Why do I want a Ric so bad?

[WokenDeer]

Originally Posted by Bassoballs

I get excited every time I pull my Ric out of its case. It is a thing of beauty.

+1

[infamusblkdeath]

Originally Posted by dmusic148

Funny...I was just at the grocery store.....hot chicks everywhere.

it's cause of the new found heat.. if it were a few weeks earlier, you'd see nothing but soccer moms and ancient people. there were a bunch of hotties at my store just suddenly the other day cause it just started getting warmer out.

[Presto2112]

I bought a ric and it was a terrible player, but I recently got it set up (nut recut and lowered action and it's a tone monster). I love it but want a jazz bass.

[FaithNoMan]

Originally Posted by mccartneyman

Ricks look cool, but it took Chris Squire to make them really popular. I had a 4001 in 1973 and it worked great for prog rock and anything played with a pick, but it just never had the Fender sound, which works better for some songs. People will argue that you can make a Rick sound like Fendder, but I never had any success.

Yep, I have a lot of trouble getting the "Fender tone" from mine. It always comes up as "P bass with an edge":

http://www.soundclick.com/player/sin...&q=hi&newref=1

http://www.soundclick.com/player/sin...&q=hi&newref=1

http://www.soundclick.com/player/sin...&q=hi&newref=1

http://www.soundclick.com/player/sin...&q=hi&newref=1


My Lo-Riders were 4 years old on the last 2 clips(and sounding decidedly more Ric-like on those two), and my Sunbeams over two years old on the others. That's what I like about Rics - they are great at cutting through a mix in a nice way that isn't too hi-fi.

(btw, I like P basses too)

[Rickenbassist]

Originally Posted by GregC

Wellll, be aware, my friend, that Bruce Foxton put a P pickup in his Ric for a while, then switched to a black/maple P bass for All Mod Cons and most of their ensuing material. Not to take anything away from the Ric, but with Bruce at least, I find it hard to tell on the studio recordings when he's playing one or the other.

A Rickenbacker's tone is absolutely different from a Fender's tone (P or J). You can clearly hear the difference between what Foxton is playing just by listening to All Around the World, and Down in a Tube Station at Midnight. From everything thing I've read about the guy and his gear, he never put a Pbass pickup in his Ric. He switched from Ric to P and eventually to a Gretsch hollowbody.

Anyway, I've owned 5 Rics in the span of 20 years playing, and they all sound different. I currently still have my first Ric, (which was my first bass) an '83 4003 and I have a '96 4003 as well. The pickups in the '96 are hotter and warmer than the earlier bass. I've recorded an album's worth of original material and had other bassists listen to it, and they couldn't tell what make and model I was playing at all. Its a very versatile and reliable bass. They're worth it if you know what to expect from one and how to make it work for you.

[Rickenbassist]

Originally Posted by mccartneyman

Ricks look cool, but it took Chris Squire to make them really popular. I had a 4001 in 1973 and it worked great for prog rock and anything played with a pick, but it just never had the Fender sound, which works better for some songs. People will argue that you can make a Rick sound like Fendder, but I never had any success.

The newer Rics from '96 to current feature overwound and scatterwound pickups, that are warmer and hotter than the pickups found on the vintage models. Also take into consideration that the older models had a cap that cut output as well, which is something they have as a push/pull feature now.

I have to disagree with you about Chris Squire being the one to make Rics really popular, considering your user tag and such. Macca, John Entwhistle, Roger Waters, Geddy Lee, Randy Meisner, just to name a few helped propel Ric basses into popularity

[rupture]

Played my first ric today. Loved it. love the neck, string spacing. It was so effortless to play. I've played Ibanez's for 15 years.,and going from the thin neck to the ric was nothing.It will be coming home with me.

[jazzmanb]

Been a fender jazz man since the early 80s and bought my 1st rick about 6 months ago.a 1981 4001 faded white lemmy style, more as an investment(good price)...like you always loved the look of them and the guys who played them,geddy,foxton,lemmy etc and watching old punk stuff they were everywhere.Sorted the action out a bit and it plays nice, its harder work than a jazz and as a finger player i get a bit stuck as to where to rest my thumb.Decided to try it at a gig playing rock in place of my76 jazz and the lads in the band loved the sound so at the moment its no1 choice..tend to play right on the neck to the take the rick crunch away when needed..grab a plec and start hitting it and its a sound from heaven or perhaps hell...

[Reace George]

Daaamn, how I'd like to have a Rick...

But here in The Netherlands, it's pretty expensive, comparing it to "picking one up for 1500 dollars". Why's that? I can never find a Rick cheaper than 2000 euros. Is there any shop in the USA that ships Ricks to my place?

(Not that I can afford one now, but I just want to know. Curiousity!)

[baileyboy]

In the early 80s I briefly owned a 4001, but it never measured up tone-wise, so I got rid of it. I've been a Fender player ever since. Each to his own, I suppose.

[Music Scholar]

RIC = CLASSIC

[Sartori]

Originally Posted by jazzmanb

Been a fender jazz man since the early 80s and bought my 1st rick about 6 months ago.a 1981 4001 faded white lemmy style, more as an investment(good price)...like you always loved the look of them and the guys who played them,geddy,foxton,lemmy etc and watching old punk stuff they were everywhere.Sorted the action out a bit and it plays nice, its harder work than a jazz and as a finger player i get a bit stuck as to where to rest my thumb.Decided to try it at a gig playing rock in place of my76 jazz and the lads in the band loved the sound so at the moment its no1 choice..tend to play right on the neck to the take the rick crunch away when needed..grab a plec and start hitting it and its a sound from heaven or perhaps hell...

When I play my 4001 fingerstyle, I rest my thumb on either the edge of the body, the edge of the pickguard, or the pickup cover.

[howlin]

Well, Yes [pun intended] it is. Sounds more like a Clavinet on steroids that a bass IMO.

[howlin]

Originally Posted by Reace George

Daaamn, how I'd like to have a Rick... But here in The Netherlands, it's pretty expensive, comparing it to "picking one up for 1500 dollars". Why's that? I can never find a Rick cheaper than 2000 euros. Is there any shop in the USA that ships Ricks to my place? (Not that I can afford one now, but I just want to know. Curiousity!)

Check out Rainbow Guitars in Tucson, AZ. Harvey should be able to help you out when you're ready.

[howlin]

Personally, I'm glad all you guys like Rics and Hofners for that matter. To each his own. All I can say is I've yet to find one of either brand that came close to being playable. Sound-wise they can be okay but price-wise - NO THANKS!

As for the neck-through comments: I can see that being an asset if the truss-rod went all the way through the body but no neck-through instrument that I know of has that, so where's the real advantage? Something to think about . . .

[Mike in Chicago]

I had one in my Squire days (4001). Way too thin sounding.

They look like they should come with a bucket of picks.

[bill reed]

Originally Posted by howlin

As for the neck-through comments: I can see that being an asset if the truss-rod went all the way through the body but no neck-through instrument that I know of has that, so where's the real advantage? Something to think about . . .

If the truss rods went all the way through then the point of bend changes. all guitars have a truss rod the lenght of the fretboard and the bend point is in the middle of the truss rod, around the 9th to 12th fret. having a truss rod all the way thought on a thru-neck would move the bend point to around the 20-22 fret and to a point where the neck thickens so would not work or do what it was ment to do.
the big diffrence with a thru-neck is its more stable and also has more sustain as the pickups are mouned on the same bit off wood as the neck.
a lot of thru-neck bass makers are now using the double action truss rod, this can bow out and in! so gives you much more control but is a bigger lump of metal and lowers sustain a little, so not used in so many set-neck or bold-on necks as the sustain is lower, not so noticeable on a thru-neck.

[armybass]

They are far worse than Ruffles.....it really is hard to have just one.

[unclejane]

Originally Posted by blendermassacre

I've been feverishly been listening to The Jam lately, and every time I just go look at Ric's. They don't exactly do tonally what I want, but I just can't shake wanting one. I've kept my eye open for a copy to try to get my GAS under control, but even then, it's hard.

HELP

See if you can borrow one for a gig or two. Or at least play it at home through your amp for a while. Your hands will be so tired and your ears will be ringing so bad at the end of it that you should be pretty much convinced at that point.

Or, go ahead and buy one. Fortunately, the resale is good on the 4000 series these days, so you should be able to turn it if you don't have another player.

Or do like I have with my last one, keep it as a collector's item/piece of art. They're hell on the hands and ears to play, but they're easy on the eyes...

LS

[tjnkoo]

They're strange basses. Like others have said, try and borrow one for a bit. My dad has an 82' Rickenbacker 4003 in like new pristine condition that I play once every while when I'm home and its just a strange bass. Beautiful looking, beautifully set up as far as they go, and absolutely beautiful sounding. The problem is that they're just hard to play compared to the basses I play. I can't play smoothly, quickly, articulately, etc. on the Ric just because they aren't a shape that works for me. Make sure it works for you before you put the cash down.

For reference I play a Dingwall ABZ5, a 1977 Fender Jazz and a Fender Tony Franklin fretless.