I've been a bassist for 35 years, and just got my first Rick last year. I got the 4003S, which solved all my issues with Ricks (ugly inlays and binding).
Here's my take on the instrument, good and bad.
Good:
1. Beautiful.
2. GREAT sounding big pickup. Thick, meaty, powerful…yet clear.
3. Nice hard case included (maybe an SKB).
4. Great price. $1,600 special ordered from
Sweetwater.
5. Nice and beefy neck. Wide shoulders. Very nice. But probably contributes to number 5 below.
Bad:
1. Terrible fit and finish issues. Miles below a Squier Affinity in terms of fret work. It was literally the worst factory fret work I've ever seen on an instrument at any price point. The nut wasn't seated properly in its slot. There was a void at a glue joint on the back, which the finish sunk in to. There was finish overspray on the top surface of the fretboard.
Sweetwater refunded me $175 to get the frets and nut fixed. I scraped the overspray off myself.
2. The fretboard wasn't finished with clear coat, as I would have preferred (well, except the overspray).
4. Very neck heavy. I have considered converting the Schaller tuners to aluminum posts to see if this helps. But they might already be the lightweight aluminum post models (I'll have to look again, as I don't remember).
5. Neck pickup. First, it is nearly useless with the same amp settings as the big pickup. Quiet and muddy. Second, the string to string volume balance is impossible to get even. Third, same thing with string to string tone: radically different e.q. from one string to the next. Fourth, the pole pieces are RADICALLY misaligned with the strings. Normally I don't think this makes a difference, but given the huge amount of misalignment, and the major tonal and volume balance issues with this pickup, I can't help but wonder. Finally, limited travel in terms of pickup height adjustment. I can't adjust the pickup high enough to match the big pickup in output.
6. Not enough space between the big pickup and it's cover. This means that I can't adjust the pickup low enough to balance in output with the neck pickup; the pickup cover interferes with the strings. My solution to this is to pull the pickup and insert spacers that move the pickup cover about 3/8" farther from the pickup.
7. The mute (an item that I definitely use when a bass has it) sucks. The height adjustment screws are super hard to turn, the foam doesn't go high enough, and the stock foam bar doesn't mute all the strings evenly. My solution is to remove the stock foam bar, and install four taller pieces of rubber, each cut to the proper height for its corresponding string.
8. The saddles are of poor build quality. The height adjustment screws AND the string spacing threads are WAY too loose. Feels like cheap-O import garbage.
9. The built-in strap lock buttons are an awful idea. I hate Schaller strap locks with a passion, for many reasons. The Rick buttons being made specifically for Schaller strap locks prevents you from just installing a plain old strap. I am stuck with them – my only bass that has them. I don't know if they're hammered in like a nail, screwed in to inset bushings, or what, but the Rick buttons don't have a visible screw like a normal strap lock button. Rick, please just use quality regular strap buttons, like a pre-EB Music Man or a G&L.
Bottom line: I kept the bass. It's a beautiful bass that sounds GREAT on one of the two pickups, has a nice case, and was a very fair price for a U.S. made instrument – but it has serious issues with build quality, component quality, and design. It was embarrassingly poor in these areas. And I thought G&L was bad! Jeezus. This Rick was a near total embarrassment for the employees who built it!
