2014 Ric 4003 neck profile.

My 4003W feels great. It kind of reminds me of a P bass.

 

It may be a bit thicker but it is not wider. I get along with them just fine; i used to have (for 38 years) a early '67 4005WB and I still currently have an early '73 4001, so I have/had excellent references to gauge from (not to mention a bunch more, my 2030GF being one of my favorite necks).

As to new necks, I have late '11 and '13 4004 Laredos (Ruby [2012 NAMM Show] and Snowglo, respectively).

 

I bought a 2014 4003 new about 2 months ago. The neck is very P bass like. I prefer the sound of it to the '76 4001 I had years ago, more bottom end on the 4003, and the quality overall is much better imo. I say go for it. Gratuitous pic of mine:

 

Here are a couple of mine in full frontal poses!

 

In general, I like "jazz" style necks, and really dislike "P" style necks, and this seems to hold true for me across all bass brands. For example, I loved the neck on my EBMM Sterling, but I've never been able to find a Stingray neck that I like.

In the spring, I had a brand new 4003W for 2 weeks. I tried and tried and tried to like it because it was so beautiful, but could not make friends with the neck at all. In the end, I returned it, almost entirely because of the uncomfortable (to me) neck.

Last week, I bought a 1980 4001, and I can't say enough good things about this neck. It feels FANTASTIC! Thin, fast, easy to get around on...it is like the polar opposite of the neck on the 4003W.

So while my experience with Rics is *extremely* limited, I'll only look at skinny necked vintage 4001 basses from now on (if I was to buy another), and wouldn't consider a new(er) 4003 at all.

To each their own though.

 

Let me start off by saying I have lusted after a Rickenbacker since 1977. It was THE bass that I have ALWAYS wanted.

Now I have several Jazz and P basses, and I am fortunate enough to be in a position to be able to afford a Rick. My HS son, who is also a bass player (but with no money) has been begging me to buy a Rick (I guess he has this fantasy of knocking me off in my sleep to inherit a new Rick). A few years back, I decided to earnestly search for a Rick 4003 to buy (Maple Glo), and I spent about 6 months playing about a doz or more samples in music store from NYC to Las Vegas. ... and yet, I still don't have a Rick. Here is how I explained it to my son...

The Rickenbacker 4003 to me, is that smokin hot chick that you fantasize about. You know... tall, skinny, hot body, hair spun by angels, a smile that can light up the Rockefeller Xmas tree. And then, you finally meet her, and she agrees to go out on a date with you. You pick her up for that perfect date, and she is sending out all the right signals to you that says: "I'm yours for the takin..." But, about an hour into the date you find out that she has a personality of a dead branch, is dumber than a rock, and has a super annoying, nagging personality that constantly bitches about EVERYTHING. Do you move on? or do you grit your teeth and put up with her constant bitchin to be the envy of all your friends?

Frankly, I'm too damn old and set in my ways to put up with that sh!t. My son, on the other hand, thinks "Are you frickin kidding me! You put up w/ Mom's nagging! Buy the damn bass!"

Long story short, I never found a Rick that I was comfortable with. Fret to fret was about as wide as my P bass, but I always felt like I was playing a baseball bat.

Now I just admire Rics from a far, and gape admiringly.

Good luck with your decision.

 

I sold a 2013 that I couldn't get used to. I just bought a 1981 and it is perfect.

 

I got a 4003W a couple of months ago and was actually quite surprised at how chunky the neck was, compared to the late 80's 4003 I used to have. I wasn't real thrilled with it at first, but I've gotten used to it now and it doesn't really give me any issues. For me it's not nearly as comfortable as a Jazz neck, but I can work with it easily enough and it's a small price to pay for the amazing tone, which obliterates that of my older Jetglo. And of course, the walnut is just gorgeous.

 

This is pretty much exactly how I felt after my experience with the 4003W.

I can't emphasize enough just how different the neck is with the 4001. It's like going from "absolutely not" to "oh yes please baby yes".

 

I just got a '14 4003. I owned a 1990 from...well, 1990 through about 2001. This new one has a much thicker neck, especially at the nut. In fact there is no taper at all; the 15th fret is the same thickness as the 1st. Big shoulders up by the nut too.

The old one had a few dead spots; so far I haven't found any on the '14. Other than the appearance (my old one was 'reverse tuxedo', white with black hardware/binding) I like the new one better.

 

Sounds pretty much the same as mine. I ordered it and was kind of disappointed with that aspect of the instrument when it arrived, but I've gotten used to it and find it pretty comfortable to play now, the sharp body edge notwithstanding (hey, it's a Rick!). No dead spots on mine either (unlike my previous 4003), and it's now a toss-up whether it or my Ibanez would be the last one to go if I had to sell.

 

I recently played a 4003, I think the P-Bass comparison is pretty close, and I don't love P's . My 79' Jetglo had a much thinner neck profile front to back. I have smallish hands, so I think it would aggravate me long term. I'm building a 4001 clone, trying to re-create that neck profile. If you have average to large hands, it will probably feel fine, good luck with it, great sounding bass.

 

I just recently got this 2014, 4003. The neck on it feels great. I have small hands, but it's a quick playing neck, that to me feels better than a couple of other recent 4003's I've had. The tone on it is very good also.

 

Are those tapewounds?

 

I dunno. I have small hands, and yet I find I like bigger necks. I'm a guitar player who just dabbles in bass; from both my physiology and musical 'formative years' I should like Ibanez Wizard necks, yet I find myself wishing that Gibson's R9 profile was a little thicker...

I just got a NAFTACaster bass (Cabro Precision), and it's easily the biggest bass neck I've played, even bigger than original Steinberger bolt-ons. And I love it.

 

Hi AB, yeah, they're D'Addario ETB92 Nylon Tapewounds. I use the ETB92's on my Fenders, and the 4003.