NBD Rickenbacker 4003s

[allanhearn]

Haven't bought a brand new bass in 20 years. Always used to get a good deal.
2025 Rick 4003s. Neck is thin and fast. Sounds awesome. Pix courtesy od Sweetwater. Sounds KILLER!

 

[Pet Sounds]

Congratulations!

 

[TheReceder]

Congrats! It took a lot of gigs (about 30 years worth) before I could consider buying new gear. Part of that being that I finally became debt free and became an empty nester. I even got my first 4003. My fireglo Ric was one of those bucket list instruments.
Your Jetglo is Gorgeous!!!

 

[Tommy Sparks]

Looks like they don’t come with a treble pick up cover anymore. That’s the first thing I replaced when I got my first RIC 2022.
Congratulations and enjoy!

 

[Isaac_James]

Looks like they don’t come with a treble pick up cover anymore. That’s the first thing I replaced when I got my first RIC 2022.
Congratulations and enjoy!

Yep, that's a very recent change, just within the past couple of months.

@allanhearn that's a lovely bass! Come on over to the Rickenbacker club if you're so inclined

 

[Gilmourisgod]

Are they shielding the new 4003 models? They used to claim the pickup cover had some shielding function, which it obviously didn't, but even a partial shielding job of the interior cavities and back of the pickguard will result in noticeably less single-coil hum. At this price point, they really ought to be shielding these, which they could easily do with shielding paint as part of the factory process. Anyway, it's an easy afternoon's work to DIY it with some conductive adhesive copper foil, and well worth the time. Congrats to both on your new basses, nothing like a Ric!

 

[Malinois]

Haven't bought a brand new bass in 20 years. Always used to get a good deal.
2025 Rick 4003s. Neck is thin and fast. Sounds awesome. Pix courtesy od Sweetwater. Sounds KILLER!

Congrats!
I should have bought my 4003S from Sweetwater as they are awesome to deal with.

 

[nixdad]

Haven't bought a brand new bass in 20 years. Always used to get a good deal.
2025 Rick 4003s. Neck is thin and fast. Sounds awesome. Pix courtesy od Sweetwater. Sounds KILLER!

Love it! Congrats!

 

[jmattbassplaya]

Are they shielding the new 4003 models? They used to claim the pickup cover had some shielding function, which it obviously didn't, but even a partial shielding job of the interior cavities and back of the pickguard will result in noticeably less single-coil hum. At this price point, they really ought to be shielding these, which they could easily do with shielding paint as part of the factory process. Anyway, it's an easy afternoon's work to DIY it with some conductive adhesive copper foil, and well worth the time. Congrats to both on your new basses, nothing like a Ric!

My 2024 Ric 4003s does not have shielding.

 

[bassist4dalord]

Congratulations!

 

[JIO]

The roller saddle bridge looks like a big improvement. And I take it the divot on the E side of the B-pu surround is for planting your thumb? If so that's one I've never seen and it probably works great.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

The roller saddle bridge looks like a big improvement. And I take it the divot on the E side of the B-pu surround is for planting your thumb? If so that's one I've never seen and it probably works great.

Ric "borrowed" (blatantly ripped off) that detail from Tubeampology, what they call the "Cove" version. I have one on my clone 4001 build, works well. They have a raised ridge version that seemed like it would get in my way picking, this one is out of the way for thumb anchoring.
\

 

[JIO]

It might work for me as I'm usually playing with a pic & palm-muting near the bridge but not much for most players who favor playing closer to the neck-heal.

 

[Isaac_James]

It might work for me as I'm usually playing with a pic & palm-muting near the bridge but not much for most players who favor playing closer to the neck-heal.

Unfortunately the Ric bridge design makes palm muting pretty challenging- those half-pipe shaped channels there at the top cover up a foam mute, but they also prevent your palm from actually touching the strings in that position. The foam mute itself might generously be described as "finicky and difficult" to use. Rickenbacker has shown some more willingness to evolve its design in recent years, the new surround on the treble pickup is just the latest example. Maybe they'll eventually fix the design on the bridge too.

Hipshot makes a Ric replacement bridge that doesn't have the foam mute, but it's not a drop-in for the most recent version of the bridge (with individual roller saddles instead of the sawtooth Gibson-style bridge), and it's not cheap.

 

[JIO]

Unfortunately the Ric bridge design makes palm muting pretty challenging- those half-pipe shaped channels there at the top cover up a foam mute, but they also prevent your palm from actually touching the strings in that position. The foam mute itself might generously be described as "finicky and difficult" to use. Rickenbacker has shown some more willingness to evolve its design in recent years, the new surround on the treble pickup is just the latest example. Maybe they'll eventually fix the design on the bridge too.

Hipshot makes a Ric replacement bridge that doesn't have the foam mute, but it's not a drop-in for the most recent version of the bridge (with individual roller saddles instead of the sawtooth Gibson-style bridge), and it's not cheap.

Stubborn market driven "retro-tradition" over real world functional improvements - a long standing Ric philosophy. A Fender bass that is essentially the same as when it was introduced is still functionally playable 'as is' today. Just sayin'... I like the way a Ric looks and sounds, I had one ('85 4003 with the two-part pg & two wood screws through the bridge plate) for a short time.

Happy NBD -

 

[Isaac_James]

Stubborn market driven "retro-tradition" over real world functional improvements - a long standing Ric philosophy. A Fender bass that is essentially the same as when it was introduced is still functionally playable 'as is' today. Just sayin'... I like the way a Ric looks and sounds, I had one ('85 4003 with the two-part pg & two wood screws through the bridge plate) for a short time.

Happy NBD -

I'd say Fender is also guilty of the same thing, at least sometimes - some of their "vintage" style models are made with a truss rod adjustment screw at the neck heel that you can't adjust without removing the neck entirely. Because that's how they were made back in the 60s, and... uh, tradition!

 

[JIO]

I'd say Fender is also guilty of the same thing, at least sometimes - some of their "vintage" style models are made with a truss rod adjustment screw at the neck heel that you can't adjust without removing the neck entirely. Because that's how they were made back in the 60s, and... uh, tradition!

True enough - and it still goes on with many brands that encompass the 'dawn of electric guitars/basses'.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

That was the style of the day though (early 60's) The original Ric bridge is effectively a chrome hood ornament, as is the huge chrome pickup surround. Fender ashtray covers were equally unfunctional... but Dang! They do LOOK cool. The Ric bridge was always more about style than substance, and it's a work of art... until you have to adjust it. Actually I never had much problem with the V1 (other than not being able to palm-mute). The PITA intonation adjustment was pretty much set and forget once you had it right, and, like everyone else, I never bothered with the mute again after trying it once. The V2 is a decent compromise, though kind of overly complicated with the separate string anchors. Seems like they could have just done a stronger single-piece casting like the Hipshot, but... Ric gonna be Ric.