That green/tealish one on the right is by far the best looking 4004 I have ever seen. Outstanding, wow.
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Rickenbacker Users: Honest thoughts on the 4001/4003?
- Thread starter May Cassidy
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That green/tealish one on the right is by far the best looking 4004 I have ever seen. Outstanding, wow.
That was a great looker with the black hardware vs the factory gold. It was a wonderful player but for some reason I never got a good tone out of it. I had the same issue with every Cii I had. I blame the maple/walnut/maple sandwich body wings since that was the only difference from the multiple Laredos and Ci I had which never had that issue.
I love that one, it truly is gorgeous. I'd proudly rock that.
But the one that makes me drool is the all black one, 2nd from the left.
I can walk into a room of basses and if there's a Ric there I'll probably not even notice the others.
The 4003S has the same body contours which makes them playable for me. The binding looks great but isn't as comfortable for me. It's something you might not notice if you audition a bound body version sitting down or wearing a long sleeved top, but that first rehearsal or gig in a t-shirt might give you a sore wrist/forearm.…And on the 7th day (page of this thread), the Light Dawneth!
Been playing various Rickenbacker 4000 series basses since I started 48 years ago.
Have owned a handful of 4000 models, several 4001, a 4002, a V63, and a 4005, both set neck and neckthrough types.
(Never a 4003 oddly). Once I got my hands on a 4004, I kind of lost interest in the older style Ricks.
The 4004s also varied greatly on neck feel, but I love the contoured bodies,great sounding pickups, and improved ergonomics.
No going back for me…..
I used to be that way with women. The literally insane, but hot, one with all the issues would be the one I fixated on. At least with a Ric, some issues can be fixed.
I must say the question with the slab contour in the right arm is softened in low temperatures, when i can use sueters, sweatshirt and stuff like that. If you are the kind that play quiet not jumping and sweating on stage it won't be a problem.
To add to my first post in this thread, I'd like to say that although the 4003 I owned years ago was not the bass for me, I don't totally dismiss Rickenbacker as a brand overall, and if I were to see certain model(s) in the wild, I'd probably pick 'em up/give 'em a shot...but it's not a make of bass I'd buy online, no matter how highly rated the seller might be, how nice the bass might look in pics, etc...
In contrast, I currently own three Peavey USA basses: A T-40, a TL-Five, and a Cirrus 6, and all three of those have necks that pretty much feel like they were made for ME...I'd like to add a Millennium or Millennium Plus, and/or a Foundation, to the group at some point, and if one caught my fancy here, on Reverb, or wherever, and the seller had good feedback (and I had the cash to spare), I likely wouldn't hesitate.
In contrast, I currently own three Peavey USA basses: A T-40, a TL-Five, and a Cirrus 6, and all three of those have necks that pretty much feel like they were made for ME...I'd like to add a Millennium or Millennium Plus, and/or a Foundation, to the group at some point, and if one caught my fancy here, on Reverb, or wherever, and the seller had good feedback (and I had the cash to spare), I likely wouldn't hesitate.
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If you can rent one for like a month before buying do it. They are not for all and I was one of the ones that it wasn't for. I'm just saying as I wanted one for soooooo long and after a short while, I wasn't that impressed anymore for all of the above reasons.
Funny you mention Peavey, I've actually been looking at some Peavey Patriots for a minute. The guitar player in one of my bands has one that has mile-high action and ancient strings, but it sounded perfect on recordings; playing it with a pick really gave the tracks I used it on an early Smiths vibe.
- Apr 18, 2008
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- I'm highly opinionated and extremely self-assured
The early Peaveys with the Super Ferrite pickups can produce Ric-like tones. I love my (modified) first-gen Foundation!
As a former Grabber owner I'm curious why it's your dream bass? Mine was decent but it was a bass I settled for. I really wanted a Gibson Ripper but couldn't afford it. I can't say I miss the Grabber.
As for Rics, I like the look and sound but based on having tried them in stores I don't think they're for me.
Owned a 4001 and an 4003 during high school and college while getting my music degree. Sold them off towards the end of college. Don't regret it as I don't collect basses, but the nostalgia in me wouldn't mind if I had one to beat around. My attempt to be fair as possible:
Looks: Full marks. For my Top Ten Best-looking Basses, the Ric would be a contender for #1. I remember looking at some coffee-table book on Rock in a bookstore in 198-? and there was full page pic of a 4001 and I would just marvel at it. And that my favorite bassists, Geddy Lee and Chris Squire had them, I just had to have it.
Design: Ooph. Where to begin? Tiny tuner pegs, that silly plastic bridge cover most people chuck, that weird shellac on the fingerboard, and a bridge design that someone should be in jail for. Mine were solidly built quality wise, but the last YouTube I saw of one opened up showed that they don't rout the wire channels but cheap out by using a drill press and making overlapping holes.
Soundwise, well...it was long after I sold the Rics I found out my favorite Geddy recordings were done on a Jazz and Squire's Ric had a couple of pounds of wood shaved off altering the tone. I could coax a good sound out of mine (and yes, I've bi-amped it with the "Ric-o-sound" input) and it cuts through the mix, but, in my humble opinion only, that unique mystical tone it reputedly posseses is fake news.
My final assessment is that the classic Ric basses are solid, but worth about $800-$1000 for what you are getting and I think I'm being generous. Anything over that and you are paying for the highly-subjective mojo that Rickenbacker has been coasting on for decades.
Looks: Full marks. For my Top Ten Best-looking Basses, the Ric would be a contender for #1. I remember looking at some coffee-table book on Rock in a bookstore in 198-? and there was full page pic of a 4001 and I would just marvel at it. And that my favorite bassists, Geddy Lee and Chris Squire had them, I just had to have it.
Design: Ooph. Where to begin? Tiny tuner pegs, that silly plastic bridge cover most people chuck, that weird shellac on the fingerboard, and a bridge design that someone should be in jail for. Mine were solidly built quality wise, but the last YouTube I saw of one opened up showed that they don't rout the wire channels but cheap out by using a drill press and making overlapping holes.
Soundwise, well...it was long after I sold the Rics I found out my favorite Geddy recordings were done on a Jazz and Squire's Ric had a couple of pounds of wood shaved off altering the tone. I could coax a good sound out of mine (and yes, I've bi-amped it with the "Ric-o-sound" input) and it cuts through the mix, but, in my humble opinion only, that unique mystical tone it reputedly posseses is fake news.
My final assessment is that the classic Ric basses are solid, but worth about $800-$1000 for what you are getting and I think I'm being generous. Anything over that and you are paying for the highly-subjective mojo that Rickenbacker has been coasting on for decades.
A lot of the appeal was that Mike Dirnt from Green Day used a G3 on Insomniac and he was my main inspiration for picking up the instrument. Since then I've loved the gritty P Bass tone the original Grabber and the G3 both have.
"Most" Gibson basses do nothing for me. Personally, I would choose a Rickenbacker any day over a Gibson bass.
YMMV, IMO…
I'm very glad that they exist and I'm happy for bassists that do like them! After all…we are bass players!
YMMV, IMO…
I'm very glad that they exist and I'm happy for bassists that do like them! After all…we are bass players!
I only own Rickenbackers. I have owned and tried most other commercial brands, Fender, EBMM etc. etc. but always ended up back at the Ric. About 10 years ago, maybe more, I said enough experimentation and got rid of anything non-Ric. I have played Rics for 40+ years. Regarding the "issues" some say are part of owning a Ric, either I am not picky or I have been lucky and not had to deal with any. I buy them and play them. I love the sound of a Ric and I love how they feel in my hands. One caveat being I am a rock bass player. I get they might not be entirely suited for say country or funk, although that never stopped Rick James from using a Ric.
As another poster said, if I walk into a music store and there is a Ric hanging on the wall, I do not even notice anything else.
As another poster said, if I walk into a music store and there is a Ric hanging on the wall, I do not even notice anything else.
Oh my.....that's like a centerfold from an old Playboy magazine. I have a 2018 5'er. I don't play it a lot but have kept it just to say I have one.
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You can play anything on a Ric. They are more versatile than people think. Many people always seem to describe them as " Clanky".? I mean, I can make about any bass clanky. Except for maybe a hollow body and Gibson's with only that big humbucker.
