He does it with two mono outputs - it goes back to his old Precision which he added a Gibson EBO (?) pickup to, right up against the neck. As he didn't know how to wire it in properly he ran it to a separate socket and the design stuck.
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Anyone actually use Rick-O-Sound?
- Thread starter SanDiegoHarry
- Start date
I have a 2013 4003. I use it. I love it. I have two 220 watt Ampeg cube amps. One is a BA115HP the other a BA210SP. I run the neck p/up through the 115 and the bridge p/up through the 210. 440 effective watts. I stack the amps. The tone is amazing! I plug a 15' TRS into the Rick-O-Sound jack and plug that into a "Y" at the amps, out into each amp. The sound is massive and articulate and very responsive to how subtle or aggressive you play. For those who haven't heard or tried it, you will amazed once you do! It should be in every serious bassist's bucket list to try it at least once in your life!
I did. For the main reason that the 1/4" cord would snag on this input jack cable better (believe it or not). I used to play the Rick with only the Rick-o-Sound and goose the bass, mids on my amp. I also used to play with my fingers closest to the bridge wedged between the bridge and the bridge pickup cover. More recently, I've switched to the regular jack and moved my fingers to play between the bridge and neck pick ups to get more oomph.
I could be wrong on this......but.....It was Chris Squire who modded his RM1999 with each pickup sent to separate amps and then Rickenbacker developed "Rick-O-Sound" because of that. Paul may have to step in and correct me. Ironically, the Chris Squire signature bass, the CS4001, was released with only a mono output.
BTW, I have recently been using the ROS out on my 4001 as the Flint has a stereo input via a TRS jack giving the ability to run the two pickups out of the the separate L and R outs on the pedal without the reverb engaged (the tremolo is always mono regardless). I use a TRS>TRS (2 conductor + ground) cable to the Flint.
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I have two tube preamps and a dual channel power amp. I always wanted to try ROS on my 4003 with the neck pup normal and the bridge pup with way overdriven gain. I've just been too cheap to look into a stereo instrument cable. I could just get a 1/4" stereo y-cord adapter at the shack and run two standard instrument cables to my rig, but that seems awkward. How do other folks do it?
Same way or a cable for a footswitch then to the Y with all female ends stereo to two mono.
Ric-o sound does sound cool and the same results can NOT be achieved by splitting your mono signal..when using the mono output, the pup's interact differently..yes you can still blend and have different tones on each pup but it's not the same and there is a certain amount of "bleed" from each pup(try rolling the tone control down on either pup,it kind of controls the "global" tone of the whole signal unless you back off the volume for that pup..when the selector switch is in the middle position)..when using the Ric-o-sound and running two amps the pup's are truly independent..it was Ric's intention to have the user run the bridge pup to a guitar amp..that's why it had the .0047 cap and was(is) labeled as the treble pup and the neck pup was(is)labeled the bass pup..
Used to run my rick stereo into the two inputs on my svt vr, but then realised it sounds better in mono with both pickups and .0047uf cap in.
If/when I have two svt stacks I would consider it more. I was thinking of a hiwatt or Marshall super lead too, run the bridge pup into that for all the high mids/highs and grit, then set the ampeg up for maximum low end girth with the neck pick up.
IME it's a far less intuitive playing situation, when in mono you can switch between for different sounds but while still running through the same linethe change in output/tone isn't so huge.
I'm getting a 4004 next week, and rick went to mono only and that ain't an issue for anyone!
In recording situations even IME the neck into DI when compressed hard produced HUGE subs, but we ended up purely using the mic'd sound.
If/when I have two svt stacks I would consider it more. I was thinking of a hiwatt or Marshall super lead too, run the bridge pup into that for all the high mids/highs and grit, then set the ampeg up for maximum low end girth with the neck pick up.
IME it's a far less intuitive playing situation, when in mono you can switch between for different sounds but while still running through the same linethe change in output/tone isn't so huge.
I'm getting a 4004 next week, and rick went to mono only and that ain't an issue for anyone!
In recording situations even IME the neck into DI when compressed hard produced HUGE subs, but we ended up purely using the mic'd sound.
I spent about a year in the '80s gigging 4001s using RoS. Neck pickup into a MM 150 and MM 2x12 and bridge pickup into a Fender Bassman 10. Sounded brilliant, but to be honest the forearm/no contour problem defeated me and I went back to 4000s.
I guess I was looking more for info on whether people were running some sort of stereo instrument cable from the ROS jack on the bass to their rig, and Y splitting it there, or Y splitting it at the ROS jack and running two of their regular instrument cables to their rig. Not having done this, I have no experience or knowledge of looking for stereo instrument cables.
There is no magic to a stereo cable for an instrument. It is simply a microphone cable with 1/4" TRS plugs on the ends instead of XLR connectors. I would think that anyone serious (or not) about using ROS to their amp or to effects units would not want to have two cables hanging off their instrument. Split it at the receiving end.
The easiest way is to use a stereo cord and run to a splitter device.
All you really need is a small project box, one stereo jack and two mono jacks and you're in business.
I built one from an old discarded MXR stomp box carcass.
I did buy one of the proper RoS boxes for $75 just after they were discontinued ny RIC but before they all sold out, but id is just a box with Switchcraft parts in it and a hardwired stereo cord attached.
No magic smoke or anything in there.
Very cool!
Looks pretty portable too!
I also like that it has the same stage footprint as one combo but with at least twice the sound.
Unfortunately my gear won't stack like that very well.
I keep meaning to do that, too but just have been too lazy, er, I mean too busy or something. I still have the case from my 1974 Phase 90 (I bought it new at that time) that I tossed the guts out of when it died beyond being worth the cost of repairing.
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