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Rickenbacker pros/cons

#41
SirGrotius said:
I have a hard time believing that you've played a real ric and somehow prefer the MIC copies. That's like saying you like Amstel Light but prefer yellow food dye in warm water.
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well i've tried the 4003 model and nothing else. its just that i like some copies not all. i like rics real deal over a lot of copies out there but some copies for me personally beat the ric. its just personal preference i guess
 
#42
bassplayer8953 said:
He seems to want the image of a Ric, without the sound, & without the cost. IMO, for others to validate his buying a knock-off.
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i dont want validation, i just wanted to know what other people thought of the rickenbacker basses. if i like the copies over the real deal its my choice im not asking for f-ing validation for my decision on having a copy of the bass.
 
#43
Andii Syckz said:
thin body and neck(but a jazz neck is thinner ouch)
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Jazz necks are not thin, they are narrow. To many, including me, a Jazz neck is too narrow at the nut for proper fingering.

Most Ricks have a nice thin neck.

Some Ricks had a very thick neck, and should be avoided, unless you like baseball bat necks.

Ricks a good when you don't want to follow the pack, and want that unique tone.

What do you like better about the copies?

Having played Ricks for many years, I'll be the first to say that they are kind of quirky, and there is room for improvement. But I'd play a Rick over a Jazz bass any day.
 
#44
SGD Lutherie said:
What do you like better about the copies?

Having played Ricks for many years, I'll be the first to say that they are kind of quirky, and there is room for improvement. But I'd play a Rick over a Jazz bass any day.
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i like some copies such as greco guitars, hondo. But the others were just wastes and didnt sound good. greco guitars really narrowed the rics down to the detail pretty much for me. but the real thing i like bout copies better is the weight they gave me. they some what weighed close to a precision bass since i am used to playing pbasses for over 10 yrs. i dont personally like the rics and thts my choice.
 
#45
Andii Syckz said:
i dont want validation, i just wanted to know what other people thought of the rickenbacker basses. if i like the copies over the real deal its my choice im not asking for f-ing validation for my decision on having a copy of the bass.
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Ric5 asked what you were asking for and I gave him my opinion...an opinion, just like your opinion, and just as valid.

You can state your opinion why Ric's are inferior, ng, whatever, and others can state their opinion, that you're full of $%^&...

...another poster stated his opinion that that constitutes a poser, and it is my opinion that he is correct.
 
#46
TomB said:
Rick's forearm contour is a con for my playing style.
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This is my only problem with the design...well...I don't like the bridge either, but that is easily remedied with my HipShot replacement. My '80 4001 had some stock crappy Kluson tuners that I swapped for some modern Ric/Schallers on their website, and they're awesome.

Funny thing is, it was my only bass until I signed up here...and I never thought much about the contour. Now that I have Fenders, I notice it much more. Still, the Ric tone is unique to a real Rickenbacker. My Peavey T-40 cops it pretty close, but no cigar.
 
#48
I like ric's but in my opinion they just can't play them in a modern band. They have a great unique tone but they just aren't very capable of cutting through in modern metal and probably not even modern rock. but by myself or in a more mellow band, they are nice, maybe not 1600 great but i don't know maybe.
 
#49
I personally love the Rick tone in moderation. I couldn't have one as my main bass, but I'm thinking about getting a 4003 for nostalgic purposes. I had a 4001 about 15 years ago but it didn't have a place in the bands I was in during the 90's. (don't ask, please don't ask.)

The growly, nasally, twangy tone is inimitable. As a previous post mentioned, it is hard to make it cut through certain music types unless you go "Full Geddy" and take over the mixing console.
 
#50
Pros

Unique body grain
Nice "deluxe" features-ex. Binding , inlays etc.
3 way switch for ease of pickup selection.
Long upper horn ( no neck dive)
Thin body/skinny horns=lightweight for most
Great upper fret accesss with ease


CONS

Customer service, IME ric is d bags to deal with again IME but in others as well
Tail lift of the bridge is more common then it should be,bridge is hard to adjust.


If ric whipped up there customer service , retooled there bridge or tightened quality control a tad , theyd be great, but there still pretty decent overall.
 
#51
Sykk Reaper said:
I like ric's but in my opinion they just can't play them in a modern band. They have a great unique tone but they just aren't very capable of cutting through in modern metal and probably not even modern rock. but by myself or in a more mellow band, they are nice, maybe not 1600 great but i don't know maybe.
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Mellow band???

You need to listen to some 70s prog rock. Ricks are not mellow at all. Back when everyone played a P bass with flats, the prog rock guys would be using Ricks with Rototsounds and a pick and distortion. It was the first time you started hearing that bright up front bass tone that is common now.

Here's an some tracks with that classic Rick tone.
(Yes 1971)
Yes - Starship Trooper - YouTube

(Yes 1972)
Yes - Heart of the Sunrise - YouTube

(Sparks 1974)
Invalid Link Removed

(Rush 1981)
Rush- Tom Sawyer - YouTube

Red Barchetta - Rush (Official Video) [Live] Exit...Stage Left - YouTube

Motörhead 1980
Motörhead - Ace Of Spades (Studio Version) - YouTube

Death from Above 1979 - Little Girl - YouTube

Invalid Link Removed

Nothing mellow there. :D

IMO Ricks were part of the movement to bring bass to where it is now, instead of some vague thump in the background.
 
#52
DigitalMan said:
I personally love the Rick tone in moderation. I couldn't have one as my main bass, but I'm thinking about getting a 4003 for nostalgic purposes. I had a 4001 about 15 years ago but it didn't have a place in the bands I was in during the 90's. (don't ask, please don't ask.)

The growly, nasally, twangy tone is inimitable. As a previous post mentioned, it is hard to make it cut through certain music types unless you go "Full Geddy" and take over the mixing console.
Click to expand...

Maybe the 4001 have more limitation regarding tone, but the 4003 will easily cope in almost any band situation without going "full Geddy".
 
#53
SGD Lutherie said:
Mellow band???

You need to listen to some 70s prog rock. Ricks are not mellow at all. Back when everyone played a P bass with flats, the prog rock guys would be using Ricks with Rototsounds and a pick and distortion. It was the first time you started hearing that bright up front bass tone that is common now.

Here's an some tracks with that classic Rick tone.
(Yes 1971)
Yes - Starship Trooper - YouTube

(Yes 1972)
Yes - Heart of the Sunrise - YouTube

(Sparks 1974)
Invalid Link Removed

(Rush 1981)
Rush- Tom Sawyer - YouTube

Red Barchetta - Rush (Official Video) [Live] Exit...Stage Left - YouTube

Motörhead 1980
Motörhead - Ace Of Spades (Studio Version) - YouTube

Death from Above 1979 - Little Girl - YouTube

Invalid Link Removed

Nothing mellow there. :D

IMO Ricks were part of the movement to bring bass to where it is now, instead of some vague thump in the background.
Click to expand...

Ha ha, yes, hearing that the Rick is mellow is something new, I always associate the Rick for being an up front bass. One of the few not utilize this tone is Macca.
 
#55
bassplayer8953 said:
Ric5 asked what you were asking for and I gave him my opinion...an opinion, just like your opinion, and just as valid.

You can state your opinion why Ric's are inferior, ng, whatever, and others can state their opinion, that you're full of $%^&...

...another poster stated his opinion that that constitutes a poser, and it is my opinion that he is correct.
Click to expand...

sorry bout that.
 
#57
Duke21 said:
Ha ha, yes, hearing that the Rick is mellow is something new, I always associate the Rick for being an up front bass. One of the few not utilize this tone is Macca.
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But even he was up front in a traditional way. Just not overly bright. The real bright tones on the White Album was a Jazz bass!
 
#59
Man, it's crazy how heated people get about this topic. I've tried really hard to like playing Rics. I absolutely love the way they look and sound. When I try to get them to work for me however it's a different story. Over the past few months I had been obsessing over picking one up BIG TIME. I went into a guitar store this past weekend with every intention of purchasing one. After sitting down and playing one for a bit I realized (again) that they just don't suit my needs. The feel is just too different for me. If I had unlimited resources,I could probably justify purchasing one. I'm sure could adjust to it over time. For nearly two grand it just doesn't make sense for me to purchase a bass that I won't be able to get a ton of use out of right off the bat.
 
#60
Funny comment about feeling weightless. I just got a Ric and really dig it for the most part, but I wish mine was a bit lighter. It's heavier than any of my 3 P basses (though still quite manageable).
 

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