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Rickenbacker 4003 or Fender Jazz?

Which one for the price?

  • Rickenbacker 4003

  • US Fender Geddy Lee Jazz

Results are only viewable after voting.
#81
97C8645F-3DEE-4341-AC1F-720190784A6C.jpeg
I voted 4003.
I've had a couple. My latest feels as if the neck was tailored for me.

it is a different cut neck than fender , but I like it.



think I've heard the necks are hand finished (sanded) before finishing. Not sure if this makes a difference.

Bought mine from Sweetwater About 2 years ago and it was flawless. They have several in stock right now , fresh off the truck.
 
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#82
hieronymous said:
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...
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I don't get the Rick "baseball bat" neck nonsense. Sure, some are bigger than others (all eras are different) but I've never, ever played or owned a Rick that had a neck as big as some Precision necks. And I have probably more Precisions than any other style bass, and some are huge, which I like for something different. But none of my Ricks are nearly that big.

However, I do have a late 90's V63 that does have a very, very, big massive neck, but still not as big as a Precision. However, my '86 V63 has a tiny neck. Ricks varied over the years, especially the pre-CNC basses; they varied all over the place. I have a '98 Jetglo that feels like spaghetti (spaGEDDY? haha); it's tooooo thin.

The current Ricks are very stable and very consistent bass to bass; I wouldn't call them thin or small, but they aren't big or baseball bat by any stretch of the imagination.
 
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#83
_One//Man//Mutiny_ said:
If looking at a passive Jazz I prefer my Rickenbacker over any of them!
I have a CIJ Jaguar Deluxe that's pretty much an active Jazz and that often gets swapped in and out with my Rickenbacker
The Rickenbacker is the only bass that I don't just set and forget. Neck pickup as a full deep tone, while the bridge is slightly hotter and more in your face, both together gives a best of both worlds sound. View attachment 3957105
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man that Ric gives me "gas", what a beautiful specimen..now i am at their site oogling all they have to offer......is that a factory color?
 
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#84
HearNoStevil said:
I don't get the Rick "baseball bat" neck nonsense. Sure, some are bigger than others (all eras are different) but I've never, ever played or owned a Rick that had a neck as big as some Precision necks. And I have probably more Precisions than any other style bass, and some are huge, which I like for something different. But none of my Ricks are nearly that big.

However, I do have a late 90's V63 that does have a very, very, big massive neck, but still not as big as a Precision. However, my '86 V63 has a tiny neck. Ricks varied over the years, especially the pre-CNC basses; they varied all over the place. I have a '98 Jetglo that feels like spaghetti (spaGEDDY? haha); it's tooooo thin.

The current Ricks are very stable and very consistent bass to bass; I wouldn't call them thin or small, but they aren't big or baseball bat by any stretch of the imagination.
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My 2019 Ric 4003's neck is as comfortable as my USA Spectors and my Gibby T-Bird. And way more comfortable than my German Warwick Infinity SN. And more comfortable than my 1982 G&L L-2000.
 
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#86
HearNoStevil said:
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:

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I liked Ed Gagliardi's tone on Foreigner's first couple of albums too. Rics are so versatile regardless that sometimes you're surprised at some of the tunes that have them. Not these three though.

Here he is with a Ric with flats:







 
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#87
I'll echo what the other guys have said about the 4001/3 vs the Jazz bass. The only big difference in the tone going to the 4003 from a jazz bass is generally the less bottom end and "thump". Now, you can get that out of the Rick, but you kind of have to force it out of it with a bit of work: plucking over the bridge PU, some compression with a slow attack/fast release and EQ'ing in some low and mid bass freqs.

But otherwise, it really does have a tone all its own that's generally pretty recognizable. Sometimes you can't tell the difference between a Jazz and a Precision bass on something, but a Rick you can pick out a lot more often blind and just by the tone from anything else.

So that can be a surprise to guys or gals going to a Rick from a Fender style instrument. The Rick really shines making its characteristic fret noise, especially when hammered hard with the plucking fingers or using a pick. If you're after that particular sound, nothing can do it like a 4001/3.

It's definitely the best bass for metal. :)

If you need more of a Jazz or Precision sound, you can still do it, it's just a little more work with the electronics and somewhat with your technique. Eg. you can get a fairly decent P bass sound by soloing the front PU and plucking in the general area of that pickup. If you use flats on it you can get even closer.

I love the Rick, but I also recognize that its tone is very characteristic. It's an even older bass than the Jazz bass, I think (I think it came out in 1960 or even before that?) so don't expect it to feel and play like a bass designed in 2020 :)....

L
 
#89
PS: as for the ergonomics, again it's an ancient design so ergonomics isn't its strong suit. I never thought the necks were baseball bats even on the 4003, just kind of chunky. But the body style etc., it takes some getting used to and adjustment for sure.

The 4001/3 is a 33" scale though, which does help in terms of playability. Guitar players who also play bass seem to like the Rick for that reason (eg. Yngwie Malmsteen). I definitely appreciated the 33" scale too when I had my ricks...

L
 
#95
The 4001 with its vintage cap has a more trebly sound and less bottom than the 4003. The 4004 is probably one of the deepest sounding basses ever. In my experience the latter two have more bottom than a Jazz Bass. With a Jazz Bass I have to dial the bridge pickup almost all the way down to get much depth.
 
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#97
Tony In Philly said:
The 4001 with its vintage cap has a more trebly sound and less bottom than the 4003. The 4004 is probably one of the deepest sounding basses ever. In my experience the latter two have more bottom than a Jazz Bass. With a Jazz Bass I have to dial the bridge pickup almost all the way down to get much depth.
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Two minute job to bypass the cap, I would be willing to bet that 90% of 4001's now have had the cap taken out of the circuit. I remember the first time I heard of it and did it, what a huge difference in the presence of the bass.
 
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#99
bobyoung53 said:
I think it's the same one, it's called an Autumnglo 4003S although it has checkerboard binding, could be a mistake because in the header it also says stereo.

Rickenbacker 4003S Bass Guitar - Autumnglo with Checkerboard Binding
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Oh ok, no that's different. Mine is a Montezuma Amberglo 4003, gloss finish, solid figured maple, checkerboard binding, mono output, toaster neck pickup, vintage truss rod cover and vintage knobs. It was a limited special run at Wildwood a couple months ago.
 
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#100
bobyoung53 said:
I usually post the tune for people who don't think you can get a lot of bottom out of a Rickenbacker:


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Sir Mac used a Ric in the studio once he got one. But in the live shows would use the Hofner. That detail is revealed on page 34 in "The Rickenbacker Electric Bass" book. Must be a reason he used it pretty exclusively in the studio for recording. Guess Sir Paul can use anything he likes.
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