Rickenbacker 4001 - - - Love or Hate?

[joshuadams7]

what do you love or hate about this bass?

 

[GeneralElectric]

I hate that its expensive, the poor quality control thats passed off as "signs of being handcrafted", the 33 1/2 scale, and the terrible bridge design.

I love the tone, especially when its beefed up a bit. I also love that this thread will probably be closed soon.

 

[joshuadams7]

haha yeah it was a total failed attempt, but this person says they will sell one to me for 450 but it has a pretty big scratch on the front.. i need a bass for jazz band thought it would be ok.. i see alot of indie bands use this type of bass.

 

[joshuadams7]

 

[GeneralElectric]

If its a real Ric, I'd get it. For that cheap, it probably isn't unless they're living under a rock called 1992.

 

[joshuadams7]

yeah i should see it this saturday.. i'll probably bring someone to help me inspect it lol they sound pretty awesome

 

[GeneralElectric]

I never really liked the stock Ric tone. Mine's got a DiMarzio P-bass pickup in it. I think its a Model One? Sounds much beefier and less anemic to my ears.

 

[N.F.A.]

The trick to great tone with these, IMO, is using the stereo out. One out for high end frequency, the other for lows..Classic Chris Squire sound on old Yes stuff is him doing just that with 2 AC 30's...

 

[Korladis]

I love the tone, the amusingly archaic but awesome pickups, I love the 33.25" scale, the fact that the neck hardly tapers at all and has a gloss finish on the back.

I hate the fact that they're too expensive for me to have more than one of them yet.

I also love that so many people hate them. I like the idea of irritating people just by virtue of what bass I'm using.

 

[ggoat!!!]

I've got 17 of them. I love them. The only thing I dislike is the quality control regarding the fit/finish on the paintwork in the nooks and crannies and lack of attention to fine detail. I hate the way the company artificially creates backorders in order to nearly the double the actual street price...I paid $800 new with shipping throughout the 90's, and up until a couple years ago I paid $999 from The Rickenbacker Page.

I love the tone, the playability (once you set them up), the look, pretty much everything.


Oh and one other thing I hate is the new full width inlays. It's not the "full width" that I dislike, it's the cheap pearl plastic that's now used to inlay the neck. Looks like ass. The design of the last almost 30 years was a labor intensive poured technique that was always beautiful and it LOOKED like it was a bitchful of work to do properly. Now they've gone the cheap route with the plastic inlays...hell, they could have at least chosen an expensive looking pearloid plastic. The guys on the Rick forums love them no matter how they look...cuz if John Hall says it's better, then it MUST be better. If they had made the new full width inlays the same as the original full width inlays (i.e., like they put some effort into it), I'd be sold. But now...no thanks. Yuk.

 

[emesen]

I'd love to own one... and would hate to pay for it. But I do like the way the sound...

 

[SamWebsterbell]

Would love one, the looks, the sound.
But way out of my price range, especially in the UK we pay stupid bucks for these.

 

[unclejane]

what do you love or hate about this bass?

love it: appearance, quality of woodworking on 50+ year old mass produced design, general quality (don't agree that their QC is bad), stereo output already available in stock form, passive mode only with seperate vol/tone controls on each PU.

dislike: poor balance, strange crappy bridge with very limited adjustment range, silly saddle thingy. Strange, enormous hole in body for bridge PU.

hate it: extremely weak tone with too much highs. Fingerstyle sounds miserable and inaudible especially on stage through an amp. Good for slap and pick style, tho, where you can really hammer on it.

LS

 

[ggoat!!!]

love it: general quality (don't agree that their QC is bad)

*****You must not look very hard at the neck/body joint paintwork or the attention to detail around where the nut is mounted.


hate it: extremely weak tone with too much highs.

*****Actually, if you measure the output of either pickup alone or both pickups together on a modern Rick you will find that they are extremely high output (almost too high) with not a plethora of highs.

Fingerstyle sounds miserable and inaudible especially on stage through an amp.

*****Are you sure you've ever played a Rick? Fingerstyle sounds miserable and inaudible through an amp? Hmmm...that's strange, the only time I've EVER had a problem hearing Geddy Lee live has been when he's NOT using a Rick. And, we all know how miserable and inaudible Geddy's fingerstyle sounds on all those old Rush albums.

Good for slap and pick style, tho, where you can really hammer on it.

*****Slap? On a Rick? Sure, it can be done...but it's not very user friendly.

LS

:scowl:

 

[theevilplankton]

I have owned 4 Rics over time - 2 4003's, and 2 4004's.

I was a RickResource member, and as such had the blinded loyalty that goes with it!

If I'm honest, all 4 had problems - 'classic' problems like dead frets, quieter strings, action either way too high, or so low it buzzes like a cheap chainsaw (as it was once described!) and so on....

Earlier this year, I got acquainted with the Geddy Lee jazz bass - I'd always dismissed Fenders, but it really blew me away. I also got a Jaguar, which is also superb.

Upshot is that now I don't own a single Ric, and probably never will again. They are lovely basses, and they do sound nice.....but they are hugely overpriced, of variable build quality....I could go on.

I'm glad I got owning them out of my system - I don't regret it, but they were just never as good as I expected.

Saying that, if you want one, nothing else will ever do!

 

[riotriot]

I'm in love with Rickenbacker and love makes us blind..
So I know it's probaly not the best bass around, but it's the reason I love playing bass...

Same with a good ol' Fender P.. I wish they would make em with a thin neck like my '73 4001

 

[Baker69]

Having owned a 1970's Ric 4001 for a couple of years;

Loved: The shape, got to be the sexiest looking bass ever!

The sound (when played with a pick).

Hate: Neck, playability. The way the slab body hurts your ribs when you're wearing it. Thin sound.

 

[Webtroll]

Love and hate. I love the look and the recorded sounds from Geddy Lee and Chris Squire. I hate the way they feel (binding?) and they sound like crap when I play them (more likely due to my own skills waaaah!).

 

[JxBass]

I've owned four or five over the years, all from the late 60's or early 70's. I never was crazy about the necks versus, say, Fender necks - just my personal taste. I did love their unique tone and design. All were 4001 models except for a fireglow '67 model 4005 (semi-hollow), one of my all-time favorite collectible basses. It didn't have a single nick or scratch on it.

 

[Phalex]

The way the slab body hurts your ribs when you're wearing it.

Over the course of 15 years I never had an issue with the slab body. Until I got a P-bass. My Ric bites my right wrist in a way that I never noticed before.

I love the tone, I love the 33 1/4" scale, and I love the neck profile.

The bridge leaves a lot to be desired. It's a pain to adjust, and "the dreaded tail piece lift" seems to be common to about 100% of instruments.

My favorite feature is the 3 position switch for changing between PUP configurations. Slap it down, do a little solo thing, tap it back to neutral position, and never miss a beat.