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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.
Definitely the MIA. It is thicker than the MIM which is a bit toooooo thin and a bit more flat. The MIA to me feels like a nice round small U in the back. It is a very comfortable neck. But, in my experience the MIM was the best built of the three I've had (MIJ original '98 limited run was the worst in quality, and the skunk stripe has popped out of the back of its tiny neck).
Why was the MIM better quality over the MIA?
 
I can't stand the RICK-in-BACK-er pronunciation. So grating. I intend no regionalism when I say this but it really rubs me the wrong way. The founder of the company was a German speaker from Switzerland, for Heaven's sake!
In California and the UK they say Ricken-BACK-er. On the East Coast we usually say Ricken-BOCK-er. I attribute that to the large German influence here during the colonial period. I could be wrong on that, but it is my general observation.
 
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Why was the MIM better quality over the MIA?

Perfect finish quality; not a dimple, bubble, or blemish to be found. Smoother than glass. Tight neck pocket, no overhang. No crap left in the routes. No shim needed on the neck. No stripped screwheads. Fret ends were beveled perfectly; no fret sprout whatsoever. Frets were highly polished; you couldn't feel or see any line in the finish where the binding and neck inlays were. Side dots perfectly placed. Action was as low as physically possible; no buzz. Required absolutely nothing out of the box. Edges of the bound fingerboard were expertly rounded just the right amount. The bridge was mounted perfectly straight; the fit and finish was just perfect at any price; you couldn't ask for better fit and finish on a Sadowsky or Fodera.
 
Maybe you can't slap on a Rickenbacker, but this guy definitely can. I'd chock that up to your own (in)ability vs the design of the bass itself.

Let's get real.
  1. Johnny Lee Long is a great player and could make almost anything sound good;
  2. Of course you can slap a Rick, it just doesn't often sound good;
  3. Ricks weren't designed with funk or slap technique in mind;
  4. Yes, you can slap on a Rick and make it sound good, but it's easier to do so on, say, a Jazz Bass.
 
Well I have both. An 83 Fullerton Jazz and a 77 Ric 4001. Both amazing. I did lend the Ric to a couple of buddy for two weeks took month's to get back. Have any of you ( I'm sure there are a few ) listened to The Revealing Science of God? Tales from Topographic Oceans? Chris Squire's bass line against Wakeman's mellotron and synth. Listen to the entire thing an tell me you don't want a Ric.
Some of my very favorite music. Squire is my all time favorite. I'd live a Rick.
 
Let's get real.
  1. Johnny Lee Long is a great player and could make almost anything sound good;
  2. Of course you can slap a Rick, it just doesn't often sound good;
  3. Ricks weren't designed with funk or slap technique in mind;
  4. Yes, you can slap on a Rick and make it sound good, but it's easier to do so on, say, a Jazz Bass.

Let's clear up some fallacies.

1) Tons of people can slap on a Rick and make it sound good.
2) See number 1. It might not sound good when you do it.
3) Jazz basses weren't designed with funk or slap technique in mind. Slap didn't exist then. Silly.
4) You just said the opposite of what you said in number 2 above.

As an aside, I remember the 90's when slap was virtually run into the ground. Sadly, it's making a comeback. The less players are inclined to slap (or tap) the better for the rest of us.

:)
 
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Sadly, I have only seen Yes perform that once, in 1997. I have seen Yes perform the 4th side several times in the mid '70s. And at a private show at the Rock Hall in 2013 Steve and Jon Davison did bits of side 3.
But if you listened to Revealing Science of God on Tales and compared Squires insane driving bass line behind Wakeman's great solo... He's not just his complex reputation but a real F ing bass player driving the whole band forward as we all want to do. And they were obviously having a great time doing it.
 
You gotta figure there will be a Rickenbacker made overseas when Hell freezes over because the fact that they make California-built instruments and only California-built instruments remains a major selling point of the Rick. Well, that and they are fantastic (if quirky) guitars and basses. The sound is really special and they look so cool.

I wish they would pronounce it REEKH-en-BAKH-er instead of the lame-but-accepted RICK-in-BACK-er. I suppose RICK-en-BOCK-er is acceptable.

Isn't RICK-en BOCK-er the proper way to pronounce it? That is what I always thought. That's how I always said it. Maybe it's regional? I live in Ohio and I believe that is how most around here pronounce it... RICK-en BOCK-er. hmmm interesting.
 
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