This week, Geddy Lee will release the Big Beautiful Book Of Bass, a 408-page book that profiles Geddy's love of all things bass and his personal collection of vintage electric bass guitars, dating from the 1950s to the 1980s.

The Rush frontman spoke with Rolling Stone about interviewing bass gods, the monster tone of Yes’ Chris Squire, his love of obscure prog, his grandiose quest to chase down the perfect sound and how his sprawling collection may influence his next project (whatever and whenever that may be). An excerpt follows:

Rolling Stone: A cool side perk of writing this book was that you got to interview so many iconic bassists. Obviously Led Zeppelin was a huge influence on early Rush, so it’s fitting that you spoke with John Paul Jones.

Geddy Lee: "First of all, he’s an incredibly lovely guy. If you ever have the opportunity to sit down with one of your heroes, it’s never an easy situation - it’s always a bit nerve-racking, and you never know what to expect.

"When I started putting the book together, I realized, 'This kind of book can be really dry. How do you bring these pieces of wood and plastic and metal to life? You show the people who played them.' That led me on two directions: stock photographs going back to the period that show the people that I listened to holding these instruments; through my memories and nostalgia we have a connection between that instrument, the time it was made, and the bands in England or the US that were playing them. The other thing is talking to people who played them or collected them and can bring more insight than I can possibly bring in my seven-, eight-year experience collecting. I could have very happily done a book of nothing but talks with bass players. But it wasn’t just about just choosing the greatest bass players in the world - that’s an endless list, and there are a lot of guys I would have loved to sit down with for an hour or two; but if they didn’t have a strong connection to the theme of the collection, then I didn’t feel it was appropriate to call them up. John, for example, was perfect for me because a) he was such an influential player in my life; b) he plays what I consider the greatest period of Fender Jazz Bass, a ’62, on all those early Zep albums; and c) he’s a lovely guy. He’s the perfect combination of someone to interview.

"He took my request very seriously. I sent him a letter saying, 'Here’s what Im doing. I would love to sit down with you for an hour and talk about your first or favorite instrument.' He showed up at my place in the UK, paid for his own taxi, brought two basses with him, came over for the afternoon. He originally used this bass that he no longer owned. He actually tracked one down and purchased it so he could show me what his original bass was like. That shows the level of seriousness of the person. We just had a great talk. What I really wanted to get out of people like him and Bill Wyman were their memories and motivation - what was it like in the early Sixties to go shopping for a bass? We’re talking about basses that are 50, 60 years old now, but there are a few guys around still who knew what was available to a young player in London in the late Fifties, early Sixties. What kind of basses did you dream of owning? How were these basses that are in the book acquired, and could you afford to acquire them? All these bassists began their lives on cheaper instruments, and they made do with what they could get and aspired to these better ones. It was really fascinating."

Read more at Rolling Stone.

All editions of the new book are available for pre-order at Rush Backstage now.

"It's not surprising that sooner or later I’d dive down the proverbial rabbit hole into the world of vintage bass guitars." - Geddy Lee

Pre-order the Big Beautiful Book Of Bass in three editions: Ultra Limited, Luxe Limited and Standard. The Ultra and Luxe Limited Editions are available only through Rush Backstage in limited quantities.

Ultra Limited Edition Exclusive $950

This leather-bound, 408-page hardcover book is hand numbered and limited to 250 copies, and signed by Geddy Lee. The book comes in a customized slipcase, which is exclusive to the limited editions. The book comes enclosed in a custom BBBofB silver tolex briefcase, reminiscent of certain guitar cases. Immaculately printed and bound, this will be a handsome addition to coffee tables across the world.

"Because we know many collectors will not want to take their books out of the shrinkwrap, we are also including a FREE copy of the Standard Edition book along with this ultra edition."

Included with this Ultra Limited Edition are the following items:

- Silver Tolex Case with secret compartment
- Behind-the-scenes Mini Booklet
- Two custom Geddy Lee guitar picks from Dunlop
- Glossy photograph, signed by Geddy Lee (8’ x 9.5”)
- Printed Setlist from R40 Tour, with Geddy’s basses for each song
- Immaculately reproduced Vintage Fender Hang Tag
- Full set of Rotosound Swing Bass Strings (same gauge and scale as Geddy uses) in custom vintage style box
- Guitar polishing cloth with BBBofB Skull logo
- Free bonus BBBofB Standard Edition

Luxe Limited Edition $450

This Luxe Edition leather-bound, 408-page hardcover book is hand numbered and limited to 900 copies, and signed by Geddy Lee. The edition also comes in a customized slipcase, which is exclusive to the limited editions. Immaculately printed and bound, this will be a handsome addition to coffee tables around the world.

Included with this Luxe Limited Edition are the following items:

- Custom BBBofB fabric book bag
- Behind the scenes mini-booklet
- Two custom Geddy Lee guitar picks from Dunlop

Standard Edition $75

The standard trade edition is a 408-page hardcover book showcasing Geddy Lee's impressive collection of personal bass guitars.