How to get Sgt. Pepper Ric tones without a Ric?

[thumpybumper]

I've tried a Peavey T40 and I've tried a couple old Voxes, which came close, but I just don't know how to pull off the classic Ric tone on the cheap.

Is the sound mostly from the body? From the electronics, the pickups, what? I'm dying to find that killer glassy yet deep tone but I can't afford the real deal. I even checked out a Lawsuit version and it sounded like crap.

I don't care about replicating the Ric look, I just want the sound (for a recording project). Will a custom axe with real Ric pickups get me there? Any ideas? Thx

 

[Longhair]

My uneducated guess would be to get a rack mounted eq.

This way you can have the option of tweaking all the different frequencies until you duplicate the sound you are looking for.

 

[Floyd Eye]

Try a Jazz bass with flats and a Fender Bassman.

 

[AtomicPunk]

Yeah, I think the flats are the key to nailing that Macca sound. If you want to put a piece of foam under the strings at the bridge as a mute that might help too.

 

[redstrand]

The EQ thing is the way to go. BFG from ZZ Top does that so that all his guitars sound the same as Pearly Gates. Takes a lot of tweaking but you can do it.

 

[iamthebassman]

As someone who makes a living getting "that tone", If you don't have a Ric, I'd suggest a Jazz bass, flatwounds, pick, palm mute or foam mute. That will get you close.

 

[cassius987]

I suppose if you went the way of a custom bass you could do a maple-body P Bass with pickups routed at the 24th fret position and the (I think) 31st fret position... My friend took specific measurements of my Ric once and the pickups landed around there IIRC.

But that custom bass would probably cost $750 or more which is close enough to used Ric territory that I'd just go that way about it. I got my 4001FL in 2009 for $800, and have put about $250 in to modding/restoring it.

 

[Texx]

For me a T40 strung with D´addario chromes, recorded dirctly or through my tonehammer with a grain of grit get´s very close to the original bass tracks heard on youtube. As far as i remember McCartney went DI on that record, no amps and cabs are involved. And try the T-40 in singlecoil mode.

 

[jasper383]

As someone who makes a living getting "that tone", If you don't have a Ric, I'd suggest a Jazz bass, flatwounds, pick, palm mute or foam mute. That will get you close.

+1

Add some overdrive and a bit of a mid scoop, and a lot of compression.

And make it a heavy pick.

 

[Quickie]

How to get a Ric tone without a Ric? Hmmmmm...how to get a Ferrari without a Ferrari. You can't....plain as vanilla.

 

[grendle]

Nothing sounds quite like a Rick. A jazz bass and a spector can come close but still don't nail it. They just have that cool growl that Ricks have. kinda like trying to get a Spector tone with no Spector....then you get a Ric or a Jazz lol.

Best advise would be a Jazz bass ( geddy lee model would be good) and use some kind of a fuzz pedal. A VERY minimal distortion, should get you close with a jazz.