Rickenbacker vs Precision. String Spacing.

Strings at the bridge of a Ric are narrower than that of Fender P and J basses by about 1/4 if an inch I believe.

 

Ric necks don't have the same degree of taper as a Fender neck . But as an older Pbass guy I found the older Ric necks quite thin , modern Ric necks seem to be all over the place . Some runs are thicker , some are thinner .

 

All the above is correct. Ricks have less of a taper. Mine is 1-11/16 at the nut, but narrower at the bridge than a P-Bass. I played only that Rick for years, so a P-Bass always seems 'fat' to me above the 10th-12th fret. It sounds to me like you will like the Rick neck.

 

In general, the older 4001's had very thin necks compared to modern rics. My 77 is like a pencil half way up the neck and Pbass fat at the nut.

 

My first bass was a ‘78 Ric 4001. Bought it in ‘80, it was stolen in ‘89. Had various Fenders after that, the last being a nice 1982 Vintage ‘57 Precision Reissue, which I still have. All the while, I was keeping my eyes open for my long lost Ric. Never found it, but in 2015 was attracted to a new 4003 which begged me to take it home. Picking it up, it felt like coming home after a long journey. My Precision has felt coarse and uninviting ever since my Ric (and then its sister from ‘83) arrived. I haven’t really played the Precision in the last five years, and when I pick it up the strings feel just a little bit too far apart.

That being said, I will observe that for every one of us for whom a Ric fits us perfectly, there is someone else that, despite wanting and trying, just cannot get comfortable on a Ric. You need to try one out for yourself and see if it works for you.

 

I’m a P lover, and I got a 4003S last year that I really love—the first of 3 RICs that has felt right to me.

The D-shape of the neck is most prominent near the nut, and then it feels more rounded like my 74 P as you get closer to the body.

I guess you’d say, based on my unscientific and very quick research, that the string spacing is more consistent on the 4003S as you move from nut to bridge? But it’s a really good feeling bass, and I hereby instruct you to buy it.

 

yes I agree all fenders are wider at the bridge than a Rickenbacker

 

I own a 2018 Ric 4003 and am borrowing a friend's 1986 4003. I also own a 2015 American Standard P Bass. The '86 Ric has a pencil-thin neck that is quite similar to a Jazz bass, both in size and taper. The '18 Ric has a "U" shaped neck that is somewhat beefy towards the nut, and as mentioned earlier does not taper much towards the bridge (it feels big at the nut and slim at the body). The '15 P bass has a typical Fender neck that is not as slim as a typical Jazz but is not as big as the older P bass necks tend to be. I really like the modern Ric neck, but it is a different feel for sure if you are used to Fender basses.

 

I find Rics a lot easier to play in the higher registers, the taper is so gradual it feels like no taper at all. I like a Jazz nut width down at the "money end", but Rics are effectively a P nut width at 1-5/8".

 

Since you're asking about string spacing close to the bridge I assume you are planning to pluck/pick the strings close to the brigde? If that's the case you really MUST try before you buy. There's not much room to play close to the bridge on a 4003. Very, VERY uncomfortable IMO.

Then there's all the other quirky stuff with Ricks: The warranty is probably expired before you even touch the instrument, bridge that won't allow palm muting and is a huge hassle to adjust, built in mute that will most likely break down within a month, machine screws into wood for the strap holders so unless you glue them into place they WILL suddenly come loose at the worst possible moment, etc, etc.

The neck profile on the 4003 has changed so much over the years that I won't comment on the current 4003S because I haven't tried it. But my early 2000s 4003 has a U-profile baseball bat that is MILES apart from a Fender P or J.

A Rick also has a completely different "feel" than Fenders. You really need to try before you buy with Ricks IMO. Especially if you are expecting anything remotely close to a Fender, because it isn't.

Having said that, even with all the hassle I still love my 4003. I don't use it very much because it has a very ideosyncratic sound that I rarely need but every once in a blue moon it totally ROCKS!! And did I mention it looks cool?

 

No neck dive or weird reach problems on a ric.