Rickenbacker pros/cons

[Korladis]

Okay since i now see a lot of hate brought down on me since i "prefer' the copies better than the real rickenbacker. Next time i see one in store and try it out, can i get a good setting to play it.

What settings do you have when you play with your rickenbacker 4001/4003 bass. No effects just basic amp EQ. maybe it'll change my mind about the real deal ric.

My Rickenbacker, although a 4001, as part of its restoration got brand new pickups and the new wiring harness with the push/pull tone knob.

I usually leave it pushed in and play on just the bridge pickup for loud/aggressive rock and metal sounds.

If I want a mellow, more pillowy sound, I switch to the neck pickup, which is a toaster top one. It's lower output than the bridge high-gain, which makes it both quieter and less overdriven.

I almost never play with both pickups on. However, with both pickups full on it does get a great slap sound (despite it being supposedly impossible to slap on a Ric).

Both pickups on with the tone knob pulled out to engage the cap gives a pretty good vintage nasally Rickenbacker sound but still with bottom. I don't use this setting all that much right now, though.

As far as amp settings... I use a tube amp and set it for mild overdrive for my folk rock stuff. Just enough to give it a little hair. Usually the amp is set pretty much flat, sometimes with a very slight boost to the lows.

For metal, I boost the mids quite a bit, which also overdrives the amp a bit more as a bonus.

 

[RobJ]

I have a 4004 Cheyenne, my primary bass these days, and a 4004Cii. They're very different animals from 4001/4003's imo but I like them a lot. They definetly sound like Ricks but have their own thing going on. The bodies are very comfortable to me and the necks are wider and thicker than my "classic" Ricks but I had no problem adapting to the differences at all. For whatever reason the 33 1/4 scale fits me like a glove but then I can quickly adjust to playing my Modulus Q5 with its 35" scale with no problem so maybe its just me. If you get a chance to try out a 4004 you might really like it.

 

[Korladis]

Has nobody listened to Spacehog? That's a Ric. Not the clanky Ric tone at all... Rics can down in the mud with the best of 'em.

I always had an issue with where to put my plucking hand on the 4001 and 4003 series (I've never tried the 4004s but they look very cool). The contour of the body, the hand placement, and the scale length all just made the bass feel a little weird to me so I couldn't get comfortable. I love the sound, though. I always give them a second look in stores, but in my heart I know that I probably won't ever get one. Again, I've not run into the 4004 series....

Finger style or pick?

For pick playing, I lightly rest my hand on the pickup cover.

For finger style, if I'm playing the lower strings, I rest my thumb on the pickup cover or the edge of the pickguard, or on the neck pickup, or on the edge of the body.

 

[RobJ]

Okay since i now see a lot of hate brought down on me since i "prefer' the copies better than the real rickenbacker. Next time i see one in store and try it out, can i get a good setting to play it.

What settings do you have when you play with your rickenbacker 4001/4003 bass. No effects just basic amp EQ. maybe it'll change my mind about the real deal ric.

"Hate" is a very strong word that anymore gets tossed around whenever someone is in disagreement with another. No "hate" from me, I save that emotion for important stuff.

It's also not my intent to change your mind, if you prefer knock offs to a Rickenbacker that's fine with me; go with what works for you man.

 

[woodyng]

the only ric copy i ever played was an ibanez,made in the 70's,and i thought it was really a pretty nice bass,but the better copies are few and far between (like the greco,etc),and have gotten to be pretty pricey themselves. as with any high production model bass,you can go through a lot of them before you find ones that are going to feel right to you. i would think the process of finding a decent copy would be a lot more laborious than finding a decent ric! i have owned probably about 7 rick basses over 30 some years,currently have 3 of them...i dig the 'S' models and the 4004's,myself.

 

[meatwad]

I didn't know that was a Rick!

The older basses had much thinner necks. For a while they got really thick. I played one like that where it was not tapered at all. But that's not the typical Rick neck. I hated it.

Now I have heard they are back to being thin again.

The only bass that reminds me of a Rick neck is my Ibanez SR-885LE, which is why I bought it.

Yes, Paul D'Amour used a Chris Squire signature Ric through a Mesa Boogie 400 head. Not sure of the cabs, and no effects or distortion that I'm aware of. I thought it was a StingRay for years...

 

[cassius987]

Yes, Paul D'Amour used a Chris Squire signature Ric through a Mesa Boogie 400 head. Not sure of the cabs, and no effects or distortion that I'm aware of. I thought it was a StingRay for years...

Ditto! I was always mad my Stingray couldn't make that sound (or I couldn't while using it). Finally read it was a Ric the whole time, got my first one, and bang...

I think Paul d'Amour's tone is far more like the "natural"/clean Ric tone than Chris Squire's is. Although he has a bit a scoop in his sound that gives it more bass and crunch. The "Color" button on the MXR-M80 is, intentional or not, a blatant ripoff of his EQ.

 

[SGD Lutherie]

Yes, Paul D'Amour used a Chris Squire signature Ric through a Mesa Boogie 400 head. Not sure of the cabs, and no effects or distortion that I'm aware of. I thought it was a StingRay for years...

Cool! I have a Mesa 400+ as well.

 

[meatwad]

Cool! I have a Mesa 400+ as well.

Dammit Man!! Plug that thing in, drop D tune it, hit it for me one time!

 

[RobJ]

I have a 4001CS, great bass with very agressive tone when compared to my 4003 or '72 4001. I had heard Paul D'Amour used one on some tracks, cool to get some validation on that.

 

[cassius987]

All of Tool's Undertow is his 4001CS in all its glory. The previous EP they released was an Ovation Magnum.

 

[Duke21]

Ditto! I was always mad my Stingray couldn't make that sound (or I couldn't while using it). Finally read it was a Ric the whole time, got my first one, and bang...

I think Paul d'Amour's tone is far more like the "natural"/clean Ric tone than Chris Squire's is. Although he has a bit a scoop in his sound that gives it more bass and crunch. The "Color" button on the MXR-M80 is, intentional or not, a blatant ripoff of his EQ.

It is mainly due to Chris using 2 amps, I think. You can kind of get Chris's sound using SVT or a Marshall, but using both brings you closer. I always thought Chris use quite much OD/ distortion to get his tone, but after getting a hand on a 4003 I found that it is not so.

Never listened to Tool, but now I'm curious!

 

[RobJ]

All of Tool's Undertow is his 4001CS in all its glory. The previous EP they released was an Ovation Magnum.

Ok that nails it... now I've got to buy the CD. I've heard bits and pieces of that album but haven't actually sat down and listened to it closely. Thanks for the info man.

 

[ThaCoast]

Death from Above 1979 - Little Girl - YouTube[/url]

Nothing mellow there.

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

How can i get a tone close to death from above? BTW, i never knew it was only bass and drums. i thought it was a whole band. anyway thx. i got a distortion pedal and a marshall bass amp Combo.

 

[cassius987]

It is mainly due to Chris using 2 amps, I think. You can kind of get Chris's sound using SVT or a Marshall, but using both brings you closer. I always thought Chris use quite much OD/ distortion to get his tone, but after getting a hand on a 4003 I found that it is not so.

Never listened to Tool, but now I'm curious!

I was actually referring to Paul d'Amour's tone, not Chris Squire's. Paul is the reason I play bass, to be honest. I never appreciated the instrument much before him.

 

[kcole4001]

...................
What settings do you have when you play with your rickenbacker 4001/4003 bass. No effects just basic amp EQ. maybe it'll change my mind about the real deal ric.

Use an amp with a lots of midrange EQ adjustability.
Most of us boost the mids to some degree, depending on what you want to hear.
I like to boost the preamp a fair bit also.

Right hand playing position and attack make a big difference in tone.

 

[kcole4001]

I was actually referring to Paul d'Amour's tone, not Chris Squire's. Paul is the reason I play bass, to be honest. I never appreciated the instrument much before him.

The 'Undertow' album is a good rebuttal to anyone who thinks a Rick bass doesn't work for metal-type music.
'Sober' is classic Rick crunch, IMO.

 

[Duke21]

I was actually referring to Paul d'Amour's tone, not Chris Squire's. Paul is the reason I play bass, to be honest. I never appreciated the instrument much before him.

Yes, i know, but you made a remark regarding both. Any way, it was Chris tone which blew my mind
Still nice to see that his sig bass is appreciated by an other good bass player.

 

[Ric5]

I have a 4004 Cheyenne, my primary bass these days, and a 4004Cii. They're very different animals from 4001/4003's imo but I like them a lot. They definetly sound like Ricks but have their own thing going on. The bodies are very comfortable to me and the necks are wider and thicker than my "classic" Ricks but I had no problem adapting to the differences at all. For whatever reason the 33 1/4 scale fits me like a glove but then I can quickly adjust to playing my Modulus Q5 with its 35" scale with no problem so maybe its just me. If you get a chance to try out a 4004 you might really like it.

I have 3 modified 4004 basses. I love the 4004, but I don't like the stock electronics. This 4004 here has been rewired with stacked pots and 2 single coil pickups. It sounds more like a 4001 than a 4004.

And this 4004 also has 2 single coil pickups and it also has a 4 band Audere preamp.

And this 4004 has a Bartolini neck pickup and a Nordstrand big Single bridge pickup and it also has a 4 band Audere preamp.

 

[bassnj]

Rics can't cut through a hard rock mix? REALLY??