Rickenbacker 4003

[Slax]

I just raised the pole piece on the pick ups on my Ric and it solved the problem of the low output E string.

 

[Jeff K]

The good thing about Rics is they are not like Fenders, and the bad thing about Rics is they are not like Fenders.

 

[Mr. Ray]

E string sound/performance is something that can vary in any brand of basses. For example if you play a dozen Fender Jazz basses some will have better sounding E strings then others, each bass is unique somewhat. Of all the basses I own the best sounding E..growl, definition, volume etc. is from my Dillion Thunderbird clone, which is funny because it is also the cheapest bass I have. I have owned many Rickenbacker 4001 and they have all been different.

 

[unclejane]

And what is fundamentally different about any newly designed 4 string bass?

Made of hardwood? Most are, other materials are still the minority.

The quality of the wood, tho, is kept track of better these days than in the old Fender days. Even the new Fenders, I believe, try to age the wood before building the instruments out of it.

Quality of construction improvements is obvious and there's no need to go into that.

Got a scale length of 34 inches? Still the most common give or take an inch or so
Any fundamental difference in how the tuners work? Errr...no
Any fundamental difference in how the bridge works? Errr...no

Wrong. There are a lot of newer bridge designs out now that make a noticeable difference in the sound of an instrument. Even Fender has gone to an improved bridge on the US made models and a few of the artist models.
Leo Fender designed a completely new bridge on the G&L and it's one of the best bridges you can get.

The rick still uses the same bridge it always has and so it still has the same problems it had 50 years ago. The Fenders that use the old style bridge still have the same problems with the bridge as they always did.

Any difference in what the trussrod does? Some may work in a different way but they all do the same thing

But the new designs can have subtle effects on the tone. I.e. composite strips in the neck to stiffen it on some models can change the tone a bit, including evening out dead strings by eliminating dead spots etc.

Any fundamental difference in the way the pickups work? Unless it's a lightwave or relies entirely on piezos it'll still have some configuration of wire coils wrapped around some magnets

Er, you're kidding, right?..... pickup design is where the biggest changes have been. Barts, EMG's (and my favorite, the G&L MFDs), tho they still work on the same basic principle, are far far better today than before. Better in construction, design etc.

Basing an assertion that you're lucky to get a sound out of it on a misguided notion that the design is obsolete backed up by your experience with a single old Fender seems completely spurious to me - or maybe you could point up some radical new technology or ideas used in your G&L ?

http://www.glguitars.com/

LS

 

[somesadbugger]

yea i had that problem initialy

truss rod adjustment
pickup height adjustment
replacement hipshot bridge
pole piece adjustment

plays like a dream now

 

[RickenBoogie]

Well, in any case, I hope the OP gets it sorted out, and makes some loud sounds with that E string. Also, +1 for trying out some different strings. I've always had great sucess with Ric factory strings, or Roto's. Flats are another option. In any case, best of luck.

 

[Relic]

I love Ricks, I really do, but have had the same E string problem with several Ricks over the years. I've pretty much done everything I can think of short of performing voodoo and the problem wont go away. The adjustable pole-piece may be the answer but my current Rick is a 1980 4001, so unless I can buy some brand new pick ups, I'm beat.

 

[Mastermold]

yea man, it actually was tom, lol. small world. yea, he mentioned to me that other people were having these problems too.

Yeah, he told me mine was like the third he'd seen with that problem within just a few months. He spoke with Dale Fortune about it too I believe. Ric's CEO John Hall insists it's just a setup issue, that you need to flatten out all the pole pieces, set the neck relief, and then back into what levels you need, but Tom didn't buy it. The good news (at least in my case) is when I sent it back to MF the replacement they sent me doesn't seem to have that issue, and I've been happy with it. Hope you get yours worked out to your satisfaction, I know it's frustrating spending so much on a bass that's hard to come by in the first place only to have issues with it. Good luck bro!