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first time playing a Rick

matty1039

matty1039

Oct 26, 2015
1,163
1,861
New Orleans
#1
Just got home from Guitar Center. They had a Rickenbacker 4003. I did not care for it. The neck felt weird, the body was strange and the pickup cover was in the way. It was a solid, well built instrument, but it is not for me. Sorry Rick crowd, I respect it but I'll pass.

What I did love was a fretless Jazz bass they had. I think a fretless will be my next purchase. Such a great tone and feel.

Edit: Went back on the next day and played the Ric first. It did not feel as strange this time around.

The comments on the thread gave me more information, so I wanted to give it a second shot. While I won't be rushing out to buy one anytime soon I could see playing one.
 
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#2
matty1039 said:
Just got home from Guitar Center. They had a Rickenbacker 4003. I did not care for it. The neck felt weird, the body was strange and the pickup cover was in the way. It was a solid, well built instrument, but it is not for me. Sorry Rick crowd, I respect it but I'll pass.

What I did love was a fretless Jazz bass they had. I think a fretless will be my next purchase. Such a great tone and feel.
Click to expand...

When I buy a new bass, first thing I do is set it up and get rid of any covers it may have, they do get in the way and do nothing besides. My next bass will be a 4003S, Ricks do take some getting used to coming from Fenders.
 
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#4
I felt the same way, until I tried a 4004, with humbuckers, no binding, and a normal bridge:

IMG_20151121_173558964.jpg
 
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#7
I think GC has them, but they are always pre- sold, so they never make it onto the floor. Ric finally caught up with the production backlog on 4003's a couple years ago, so I started seeing them in GC, now they are gone again locally (Boston). I have yet to see a 4003s in person, they just don't exist locally, and this is definitely a bass you have to try before buying. Same with 4004, never even seen one in person.
 
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#8
matty1039 said:
Finding a Rick in a store is almost impossible. I bet seeing one of those would be like seeing a unicorn.
Click to expand...

Sure, if you go to places like GC or Sam Ash. Find the RIC dealer nearest you:

Find a US Dealer

My nearest dealer has a wall full of them:

Classic-Axe-Gallery.jpg
 
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#10
Yeah, I've only seen two Ricks in a store in my life and it was on two separate occasions.

OP, I hear you about the ergonomics, but how was the tone? That tone alone is what keeps Rickenbacker in business.

Regarding the neck, they vary a LOT. The two I saw were both 2015 4003S's a few weeks apart. One was chunkier than a P Bass, I put it down in a millisecond. The second one was about as thin as an Ibanez SR neck and it felt glorious (I'm kicking myself for not being able to afford it)... The next time you see another one in a store, do yourself a favour and try it.
 
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#12
Matthew_84 said:
Yeah, I've only seen two Ricks in a store in my life and it was on two separate occasions.

OP, I hear you about the ergonomics, but how was the tone? That tone alone is what keeps Rickenbacker in business.

Regarding the neck, they vary a LOT. The two I saw were both 2015 4003S's a few weeks apart. One was chunkier than a P Bass, I put it down in a millisecond. The second one was about as thin as an Ibanez SR neck and it felt glorious (I'm kicking myself for not being able to afford it)... The next time you see another one in a store, do yourself a favour and try it.
Click to expand...

I did not plug it in. This GC keeps the Ricks in a separate room with all their vintage and high end gear. There were not any bass amps in there. I was not a serious customer so I did not want to walk it across the store to the amps.

There is another store close by that sells them. I'll have to see if they keep any in stock. Been there a few times. Better atmosphere than GC.
 
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#15
Well, I'm on the same boat with you. I've played many rics, and I think they have a unique sound and they look super cool, but the smooth low end that I get from a j, or the nasty low mid frequencies I get from a p is much more exciting to me. I love Lemmy, and I think rics rock. It's just that they are not as exciting to me. I also don't like flats on my Ps, haha!
 
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#16
Killed_by_Death said:
Sure, if you go to places like GC or Sam Ash. Find the RIC dealer nearest you:

Find a US Dealer

My nearest dealer has a wall full of them:
Click to expand...

I've had experiences similar to @matty1039 looking for a Ric to try out...

So just for laughs, I just looked up dealers in my state (CT) on Rickenbacker's website - and guess what? There's three:

  • Guitar Center
  • Sam Ash
  • and one indy...

So apparently Rickenbacker hasn't been copied on the memo you got about "the RIC dealer nearest you" and why you shouldn't be bothering with Sammy's or GC. Even though that's who Rickenbacker is listing as two of their official dealers. :p:smug:

(Note: for the record, I've never once seen a Ric in either the Sam Ash or GC listed...)
 
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#17
All GC & SA are authorized dealers, but they only ever stock 4003 models.

You have to visit the real dealers to see the 4004 models, or the guitars.

I guess I am lucky that I can be at the RIC dealer in about two hours. I might stop by there tomorrow. I'm going on a little road trip to check out a Peavey bass amp.

Maybe that little indy shop has them out the wazoo. Have you been there?
 
#19
matty1039 said:
Just got home from Guitar Center. They had a Rickenbacker 4003. I did not care for it. The neck felt weird, the body was strange and the pickup cover was in the way. It was a solid, well built instrument, but it is not for me. Sorry Rick crowd, I respect it but I'll pass.
Click to expand...

None taken. I will say though, that I think for some, like myself, you gotta work with 'em a bit. It is a different tool for me, and I wear it differently, attack the strings differently, etc.

matty1039 said:
What I did love was a fretless Jazz bass they had. I think a fretless will be my next purchase. Such a great tone and feel.
Click to expand...

Well, I am a Jazz guy at the end of the day, and I own a fretless as well (its a P though), so you will get no argument from me on this.
 
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#20
Killed_by_Death said:
Sure, if you go to places like GC or Sam Ash. Find the RIC dealer nearest you:

Find a US Dealer

My nearest dealer has a wall full of them:

View attachment 890340
Click to expand...

That's my old buddy and bandmate Russ. I played the walnut 4004 at a rehearsal one time. Didn't dig it. But he had a white (with white binding) 4001 stashed at his house too, I played that the rest of the time. My 85 Ruby 4003 was part of his (used) inventory prior to opening his first store. It never made it to the sales floor. ;)

If you go tomorrow, tell him I said HEY! He might still have pics of our old band up in the store. I'm playing an old Ruby 4003s in one of the pics, I should have bought that one too!

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He has a 4005 (refin) w/ double binding on hand, for anyone interested.....

I played that at a rehearsal too - sounded #$^%#$ amazing!
 
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