Cheap Trick 12-String Bass Discography

Compiling a complete list of Cheap Trick recordings that include a 12-string bass has been quite a challenge. Only a few albums include details in the liner notes about the instruments that were played. Even though Tom Petersson may be listed in the liner notes as playing the 12-string bass, that doesn't necessarily mean that the 12 was used in the studio on that particular album. The band frequently layers guitar parts in unison with the bass, they have included synthesizers on some songs and make liberal use of various effects, all of which can make it difficult to pick out the sound of the 12. The studio version of songs were often recorded using different basses than those used on the live versions, and some videos include a 12-string bass although the songs themselves do not.

This discography has been compiled in part from published interviews, but interviews create additional problems in that the information given is not always consistent from one interview to the next. Given their extensive and sometimes exhausting touring schedule, band members' memories can fade. The band is also known for their sense of humor and storytelling, such as Tom Petersson's tongue-in-cheek claim to be the inventor of Pop Tarts. Where there is a discrepancy in the interview information, the earliest interview is assumed to be the most correct. Public statements of the band members, our private personal communications with them and others in the Cheap Trick organization have also helped to complete these listings.

As a general rule, most live recordings include a 12-string bass. As to studio recordings, a few include a 12, a handful of songs were recorded with an Alembic 8-string bass but the vast majority of studio recordings were done with 4-string basses, typically Gibson Thunderbirds or Fender Precisions. Tom Petersson stated, "The 12-string doesn't fit on everything. If you don't have the right amount of space, it ends up blending into the mix like another guitar. In fact, if I had to use just one instrument all the way through the recording of an album, it would have to be an old Fender Precision."

No 12-string bass was included on the band's debut eponymous Cheap Trick album, nor was it used on In Color. Both of these albums predate the building of the first 12-string bass by Hamer in 1978.

During Jon Brant's years with the band, no 12-string bass was included on any studio album. Although the videos for the songs "If You Want My Love", "She's Tight" and "Tonight It's You" show Jon playing a 12, all of the songs on the albums One On One, Next Position Please, Standing On The Edge and The Doctor  were actually recorded with 4-string basses. Jon told us that he played an Alembic 8-string bass on the song "Twisted Heart" that was dropped from the Next Position Please album. That song was later included on the Sex, America album.

The Busted album does not include any 12-string, nor was it used on the 1994 album Woke Up With A Monster. (While four notes in the intro to the song "My Gang" on Monster sound as though they might have been played on a 12, Tom Petersson stated in a 1994 interview that he only used 4-string basses on that album.)

There are many different Greatest Hits albums, some are authorized by the band while others are not. Sony and CBS flooded the market with a number of "Greatest Hits" compilations, all of which include some obscure songs and only a couple of which are sanctioned by the band. Between the original albums, the live concert recordings and the various compilations, some songs can be found on literally a dozen different albums. No illegal bootleg recordings are included in this list, nor are the re-released versions of these albums, many of which contain additional bonus tracks.

While every effort has been taken to ensure the accuracy of these listings it's certainly possible that we missed something. If so, please let us know and we'll research it further.

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Artist: Cheap Trick Album Name: Sex, America Publisher: Sony (1996) Bassist: Tom Petersson, Rick Nielsen 12-String Basses Played: Hamers Notes: The bass line for "I'm The Man" was overdubbed for the film Rock & Rule by Rick Nielsen using a 12, presumably the white Hamer B12S. The other four songs on this list were recorded by Petersson.

Songs on Album: 64 Songs Recorded with a 12: 5    Auf Wiedersehen    Clock Strikes Ten (Live)    I Want You To Want Me (Live)    I'm The Man    I Know What I Want (Live)

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Artist: Cheap Trick Album Name: Cheap Trick Publisher: Red Ant RA002-2 (1997) Bassist: Tom Petersson 12-String Bass Played: Orange Chandler Royale 12 Notes: Bonus CD is attached to the front cover. Tom's original Chandler 12 is shown on the back cover.

Songs on Album: 13 (Including 11 songs on the CD plus 2 songs on a second bonus CD) Songs Recorded with a 12: 9    Anytime    Hard To Tell    Shelter    You Let A Lotta People Down    Yeah Yeah    Wrong All Along    Eight Miles Low    Baby Talk    Brontosaurus

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Artist: Cheap Trick Album Name: At Budokan - The Complete Concert Publisher: Epic / Legacy (1998) Bassist: Tom Petersson 12-String Bass Played: Hamer Quad Notes: This concert was recorded in 1978 at Budokan, Japan but the original album only included 10 songs. This is the entire concert.

Songs on Album: 19 Songs Recorded with a 12: 19 Little known is the fact that the 12-string bass was barely audible on the live recording. Tom had to re-record all of the bass parts later in the studio. It has been rumored that additional 4-string bass tracks were also added to strengthen the bottom end.

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