What happened to my RIC?
 

Aloha,
I am playing in a Funk/Rock band, and it took me about a year to find the right bass. I started with my Modulus FU. A little too warm and not enough articulation. For a while, I liked my Bongo 6, but even though some of the songs are prog-ish and it cut through nicely, I didn't need the extra strings. I settled on my Steve Harris P., and I wasd at home. Less is more.
However, our ep launch is coming up, and we all plan to dress up in suits. I thought that this would be a good time to take out "RICKey". I bought the trebel bezel, and she felt good unplugged.
But, during practice, she sounded twangy, and on the Funkier songs, even with the neck pup, she didn't sit well at all. It felt like I was palying a relic. Granted, my Steve H. P is perfect for our sound, so I know that this played a role. Moreover, I am by no means done with my Ric nor will I become a "hater". But now, I do realize that it can't do it all, so I can understand the divided view.

Do you use flats? They go quite well with the Ric.

when playing my Ric i have discovered it has to be Eq'd completely different than any of my other basses as well and the knobs on my pedals adjusted to different settings to make it sound good and sit in the mix well.....so it never leaves the bedroom

It sounds like the Steve H. is the perfect bass for you. Sometimes you just have to accept things as they are. MY Jaguar and My Ric both kick butt for my current gig. The Jag plays "easier" and I can open up more on it but for some reason I just like playing the Ric better. I have TI Flats on the Ric now and It just sounds so Sweet. I could get by with any of my basses but the Ric just edges out the others.

Rics have less of the mids that sit in the mix and more "real" bottom (both by virtue of pickup placement relative to the string scale) than a Fender so you have to EQ it accordingly. It won't need as much bass boost but you might want to be a little more heavy-handed with the midrange EQ than you are with the SH P.

Rics can definitely do what you're aiming for yours to do... the question is is that how YOU want to get there? I agree with the others, if the SH P is your fave, just play that. Unless the feel or something else about the Ric is overwhelmingly appealing, in which case you should definitely be able to tweak the sound to fit your needs.

Definitely don't expect the neck pickup to sit in the mix with Fender-style EQ settings. If anything try the bridge pickup solo. The neck pickup is really fat and warm, but not very present unless you use compression. When you combine it right with the neck pickup you get the signature Ric tone, a fat bottom, then a bit of a scoop before the signal comes back really strong in the upper mids.

+1 You used a wrench when you needed a screwdriver the wrench is still just as good as it was before it just wasn't needed for this job take a picture with the Ric and use the Steve.

+1

With my rig EQ'd for a P bass I find my Ric sounds okay, but just okay.

If the Ric was the best bass for the gig you would've been using it already. I would wear a light-blue tie and call it a day.

No hate for the Ric btw!

Is there any chance you plugged into the Ric O sound jack and not the main jack? Because the twang is exactly what you get out of that jack alone.