Help me with this Rickenbacker

[bobyoung53]

As long as we're doing this...

December '72 refinished in Matte Amberglo by Paul Wilczynski:

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April '73 FL with the black plastic originally made by Paul for the Dec '72:

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2008 4003FL in Midnight Blue with aftermarket black trim (Except for the TRC, which came from my 650D). Now fitted with a Hipshot bridge. One of the last FLs made before they went on hiatus, perhaps for good). Check the volume settings too:

View attachment 3849615

Nice basses, I ordered a new 2005 Blueboy fretless and waited months for it and when it came they had used regular 4003 trim on the side of the neck which threw me right off, I finally sold it. I almost bought a midnight blue 4003FL with black trim years ago. Is Paul still around? I had quite a collection some years ago, the Sea Green 4003 in Paul Boyer's book was mine originally.

 

[Komadinic]

This thread is all over the place and i absolutely adore it

 

[Komadinic]

This is what a 1964 RM1999 Ric sounds like with flats on it. Pete Quaife of the Kinks was the first player to buy one of these in England, 2nd was John Entwistle, then Chris Squire, those basses were pretty much identical to yours. It's in the picture but you can only see it from the side. Francis Hall gave McCartney a 4001S which were also pretty much identical in, (I think) 1965. I don't there is a difference between RM1999's and 4001S's.

So if i want sound like the bass on roundabout i need flats? Damn it i just got two packs of wound strings, thats one of my favorite bass lines of all times!

 

[FretlessMainly]

Is Paul still around?

It doesn't look as if he has posted there in a few years. I didn't have Paul do the work; I bought the bass from a member who had hired Paul to do the work.

So if i want sound like the bass on roundabout i need flats? Damn it i just got two packs of wound strings, thats one of my favorite bass lines of all times!

No; Squire used Rotosound Rounds on that.

 

[bobyoung53]

So if i want sound like the bass on roundabout i need flats? Damn it i just got two packs of wound strings, thats one of my favorite bass lines of all times!

No, Rotosound Swing bass RS 66. Entwistle and Chris Squire put those on the map. See if you can get a lighter gauge though they used to always come with 105 E strings and were notorious for eating frets. I used them for years as did everyone years ago, they were the first ones and calling round wounds Rotosounds were as common as people calling refrigerators Frigidaires.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

Roto 66 sound great.....but not for long. They go dead too quick for my wallet. I used them for years on my 4001, and they pretty much ate the soft fretwire they used to use. I like D'addario Nickel Rounds now, 90% of the high end clank, but easier on the frets, and they seem to last longer.

 

[Komadinic]

No, Rotosound Swing bass RS 66. Entwistle and Chris Squire put those on the map. See if you can get a lighter gauge though they used to always come with 105 E strings and were notorious for eating frets. I used them for years as did everyone years ago, they were the first ones and calling round wounds Rotosounds were as common as people calling refrigerators Frigidaires.

I'll try them, 25$ is not a lot to try and achieve that sound. Now i just need to sell my mesa lonestar and buy an amp that I can play bass and guitar on (maybe kemper) and in a couple of years i will learn how to play it

 

[Komadinic]

Roto 66 sound great.....but not for long. They go.read too quick for my wallet. I used them for years on my 4001, and they pretty much ate the soft fretwire they used to use. I like D'addario Nickel Rounds now, 90% of the high end clank, but easier on the fretz, and they seem to last longer.

So let me ask you which type of strings did Jamerson use? If i remember correctly i read that he didn't change them for decades and once he did change them he lost his tone. However i take it all with a grain of salt cause that was one crazy lad.

 

[delta7fred]

Rotosound Swing bass RS 66. Entwistle and Chris Squire out those on the map.

I bought a pack of those when they first came out circa 1969 because John Entwistle endorsed them (I believe the pack had his name and picture on them but could be wrong, it was a very long time ago) and still have them on 2 basses.

 

[bobyoung53]

So let me ask you which type of strings did Jamerson use? If i remember correctly i read that he didn't change them for decades and once he did change them he lost his tone. However i take it all with a grain of salt cause that was one crazy lad.

La Bella Flatwounds, .110's, they still make them but call them old 1954's. La Bellas sound better the older they get. I have some on my P bass they're probably 2 or 3 years old. You definitely don't want to put them on a 4001

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[Komadinic]

La Bella Flatwounds, .110's, they still make them but call them old 1954's. La Bellas sound better the older they get. I have some on my P bass they're probably 2 or 3 years old. You definitely don't want to put them on a 4001

My favorite bass player of all times, makes me want a p bass. Sorry for all the weird questions i ask in this thread, most of my pals don't play music and couldn't care less so you guys are my source of information and inspiration.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

I'm guessing he used flats, like everybody else back in the day. There are some people who love flats on a Ric, to me that's like putting a governor on a Lamborghini, but to each their own. You can get a nice flatwound thump out of almost any bass, but NOTHING sounds like a Ric with rounds.

 

[bobyoung53]

I bought a pack of those when they first came out circa 1969 because John Entwistle endorsed them (I believe the pack had his name and picture on them but could be wrong, it was a very long time ago) and still have them on 2 basses.

He consulted with James Howe who ran Rotosound and they were developed with his input on sound, nothing really sounds like them to this day. He was on the packages for years, I used them for over 20 years until I kept getting dead E strings.

 

[bobyoung53]

I'm guessing he used flats, like everybody else back in the day. There are some people who love flats on a Ric, to me that's like putting a governor on a Lamborghini, but to each their own. You can get a nice flatwound thump out of almost any bass, but NOTHING sounds like a Ric with rounds.

I'm a geezer, started playing in 1967, when I started round wounds were a gleam in Entwistle's eyes. I started noticing them during the early 70's and finally bought my first set around 1972. I used them for years but went back to flats on most things about 15 years ago. I bought a brand new sunburst/tort P bass in 1970 (95% of Fenders were sunburst/tort back then), came with flats, covers and foam under the tailpiece cover. I bought my first Ric 4001 in 1977 again it came with flats and covers. Playing flats is a whole different style of playing, you have to wrench the sound out of the bass, I pluck very close to the bridge, turn up the treble and they sound good with them. Basses especially sound good with picks with flats, you get that pronounced click that you hear on old records with bottom.

 

[bobyoung53]

My favorite bass player of all times, makes me want a p bass. Sorry for all the weird questions i ask in this thread, most of my pals don't play music and couldn't care less so you guys are my source of information and inspiration.

Jamerson is my number 1 player of all time, I grew up with Motown when you had no idea who Jamerson was, a lot of that style crept into my playing though as that stuff was ubiquitous when I was a kid. I have a Fender P/J with flats on it. love it. Jamerson and McCartney were THE players when I was young.

 

[delta7fred]

I'm a geezer, started playing in 1967, when I started round wounds were a gleam in Entwistle's eyes. I started noticing them during the early 70's and finally bought my first set around 1972.

I bought my first set of rounds in 1967, I've no idea what brand but I put them on my first bass that I made in woodwork class.

The next bass I got was a Hofner Senator short scale hollowbody with flats that I hated , I couldn't flip it fast enough. That was the last time I used flats until about 5 years ago when after much agonizing I bought another short scale (semi) hollowbody, a Hofner Violin clone. It came with rounds and just sounded and felt wrong so I put a set of chromes on it and much to my surprise I love it. It cries out to be played with a pick McCartney style. It was my gigging bass for about 3 years (we are a 60's band so it fitted the image perfectly).

 

[bobyoung53]

I bought my first set of rounds in 1967, I've no idea what brand but I put them on my first bass that I made in woodwork class.

The next bass I got was a Hofner Senator short scale hollowbody with flats that I hated , I couldn't flip it fast enough. That was the last time I used flats until about 5 years ago when after much agonizing I bought another short scale (semi) hollowbody, a Hofner Violin clone. It came with rounds and just sounded and felt wrong so I put a set of chromes on it and much to my surprise I love it. It cries out to be played with a pick McCartney style. It was my gigging bass for about 3 years (we are a 60's band so it fitted the image perfectly).

I would bet that Rotosounds being made in England they would have been available much earlier there, most likely they were Rotos as those were the only ones we had here for a long time until all the other manufacturers caught up. All the guys who put them on the map were British.

 

[delta7fred]

All this is talk of Rotos is stirring up the grey matter, IIRC they originally came in a small Tupperware like box, I still have one somewhere.

 

[StereoPlayer]

All this is talk of Rotos is stirring up the grey matter, IIRC they originally came in a small Tupperware like box, I still have one somewhere.

My Picato bass strings came that way. With an extra G string too!

 

[farace]

I tried Fender flats on my ‘83 4003 and they came right off again. But I’m looking for a Ric fretless, and I heard a video of someone with a fretless Ric with a toaster and Optima RB4440 flatwounds, the reissue of the old Maximas that were once standard on new Rics, and the tone was absolutely luscious. I also learned just yesterday that Ric at one time offered tapewounds that sound good.