I did contradict myself, yes—but that's because both points are simultaneously kind of true.Let's clear up some fallacies.
4) You just said the opposite of what you said in number 2 above.
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Rickenbacker 4003 or Fender Jazz?
- Thread starter Rnr..........4
- Start date
It was mega-crowded when I lived out there in the '80s.
The point is that if you were picking a bass for its suitability for the slap/thump technique, a Rick would not be the first bass that comes to mind. I would tell someone to get a Jazz Bass or perhaps a StingRay. Of course you can slap on a Rick and yes it can sound good but I would suggest that it's more of a challenge to perform that technique on a Rick.
It's much worse now. Not the same place I grew up, lots of homeless living on sidewalks and parking is slowly becoming like LA.
I'm glad I escaped when I did.
I actually don't think of Rics as having "baseball bat" necks - I do have a bass like that, my early-'70s Telecaster Bass. But there's something about the shape of the Ric neck up by the nut that's different than a Fender and takes getting used to. I probably mis-spoke. And of course there is always variation - I have two MIJ Precisions and the necks aren't anything like my Tele. And my '76 4001 is not nearly as chunky as my '03 4003. My '03 is the most recent Ric I have owned, so I can't comment on the recent stuff but it sure looks great and people seem to be happy.
To be honest, I love the variations between all my basses - to me it's part of the fun of having more than one. Some people have difficulty switching between different scale lengths but I think I'm one of those that likes to go between short and long scale too.
You really have to try a Ric out first, and, even then, I recommend trying the one you actually plan on buying before you pull the trigger. I've owned two and have played several. I loved the two I bought but really disliked the others.
I just know that when I got my first Fireglo Rick decades ago before the internet for $675 brand new, it was like something unattainable out of this world had arrived in my hands. It was a mythical creature from beyond; I hadn't seen one in person, never touched one. I mail-ordered it from Victor Litz Music Center in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The day I got it changed my life.
I had already had my first bass, a nice old Washburn, a NOS mint 1978 Precision, a couple of amazing Spectors, and a '74 Jazz. But when I got that Rick, oh man; it was like an epiphany. It just seemed to be in such a different league than all the others; in looks, workmanship (this was a good one), and the way it played. Even though I never felt like like I was hindered on any of my other basses, when I first got my Rick it was soooooooooooooooooo much easier to do things I could sorta-do on my others. Like I said earlier, it was the first bass that made it physically easier to play. And play it I did. Hundreds of gigs. Hundreds of hours of my life.
Everything about it, the shape and radius of the neck, the critical placement of the bridge pickup (for those that only use one pickup, the bridge pickup on a Jazz can be too thin while the pickup on a Precision can be a little too pedestrian), the way it absolutely sliced through a mix, the unreal neck stability (I haven't adjusted the neck since 1998!), but most importantly-the tone; I couldn't describe it. In all my early years chasing that cutting Geddy tone and failing miserably with my other basses, through my ADA, there it was, at my fingertips! Instant Exit Stage Left. I've since changed my tone to an even more distorted but thick/articulate/middy/clankless Moog-ish tone, but I still use my Ricks for it-because they are capable of sooooo much more than the tones of McCartney and Geddy.
But, back to the day I got that first Rick. To my young self, it really was like the second coming. I polished it, took Polaroids of it, invited friends over, hung it on the wall, just looked at it. I hung my other basses around it, albeit slightly lower. It was the centerpiece.
And you know what? Over 100+ basses later, it still is.
I had already had my first bass, a nice old Washburn, a NOS mint 1978 Precision, a couple of amazing Spectors, and a '74 Jazz. But when I got that Rick, oh man; it was like an epiphany. It just seemed to be in such a different league than all the others; in looks, workmanship (this was a good one), and the way it played. Even though I never felt like like I was hindered on any of my other basses, when I first got my Rick it was soooooooooooooooooo much easier to do things I could sorta-do on my others. Like I said earlier, it was the first bass that made it physically easier to play. And play it I did. Hundreds of gigs. Hundreds of hours of my life.
Everything about it, the shape and radius of the neck, the critical placement of the bridge pickup (for those that only use one pickup, the bridge pickup on a Jazz can be too thin while the pickup on a Precision can be a little too pedestrian), the way it absolutely sliced through a mix, the unreal neck stability (I haven't adjusted the neck since 1998!), but most importantly-the tone; I couldn't describe it. In all my early years chasing that cutting Geddy tone and failing miserably with my other basses, through my ADA, there it was, at my fingertips! Instant Exit Stage Left. I've since changed my tone to an even more distorted but thick/articulate/middy/clankless Moog-ish tone, but I still use my Ricks for it-because they are capable of sooooo much more than the tones of McCartney and Geddy.
But, back to the day I got that first Rick. To my young self, it really was like the second coming. I polished it, took Polaroids of it, invited friends over, hung it on the wall, just looked at it. I hung my other basses around it, albeit slightly lower. It was the centerpiece.
And you know what? Over 100+ basses later, it still is.
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Agreed - a good Rickenbacker is almost like a mythical beast - there's something magical about them. I spent many hours listening to Deep Purple and Rush and Yes and Motörhead and Genesis - and looking at pictures too - during the '80s when I was in high school. I finally got my first one in 2002 for $800, right before the prices really started taking off. I was with my future wife at the time, it just called out to me - I play a certain way when I use it, it fires up a certain aspect of myself.
But they don't turn out that way for a lot of people. Only way to know is to actually play one...
I used my '76 on one of my favorite tracks that I've ever been involved in - someone I went to high school with but a couple of years ahead of me contacted me out of the blue asking me to play on his album. I recorded two tracks simultaneously - both pickups with volume & tone on full, one track clean and one track through MBD-1 for the bass boost, almost no dirt. I have no idea which tracks he ended up using but I love the reverb on the little solo lick near the beginning!
The second bass I bought as a young pup and the first one I liked was a used 4001 I got from a friend back in 1983. In 2008 I got my second Ric, a new 4003. Today both are still favorites!
One of my favorite Rick-playing notables is Mike Mesaros of the Smithereens. He's been playing Precision Basses lately, though. I wonder what prompted the change? Come to think of it, another favorite of mine, Mike Mills of R.E.M., also made that switch. This is fascinating to me because both of those guys were well known in the early days of their respective bands for playing Rickenbacker basses. I have never known Severo Jornación, who also plays bass for the Smithereens when Mesaros is not available, to play Ricks but I can't say definitely that he hasn't or doesn't.
Those two guys may have concluded that although they like the sounds of Rick that the P-Bass is more practical and comfortable for playing on tour, but that wouldn't explain a switch to the Precision Bass in the studio as well.
Those two guys may have concluded that although they like the sounds of Rick that the P-Bass is more practical and comfortable for playing on tour, but that wouldn't explain a switch to the Precision Bass in the studio as well.
We played with the Smitherines last year at the Coach House — I don't know who was playing bass but remember it was a Precision.
So cool that you got to play with them. Jimmy (guitar) Babjak, Mike, and Dennis Diken (drums) all seem like great guys although I have not had the privilege of meeting them.I play both too so I can't fault him for either choice.
Maybe the finish started lifting at the bridge on their basses and the CEO told them to pound sand?
I played the MIJ Geddy years ago at Guitar Center when I bought my son his first bass and loved how it played. I didn't have to money to buy so I could only dream about it. Then when my grandson started taking guitar lessons at Guitar Center I played the MIM Geddy. I loved it too but still I no spare money to buy it. Then when my mom sadly passed away, I received an inheritance from her estate. To help my heartache, I decided to order my Geddy from Sweetwater. I had enough to get the USA model so I went for it even though I never played a USA Geddy. I assumed they were the same as the Mexican model only made in America. I noticed immediately the neck was not the same. It felt thicker than the Mexican and at first I didn't like it. For the longest time I let it sit in it's case and played my old reliable Precision. I wound up taking it to my local music shop with the intention of trading it in on something else. But as I was going in, I decided to have them set it up (it never had a professional set up). I at the very least wanted to absolutely make sure I didn't like it. Boy am I glad I did. It plays exactly the way I want it to play. I would not trade it for anything out today.
According to Wikipedia, the company's German-speaking founder was born in Switzerland as Adolf Rickenbacher (RICK-en-BAKH-er) but Americanized his name to Rickenbacker and named his company that in part to capitalize on the popularity of his distant cousin, flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker. I did not know that previously.
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