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NBD: Rickenbacker 4003S

BJMtz

BJMtz

Oct 18, 2010
540
404
Columbus, OH
#1
Earlier this week I received a new Rick 4003S. I really wanted the 4003, but they are backordered until at least September and I couldn’t wait that long.

It’s my fist Rick and I’m really enjoying playing it. I have noticed a couple of things with the finish though and wanted to get some other opinions. There are a couple of small chips in the fretboard finish, the topside of the next joint looks a little messy, and the finish across the entire body and light scratch marks, as if it wasn’t sanded to a high enough grit. Not sure if I’m being super critical or it’s just to be expected with Rick’s. I do love the bass and how it plays.

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#2
was it labeled as new?

Looks like it was a floor model (or something but not new) to me

Beautiful bass! I miss my old 4003…

BJMtz said:
Earlier this week I received a new Rick 4003S. I really wanted the 4003, but they are backordered until at least September and I couldn’t wait that long.

It’s my fist Rick and I’m really enjoying playing it. I have noticed a couple of things with the finish though and wanted to get some other opinions. There are a couple of small chips in the fretboard finish, the topside of the next joint looks a little messy, and the finish across the entire body and light scratch marks, as if it wasn’t sanded to a high enough grit. Not sure if I’m being super critical or it’s just to be expected with Rick’s. I do love the bass and how it plays.

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#5
hvymetallurgist said:
Every Rick I've ever handled has been riddled with at least minor quality and/or fit and finish issues - to put it diplomatically, attention to detail is not a hallmark of their manufacturing... As long as there's no major issues, and you like how it plays, I'd file it under "to be expected" and rock it.
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I think I'll be keeping it since I do love how it plays.
 
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#8
Congrats on your new RIC, enjoy! I think you'll like the "S" model's ergonomics better than the bound version and hope the faults don't spoil your enjoyment. Their attention to detail has dropped off for many years now and it wouldn't surprise me if we woke up one day and they made a G&L type announcement. Your bass looks great and has all the modern appointments I would have loved to have on my 72 4001 which I ordered as a maple 4001S which arrived a year later as a Fireglo 4001 so they've always done things their own way.
 
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#9
mikecd1 said:
it wouldn't surprise me if we woke up one day and they made a G&L type announcement.
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I doubt it. They consistently quickly sell out of what they produce. Hence the wait until September that @BJMtz mentioned for a standard 4003.

@BJMtz - That's a lovely looking Jetglo! The scuffs on it do make me thing it's possibly a floor model. The uneven lacquer on the board isn't too unusual though, and the neck to headstock transition is actually supposed to look like that - it's a funny quirk of the current thin necks that they widen out a bit at the top end of the neck like that. My 4003W has this as well, and from photos I've seen it appears to be a deliberate design choice.

I think if the finish really bothers you, you could buff it if you're careful. If it were mine I'd probably just leave it alone, unless it felt rough to the touch.
 
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#11
I know they didnt finish Fretboards for awhile, and i know finished boards look cool, feels different etc: but can they offer both? Finished AND unfinished Fretboards.? Im biased cause my 2015 4003s has the bubbling going on. Which really sucks. Now ill never get a Bass with a finished board again. Once bitten.....
 
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#13
Deleted member 394181 said:
I know they didnt finish Fretboards for awhile, and i know finished boards look cool, feels different etc: but can they offer both? Finished AND unfinished Fretboards.? Im biased cause my 2015 4003s has the bubbling going on. Which really sucks. Now ill never get a Bass with a finished board again. Once bitten.....
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The unfinished fretboards thing lasted less than a year. The closest thing you can get in a Ric bass now is a 4003W, it's not unfinished in the strictest sense of the word but it's a thin, satin oil finish rather than a thick lacquer like other Ric models.
 
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#16
mikecd1 said:
Congrats on your new RIC, enjoy! I think you'll like the "S" model's ergonomics better than the bound version and hope the faults don't spoil your enjoyment. Their attention to detail has dropped off for many years now and it wouldn't surprise me if we woke up one day and they made a G&L type announcement. Your bass looks great and has all the modern appointments I would have loved to have on my 72 4001 which I ordered as a maple 4001S which arrived a year later as a Fireglo 4001 so they've always done things their own way.
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Are you kidding?? Rickenbacker sell everything they make and cannot keep up with the demand. I waited ten months for my first 4003 and twenty-four months for my 4003FL!
 
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#19
Root 5 said:
I never ever buy a model hanging in a store - especially any of the ‘historical’ brands - Fender, Gibson, Ric. Your ‘new’ instrument might’ve been played by 100+ people and some of them cannot resist ‘fixing’ things on them
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It looks like its been played by 100 people. Can`t believe a Ricky would leave factory "new" with frets & fretboard looking like that. But Hey, if it doesn`t bother you, that`s all that matters.
 
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#20
sumeursault said:
Did they update the bridge saddles for these? If so, when did that happen?
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Rickenbacker released an updated bridge in 2020, I believe. It has individually adjustable saddles and rollers that go side to side, in case you want to adjust string spacing. It also has a couple more screws (or maybe just repositioned screws) to correct the problem a lot of people had on the older bridges where the tail would lift up under tension. For some reason, they didn't get rid of the horrible built in mute, or at least make it less terrible to use.
 
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