Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Rickenbacker 4003 or Fender Jazz?
- Thread starter Rnr..........4
- Start date
I always like to say there are 4 basses that define bass tones, P's, J's, Stingray's and Ric 4001/4003. After owning all the others for many years I have only recently ventured into Ric territory and I am so damn happy that I did. I don't think that I had even played a Ric in 35 or 40 years at least and back then I'm sure I was only interested because of Geddy. I didn't really understand what they were about back then. So, a few months ago I traded a Stingray that wasn't getting much use for a 2019 4003. It has been a complete game changer for me. The binding doesn't bother me, the neck width took a bit of getting used to, but the plethora of available tones is absolutely shocking. I too assumed that it would favor the Lee and Squire tones with brand new rounds and I would guess that it would sound like McCartney if I were to put flats on it. But those tones are kind of the extremes, there is a whole bunch of stuff in the middle that is just beautiful.
I feel like Ric's get a bad rap over the ergonomics and too many people never get to the heart of the bass and the versatility that it has. It is really too bad, or perhaps for Ric owners and fans that is the way that it should be.
I feel like Ric's get a bad rap over the ergonomics and too many people never get to the heart of the bass and the versatility that it has. It is really too bad, or perhaps for Ric owners and fans that is the way that it should be.
If you already have 2 fender P's I say the rick. Rickenbacker is far superior in every way. The bound fretboard, neck through construction, stable 2pc necks, lots of attention to detail on construction. Fenders are of low build quality and I own 3, 2 of them are vintage. The only thing I like about my fenders are the familiar sound and having one when a bandleader or engineer request it. Otherwise every other instrument I own is better imo.
The bridge, of course, is like no other (jkg, I love my 4003...)
I own a Vintera P and a Squier 60s P along with a German Corvette $$.
Get a lot of good tones out of that Warwick I might add and for a passive/active bass it's excellent but some days I just really enjoy the basic Fender style and ease of use.
Honestly due to the cost I will most likely end up with a MIM Geddy. I am only an at home player so I don't play live gigs.. not yet anyway. Thanks to COVID will have to wait till this clears up and then put some ads out there.
Like I said.. thanks everyone. Continue debating if you want to.
Get a lot of good tones out of that Warwick I might add and for a passive/active bass it's excellent but some days I just really enjoy the basic Fender style and ease of use.
Honestly due to the cost I will most likely end up with a MIM Geddy. I am only an at home player so I don't play live gigs.. not yet anyway. Thanks to COVID will have to wait till this clears up and then put some ads out there.
Like I said.. thanks everyone. Continue debating if you want to.
Lowendtech
Happily trending in my own peculiar direction.
I'm just here because of your avatar.
I played a Fender for years, but when I got a Ric, I knew it was the one for me. I'm still playing one > 40 years later (you can see it in my profile picture). I have other Rics too - - and they're all awesome.
Love the bridge...until I have to remove it to intonate.
After avoiding it for years (too long), I put a Hipshot on my Ric. WOW - - what a difference! It makes the bass a lot more solid and it intonate perfectly.
As I am sure others have mentioned, save some ca$h and get the 4003S if you're going to get a Rick.
Rickenbacker 4003 VS 4003S: What Is The Difference? | Reidys | Blog
Rickenbacker 4003 VS 4003S: What Is The Difference? | Reidys | Blog
To clarify my earlier post, I'm not saying the only thing Ricks can do is clank. But, they are really good at that. If you happen to find one that has that magical amount of fretboard bounce, clanky resonance at the bridge, and just singing mid sustain so much that the bass feels like it's "playing itself," you will understand. The Rick was the first bass I got decades ago that made it physically easier to play.
I'm just saying that if you want an aggressive clanky tone that isn't scooped with a full rip-your-face-off midrange presence, you can't beat a Rick. Compare Geddy's perfect Rick tone on the "Exit: Stage Left" video with it's creamy meaty luscious midrange grime and attack along with its severe low end growl and chunk against his most aggressive "Rush In Rio" Jazz tone, which while not bad, is a buzzy sizzly scooped mosquito-y synthetic version of his old Rick tone. Now, his Jazz got close to his Rick due to his old preamp setup (think "Tom Sawyer") but what he achieved with his Jazz starting on "Permanent Waves" to emulate the Rick, the Rick just kinda already did on its own.
However, there are a zillion other iconic Rick tones that sound nothing like Geddy, and are just as great. Off the top of my head:
1) Paul McCartney on the "Wings Over America" album and VHS/Laserdisc version of the video (different mix, much more bass heavy)
2) Geezer Butler on the "Never Say Die" live video; amazing low thick mid presence and clankless aggressive grime; super full & encompassing
3) Chris Squire on all early Yes (great clean as well as distorted clanky tones)
4) Randy Meisner of the Eagles (his tone on the live clip of "Hotel California" from 1977 is great)
5) Lemmy, just to show you another tone a Rick can get (if you want to piss off your entire band)
6) Tiran Porter on early Doobie Brothers; doesn't get more anti-clank than this
7) Roger Glover on early Deep Purple; flabby, gurgly, no clank, but great mid splatty pick tone
8) Glenn Hughes on Deep Purple's "Made In Europe"
9) If you think Geddy's Rick tone is one-dimensional, check out "Anthem" from "Fly By Night"; totally clean, perfect, tubby, and cutting
10) Roger Waters on early Pink Floyd; his tone on "Atom Heart Mother" is great great great great clean classic Rick picked neck pickup
11) Mike Rutherford on early Genesis; he copied Chris Squire's tone here and there, but usually had a great cutting clean tone of his own
12) Cliff Burton on early Metallica; the classic metal bass tone without being scooped or too trebly (unlike the 80's bass tone of a band like Testament)
13) Here's one of my favorite Rick tones, I don't know who it is, but listen to how it drives this Gladys Night track; distorted as hell, looks like a small Bassman head (at 1:21) turned up all the away. The regular version of this song doesn't have nearly this energy, and it's all attributed to the Rick:
I'm just saying that if you want an aggressive clanky tone that isn't scooped with a full rip-your-face-off midrange presence, you can't beat a Rick. Compare Geddy's perfect Rick tone on the "Exit: Stage Left" video with it's creamy meaty luscious midrange grime and attack along with its severe low end growl and chunk against his most aggressive "Rush In Rio" Jazz tone, which while not bad, is a buzzy sizzly scooped mosquito-y synthetic version of his old Rick tone. Now, his Jazz got close to his Rick due to his old preamp setup (think "Tom Sawyer") but what he achieved with his Jazz starting on "Permanent Waves" to emulate the Rick, the Rick just kinda already did on its own.
However, there are a zillion other iconic Rick tones that sound nothing like Geddy, and are just as great. Off the top of my head:
1) Paul McCartney on the "Wings Over America" album and VHS/Laserdisc version of the video (different mix, much more bass heavy)
2) Geezer Butler on the "Never Say Die" live video; amazing low thick mid presence and clankless aggressive grime; super full & encompassing
3) Chris Squire on all early Yes (great clean as well as distorted clanky tones)
4) Randy Meisner of the Eagles (his tone on the live clip of "Hotel California" from 1977 is great)
5) Lemmy, just to show you another tone a Rick can get (if you want to piss off your entire band)
6) Tiran Porter on early Doobie Brothers; doesn't get more anti-clank than this
7) Roger Glover on early Deep Purple; flabby, gurgly, no clank, but great mid splatty pick tone
8) Glenn Hughes on Deep Purple's "Made In Europe"
9) If you think Geddy's Rick tone is one-dimensional, check out "Anthem" from "Fly By Night"; totally clean, perfect, tubby, and cutting
10) Roger Waters on early Pink Floyd; his tone on "Atom Heart Mother" is great great great great clean classic Rick picked neck pickup
11) Mike Rutherford on early Genesis; he copied Chris Squire's tone here and there, but usually had a great cutting clean tone of his own
12) Cliff Burton on early Metallica; the classic metal bass tone without being scooped or too trebly (unlike the 80's bass tone of a band like Testament)
13) Here's one of my favorite Rick tones, I don't know who it is, but listen to how it drives this Gladys Night track; distorted as hell, looks like a small Bassman head (at 1:21) turned up all the away. The regular version of this song doesn't have nearly this energy, and it's all attributed to the Rick:
Last edited:
That, is actually a pretty old picture, it's grown quite considerably since then!
I actually picked that 371 up from a TB'r in the classifieds
The ergonomics are the reason I will never own a ric - the necks are serious baseball bats in profile compared to a jazz bass. While I like the ric sound, I prefer the sound of a jazz over a ric (and pretty much anything else truth be told).
I mean, it sounds like you want the Jazz, and don't prefer Rics.
it was mentioned earlier, sell a P-bass, get a Jazz with that money, also get a Ric. Get all the tones.
it was mentioned earlier, sell a P-bass, get a Jazz with that money, also get a Ric. Get all the tones.
I think you said, "for Rock and Metal".
If that is true, get the Ric. You already have one Fender.
But get a 4003.
If that is true, get the Ric. You already have one Fender.
But get a 4003.
Last edited:
I voted 4003 - it is such a personal decision and depends a lot on stuff we aren't aware of that other people have pointed out.
Do you need to get the Geddy Lee Jazz? I would think you could get similar tone from a cheaper Fender. And a lot depends on what kind of sound you are going for. I personally think the 4003 is much more interesting, but I have gotten used to the ergonomic differences and don't mind them - I adjust when I pick mine up.
My experience was the opposite - at a gig I was using my '76 4001 and thought it sounded great - then I plugged in my MIJ Jazz ('62? reissue from around '87/'88) and the difference was night and day! It sounded so much deeper and simultaneously clearer. Part of why I wonder if the Geddy Lee is necessary...
Ah, but the OP has 2 P-Basses - the Rick might be a little closer to that, though with other differences - most notably the lack of taper from nut to body, the lack of thumb-rest if you are used to anchoring on the P pickup (fixable with bezel), and the bound body (unless a 4003S). Oh yeah, don't forget the 2+2 headstock! That takes getting used to if you're used to 4 on a side like Fender! But it's a good thing, then you can start getting Gibsons, Guilds, Alembics...
Do you need to get the Geddy Lee Jazz? I would think you could get similar tone from a cheaper Fender. And a lot depends on what kind of sound you are going for. I personally think the 4003 is much more interesting, but I have gotten used to the ergonomic differences and don't mind them - I adjust when I pick mine up.
My experience was the opposite - at a gig I was using my '76 4001 and thought it sounded great - then I plugged in my MIJ Jazz ('62? reissue from around '87/'88) and the difference was night and day! It sounded so much deeper and simultaneously clearer. Part of why I wonder if the Geddy Lee is necessary...
Ah, but the OP has 2 P-Basses - the Rick might be a little closer to that, though with other differences - most notably the lack of taper from nut to body, the lack of thumb-rest if you are used to anchoring on the P pickup (fixable with bezel), and the bound body (unless a 4003S). Oh yeah, don't forget the 2+2 headstock! That takes getting used to if you're used to 4 on a side like Fender! But it's a good thing, then you can start getting Gibsons, Guilds, Alembics...
It definitely is NOT.
there's tone knobs, volume knobs and most have the push pull circuit.
