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Description

John Entwhistle owned one.

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V

"I wan-it-I-wan-it-I-wan-it...."

("ya' ca-a-a-a-an't have it!") Of COURSE John Entwhistle had a 'Magic Bass' like this.

Artist usage

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See how Geddy Lee uses Rickenbacker 4005L "Lightshow"

Geddy Lee

Singer, Bassist

Rush

...
Verified via Photo

In this March, 2019 article of Vintage Guitar Magazine, Lee states he owns a Rickenbacker 4005 "Lightshow" Bass, calling it a "Holy Grail Instrument".

[Vintage Guitar]: "One of rare gems of your collection is a Rickenbacker 4005L Lightshow. How does it compare to a 4001?"

[Geddy Lee]: "It’s a bigger, clunkier 4001. And let’s face it, it’s a showpiece. It sounds like a 4005 – kind of bottomy. You can get top-end out of them, but you got to work at it. And yeah, it has that semi-acoustic vibe even though it’s chock full of all the wiring and the lighting apparatus. They play more like a 4005WB, with the squared-off body, but even thicker."

[V.G.]: "It’s such a curiosity…"

[G.L.]: "It is. And I don’t know how the guy who played mine all those years got one, but I assume he played in a country band; in the book, I have a picture of him playing in a juke joint. The book also has a nice conversation with John Minutaglio, a friend and big collector of Rickenbacker stuff. Wherever my knowledge was lacking, I tried to find someone to add insight and he was a terrific resource on Rickenbacker."

[V.G.]: "How long did you look for it?"

[G.L.]: "I never thought I’d find one, to be honest. As a collector, there’s certain holy-grail instruments. So, when it came available, I jumped. Collections must be fed. That’s the way I think. If you’re not feeding a collection, it stagnates, and if you’re a completist like I am, you want those missing pieces. That was a big one, and I’m thrilled to have it.

See how John Entwistle uses Rickenbacker 4005L "Lightshow"

John Entwistle

Singer, Bassist

The Who

...
Verified via YouTube

In this list of Entwistle's equipment, we can see Entwistle with a Rickenbacker 4005L "Lightshow" Bass.

This Bass was also used for The Who's October 3rd 1973 appearance on “Top of the Pops”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGjjlbxBALE

Genre Usage

Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.

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