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NBD, my first Rickenbacker

#28
Aldousv said:
It arrived two days ago.

First of all I have to say I’m very impressed with the quality and the ergonomics. The body shape is very comfortable.

What I was really surprised by was the sound. After playing it for a few hours, I landed on a sound that was very similar to a 60’s style p bass, however when you play this model between the two covers, it has a very unique sound.

I don’t know if it’s just the pick up placement or if the covers impact the sound in some way but it’s the sweet spot for me so far.

All in all, very happy with the purchase and impressed with Rickenbacker and this particular model.

*Also nicest hard case I’ve ever had a bass come in.
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I picked up a 4003 a few months ago and I have become a complete convert to Ric’s. Ok, maybe not a complete convert, I still have my Fenders, but the Ric has seriously changed me and my playing. It is so NOT what I thought I was getting, it is what I thought and so much more. But, *** do I know, I am a fan of the two most hated brands on TB and the people who know me know that makes me happy.

The green inlays, still aren’t my thing, but they are growing on me. If they made a bass with the AC pickup configuration with a different color body, I would absolutely be all over it.

Nothing stirs up more controversy around here more than the love of a Ric, fly the flag proudly knowing the number of people who you are pissing off!!
 
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#31
lfmn16 said:
Didn't you do your homework? The finishes on these suck. The bridge is awful. You can't set the intonation. The neck is lie spaghetti. You need a master's degree to set the truss rod. Customer service is awful.

Stop enjoying your new bass, it's a dog!!!
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Kendescending said:
^^^ What an angry person! ^^^
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I think his post was made in jest because of all the nonsense found on TB about Ric's. And maybe your post is joking as well..I spend way too much time in the Broughton thread.
 
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#32
willsellout said:
I think his post was made in jest because of all the nonsense found on TB about Ric's. And maybe your post is joking as well..I spend way too much time in the Broughton thread.
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I thought about that after my post and deleted it. I'm fairly new to this forum and don't read a whole lot here. I do appreciate some good sarcasm! FWIW, I do own a few Rics (2 of them pictured in The Rickenbacker Bass book) and I get why some people hate them.
 
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#33
Aldousv said:
It arrived two days ago.

First of all I have to say I’m very impressed with the quality and the ergonomics. The body shape is very comfortable.

What I was really surprised by was the sound. After playing it for a few hours, I landed on a sound that was very similar to a 60’s style p bass, however when you play this model between the two covers, it has a very unique sound.

I don’t know if it’s just the pick up placement or if the covers impact the sound in some way but it’s the sweet spot for me so far.

All in all, very happy with the purchase and impressed with Rickenbacker and this particular model.

*Also nicest hard case I’ve ever had a bass come in.
View attachment 3996365
Click to expand...
What model and year is this?
:drool:
 
#34
B-Mac said:
What model and year is this?
:drool:
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It's an Al Cisneros signature, and I think they were just released this year or early last. Kind of a 4003 but with the pickups more in the Jazz bass or P/J locations than the typical ones for the 4003. And a few other items specified by Al Cisneros like the knobs, pickguard, etc.

I believe it has a single dual-action truss rod in it too, for the first time in a Rick.

I'd dearly love to have one, but it's a bit out of my price range. Destined to be a true Rick classic, IMO, and definitely get one if you have the scratch for it...

L
 
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#36
Kendescending said:
Nice! I was looking at those online the other day. Out of curiosity, where do you place your right hand when you play? Between the pickups, or between the neck and neck pickup?
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So before I picked it up, I thought I’d take the pickup covers off. But if you look closely It has an acrylic thumb rest near the neck which is where I play a lot of the time.

Surprisingly, the space between the two covers is wide enough to play with some adjustment and has a killer sound. The only problem is I mute pretty heavily with my right normally and I use floating thumb most of the time, so I’m still trying to figure that out.
 
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#39
Aldousv said:
So before I picked it up, I thought I’d take the pickup covers off. But if you look closely It has an acrylic thumb rest near the neck which is where I play a lot of the time.

Surprisingly, the space between the two covers is wide enough to play with some adjustment and has a killer sound. The only problem is I mute pretty heavily with my right normally and I use floating thumb most of the time, so I’m still trying to figure that out.
Click to expand...

I ended up removing my cover and going with the Treble Bezel insert. It might look cool with one of those installed on the bridge pickup and the cover still on the neck pickup.
 
#40
Aldousv said:
It arrived two days ago.

First of all I have to say I’m very impressed with the quality and the ergonomics. The body shape is very comfortable.

What I was really surprised by was the sound. After playing it for a few hours, I landed on a sound that was very similar to a 60’s style p bass, however when you play this model between the two covers, it has a very unique sound.

I don’t know if it’s just the pick up placement or if the covers impact the sound in some way but it’s the sweet spot for me so far.

All in all, very happy with the purchase and impressed with Rickenbacker and this particular model.

*Also nicest hard case I’ve ever had a bass come in.
View attachment 3996365
Click to expand...

wow! Sweet piece!

RE: Pickup Covers.

The origination of those pickup covers, comes from the original Rickenbacker instruments. On those instruments, the cover was actually a horseshoe shaped magnet which was a part of the pickup design. The function of today’s version is nothing more than a continuation of that style, without the functionality.

Does it effect the timbre? It didn’t notice a change when I removed mine, but yours could be different. Being honest, your bass is a whole lot more attractive than mine, if you can deal with them installed, I’d leave them there.
 
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