• 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.

Best Amp for a Rickenbacker

#21
Another vote for Mesa gear...

My Rickenbacker 4001C64S sounded fan-friggin'-tastic through my 400+ and a pair of PowerHouse 2x12's... best choice for a Rick, IMO...

BUT... it STILL growls pretty wickedly through my current Walkabout Scout rig!

A Rick player can't go wrong with Mesa (IMO)!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sartori
#23
bigbajo60 said:
Another vote for Mesa gear...

My Rickenbacker 4001C64S sounded fan-friggin'-tastic through my 400+ and a pair of PowerHouse 2x12's... best choice for a Rick, IMO...

BUT... it STILL growls pretty wickedly through my current Walkabout Scout rig!

A Rick player can't go wrong with Mesa (IMO)!
Click to expand...

That's why I'm getting a M6 this week :D. I can't afford the weight and tubes on a 400+ :/
 
#24
Is it just me or does it seem excessive to think about pairing a particular amp with a bass to get the bass's sound? Wouldn't the amp that makes a Ric sound best also make a P, J, or any other bass for that matter sound its best also? Does anyone here really have certain amps that only get used with certain basses? Its late and I'm hungry, but really........
 
#25
Sufenta said:
Is it just me or does it seem excessive to think about pairing a particular amp with a bass to get the bass's sound? Wouldn't the amp that makes a Ric sound best also make a P, J, or any other bass for that matter sound its best also? Does anyone here really have certain amps that only get used with certain basses? Its late and I'm hungry, but really........
Click to expand...

You have a most valid point there... but I base my opinion on having had a rig that used an Avalon U5 as it's front-end when I first got my Rick. The "clarity" or "transparency" of the Avalon didn't mesh as well with the 4001 as it did with the other basses I own. A Jazz sounded terrific through that rig. As did a StingRay 5. But the Rick sounded... oh, I dunno... "sterile"?

It seems to me that whatever "harmonic magick" might be imparted by tubes... whether preamp, power-amp or both... worked to accentuate all the right traits that a Rick bass inherently has.

You must remember, that a Rickenbacker is a distinctively voiced bass. And in my opinion, that calls for a particularly distinctive rig. (...tubes being the distinction in my point of view.)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sartori
#26
It's like this--I have a 4001, my amp's dying. So I need something new
But
I've played thru too many amps that either haven't been setup right or just can't handle the varied tones of the Rick. I want something that isn't afraid to highlight all the tonality of the Rick
Yes, I know that a Rick is a Rick--but the amp does make a difference. I want it to cook, to be a perfect paring for the Rick
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sartori
#32
Ya know, I never actually tried this but you could get a tube guitar amp head (like a marshall or something) and a bass head (I'd go with a mesa) and run it through 1 2x12 and 1 6x10 and it will probably sound close to what you want, considering thats close to what Chris Squire did...
 
#34
"...copped from Chris Squire producer Eddie Offord—splits his signal between a ’67 50-watt Marshall Plexi guitar head/’69 Marshall keyboard 8x10 and a ’59 Bassman with a custom 1x15. “That bass tone stands the test of time. I crank it up—there’s a lot of guitar to cut through, and the Marshall gives me midrange. It’s that nasal, honking sound."

Well you probably arn't gonna find any of the stuff near the right age, but just to give you an idea.
 
#35
That's the dirty little secret (bass amps SUCK - the newer and more advanced, the WORSE ... old tube guitar amps sound better). Don't tell anybody.
Rock-Bassman said:
"...copped from Chris Squire producer Eddie Offord—splits his signal between a ’67 50-watt Marshall Plexi guitar head/’69 Marshall keyboard 8x10 and a ’59 Bassman with a custom 1x15. “That bass tone stands the test of time. I crank it up—there’s a lot of guitar to cut through, and the Marshall gives me midrange. It’s that nasal, honking sound."

Well you probably arn't gonna find any of the stuff near the right age, but just to give you an idea.
Click to expand...
 
#38
I'm running my Rick 4003 through a Sound City L 120 from '74 and a 4x8 Ampeg and a 1x15 Ampeg with the purpose of getting a Deep Purple-/BTO-ish sound. It's actually an old guitar-amp and two bass cabs, but it does a great job. I'd go with an Ampeg SVT, V4 or SVT-CL or a Marshall from the JMP- or JCM-800-series. If you're looking for vintage amplifying you shouldn't care, whether it's guitar- or bass-amplifying for a Rick - as long as it's a tube amplifier and with bass cab(s). The trick is to turn the mid-tone all the way down, keep the bass in the middle and turn the treble all the way up (or almost).
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sartori

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back