The Rickenbacker Club Part Seven

[Letsmac]

Got this recently. I quite like it.

[RickenBoogie]

Beautiful 4004 letsmac, congrats. These are the Ric basses most Ric-haters would love, if they knew about them. I quit playing my 4003 after I got a 4004.

[EagleMoon]

Originally Posted by woodyng

I could be wrong,:-/,but i do think Ric is constantly tweaking their designs with every batch of basses they put out. At least,the variation in neck profiles seems to point in that direction. And i was wondering about something... the new 4003's body binding/edge seemed somewhat contoured along the top edge,or at least not as sharply flat as i remembered experiencing on past models. Is this possibly a new design tweak?

I played one of the new ruby 4003's a few months ago and the binding was really sharp on it compared to my 2011 Mapleglo. So I would say no. Just depends on the bass and who finished it.

[bassgod0dmw]

Okay...the 1986 model that I was looking at is actually a 1988. I asked them what the absolute best, cash in hand, out the door right now price was. They said $25 off...so I chuckled inside and then walked out.

Now I've got a line on a 2008. Can anybody tell me what the differences are between an 08' and the new ones? I know they switched to a 2 piece neck at some point in 2009, but I'm not sure what difference that makes or any other differences.

Thanks!

[PaulBoyer]

A quick primer on detail changes made to the 4003 bass (not including neck profiles/thickness stats which vary so much they are difficult to pin down):

1984 – removal of the .0047 mfd capacitor to treble pickup
Early 1986 – new-style truss rods replace old-style "hairpin" rods
1996 – CNC milling brought more consistency to shapes
2002 – Black trim option discontinued
Late 2005 – contrasting headstock wings reinstated
Early 2006 – .0047 mfd reinstated with push-pull "vintage tone" switch on treble pickup tone control
Fall 2006 – adjustable poles added on both High-gain pickups (by Allen key)
Early 2008 – full-width pearloid computer cut inlays appear
Early 2009 – two-piece neck construction appears
2010 – UV-cured conversion paints and varnish begin
Fall 2011 – Caribbean rosewood (chechen) replaces African rosewood (bubinga) as standard for fingerboards

[fraublugher]

Ric sixer for sale montreal

http://ottawa.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-se...AdIdZ437862442

[PaulBoyer]

Not a Rick, but inspired by one, surely.

[sloppy_phil]

Originally Posted by PaulBoyer

A quick primer on detail changes made to the 4003 bass (not including neck profiles/thickness stats which vary so much they are difficult to pin down):

1984 – removal of the .0047 mfd capacitor to treble pickup

Hmmm, any idea how long the 'transition' period was from 4001 to 4003? Because I have an '84 (dated May) which had the capacitor in standard. A guy (on here, IIRC) with a Sept. '84 said that his had no cap in it. But mine also has a bunch of other weird 'transition'-y aspects to it

[woodyng]

Letsmac,that is one of the best looking "bursts" ever! Great coloring and fade! it looks like an amber fireglo,but probably not? Congrats,The laredo and the cii models are fantastic basses.

[Ric5]

Originally Posted by sloppy_phil

Hmmm, any idea how long the 'transition' period was from 4001 to 4003? Because I have an '84 (dated May) which had the capacitor in standard. A guy (on here, IIRC) with a Sept. '84 said that his had no cap in it. But mine also has a bunch of other weird 'transition'-y aspects to it

The first 4003 appeared about 1980 ... the last 4001 was about 1984.

The modern 4003 started 1986.

I think all of the 4001 basses from the 80s had the cap. Also some of the 80s 4001 basses had Grover tuners.

1980 to 1986 was a transition period. In 1986 the basses got the truss rod system now in use. Also the 2000 series was introduced. The 80s were cool for Ricks. You could get 4, 5, and 8 string basses, black trim, red and silver finishes, and other cool features, and there are some cool limited runs like the redneck, blackstar, and tuxeudo.

Paul will probably chime in with more info.

[Mastermold]

Originally Posted by PaulBoyer

A quick primer on detail changes made to the 4003 bass (not including neck profiles/thickness stats which vary so much they are difficult to pin down):

1984 – removal of the .0047 mfd capacitor to treble pickup
Early 1986 – new-style truss rods replace old-style "hairpin" rods
1996 – CNC milling brought more consistency to shapes
2002 – Black trim option discontinued
Late 2005 – contrasting headstock wings reinstated
Early 2006 – .0047 mfd reinstated with push-pull "vintage tone" switch on treble pickup tone control
Fall 2006 – adjustable poles added on both High-gain pickups (by Allen key)
Early 2008 – full-width pearloid computer cut inlays appear
Early 2009 – two-piece neck construction appears
2010 – UV-cured conversion paints and varnish begin
Fall 2011 – Caribbean rosewood (chechen) replaces African rosewood (bubinga) as standard for fingerboards

Thanks for posting this, great info!

[dDaddybass]

Anybody heard what the 2013 color is going to be?

[Mastermold]

Originally Posted by dDaddybass

Anybody heard what the 2013 color is going to be?

Hopefully not seafoam green--cause then I'll have to buy one.

[bassgod0dmw]

Okay...last question (well, probably not).

Are the Hipshot bridges that much of an upgrade over the stock unit? I understand that intonation and individual string height are easier to adjust. Is that it?

[254 stringer]

Its supposed to cure the tail lift issue too. I don't know if everyone that says they have lift actually has it. My 2012 has about a 1mm or so gap at the back of the tailpiece but its straight the body has some contour you can really only tell if you put a straight edge next to the bridge though.

[RickenBoogie]

The thing about replacing the bridge is, it's not really necessary. Sure, getting it set up with the stock bridge is a bit of an art, but once set, it's good to go. My 4003 was set up in late '06, and stayed put until I changed out the type/gauge strings 4 yrs later. It may be old fashioned, but once set, it's solid as a rock.

[bassgod0dmw]

That's pretty much what I figured. I don't plan on replacing it unless I really need to for whatever reason.

I decided to grab the 08' Jetglo I found. Nice price from Pick of the Ricks. I went back and fourth with them on some details. It's just over 9 lbs with a slimmer neck than the 2012's they've got in stock now, both of which were exactly what I was looking for. I grabbed a deluxe bezel as well. I was never able to find a super comfortable place to put my thumb and they look like the perfect option.

I should have it in a few days...hopefully early next week. I was hoping to get it in time for my gigs this weekend, but I'd have to drive down there (250 miles round trip) to pick it up tomorrow and that's just not going to happen.

[Mr. Wu]

Originally Posted by bassgod0dmw

Okay...last question (well, probably not).

Are the Hipshot bridges that much of an upgrade over the stock unit? I understand that intonation and individual string height are easier to adjust. Is that it?

I have one on my Ric 4003 and love it ... makes setup a breeze. I think its a great upgrade ...

Wu

[soxhats]

My 4003 arrived today: NBD: 2012 Rickenbacker 4003 Ruby Red

[PaulBoyer]

I think Ric5 is correct about the cap being in all the 4001s from the '80s. Supposedly, they didn't "make" more 4001s after 1980. But they either still had orders for them to fulfill or had inventory on hand that they continued to market until at least 1984.

The closed-back "slimline" Grover tuners were standard (but not always fitted) even on the early 4003 basses. The chrome-plated, "Rickenbacker"-embossed Schaller tuners became the standard in 1985.