Get a 4004 and swap the pickups to single coils.
There is no bass that's a one trick pony. A bass with two pickups is by definition not a one trick pony.
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Rickenbacker - Why do you love/hate it?
- Thread starter jroboat
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- rickenbacker why?
I thought about buying a cheap P bass and "modifying" with a pickup close to the neck joint (or third pickup on a P/J). I think it'd sound superb, especially with 2 split coil pickups, 2v & 2t controls. The switching & controls on a P/J with a third pickup might be "interesting" though.
I played a 1974 4001 for years. It was a great bass, sounded great but it had trussrod issues. Had it worked on by several professionals and they just couldn't get it back to comfortable playability. Its a bass that requires care. It's probably possible that it could be resurrected but I'm not planning on dropping another dime into it. Getting parts is a hassle too. I can't say I love or hate rickenbackers, I'm indifferent towards them.
They play and sound great, if you have a good one, you're lucky. I wasn't.
They play and sound great, if you have a good one, you're lucky. I wasn't.
I realize I am lucky. Mine works great. Someone else here on TB got one in the same finish right around the same time I did. His had the finish bubble up around the bridge. I also read other stories on here similar to yours. My 2015 4003 has the best action and to me is easiest to play of my four basses. Also the tone is very cool and unique. I am grateful to so far have a perfect specimen.
That sounds like my 2015. This is the easiest bass for me to play and I can get the lowest action with it (without buzz). The sound is great - clear with all frequencies present. Yes, the noise/hum bothered me. I tried an aftermarket noiseless and realized the mistake I had made. Pickups are back to stock.
The Ric's fit and finish was on par with other US manufactured guitars/basses costing much more (eg vintage repros and even pushing Custom Shop stuff). I think it's quite similar in quality and versatility as an American Vintage Jazz Bass. The Ric costs significantly less.
I have a custom shop jazz. I love every thing about it except the truss rod is maxed and the action isn't as close as i would like it. Also the neck seems a little bowed. My Rick plays better. Kinda sucks, not sure if all CS basses are like this. I have the 62 Jazz and bought it used.
Yeah, those trussrod issues were apparently a really common problem for the 4001 in the '70s. One of the big changes they made when they replaced it with the 4003 was to use a double trussrod, and that basically solved the problem. I believe even the 4001v63 and other reproduction models (like the McCartney and Squire signature basses) that came after the introduction of the 4003 have the 4003's double trussrod. I believe that's also the reason the 4003 bass tends to have a slightly deeper neck than the old 4001, but neck depth is one of those things that has always varied wildly on Rics anyway.
There are also people who have never had a single truss/bow issue on a '70s Ric ever, so I think that's just a gamble you make when you buy one of the old single trussrod models.
EDIT: I am apparently talking out my butt re: trussrods. I was never heeeeeeeeeeeeeere...
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Michael Schreiber
Commercial User
Not correct; all 4000, 4001, 4003 basses have a dual truss rod. The 4003 has stronger and - most important - adjustable truss rods.
Compare:
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(Introduction, second paragraph)
Acoording to John Hall, supposedly many of the necks might have broken because of wrong maintenance; i.e. trying to adjust the non-adjustable truss-rods (need to loose them, adjust the neck manually, then tighten the truss rods, on the 4000, and 4001).
Nah, I would build a bass with better ergonomics, hardware, neck and with wood and finish options that appeal to me more.
Ever Played a 4004? Unlike the deluxe 4001/3 models,They're pretty much perfect ergonomically speaking. (At least for me).
Also,you wouldn't even need to switch the pickups,as the factory HB pickups are easily wired for
Coil tapping options. (And they sound great in both modes).
I've done my own setups for years. I'm quite happy with my 57 CS P Bass. It came with a terrible setup but I suspect that happened after Fender passed it off because I also have a CS Tele and Strat -- both had excellent setups from Fender CS when new. Even my AVs were set up well from Fender. The neck relief was the biggest problem when the P Bass arrived. It seemed somebody had maxed it out -- in the wrong direction. I adjusted it some. Then again 2 weeks later. It plays great now. I believe the Ric's dual truss rods are a contributor to the lower action. My Jazz needs the most frequent neck adjustments among my basses. Maybe because the neck is so small. The weather here in MA is pretty tough on instruments. Even in the winter it goes from freezing/dry and cool/rainy in a matter of days.
Have you had a luthier look it over? Sometimes they can do magic.
Dual truss rods have been a feature of the Rick basses ever since the beginning. Also, don't think of a truss rod (or two) as being neck reinforcement. The truss rod(s) is not like "rebar" - it doesn't strengthen or even stiffen the neck. It is an adjustment tool in situ to allow recontouring or straightening of the neck by applying a compression force to counteract the pull of the strings. The hairpin rods in the older models worked fine if they were used properly. Trouble was that many users or techies didn't understand how they worked. They don't compress the neck like standard rods - they bow and help hold the shape of the neck after you have done the bending yourself. Once set, a vintage Rick neck seldom needed to be adjusted unless strings of different tension required some tweaking.
Also, the Vintage models cosmetically look like the older 4001S models, but inside they have current structures including the standard truss rods used since 1985.
Love my 2012 left handed 4003 jetglo (the one one my avatar)
Love it's unique raunchy sound and its versality due to its two different pickups. For me the bridge pickup has the classic punchy Rick sound, neck pickup with or without mutes gives it a certain P feel to my ears.
Love its look and shape.
I have it with a custom set of strings La Bella nickel plated round wound gauges .60, .65, .80, .105 I bought from bass strings online. It's said to be the gauge Peter Hook used.
His sound and Simon Gallup on'82 Pornography album are the main reasons I bought this bass.
My other bass is a cheap P bass copy I deeply modded.
Love it's unique raunchy sound and its versality due to its two different pickups. For me the bridge pickup has the classic punchy Rick sound, neck pickup with or without mutes gives it a certain P feel to my ears.
Love its look and shape.
I have it with a custom set of strings La Bella nickel plated round wound gauges .60, .65, .80, .105 I bought from bass strings online. It's said to be the gauge Peter Hook used.
His sound and Simon Gallup on'82 Pornography album are the main reasons I bought this bass.
My other bass is a cheap P bass copy I deeply modded.
I know this will sound shallow, but I don't like the way they look. And no, I can't say I have ever played one.
I'm guessing the "Rick" sound associated with the 4001/4003 is about 60% electronics and 30% wood type and construction (neck-through).
I have been thinking for years of getting a Warmoth body and neck I like (all maple is a weird one, but it's the Rick thing) and install the current 4003 factory pickups and wiring to mimic the exact placement of the Rick pickups relative to the harmonics on the strings. It'll be a bolt-on, which will make a difference for sure, but otherwise...
The love I have for the looks of a solid color 4003 don't carry over to the stains and bursts Rick does. Check out my avatar for an example of the eye candy I like on my basses.
All that said, I have a 4003 right now (my 4th Rick overall though I've never had more than one at a time) because there's just something about them...
Damn you, Chris Squire and Geddy Lee, for ruining me at an early age!
I would say the percentages are more the other way around. Ricks tend to sound the way they do with a variety of different pickup types in different postions even. And my set neck 4000 sounds pretty similar to the neck through models i've played too.
I understand a lot of folks are put off by the simplicity of the 4004's look,but i've always really liked that. But then,i've always preferred the look (and feel) of the S models over the deluxe 4001/3's,too.
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Huh, I guess you learn something new every day! My bad!
I guess I always just misunderstood exactly what the trussrod changes were from the 4001 to the 4003. Is it fair to say that the 4001 basses still had more neck bow issues than the 4003 basses that came later, or is that literally just an issue of, "People didn't know what they were doing when they adjusted them, but then they learned?" I've just never heard of a truss/neck issue on a 4003, whereas I've seen/read about tons of 4001 neck issues. Maybe it's just anecdotal evidence and confirmation bias... like I said, I'm a total idiot when it comes to setup and such.
And yeah, I figured that most of the basses from the 4003 onward used the updated design tweaks. I just didn't know about the McCartney and Squire signatures. If I recall correctly, one of the other big changes on the 4003 was the removal of the bridge pickup cap; later, that cap was added back in with the push/pull pot that they labeled the Vintage Tone Switch(?).
Re: 4001 hairpin truss rods - people didn't know what they were doing, period. When used correctly, they are excellent.
Re: 4003 bridge pickup cap, that vanished from production "around" 1985, a few years into production of the 4003. My 85 Ruby did not have it, but I added it, with a toggle to switch it in and out, when I learned of it's existence in the original circuit design.
For me there is no bass that's ergonomically better.
