Retiring the #1. Possible Replacement/Advice Needed

[Ric5]

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.

The walnut oil finished Rics are a little lighter

 

[Ric5]

One of my 4004 Laredo basses is less than 8 1/2 lb. The other one is not much more.

Some of the 4004 basses are light and some heavier ... I have 2 one is light and one is heavy

 

[Ric5]

Or drill some big holes thru the bass

not like this

 

[wellshuxley]

I think that's the way I'm kind of leaning. What pickups are you going with?

I went with ThunderTrons for this one, but I have Serek Singles on my Midwestern 2; I imagine those are more Ric-like. If you're seriously considering a build, I'd highly recommend calling Jake to talk about pickup selection and the other options! He's extremely knowledgeable and helpful.

Edit: my Sacramento will have this exact pickup configuration and style. This is cool to see, because before today I hadn't seen ThunderTrons on a Serek!

 

[BeauZooka]

I'll vote Serek too. The only downside is the long wait time.
I played my 10lb Ric forever, but my Serek is a much more enjoyable instrument.

 

[chris_b]

9.75 lb Sadowsky? Mine is 7 lbs

Mine is a Metro. 7lbs, is that an NYC? I am jealous!!

 

[Jeff Scott]

Hmm, I've always been curious about those. Does the sound capture the vibe of the more tradition 4003?

The stock HB-1 pickups are warmer/darker a bit, but from what I have read here and elsewhere that replacing the stock wiring harness with one with higher value pots will make a big difference in that area. Personally, I put in (or had installed from the factory) toaster pickups in some of the four 4004 models I had/have over the years. Of the two that I currently have, one has toasters (the round wound string bass) and the other is stock (the flat wound bass). To me, they very much sound like Ricks, which of course can vary from Squire to Macca.

 

[Bass4ThePublic]

just get a lighter rick.

 

[BAG]

I'd go with the Serek. They are a very cool looking bass without copying anything else too much.

As for the crowd implying that you man-up and get stronger, even a fit and healthy person can do damage to their body with a 10+lb weight hanging across at a strange angle for 3 hours. Sure, improving your core strength is always a good thing, but going lighter now may just prevent problems later in life.

 

[GrahamNN3]

I vote keep the Ric and get a Sacramento if you can swing it, but I am admittedly a biased Serek fanboy.

I've got a medium scale chambered Sacramento on the way come November

At a 3 hour wedding gig anything with be alright.

 

[ric4682]

Harley Benton LB-414
8 lbs, 8 ounces

Ehhhhh

The walnut oil finished Rics are a little lighter

That's what I've heard! A 4003sW would be pretty sweet..

 

[Ric5]

Ehhhhh



That's what I've heard! A 4003sW would be pretty sweet..

 

[ctmullins]

Those Sereks look really really nice.

I'm lucky; I have enough wood working skills to make my own Rick-style basses. The first couple have normal headstocks, but the last couple are headless, and boy, are they comfortable!

 

[BlueTalon]

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 4: ???

I ordered a Frog from Maruszczyk in the hopes of replicating the neck of a Rickenbacker 4001 that was stolen long ago. I couldn't have asked for a better final result. I now have a bass that feels fantastic, is visually striking, tonally excellent and flexible, and that weighs 8.5 pounds. My previous #1, the 3-pickup black jazz currently in my avatar, is a great bass but weighs 10.5 pounds, so I know what you're going through.

 

[ric4682]

I'd go with the Serek. They are a very cool looking bass without copying anything else too much.

As for the crowd implying that you man-up and get stronger, even a fit and healthy person can do damage to their body with a 10+lb weight hanging across at a strange angle for 3 hours. Sure, improving your core strength is always a good thing, but going lighter now may just prevent problems later in life.

I do get what they're saying, but I'm also not in terrible shape. It's kind of like I'm driving a pickup with bad gas mileage and I tell someone I'd like to get a Prius, but their response is "why? You should be able to afford the gas"
Like I know it's not unbearable. It's usually fine, but if I can be more comfortable and have something lighter that accomplished a similar sound why wouldn't I?

I ordered a Frog from Maruszczyk in the hopes of replicating the neck of a Rickenbacker 4001 that was stolen long ago. I couldn't have asked for a better final result. I now have a bass that feels fantastic, is visually striking, tonally excellent and flexible, and that weighs 8.5 pounds. My previous #1, the 3-pickup black jazz currently in my avatar, is a great bass but weighs 10.5 pounds, so I know what you're going through.
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Those look super cool! If I wasn't after the Ric sound specifically I'd probably be checking them out for sure.

 

[BlueTalon]

Those look super cool! If I wasn't after the Ric sound specifically I'd probably be checking them out for sure.

Since you appear to be open to custom options, I'll just throw this out there for your consumption.

I bet you could have them do a similar bass using Joe Barden or Classic Amplification pickups, both of which are high quality Rick replacement pickups, and have them install those pickups in proportionally correct places. (I say "proportionally correct" because the Rick scale length is 33.5-ish inches, while Maruszczyk offers 33" and 34" scale lengths, either of which would require a slight adjustment. It wouldn't be hard to figure out, though.)

You could ask, and explain the reasons for wanting it. The worst they could do is say no. But it might help to go through a dealer, and that could also save some money.

 

[Si-bob]

I haven't read the rest of the thread, but my vote, based on the OP, is order a Serek Sacramento!
All day.....every day.

Si

 

[ric4682]

Since you appear to be open to custom options, I'll just throw this out there for your consumption.

I bet you could have them do a similar bass using Joe Barden or Classic Amplification pickups, both of which are high quality Rick replacement pickups, and have them install those pickups in proportionally correct places. (I say "proportionally correct" because the Rick scale length is 33.5-ish inches, while Maruszczyk offers 33" and 34" scale lengths, either of which would require a slight adjustment. It wouldn't be hard to figure out, though.)

You could ask, and explain the reasons for wanting it. The worst they could do is say no. But it might help to go through a dealer, and that could also save some money.

Thats true! I think the pickup placement is as important as the pickups themselves. I never thought about seeing if those guys would do that, I may have to reach out and find out if that's possible!

I haven't read the rest of the thread, but my vote, based on the OP, is order a Serek Sacramento!
All day.....every day.

Si

I'm definitely leaning that way, but it is a lot of money, and somewhat of a gamble. Do you have one?

 

[Si-bob]

I'm definitely leaning that way, but it is a lot of money, and somewhat of a gamble. Do you have one?

I have a shortscale Midwestern, and it's an incredible bass! So much fun to play and the B90 is so characterful I think.
Beautifully made and the whole Serek team are legends!

Si