Playing a Ric

[Walbassman]

i play strictly finger style and the first thing to go is the pickup cover...I use the pickup to rest my thumb on and play right over that pickup. back in the day, the cover meant something-now it is just decoration...it is plastic..it is truly a matter of preference...

 

[Buzzgroove]

I had the pleasure of trying a Ric a few months ago, possibly an eighties or early ninties model, it felt and sounded great and played beautifully. The Pickup cover was removed and I rested my thumb on the pickup or the E string, personally I'd always remove them to let me 'dig in' more.

The one I played was even signed by Bruce Foxton (The Jam), if I had a spare £800 it could well have been bought there and then!

 

[bobstefntes]

I got my 74' 4001 in the early 80s, used, and it never had the cover. I recently restored this bass to near stock, including a new pup cover and have had no problems picking or fingerstyle.Like a lot of other guys, I use the cover to anchor my thumb. If you take the cover off, be sure to keep it.

 

[loendmaestro]

Cool! So do you pluck/pick on the neck side of the p/u cover then? Do you find it limits your right hand tonal options, or are you a one place pick'n kinda guy?

I pick just where you describe, right in between the pickups. I find that it's a particular sweet spot on the Rick. I do generally move my right hand around on other basses, but I stay at "home base" on the Rick.

Good luck on your quest...

 

[mccartneyman]

For whatever reason I never pluck my Ric 4001. Therefore I have left the pup cover on since I bought it way back when. It makes a great wrist rest.

Of course my fretless will never be picked, and my Hoffy will never be plucked either.

All my other basses are bi. Hmmmm............

Exactly. when I played a 4001 doing Yes, Deep Purple, etc., I used a pick only with Rotos. When we did Zep, I'd switch to a P bass, fingerstyle. I rest my wrist on the PUP cover. I know some huys think this will hurt your damping. but I never has a problem using my left hand for that. Plenty of guys play the Ric fingerstyle, but I never liked the way it sounded when I did.

 

[Baryonyx]

If I'm playing a Ric I have to have the pickup cover off. Same with the Marcus Miller bass, it just feels so wrong! The problem with the pickup cover on the Ric, for me, is that it sits right where I like to pluck!