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Played my first Rick yesterday

B

bpclay1

Guest
Jul 3, 2014
249
125
#1
So my co-worker told me the neck is weird, acquired taste. I hear so much about Ricks... I saw one for the first time, and I wanted to not like it. I told the store owner there's no way I'd buy it, but asked if I could try it out... He was cool with it. It was a '12 or '14 4003.

Wow.

It sounded....

AWESOME

Please convince me I don't need a $2000 bass... Are they good for slapping? Can you get that sound out of other basses? Out of pedals? Is the quality really that great?

and... How cheap do they get if they're all beat up and ugly?
 
#4
bpclay1 said:
So my co-worker told me the neck is weird, acquired taste. I hear so much about Ricks... I saw one for the first time, and I wanted to not like it. I told the store owner there's no way I'd buy it, but asked if I could try it out... He was cool with it. It was a '12 or '14 4003.

Wow.

It sounded....

AWESOME

Please convince me I don't need a $2000 bass... Are they good for slapping? Can you get that sound out of other basses? Out of pedals? Is the quality really that great?

and... How cheap do they get if they're all beat up and ugly?
Click to expand...

I have owned many Ricks. Great instruments. While most all things in this regard are subjective...I think the necks are easy to get used to. They are slender and fast in my opinion. They are nicely finished. Cons, again in my opinion, they are more treble-y than say a vinatge P-bass; they are heavy on your shoulder after a 4 hour gig, and mine always wanted to neck dive (meaning the head stock wants to tip toward the floor as it sits on your strap). I don't care for slapping on one as the string clearance is tight to the body and they are quite treble sounding - again a personal preferance. I have always found the way to truly love/hate a bass is to put hours on it. Tough to do in a music store. And YES you should have a $2000 bass if it makes you happy!!!! Even if you end up selling it you recoup most of your money. Rock On!! and good luck.
 
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#12
Go used if possible. Stretches your dollar further.

If not, shop around (pick of the ricks, wildwood) and you can get one in the $1600 range. I have never heard a bad thing about either of these online sellers, and i believe they will also setup the Ric before shipping, a nice touch.

I couldn't wait for mine so i bought it from MF and they did price match. I paid about $1700.

I wanted a MID in 2010 and nothing else would do, so i had to pay a little more for it as only MF had them in stock....and less than 4 months later MF blew out the MID's for like 1200, but that is another story...;)

Good Luck!
 
#13
bpclay1 said:
So my co-worker told me the neck is weird, acquired taste. I hear so much about Ricks... I saw one for the first time, and I wanted to not like it. I told the store owner there's no way I'd buy it, but asked if I could try it out... He was cool with it. It was a '12 or '14 4003.

Wow.

It sounded....

AWESOME

Please convince me I don't need a $2000 bass... Are they good for slapping? Can you get that sound out of other basses? Out of pedals? Is the quality really that great?

and... How cheap do they get if they're all beat up and ugly?
Click to expand...

Ricks are all about tone ... because they do sound awesome.

So you didn't believe all of the "Rickenbacker Hate Threads" After all of the hate threads people probably expect Rics to fall apart as soon as they pick one up.

You should never pay more than $1600 for a new Ric and you can good used ones for less.

You ... know ... if Rics are soo poor in quality then why do you not see a lot of beat up ricks with the finish peeling off like the millions of "road worn" Fenders out there ...

The truth is Rics are quality instruments that their owners take care of ... and they have a unique tone ... that classic high mid bark and bite that cuts through the mix.

I don't like the pickup covers and I don't like the tailpiece design
 
Last edited:
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#16
Having owned a few Rics, all I can say is if you like THIS one, try to get the best price for IT...I played quite a lot of them before finding the ones I could stand. I always wanted one(they're iconic and have a different sound) and couldn't believe how different they all were. I never found one I loved enough to keep but they are a fascinatin' instrument! If you found one you dig...go and get it, 'cuz it'll haunt you forever if ya don't! Best of luck~
 
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#18
the first time i played a ric, i was in love, and one of the happier days i've had was picking up my new (used) ric at wla GC. love the neck, the overall feel and especially tht tone. i sold some stuff to pay for my ric, and it was worth it. maybe you could do the same?
 
#20
I played Ricks for a couple of years and thought I would always play them but am now back to playing Fenders because I eventually got tired of the sound and the discomfort that comes with playing them. That being said I think every bass player should spend some time playing a Rick and see if it's your forever instrument or just a fling. Either way is cool. I wrote some good songs on my 4003.
Btw if you are planning on buying a new 4003 you might consider the walnut version because it will likely go up in value since it's a "color of the year" and will become more rare. I had a blueburst which has gone up in value in the years since I originally bought it.
 
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