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Al Cisneros Signature Bass

Have you guys not read the press release?
This bass is going to include two treble bezels that Ric is apparently making.

I had not read the press release. I don't think I saw a link to it in this thread and hadn't looked for it myself.

In that case, that's cool Ric is including treble bezels. That would help solve that part of it at least.
 
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I’ll admit I have no idea who this guy is, or why he warrants a signature model.

This is what makes it cool. Al Cisneros has been a diligent and 100% committed user of Rickenbacker basses, even if he isn't a household name. Sleep probably sold more Rickenbacker basses to the doom and stoner communities than any other band.

People usually complain that Fender throw signature models at anybody they think might be in the limelight for five minutes. Rickenbacker have gone the other way and honoured a heavy user of their products, even if they are a somewhat obscure artist.

Hopefully this means that more signature models, and general shifting up of the designs, is in the works.
 
Thats a lot of routing for a single trussrod!
Indeed. They've got a cushion slice between it and the fb, so they should be fine to have it adjuster side up without the adjuster contacting the cover which would minimize wood loss by ~1/4", that D-rout at the bottom looks unnecessary, as does the very aesthetic wiiiiide D-rout at the top. I hope they've got a beefy volute supporting that lil swimming pool. If not, I guess it could be said that they're trying to save weight at the headstock to make the bass balance as upright as possible.
 
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This is what makes it cool. Al Cisneros has been a diligent and 100% committed user of Rickenbacker basses, even if he isn't a household name. Sleep probably sold more Rickenbacker basses to the doom and stoner communities than any other band.

People usually complain that Fender throw signature models at anybody they think might be in the limelight for five minutes. Rickenbacker have gone the other way and honoured a heavy user of their products, even if they are a somewhat obscure artist.

Hopefully this means that more signature models, and general shifting up of the designs, is in the works.
Yep, RIC's signature models have real teeth to them (figuratively speaking), it's not just a marketing thing that has been way watered down, like Fender has done.
 
You could remove the covers and buy two bezels! :laugh:

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.

Remember chatting with him about his sparkle green Ric, when my old band opened up for Sleep, Penance & Cathedral (1993 IIRC) the day they got the Green amps.

Probably the coolest finish on a Ric I've seen so far! :D
 
Remember chatting with him about his sparkle green Ric, when my old band opened up for Sleep, Penance & Cathedral (1993 IIRC) the day they got the Green amps.

Probably the coolest finish on a Ric I've seen so far! :D

Amazing! I assume it was a refin? He had an unusual 4001 early on (Asbestosdeath era, and very early Sleep) which had a bigger pickguard with the bridge pickup incorporated.
 
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Amazing! I assume it was a refin? He had an unusual 4001 early on (Asbestosdeath era, and very early Sleep) which had a bigger pickguard with the bridge pickup incorporated.

I can't remember asking if it was a refinish, I just assumed it was a factory job, or a very good MIJ copy in an unusual finish. It just looked incredibly cool (and told him so). Remember scrounging a t-shirt from Matt Pike that night too (and a Cathedral one from Gaz). We also managed to drink a fair part of the rider (it seemed that none of the other bands liked cheap British bitter).
 
I'm not an expert on Al's basses, but that early shot of him looks like he is holding a 4003 finished in Turquoise, a metallic blue-green. The "metallic" finishes on the older Ricks was very fine grained, and not "sparkly" like the recent special emerald green and gold finishes.

It is a cool photo!

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It looks like a chunkier sparkle than Rickenbacker used, and what you describe. It looks like glitter! Or the various DIY sparkle refinishes I've seen on forums. Even the pickguard looks a bit fabulous....

Interesting to see that the Space Echo is running into the amp. On the early live Sleep recordings the vocals are definitely processed with echo, but I've not heard the bass done so. Maybe he was using the preamp to add more grind!