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Rickenbacker basses

#61
One_Dude said:
My question is this: What is the appeal
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As far as 4003's go, the tone and feel really. The look is iconic whether you like it or not.

I had been interested in being a Ric owner again for some time. About a month ago, the guitar store I frequent had just put on display a fresh out-of-the-box mapleglo 4003S. While testing it out, I immediately noticed how thin the neck was and how great it felt and sounded. I had to have it (after checking with the Mrs of course🫣).

To confirm what some of the others have mentioned, the bridge pickup cover is gone and replaced with a nice bezel. The V2 bridge is way more user friendly as well. Ric has fixed a lot of the previous issues noted here and elsewhere.

Granted the binding, triangle markers and stereo output are sexy, the body of the S version is more comfortable to me.

It is a far cry from the '82 4003 I owned years ago and traded away after a few months.

Not a Ric fanboy, just really digging the new addition. I feel like I picked the right time to jump back in.

My two cents anyways. I know Ric basses can be polarizing throughout the bass community.
 

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#62
To me, many of the design elements of the Rickenbacker bass (and guitars) are pretty solidly in the mid century modern style.

They are sleek and graceful featuring organic shapes and forms, but also are somewhat industrial in appearance.

They are "modern" in that they are representive of a conceptual departure. You could put one next to an Eames lounge chair or a Nelson ball clock and they would look completely natural together. This type of design almost has a visceral attraction to many people of my generation (and earlier).
 
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#63
I think the real special sauce of a Rick is the pickups, no other bass can do what they do. They’re very dynamic pickups, when played hard they feel like they compress and choke out in a very musical way. It’s hard to describe and different than other bass but you can get them to really talk in a way that that’s so satisfying.
I have a 2023 4003S and it’s become my absolute favorite bass I use it for pretty much everything, the way it meshes with the guitars in the band I play with is second to none.
 
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#65
Gilmourisgod said:
Oddly enough, it always seemed to me like Macca was trying to make his Ric sound like a Hofner, flats with all the treble rolled off, but it goes to show that the “one trick pony” thing is complete BS. Rics are as versatile as any 2 pup bass, but only a Ric sounds like a Ric with rounds and treble cranked. It’s very much a Bass Guitar, which is what hooked me in the first place.
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This is evident on the first bass line he ever recorded with his 4001: "Day Tripper". He chose the 4001 because it had more sustain than the Hofner. He played that bass line an octave up "Liverpudlian style" and he hits an F#3 as the highest note. Third octave notes are too thumpy on a Hofner and he needed sustain to match the guitars.

"Day Tripper" was recorded on October 16, 1965 - almost 60 years ago to the day! Paul switched sometime between October 13 and October 15, 1965. He played his Hofner on "Drive My Car", which was recorded on October 13, 1965. This info came from "The Beatles: A Diary", which is one of my coffee table books.
 
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#66
BASSDROID said:
To me, many of the design elements of the Rickenbacker bass (and guitars) are pretty solidly in the mid century modern style.

They are sleek and graceful featuring organic shapes and forms, but also are somewhat industrial in appearance.

They are "modern" in that they are representive of a conceptual departure. You could put one next to an Eames lounge chair or a Nelson ball clock and they would look completely natural together. This type of design almost has a visceral attraction to many people of my generation (and earlier).
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We can thank Roger Rossmeisl (RIP) for that. He designed the "cresting wave" Ric bass in the 1950s, which was the era of mid-century modernism. Rossmeisl also designed the Fender Coronado Bass.
 
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#69
Goatrope said:
Ultimately this, after nearly 50 years. 😅

Hearing Chris Squire as a kid, but ultimately looking at the album liner for Deep Purple Machine Head made me want a Rick. When I finally got one, it became the subject of my HS senior photography project.

I bought it in 1978 and still play it today, but only occasionally. Over the decades I moved from bass to bass, acquiring and hanging them on my wall on hangers marked by the back page of Bass Player magazine.

I fell in and out of love with the 4001 sound and ergonomics over the years, but still wore the frets flat. I retired it from gigging over 10 years ago, but bought it a fret job (under $300 if I recall) a couple years back.

I replaced the godawful bridge last year, along with a dead neck pup to get it into top shape again.

I still have a soft spot for the sound, although it's not the sound I need gigging these days. The look is unmatched, IMO. The ergos, not for everyone.

Here's a pic from this morning and one from Feb 1979 recording.
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I know they're great basses, and I'm not without some disappointment over their not working for me.
I think it likely that had I been able to afford one back in the day, my confirmation bias would have been able to run roughshod over resistance born of anything practical like ergonomics. I thought my ski-jumped El Toro with the resulting crazy-high action was still the greatest bass in the world (for me) for several years. It was only after I got my TRB-6 that I realized it really was bordering on unplayable.
 
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#70
There's a bass for everyone, but it's not always a Ric. I think the important thing is to play one and form your own opinions. There's a lot of nonsense about them, both Pro and Con, on the web. It's a bass, not a magical talisman, and many of the most common gripes have been fixed (finally), or were already fixed on the less popular models like the 4004 series. If you just listen to some on TB, "All anyone needs is a P-Bass", which was never true for me, just never bonded with the tone or feel of the necks. All I play now is my Lemmy clone, it's just the perfect bass for ME.
 
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#72
Wow, thanks for all your responses. I didn't realize there was such diverse feeling about Rick's. But I suppose that's true of many instruments, since playing music is such a self-satisfying endeavor. Personally, I have a number of favorite basses, but mostly those that provide a heavy thump. My go-ro basses in years past were a Gibson Grabber and a Gibson Ripper. Those two however, have become too valuable to take out on play dates now. My current road warriors are an Epiphone EB-0, and a fretless Epiphone EB-1. Both have the "mudbucker" pickups that folks either love or hate.

Thanks again,

Thump on,

One_Dude
 
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#73
One_Dude said:
Wow, thanks for all your responses. I didn't realize there was such diverse feeling about Rick's. But I suppose that's true of many instruments, since playing music is such a self-satisfying endeavor. Personally, I have a number of favorite basses, but mostly those that provide a heavy thump. My go-ro basses in years past were a Gibson Grabber and a Gibson Ripper. Those two however, have become too valuable to take out on play dates now. My current road warriors are an Epiphone EB-0, and a fretless Epiphone EB-1. Both have the "mudbucker" pickups that folks either love or hate.

Thanks again,

Thump on,

One_Dude
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Ah.

I suspect if you're into mudbuckers, the Ric pickups are unlikely to please you. They're sorta the opposite.
 
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#75
Picton said:
Ah.

I suspect if you're into mudbuckers, the Ric pickups are unlikely to please you. They're sorta the opposite.
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What I like about the mudbucker pickups is that I can eq them so they have an "edge", creating a nice beefy sound with a lot of definition rather than an overly "fat" sound that just lays there. So maybe the Rick sound is something to check out,

Thump on,

One_Dude
 
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#76
Look and sound are the pros. Sustain for days, which makes sense as they developed the first neck-through bass guitar design.

Rick players like to name check McCartney and Squire, but for me it was Mike Mills and all the early REM stuff he did on a Rick. When I finally had a chance to try one, I instantly recognized his sound. I find the Rick wants to be played with a pick, and it’s perfect for the garage/punk stuff I’ve been doing.
 
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#78
One_Dude said:
What I like about the mudbucker pickups is that I can eq them so they have an "edge", creating a nice beefy sound with a lot of definition rather than an overly "fat" sound that just lays there. So maybe the Rick sound is something to check out,

Thump on,

One_Dude
Click to expand...
IIRC Cliff Burton rocked a 4001 with a mudbucker in the neck position. I seem to recall he had also installed a single coil in the bridge cavity where the mute normally resides.
 

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