using fresh Rotosound Swing Bass strings for every show.
[38] Squire's intricate and complex bass playing style has influenced subsequent bassists such as
Billy Sheehan,
Geddy Lee of
Rush,
Jon Camp of
Renaissance,
Steve Harris of
Iron Maiden,
Les Claypool of
Primus,
John Myung of
Dream Theater, and
Robert DeLeo of
Stone Temple Pilots.
[39]
