Rickenbacker sound

[vinxbass]

I would say IMHO that the Ric's are not a good choice for thumb/slap style.

I disagree, some of my best slap and pop tones came from a Ric 4001. It was always right there when it came to slap style bass playing.

 

[Jools4001]

Still a few old myths floating around.

My '73 4001 has two trussrods: I have taken the trussrod cover off several times in the 32 years I've owned it, and there are definitely two truss rods - adjusted with a 1/4" wrench as stated earlier. Even I can count up to two so I don't think I'm wrong.

Roundwound strings: My bass has worn roundwound strings ever since I bought it in 1976. The neck is perfect and has been for the entire time I have owned it, despite many years of experimentation with different string brands, guages and tensions. The truss rods have only ever needed adjusting when a significant change in string tension (from the Rotosound RS66 swing bass - that were the most commonly available roundwound at the time) has been experimented with; just make sure that with a Ric you loosen the truss rods, manually bend the neck to where you want it to be, then nip the truss rod nuts up. The action can go as low as you want, certainly lower than my preferred action, without fret buzz. At one time, I had an 2 year lay-off from playing and the bass lay untouched in it's case under my bed. When I took it out again it was still perfectly in tune - now that's what I call stability.

Neck dimensions: I don't know about other Ricks or changes in neck profiles over time, but mine has a D section and is the same thickness - give or take a mm from headstock to body. The width variation is also very minor from 1 3/4 at the nut to 2 3/8 at the 20th fret

Sounds: Ricks are anything but a one trick pony. I've used mine for all sorts of music. Way back in the 70's I was influenced by the usual supects Chris Squire, Mike Rutherford and I was in a band that played that kind of melodic, progressive rock - it certainly does that stuff well. I've used it since in covers bands playing everything from Jam covers (which you would expect a Ric to do well) through to Chic and Bob Marley covers (which you wouldn't expect it to do well but it does) - whack the neck pickup on full, roll the tone right back and you can do reggae. I've played in a country band for 3 years and it did that perfectly (I don't like country but it paid well when I was broke) and it's even done a few gigs with a big band (the only time I ever used the damper on the bridge) again, with a bit of judicious pick up selection and tone control manipulation along with playing with the side of my finger (a la double bass) over the 15th fret and it gave me a big thuddy tone that was perfect for that as well. If that wasn't enough tone variation I'd also go a Trace Elliot 12 band graphic to tweak behind me. In short it was my only bass for 20 years and I was never in a position where I could not dial in a good sound for any situation. Latterly, I've been playing a lot of bass for otherwise acoustic bands and it fits right in there perfectly as well.

Playing Slap: Well I'm not much of a slap bass player so I'm not too much of a judge, but clearly from this video a Ric is useless for slap

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=_evMBRIm2rY&feature=user

 

[SurrenderMonkey]

That sounds good to me, if very distinctive (but the guy is very good and has a good signal). Consequently, there are a few youtube videos of ricks, some of them will give you an idea of the sound you can expect.

 

[lawsonman]

I've got a 08 4003 and the dead E issue is a non issue. They explain on Ric's website how to adjust the pickups if you have a Dead E. Takes about 5 minutes.IMO the new Ric's are far superior than the vintage,especially the electronics.Mine is dead quiet.All I can say is that after 2 gigs with my new Ric,my Fender Jazz MIA and Musicman Sterling went down the road. I had no desire to play them anymore.

 

[Ric5]

I would not say Roundabout is representative of the average Rick tone - he doubled that with one of Steve Howe's Gibson hollowbody guitars.

--jeff

I think that is a modern myth ...

recorded Ric sound played fingerstyle ... Rush Geddy Lee --- Freewill. A ric played with a pick ... Yes Chris Squire the entire album Fragile.

 

[rickfan63]

Allen wrench? Every Rick I've seen (bass or guitar) adjusts with a 1/4" hex nut driver. The "special wrench" in the Rick catalog is a 1/4" hex nut driver with a long straight shaft so you can adjust the rods without having to move the strings out of the nut slots. It has nothing to do with anything about the 5th or 7th fret, there's no additional point of contact there. And I believe they have all had two visible truss rods since the late '50s, maybe earlier.

That is correct. I've owned a 70's 4001, just sold a 2003 4003, and still have a 1989 4001V63 and a 2005 4001C64, and they all adjust like that. They are not hard to adjust at all. You just need to use a little more care in the process, since you are adjusting two rods instead of one.

 

[JO6]

Didn't McCartney record D.I.? Or was that just during Pepper/MMT?

His Wings stuff has a different tone to it than his Beatles stuff and overall I think he didn't use the "trebly" aspect of the Rick as much as some others (Squire or Lee for example).

I've also started playing with a pick some lately and find my 4001 is very uncomfortable to play for any length of time because there are no contours. Maybe I'm not using good pick technique...Next Rick I get will be an "S" model

For Pepper/MMT he was using primarily a Vox bass amp. I’ve got a 68 Vox Essex to use with my 67 Höfner when I want that sound, Although they all shared use of a Fender Bassman starting 1965 in the studio.

In the 70s as more tracks became available for recording, he did use a D-I & Miced amp combination. I’ve tried it several times, never heard anything special with it.

One reason Wings era has a different sound, is because around 75 he sent his bass back to get it ready for the 76 world tour. It was looking pretty bad, and the bridge pickup was fairly weak enough to be unusable.

They tried remagnetizing, but it wouldn’t. So they replaced it with a Hi-Gain that was accidentally overwound. So that helped bring about what I call the “Silly Love Songs” sound.

Even through Beatles era playing (starting 1965), he kept the mutes dialed up, tone dialed down, 90% of the time still uses a pick, and flats.

With the 4003s I bought new in 85, going through variations, finally nailed every sound from Paperback Writer to Silly Love Songs by switching to T-I flats, keeping the mutes dialed up (replaced the originals 2 years ago), tone actually off on one of the pickups, adjusted the volume balance in the middle position so that all I have to do is use neck for 1 sound, neck/bridge for another, then bridge for the third. Everything else stays the same.

And everything goes through an all original 72 Bassman 100 purchased from the original owner in 1986.

Hope this helps you out.

 

[GIBrat51]

Jaylandb... so you are implying that it's better to get an older used 4001? Should 4003's be avoided?

BTW Mike Mills of REM used a Rick during the 80s most of the time. Mike Mezaros is Smithereens bassist and still uses Ricks. Bruce Foxton played the Rick with The Jam but later moved to Fender (sounds like he has one on "The Gift") and the Epiphone Rivoli.

I'd like to test a Rick 4001 someday if I could...

Not necessarily - to both questions. As the owner of a '73 4001, and an '01 4003, here's what I know...
- Really old 4001's had a one piece neck/body center; the neck was very thin; and they were subject to numerous problems - especially if you put higher-than-factory-tension strings on them. They were more stable when Rick went to a multi-ply neck/body center, but the ones with the neck pickup right up under the end of the fretboard (pre-1978), can have a problem with the entire neck pivoting up - like a drawbridge opening. It's caused by high tension strings, and having most of the wood in that spot routed out for a way-too-big pickup route. Rick finally stopped doing that, and moved the neck pickup back - to where it still is today. My 4001 probably wore it's factory, low tension Maxima Flats for most of it's life, but it's starting to display the problem, anyway. Probably just from sheer age... It wears stupid-low tension Dogal strings now, and I watch the neck very closely... The problem hardly ever occurs in post '78 4001's...
- 4003's? My '01 4003 has no problems - at all. Every company that makes production instruments, produces a dud once in a while; and yes, Rick does make their fair share of them. Most of the problems, though, seem to be finish problems. They've used a polyurethane Conversion Varnish finish since the late 1950s. It was a really good finish, too ( the Jetglo finish on my '73 is tough as rhino hide), until circumstances forced a change to a UV-cured version, about 15 or so years ago. Every so often, Rick has batches of instruments where the finish is very brittle and cracks; it doesn't adhere to the wood, and flakes off; or both. Sometimes, even before the switch to UV curing, they have problems with color consistency, too. My '01, for instance is a Color of the Year bass; Desert Gold. 2001 COY instruments are pretty rare, because Rick had so much trouble with getting a consistent finish with it, that they cut the production way short. But, really; problems with 4003's are the exception, not the rule...
So, bottom line? If you really want a 4001? I'd try to get a post 1978 one, if possible. Earlier? I'd definitely want to hold it in my hands, and look very closely at the neck/body transition area, for future signs of very expensive problems. If you want a 4003? If you can't hold it - and play it? Then, get one from a dealer with a very good return policy. You probably won't need it, but... better safe than sorry...

 

[Gervais Cote]

For Pepper/MMT he was using primarily a Vox bass amp. I’ve got a 68 Vox Essex to use with my 67 Höfner when I want that sound, Although they all shared use of a Fender Bassman starting 1965 in the studio.

In the 70s as more tracks became available for recording, he did use a D-I & Miced amp combination. I’ve tried it several times, never heard anything special with it.

One reason Wings era has a different sound, is because around 75 he sent his bass back to get it ready for the 76 world tour. It was looking pretty bad, and the bridge pickup was fairly weak enough to be unusable.

They tried remagnetizing, but it wouldn’t. So they replaced it with a Hi-Gain that was accidentally overwound. So that helped bring about what I call the “Silly Love Songs” sound.

Even through Beatles era playing (starting 1965), he kept the mutes dialed up, tone dialed down, 90% of the time still uses a pick, and flats.

With the 4003s I bought new in 85, going through variations, finally nailed every sound from Paperback Writer to Silly Love Songs by switching to T-I flats, keeping the mutes dialed up (replaced the originals 2 years ago), tone actually off on one of the pickups, adjusted the volume balance in the middle position so that all I have to do is use neck for 1 sound, neck/bridge for another, then bridge for the third. Everything else stays the same.

And everything goes through an all original 72 Bassman 100 purchased from the original owner in 1986.

Hope this helps you out.

Santa, I want a Rick 4003s for Christmas, got it ?! (I really need to stop reading those comments on TB $$$$$ !)