Then you played the wrong faker. I owned a 78’ 4001 as my first bass and played an Aria that belonged to a band mate, so I got to make a direct A/B comparison over a few months. The fit and finish were comparable, with the same tiny finish flaws you’d expect on any production instrument. I thought the bridge was better on the Ric, not in function, but quality of the chrome job. The tuners were better on the Aria, less “lash” in the gears. The neck on my 4001 was thinner, but not all that stable. The nut on the Ric was a little rough, unpolished Bakelite, don’t know what the Aria was made of, but it was polished and well finished. Ric STILL leaves them rough, unfinished, and cut high. The tone was very similar, but the output balance between neck and bridge was more even in the Aria. That’s been a problem with Rics from day one, still is. Given the variation in quality between 4001 of the era, it’s hard to arrive at a direct comparison between any single Ric and any other. One of my buddies had a 78’ 4001 he bought a month after me that was a complete dog, it simply Would Not hold a given neck relief. He sold it and got a Fender, go figure. The 70’s in general were not a great decade for American manufacturing, which is why the Japanese started eating our lunch in consumer electronics, cars, and in some cases, guitars. The higher end of the Lawsuit fakers were fully comparable to Rics spotty QC the era, if they hadn’t been, Hall wouldn’t have bothered pursuing an expensive series of lawsuits to quash them.
whom I've always found to be a gentleman trying to protect his company from rip offs.
