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Retiring the #1. Possible Replacement/Advice Needed

ric4682

ric4682

Supporting Member
Jul 2, 2008
1,558
1,784
#1
Long post so the TL;DR is that my almost 10lbs Rickenbacker 4003 needs replacing with something lighter. I love everything about the Ric except the weight. What do I want I want?
Serek Sacramento? Custom Headless Ric-ish bass? Something else?

Here's the long version:
I mowed countless lawns and helped my dad paint our house over one hot summer, and at 15 bought myself a brand new 2007 Rickenbacker 4003 in Jetglo. It was my dream bass and my obsession since I started playing at 10 years old and my dad would get Musician's Friend catalogs in the mail that I would drool over. In the 15 years that I've owned it (half my life) I've used it in jazz bands, death metal bands, jam bands, top 40 bands, funk bands, country bands, prog bands, numerous recordings, hundreds of gigs, practices, and late night couch noodling sessions.

The old bass has been a reliable and loyal companion and I truly love almost everything about this bass: The fat but grindy sound, the thin and narrow neck and string spacing, the iconic look, and I even don't mind the ergonomics of it. The thing that I don't care for is the weight. It's almost 10lbs and that's just not fun for the 3+ hour wedding gigs I'm mostly doing now.


So I'm thinking about some options and could use the hive-mind advice of TalkBass to help me come up with a solution.

Option 1: Serek Sacramento. I've been following Jake's builds for a while and these seem like they have the important tonal elements (pickup location, neck-through construction) and none of the cons of the Rickenbacker design.

Option 2: Buy a husk of a 4001/3 and have a luthier chop do a headless conversion on one. I've been looking one for a while and haven't been able to find a single one. Kind of a crazy idea, but still thinking about it. Seems like the way to guarantee the most Ric-like tones and feel.

Option 3: Have a luthier (which one?) custom make me a headless Ric-style bass. Lots to consider and plenty of chances for it to deviate from the traditional Ric sound and feel. But I guess it all depends on who's building it.

Option 4: ???

Please help a desperate man. Amen.
 
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#3
I'm in the same boat. My 9.75lb Sadowsky Jazz is getting too heavy for my back and my first thought was to look for a lighter Jazz. The Sandberg Super Light series is interesting, but then I thought about all the non-FSO's out there, so my homework now ranges from Ibanez to Harley Benton. Short scale basses are also on the table.

My advice is not to try to replicate your current bass in a lighter form. Maybe it's time for a compete change.
 
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#5
So you are about 30. Unless you have back/neck issues, that weight shouldn't be that much of an issue. (maybe just be G.A.S. pains?). I played the same 11 pound bass for decades. Since you really seem to like the bass, I would start like this:

1. Try a nice, thicker, padded strap. It makes a big difference, and looks great - maybe something custom.

2. Lighter tuners.

3. Start looking, both new and used, for a lighter Ric. A quick look at the Sweetwater catalog has them under 8.5 pounds.

Consider another bass. Geddy seemed to do ok when he went to a jazz.
 
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#6
chris_b said:
I'm in the same boat. My 9.75lb Sadowsky Jazz is getting too heavy for my back and my first thought was to look for a lighter Jazz. The Sandberg Super Light series is interesting, but then I thought about all the non-FSO's out there, so my homework now ranges from Ibanez to Harley Benton. Short scale basses are also on the table.

My advice is not to try to replicate your current bass in a lighter form. Maybe it's time for a compete change.
Click to expand...

Those Sandbergs are definitely pretty cool! I was eyeing those up for a while.
I do get what you're saying, and that's definitely an option. I've had lots of basses, and probably will continue to try different stuff out. But for me to be completely in the moment and expressive while I'm playing without having to think about my sound, the Ric sound and feel is what I'm after.

Looking at other basses is still fun though ;)

eastcoasteddie said:
For me, the obvious choice would be a Serek.
But if you really want some sort of Ric-shaped headless abomination, then by all means…
I personally can't stand anything headless…
Click to expand...

That's fair! It's a polarizing design for sure. From an ergonomic standpoint its definitely better, but aesthetically…people can disagree about that haha
 
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#7
buldog5151bass said:
So you are about 30. Unless you have back/neck issues, that weight shouldn't be that much of an issue. (maybe just be G.A.S. pains?). I played the same 11 pound bass for decades. Since you really seem to like the bass, I would start like this:

1. Try a nice, thicker, padded strap. It makes a big difference, and looks great - maybe something custom.

2. Lighter tuners.

3. Start looking, both new and used, for a lighter Ric. A quick look at the Sweetwater catalog has them under 8.5 pounds.

Consider another bass. Geddy seemed to do ok when he went to a jazz.
Click to expand...

The weight isn't unbearable, but it's just a bit uncomfortable and I know it doesn't have to be. Especially when I'm playing a few long gigs a week. I think if I were only gigging once in a while it'd be different.
The other thing, which I didn't detail in the OP is that the finish is very particular about weather. When it gets really humid (as it often does under a big tent in august for a wedding by the water) the finish gets cloudy, so I'm also worried about ruining the already fragile finish.

I do have a nice wide n' cushy strap, and that definitely helped a bit.
I have considered lighter tuners too. Still an option.

I didn't realize that Rics came in that light of a weight! Maybe I'm just looking for a new Ric.

Jazzes are definitely cool, and I plan on picking one up soon, but as an addition not a replacement ;)
 
#8
ric4682 said:
That's fair! It's a polarizing design for sure. From an ergonomic standpoint its definitely better, but aesthetically…people can disagree about that haha
Click to expand...

I mean…what would this EP cover be without headstocks….???!?!

upload_2022-9-14_10-1-35.jpeg


I was in like 6th or 7th grade when this came out, and I thought it was friggin awesome.
 
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#10
Andy Marshman said:
Don't sell or modify the old Ric.
Borrow or buy a used headless and see how you like it over time. I tried it years ago and quickly found out it wasn't for me.
As for buying another light weight bass, I'm all-in with short scale instruments which are usually lighter. That may not be to your liking.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I definitely won't be doing anything to my old bass except lovingly continuing to play it at home.

I think as far as headlesses go, it really depends on the design (like any bass I suppose). I've played the steinberger ones and those aren't comfortable at all. But I've also messed around with the new Ibanez ones and those are great.

Short scales are definitely a good option, and as a shorter smaller guy I've fooled around with a bunch of them. Unfortunately I've found that I prefer the tones of longer scale basses. I've played plenty that sound great, but none that have the same response and full piano-like clarity of a long scale.
 
#13
How about just buy another lighter Ric? If you love everything about it but the weight, just get a lighter one.

Here one that is 9.4 lbs..
Rickenbacker 4003 - NOS, Never Retailed, You will be the 1st owner REF#677 2022 Jetglo Rickenbacker 4003 - NOS, Never Retailed, You will be the 1st owner REF#677 2022 Jetglo | Reverb

9 lbs

Rickenbacker 4003 Bass 2022 Mapleglo Rickenbacker 4003 Bass 2022 Mapleglo | Reverb

9 lbs

Rickenbacker 4003 Matte Black Rickenbacker 4003 Matte Black | Reverb



By the way, if you're a 30 year old man, and a 10 pound bass is not comfy for 3 hours, there are some issues.

I completely understand people 50 or older struggling with basses that heavy. But at 30, that really shouldn't be a bother, unless your strap is terrible.
 
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#15
https://www.premierguitar.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=28279929&width=980

Do some mods to a Ric if you love the sound and feel already. Who cares if the design is polarizing or some puritans call it an abomination. If you dig it and like the sound/look/feel, go for it.

The pic above shows the basses the dude from All Them Witches plays. Found a chopped up Ric at a pawn shop that was "converted" for a left handed player and he bought it and played it righty. Then had a copy of it made as a backup.
 
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#16
ric4682 said:
Long post so the TL;DR is that my almost 10lbs Rickenbacker 4003 needs replacing with something lighter. I love everything about the Ric except the weight. What do I want I want?
Serek Sacramento? Custom Headless Ric-ish bass? Something else?

Here's the long version:
I mowed countless lawns and helped my dad paint our house over one hot summer, and at 15 bought myself a brand new 2007 Rickenbacker 4003 in Jetglo. It was my dream bass and my obsession since I started playing at 10 years old and my dad would get Musician's Friend catalogs in the mail that I would drool over. In the 15 years that I've owned it (half my life) I've used it in jazz bands, death metal bands, jam bands, top 40 bands, funk bands, country bands, prog bands, numerous recordings, hundreds of gigs, practices, and late night couch noodling sessions.

The old bass has been a reliable and loyal companion and I truly love almost everything about this bass: The fat but grindy sound, the thin and narrow neck and string spacing, the iconic look, and I even don't mind the ergonomics of it. The thing that I don't care for is the weight. It's almost 10lbs and that's just not fun for the 3+ hour wedding gigs I'm mostly doing now.


So I'm thinking about some options and could use the hive-mind advice of TalkBass to help me come up with a solution.

Option 1: Serek Sacramento. I've been following Jake's builds for a while and these seem like they have the important tonal elements (pickup location, neck-through construction) and none of the cons of the Rickenbacker design.

Option 2: Buy a husk of a 4001/3 and have a luthier chop do a headless conversion on one. I've been looking one for a while and haven't been able to find a single one. Kind of a crazy idea, but still thinking about it. Seems like the way to guarantee the most Ric-like tones and feel.

Option 3: Have a luthier (which one?) custom make me a headless Ric-style bass. Lots to consider and plenty of chances for it to deviate from the traditional Ric sound and feel. But I guess it all depends on who's building it.

Option 4: ???

Please help a desperate man. Amen.
Click to expand...
I'll just say that from my perspective, headless basses are awesome. I know a lot of people get hung up on the look, but in my experience, and in my opinion of course, headless is better in every way :) Balance is perfect, tuning is super stable, they usually weigh less than a similar headed model (sometimes significantly), tuning at the bridge is great, they're smaller to transport and they have a less deadly arc when swinging it around in the studio or on stage. And you never have to worry about dropping it and the headstock cracking off :D

The "only" downsides are 1) the unfunny jokes you will hear over, and over. "Hey looks like your bass is missing something, har har." 2) sometimes fellow musicians have a problem with them because they don't feel they fit the image of the band. Audience never cares, but some fellow musicians feel that it matters. Who knows, maybe it does in some situations. But so far the only people I've ever met who've complained are fellow musicians.

Kiesel has a bunch of headless designs that they will customize (to a point) to your specs. Might be able to spec out a Rick-ish tone and feel through their option system. I know you can supply your own pickups to them if you like.

Brady Muckelroy also makes a mean headless and will customize to a point as well.
 
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#17
chris_b said:
I'm in the same boat. My 9.75lb Sadowsky Jazz is getting too heavy for my back and my first thought was to look for a lighter Jazz. The Sandberg Super Light series is interesting, but then I thought about all the non-FSO's out there, so my homework now ranges from Ibanez to Harley Benton. Short scale basses are also on the table.

My advice is not to try to replicate your current bass in a lighter form. Maybe it's time for a compete change.
Click to expand...

9.75 lb Sadowsky? Mine is 7 lbs
 

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