• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Am I crazy? (Rick 4003/Fender Jazz question)

Am I crazy?

  • Yep

    Votes: 67 35.6%

  • Nope

    Votes: 63 33.5%

  • herp derp

    Votes: 58 30.9%
  • Total voters
    188
#42
Here's my quick $0.02:

I've found Rics to be incredibly individual. They have a small production run and as such the differences between instruments even produced in the same year can be completely different.

I purchased a FireGlo 4003 when I worked at a music store and it was the most beautiful bass I'd ever seen - flame all the way up the big horn and up the back of the neck. I'd never seen a Ric with flame before. Anyway, I was renting a room at the time so it was about 2 weeks before I had a chance to hook it up to my rig (GK 800RB and Ampeg 410HE) and when I did it just sounded awful. No matter what I did I just could not make it work. I ended up having to return it because I couldn't justify owning a bass that didn't sound good.

On the other hand I have a friend who has a JetGlo 4003 and the thing sounds incredible - I've played it through a number of amps and recorded it as well and it sounds like gold every time.

Maybe you just got a lemon. It would suck, but it happens.
 
#43
I've owned a couple of Rics and a couple of Jazzes. To echo what has been said already, I love the looks of the Ric most of all. They are versatile, but only really excel at "the Rick" sound, which either works for you or it doesn't. I simply can't get over the ergonomics of them and that's why I have sold them.

The reverse is true for Jazzes, IMO. They are very comfortable to play. They're probably more versatile than a Ric, but the sound I like from them tends to either get lost or ends up sounding too bright. I don't really care for their looks at all.

To the OP, I'd say save up and buy a Jazz before selling the Ric so you can compare. They don't retain their price like Rics, so I'd use that to my advantage and get a good used one. After a month or so, you'll know which one is right and can sell the other for about what you paid for it. Regarding EQ, I used to bump up my low mids on the Ric and cut the upper mids just a tad with the tone on my bridge pickup turned down between one quarter to one half way. On my 4003, the bridge pickup was much more pronounced in terms of volume that the neck, and I found that adjusting it's tone made much more effect sonically than the neck pickup.
 
#44
I had an experience very similar to what the OP is describing. my first couple years with a Rick were very sonically frustrating, and since it had been my dream bass for so long I refused to replace it. it just didn't seem to have enough low end. eventually I was able to get a pretty awesome Entwistle-ish tone out of it, and it ended up being my main player for 6 years. the Rick suited me just fine while I was into hard rock, but for anything other than that its awesomeness would drop off significantly. I found that its versatility depended very heavily on technique - more so than any bass I've played even to this day. this was a blessing in disguise, because while it was a pain trying to bend the Rick to my will, it helped me develop my right hand quite a bit. so I'm glad I stuck it out. I'm much too sentimental to ever sell it, but I certainly don't miss playing it.
 
#45
Ricks are funny. A good setup from somebody who knows them and appreciates them really makes a huge difference. But then again, I've played many Jazz basses and they all sound different. The two best sounding and playing ones I've played were an early 60's pre-CBS and a cheapo MIM (one of mine). Go figure.
 
#46
I've got an old '76 Fireglo 4001. Played it with roundwounds for years and was really happy with the sound (hard rock).

As I got older, the weight became more of an issue & I got a Rogue Viola bass off the 'bay just for the hell of it to see if the hollow body would help back in 2007. Played that with rounds (& lots of compression) and found it was exactly what I needed and covered quite a few styles with impressive grace and adaptability.

Fast forward to 2011. I joined a Beatles tribute/cover band & BOTH basses are appropriate to what I do. Both are now strung with flats. The Rogue now gives the expected thump & thud, but what an incredible sonic difference in the Ric with flats! Like an altogether different bass. Still feels like my Ric, but my God...the sound. Had someone at a show tell me my bass sound was the driving force behind our cover of "Nowhere Man" (had been using the Rogue on that track up till then).

Been VERY pleased with the sound of the Ric either way (rounds or flats). A little experimentation goes a long way...:)

Yeah, they're a little more "fiddly" to dial in than a Fender, but if you're a fan, you don't seem to mind.
 
#47
So many basses can sound good, it's really just up to the bassist to make them work for you. I'm a Rickenbacker guy at heart, but I love the sound of Fender J's and P's. They all sound a little different, and they all can sound good. It's up to the bassist to make them sound good, really.
 
#48
People always think Rics are too cutting, and here is a an example of one doing just that. Even with old strings, it still cuts through:

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

But they can also sound nice and thick, whilst still keeping great definition:

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

I'd say it's down to preamps and EQ. Rics have a TON of mids, so don't be afraid to cut them a bit if that bass is being too rude - I think that's the slowest lesson I have learned with mine.
 
#49
FaithNoMan said:
People always think Rics are too cutting, and here is a an example of one doing just that. Even with old strings, it still cuts through:

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

But they can also sound nice and thick, whilst still keeping great definition:

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

I'd say it's down to preamps and EQ. Rics have a TON of mids, so don't be afraid to cut them a bit if that bass is being too rude - I think that's the slowest lesson I have learned with mine.
Click to expand...

Very nice playing. Also, great examples of the Rick's versatility.
 
#51
This Rick here has been modified to be a 5 string bass and it also has a 4 band Audere preamp. With 4 bands I can get pretty much any tone that I want from it.

b%20170.jpg
]
 
#55
My 2 cents : i guess that Rickenbacker fits better in music situations where there is no fat guitars or fat drums around the bass.

Yes Lemmy uses it but trough two Marshall Plexi Heads cranked full, at that level of distortion he could use any bass and the result would be (almost) the same.

Yes Cliff burton used it, but he had a MudBucker on the neck and a Jazz bass pickup on the bridge, so basically he was playing a Frankenbass not a Rick.
 
#56
Gasman said:
I I simply can't get over the ergonomics of them (Rics)and that's why I have sold them.

The reverse is true for Jazzes, IMO. They are very comfortable to play.
Click to expand...

Interesting because I have the exact opposite problem. I Love Rics for many reason but, always wanted to play Jazz basses as well but, my hands and arm start hurting after a couple of hours of Jazz bassing...I blame the narrow neck.

If I asked 100 bassists though I'd bet the majority would prefer a tapered Jazz style neck. Some's gotta be different ;)
 
#57
Marc61 said:
Interesting because I have the exact opposite problem. I Love Rics for many reason but, always wanted to play Jazz basses as well but, my hands and arm start hurting after a couple of hours of Jazz bassing...I blame the narrow neck.

If I asked 100 bassists though I'd bet the majority would prefer a tapered Jazz style neck. Some's gotta be different ;)
Click to expand...

I agree- different strokes for different folks. How boring would life be if we all had the same opinion?:)

I actually was referring to the bound edge on the body of the 4001/4003, not the neck. I don't mind the neck on the Rick and actually prefer wider necks (Precisions), to be honest. Again, that's just me.
 
#58
The same or similar happened to me also,
What Strings do you use?
Because, i had a Höfner Style solid violin bass, it had factory roundwound strings, it was good in band i could hear myself really, but i wanted something more "mellow sound", and then i changed to La Bella FLATWOUNDS i couldn't hear myself really(i could when the only the drummer played, but when other guitarist started to play, i also started to hear nothing about bass....) EQ Settings and earplugs didn't helped...

I sold it, and now i want to buy a Precision type bass with roundwounds.

If u use flatwounds, i would try some roundwounds if i were you.

Maybe it would cut the mix throught.
 
#59
cangaroo said:
My 2 cents : i guess that Rickenbacker fits better in music situations where there is no fat guitars or fat drums around the bass.

Yes Lemmy uses it but trough two Marshall Plexi Heads cranked full, at that level of distortion he could use any bass and the result would be (almost) the same.

Yes Cliff burton used it, but he had a MudBucker on the neck and a Jazz bass pickup on the bridge, so basically he was playing a Frankenbass not a Rick.
Click to expand...

And I'd say that's false. Rics can slice through any mix, but especially a hard rock mix with thick guitars and heavy drums. In fact, it's usually more present than a Stingray, which tends to disappear more easily. That's precisely the problem Justin Chancellor had with his Stingray when he tried to get the same presence as Paul did with his Ric on Tool's previous album, Undertow

Here's a sloppy demo I did that has heavier guitars/Ric bottom-end. (Yes, it's sloppy and I was just learning to use quantize, but you can hear my Ric sit in the mix nicely)

Invalid Link Removed
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back