I'm seeing Om and Sleep next month, so I'll be on the lookout for this.
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Al Cisneros Signature Bass
- Thread starter OrphicTrench
- Start date
If we follow the line of succession of players who convinced a generation of bass players to go out and buy a Rick, Al Cisneros is likely the current reigning king.
The standard 4003S models don't have it, but this one could maybe? Although based on the pictures posted a few comments back, it looks like only one jack.
first thing I noticed. Him and Mike Watt both like decidedly non-Fender pieces of wood, but with very Fernder-ey electronics. I find that rather interesting.
About the bass...
love:
-bridge
-pickups & placement
-pickguard
-knobs
Don't love:
-green inlays
-no binding
Would love:
-if they did the s/5 with this pickup placement with those Doritos hidden inside of EMG DC cases, surrounded by that classic chrome, and wired like a J, and this bridge, guard, and knobs.
I would love to hear how that pickup placement sounds! Something tells me it may be hard to distinguish the changes in sound in Al's bass when it's tuned down to Z sharp, through 4 fuzz pedals and amps turned up to head exploding volume.
I also really like the half pickguard. The knobs I'm indifferent about. I'm fully on board with the green inlays at this point, haha.
Yeah the second and fourth Tinnitus Photography pics definitely show only the small non-Ric-o-sound output jack plate.
Forgive my ignorance but do any of the current production Ric basses have Rick-O-Sound?
I think Marc Najjar had a hand in getting Al and Rickenbacker together for this bass. I follow Ben Hall on Instagram, and he seems a lot more switched on to social media and a lot more open to creativity within the RIC camp. Al seems to have had a few pieces from Rickenbacker already, so it is nice to see he has a proper signature model now. Marc seems to be a force to be reckoned with when it comes to getting builders to build stuff! He somehow persuaded Gibson to make those new shortscale LP Jr basses as well.
Having said that, the bass isn't for me. It is perfect for Al's playing style, which involves a lot of percussive right hand action up at the end of the neck. I don't like the dual bridge pickup/surround/cover setup. It makes the bass look oddly 'blind' to me. The green inlays look like an aftermarket Etsy faux inlay kit, and the 'cooker' knobs look too big which, inversely, makes the pickguard look too small.
The new Rickenbacker bridge looks exciting however, and hopefully breaks up the duopoly of either sticking with the original 'finish chomper' or the rattly Hipshot replacement that, in my opinion, erases too much of the character of the stock bridge.
Having said that, the bass isn't for me. It is perfect for Al's playing style, which involves a lot of percussive right hand action up at the end of the neck. I don't like the dual bridge pickup/surround/cover setup. It makes the bass look oddly 'blind' to me. The green inlays look like an aftermarket Etsy faux inlay kit, and the 'cooker' knobs look too big which, inversely, makes the pickguard look too small.
The new Rickenbacker bridge looks exciting however, and hopefully breaks up the duopoly of either sticking with the original 'finish chomper' or the rattly Hipshot replacement that, in my opinion, erases too much of the character of the stock bridge.
I was going to post the same exact thing. The dual pickup covers is just too much space that's inaccessible to me. The bass looks pretty cool, though.
You could remove the covers and buy two bezels!
I don't see the need for the two bridge pickups, beyond aesthetics. They have the same single coil setup as a conventional neck pickup. They simply have a wacky way of mounting and adjusting. It is bad enough having to wrestle with one, but two seems overkill. A lot of routing in that body that isn't really necessary.
The bass works for Al Cisneros as he never plays down there anyway. In terms of signature instruments, they've given him what he wanted from a bass, rather than a replica of what he already plays.
...which is a shame as I love that unusual green sparkle bass he played early on in Sleep:
Link Removed
To go with the green amps and green Space Echo. Presumably this was a refinished bass.
Copying my post from the Rickenbacker Club Thread.
I called Wildwood about the 4003AC and got some info from them (always a great shop to deal with). Bruce said that RIC is making 450 of them, and that he will be able to order some (as many as he can get) in about 6 weeks. He was not sure if they would have stereo or only mono output. MSRP will be around $3300 and he expected Wildwood to have them for around $2500-2600.
The price is a disappointment for me, as it is over $1000 more than a standard 4003SW, and at that price I would definitely have to sell something else to afford it. Not sure what I'll do.
I called Wildwood about the 4003AC and got some info from them (always a great shop to deal with). Bruce said that RIC is making 450 of them, and that he will be able to order some (as many as he can get) in about 6 weeks. He was not sure if they would have stereo or only mono output. MSRP will be around $3300 and he expected Wildwood to have them for around $2500-2600.
The price is a disappointment for me, as it is over $1000 more than a standard 4003SW, and at that price I would definitely have to sell something else to afford it. Not sure what I'll do.
I had heard they would make 420 to tie in with the 4/20 announcement and stoner theme but who knows. That seems like a large number of units.
More bass porn from Om's latest show in Stockholm:
Have you guys not read the press release?
This bass is going to include two treble bezels that Ric is apparently making.
I got word that many dealers are at full pop or just a little off. Be interesting to see what really happens.
