I'd been planning on my next bass being a Rickenbacker 4003 (in Ruby or Walnut) to complement my 4004Ci, but I wasn't planning on purchasing it yet. However, RIC's decision to discontinue the Ruby color provided motivation to reach a decision, and my lovely wife agreed to let me grab a Ruby 4003 while the grabbing was good. Here's a rundown of the good, the bad and the ugly regarding my new bass. Pictures at the bottom if you want to skip the wall o' text.
The Good:
1. Wildwood Guitars. They were very helpful, offered the lowest standard Rick pricing I've seen, and were very honest about the blemishes on this instrument (more on that below), which was their last Ruby 4003. While other dealers would have sold this bass at full price, Wildwood offered an initial discount, and when their inspection noted another flaw, the option of a refund, another discount, or waiting while they sent the bass back to RIC. I took the additional discount and the bass. They gave it a great setup and were an outstanding business to deal with.
2. The sound. This bass sounds amazing, and very versatile. Of course, the Rush or Yes tones are there, but so are many, many others.
3. The playability. This bass has a low action and plays very easily. It's not quite as low or smooth as my 4004, but it's close.
4. The looks. Yes, there are blemishes, which I'll detail soon enough. But they are minor, and are not noticeable except under close inspection. Ricks look awesome, and I really like the grain on this fingerboard.
The Bad:
1. Because RIC starts warranties from the date of manufacture, the warranty on the finish is already expired.
2. UPS. The bass arrived in L-ville early Wednesday morning, and was delivered in Charleston WV today, after taking a roundabout through Ohio and Pennsylvania. Perhaps UPS doesn't run anything East on I-64?
The Ugly:
1. The finish problems. They're very minor, but it speaks ill of RIC that they can't get their finishing process and QC to function properly. I've included a picture of the worst of it around the bridge, where the finish wasn't quite cured before they screwed the bridge down. Again, it's not a dealbreaker, and I got a cheaper bass because of it, and most people looking at the bass likely wouldn't notice, but it's still a failure on RIC's part.
In summary, I bought a bass from an awesome guitar shop. The bass plays wonderfully, sounds great and looks cool.
However, there are minor cosmetic blemishes that really shouldn't be present on a bass at this price.
The Good:
1. Wildwood Guitars. They were very helpful, offered the lowest standard Rick pricing I've seen, and were very honest about the blemishes on this instrument (more on that below), which was their last Ruby 4003. While other dealers would have sold this bass at full price, Wildwood offered an initial discount, and when their inspection noted another flaw, the option of a refund, another discount, or waiting while they sent the bass back to RIC. I took the additional discount and the bass. They gave it a great setup and were an outstanding business to deal with.
2. The sound. This bass sounds amazing, and very versatile. Of course, the Rush or Yes tones are there, but so are many, many others.
3. The playability. This bass has a low action and plays very easily. It's not quite as low or smooth as my 4004, but it's close.
4. The looks. Yes, there are blemishes, which I'll detail soon enough. But they are minor, and are not noticeable except under close inspection. Ricks look awesome, and I really like the grain on this fingerboard.
The Bad:
1. Because RIC starts warranties from the date of manufacture, the warranty on the finish is already expired.
2. UPS. The bass arrived in L-ville early Wednesday morning, and was delivered in Charleston WV today, after taking a roundabout through Ohio and Pennsylvania. Perhaps UPS doesn't run anything East on I-64?
The Ugly:
1. The finish problems. They're very minor, but it speaks ill of RIC that they can't get their finishing process and QC to function properly. I've included a picture of the worst of it around the bridge, where the finish wasn't quite cured before they screwed the bridge down. Again, it's not a dealbreaker, and I got a cheaper bass because of it, and most people looking at the bass likely wouldn't notice, but it's still a failure on RIC's part.
In summary, I bought a bass from an awesome guitar shop. The bass plays wonderfully, sounds great and looks cool.
However, there are minor cosmetic blemishes that really shouldn't be present on a bass at this price.
