Rickenbacker 4001/4003 bass neck

[audiomitch]

Originally Posted by NYCbassist

LOFL: This thread Has got more B/S from Trolls than anything I've ever seen. RIC's DO NOT get lost in the mix! Period. Tail Lift is caused by Poor setups and ridiculously high action in 99% of all cases. High action increase string tension exponentially Every mm of string height is going to "Pull" on the bridge just that much more. Neglected basses usually need some love to get them back to where they should be! End Of Story. Fender Loving Trolls should go learn how to play their bass and stop spending every waking hour trolling the internet. I love RIC's and I love Fenders. Neither are perfect but You can make any of them perfectly playable with some minor setup time.

I always get compliments on the sound of My RIC and I barely understand the science behind EQ. Heck a simple change in strings will put you in a whole different sonic Space. Put on Flats and you'll have an entire world of sound all to yourself.

Too many Friggin Gear heads spending too much time ragging and not enough time Jamming. If you don't like your RIC then sell it and use the $$ for lessons.

It's an old Ric bashing zombie thread. Ric bashing is like a blood sport around here sometimes.

[254 stringer]

All I know is my cat likes ricks so they can't be that bad

[bassmachine2112]

I don,t have any issues with mine at all.
Had it for 13 years and it sounds big,loadsa bottom,mids if anything it is the top end that is subdued but I fitted the vintage circuit and hey presto.
EQ is the secret-turn up the presence and balance your bridge pick up to your neck pick up.I find the neck pup needs to be lower than the bridge one,you,ll know when you hit the spot.
They like a bit of gain as well .
I run both pick ups on ie middle position on selector

[gricko]

my early '70s 4001 is BEAD tuned w/ d'addario 130s and doing very well, thank you. action is very low, w/out buzz.

[kcole4001]

Originally Posted by audiomitch

It's an old Ric bashing zombie thread. Ric bashing is like a blood sport around here sometimes.

...and the OP is now banned.
Still, to not dispute falsehoods and myths allows them to live on in those who haven't had any first hand Rick experience.

An older, much more experienced guitarist once told me (quite seriously) that Ricks were 'made of plywood'.
Obviously he had only personally seen a cheap copy somewhere, but the misinformation keeps spreading unless people who are interested in trying one are better educated/informed.

I don't get why bashing any particular instrument is so popular, but then I don't get why 'reality TV' is popular either.

[Josh Thatguy]

Originally Posted by gricko

my early '70s 4001 is BEAD tuned w/ d'addario 130s and doing very well, thank you. action is very low, w/out buzz.

HELL yeah, that's the ticket! I've got an Esh Stinger in BEAD wearing DR DDT 125s with low action and zero buzz and, as someone pointed out recently, it's "a big dramatic foundation for the guitarist to follow."

Gricko, I'm guessing yours might be one of three or four Rics in the world tuned that low.....

[thiocyclist]

Originally Posted by Josh Thatguy

Gricko, I'm guessing yours might be one of three or four Rics in the world tuned that low.....

Huh? I see lots of posts about people tuning their Rics to low B. I think the maple is a good wood for it. Scale length isn't a factor with a big enough string gauge.

[bassmachine2112]

Is it good for metal !

[Kenzy]

Originally Posted by bassmachine2112

Is it good for metal !

Cmon, man. Haven't you read this thread? Obviously Rics are just plain terrible on any occasion.

[bassmachine2112]

Wow must be summit wrong with me
I love mine to bits
The sound is magic
I,ll just enjoy it then along with my marmite on toast and say to thunderbird I still love you

[Floyd Eye]

Love my 4001. It is my main player. Never gets lost in the mix. Neck is perfect and the bass is almost 40 years old.

However, Tail lift is not caused simply by high action or bad string tension. It is caused by crappy design. Every single one in existence has some degree of lift.

[bill reed]

Originally Posted by Floyd Eye

Love my 4001. It is my main player. Never gets lost in the mix. Neck is perfect and the bass is almost 40 years old.

However, Tail lift is not caused simply by high action or bad string tension. It is caused by crappy design. Every single one in existence has some degree of lift.

the newer ones have a heaver bridge and does not lift like the pre 2008 ones did. if you look at the newer bridge you see the side walls are much thicker and it did take them to long to fix this but I think tail lift is not a problem in the newer basses. still a pain if you bass is older than 2008.

[Spectrum]

OP is banned LOL!

As for why Rics are awesome, check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAhQ2F56Gn0

[Jeff Scott]

Originally Posted by bill reed

...older than 2008.

Don't forget the pre- Spring '73 tailpieces.

[Sartori]

Originally Posted by Josh Thatguy

HELL yeah, that's the ticket! I've got an Esh Stinger in BEAD wearing DR DDT 125s with low action and zero buzz and, as someone pointed out recently, it's "a big dramatic foundation for the guitarist to follow."

Gricko, I'm guessing yours might be one of three or four Rics in the world tuned that low.....

There are actually a ton of people tuning Rickenbackers low. They're very popular basses for doom/stoner bands.

[dedpool1052]

Originally Posted by Sartori

There are actually a ton of people tuning Rickenbackers low. They're very popular basses for doom/stoner bands.

yup.
Al Cisneros of Sleep and Scott Reeder of Kyuss both tuned their Ricks to C-Standard.

[Sartori]

I've seen Aaron Rieseberg of Yob using one on a couple live videos (though he mainly seems to use an EGC bass and a Gibson T-bird), and their old bassist, Isamu Sato used a Rickenbacker as well... and they tune down to A-standard, as I recall.

[PaulBoyer]

There's the common perception out there that the back end of the stock Rick tailpiece should be in contact with the body. That ain't necessarily so. I suggest that "lift" at the back end of 2 or 3 millimeters is within design parameters.

That said, there ARE some that have folded nearly 90-degrees, notably some of the "blackened" five-screw tailpieces when paired with either five strings, eight strings, or high-tensioned strings. Apparently, that is why RIC added two more mounting screws (seven in total -- there's three under the bridge) on most blackened tailpieces and some chrome-plated ones. I know there are players out there who think any visible "lift" is trouble, but until it starts lifting the strings off of the bridge saddles, it's just a cosmetic "problem."

[RickenBoogie]

WOW, that link for the band Clutter was awesome x100- great playing, and WITH the pup cover on. That'll learn a few of you. And big +1 to down tuning. My Cheyenne's been tuned D standard for over 5 yrs, .125 D string- solid as a rock. Set it up when I switched it to the big strings, and it hasn't budged ever since.

[Spectrum]

Originally Posted by RickenBoogie

WOW, that link for the band Clutter was awesome x100- great playing, and WITH the pup cover on. That'll learn a few of you.

"Clatter", not Clutter. But yeah. Awesome on many levels. And her Ric just sounds heavenly.