Try one and decide. Be careful, however, as you may open the door for additional GAS.
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P Bass Player tempted to get a RIC
- Thread starter Avalon82
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- rickenbacker 4003
Except sound like a Ric.
Something no PB will ever sound like.
And vice versa.
But they can easily meet in the middle, I did some recording 15 years ago with a Ric 4001 with Fender flatwounds run through an SVT head with a B-15 bottom, every one that hears it say it sound just like a P bass (which is what I was after). I have been surprised at times to find that certain songs were played on a Ric
Intonating Rics are a pain the ass imo, way more time consuming then a standard fender.
I also gassed for a Ric...until I finally played one. The neck and I did not get along immediately. Love the sound, loathe the feel. YMMV
A 4003/4003s with TI JF344 flats will get you that McCartney sound, especially if you roll off the treble a bit.
I'm a Rick owner and fanboy. Notice I said: "Do successful folks play Ricks in all those genres? Sure!"
Read this quote again and then please look up the word 'subjective' in the dictionary.
I loved my Ric. I hated my Ric. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
All that being said I REALLY want a 4003s 5.
All that being said I REALLY want a 4003s 5.
imagine a bass player as a baseball player....
most baseball players prefer a baseball bat to hit with. lots of folks out there make them based on the original, for the most part they all feel the same, not too exciting, you generally know what to expect and it delivers
now imagine playing baseball with an early 70's wooden tennis racket and having to hit a baseball.......
that is the best comparison *I* can make for when I tried to love a Ric.
once.
most baseball players prefer a baseball bat to hit with. lots of folks out there make them based on the original, for the most part they all feel the same, not too exciting, you generally know what to expect and it delivers
now imagine playing baseball with an early 70's wooden tennis racket and having to hit a baseball.......
that is the best comparison *I* can make for when I tried to love a Ric.
once.
You're the only one who took my comment seriously.
Why is that?
Seems to me that you're triggered.
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No!
That's a pic of me in '73 with my new Ric 4001! Sold it after playing a 62 pbass and never looked back. Does not mean it's not a good bass, I just prefer Precisions.
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I only bought two basses since 1996. The first one was a P, played that thing for ten years and then i bought a Rick, online from England, because in my country the waiting list was 2 years back then.
Besides that both are passive basses they a very different beasts. I enjoy playing my P but the neck on the Rick feels just like it was made for my hands.
If you can, try two, a 4003 and a 4003s if you wanna buy new, if you go for a used one make sure it either has the push/pull knob or that capacitor that sucks out the low end removed. I never pull that knob out on mine.
Should you decide on buying one, make sure to have a set of La Bella Deep Talking bass 760fl to put on if you are going for the Macca tone. I have mine on for over ten years now.
Besides that both are passive basses they a very different beasts. I enjoy playing my P but the neck on the Rick feels just like it was made for my hands.
If you can, try two, a 4003 and a 4003s if you wanna buy new, if you go for a used one make sure it either has the push/pull knob or that capacitor that sucks out the low end removed. I never pull that knob out on mine.
Should you decide on buying one, make sure to have a set of La Bella Deep Talking bass 760fl to put on if you are going for the Macca tone. I have mine on for over ten years now.
Somebody must have mentioned it, deservedly or not, Rics have legendary resale value, which speaks for itself in a sense. It's pretty risk free to buy one, decide it's not for you, and take little to no hit financially. Last I checked that's not the case with a P. 
I have many choices. But the Rick always has a special appeal to me.
A Rick in your hand gives you that special feeling, which no other bass can deliver. My playing style is simply different with a Rick. It's a mojo thing for me and I like it a lot. Sadly the Rick did not healed my GAS.
A Rick in your hand gives you that special feeling, which no other bass can deliver. My playing style is simply different with a Rick. It's a mojo thing for me and I like it a lot. Sadly the Rick did not healed my GAS.
I hear ya!
Check out the late Andy Kulberg's work with bands like Seatrain. He favors the old school "thwump & floom" Ric sound I prefer as opposed to the clankety-clank and sqwonk vibe Chris Squire popularized so successfully. Many people who are only familiar with the Squire sound never suspect Andy Kulberg is also using a Ric.
I've had more than one bass player tell me they thought it was a Guild Starfire (which is yet another really nice bass) - that can get something similar - but not quite the same. However, if you compare the two sounds back to back, that Rickenbacker je ne sais quoi is still easy to distinguish.
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That's such a sweet collection. I got my Rick too and I told myself I'd stop for a while. GAS got the best of me and I my 70s classic vibe Jazz Bass arrived in the mail today. It honestly never stops
