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Rickenbacker

#21
nil - I use an SWR Bass 350 and a Goliath III (4 X 10")and it sounds great. They claim the amp has a built in tube preamp but I have never taken it apart to see and it doesn't seem to degrade the sound. I may add a 1 X 15" or 1 X 18" someday.

I have had lots of big tube amps and I really don't like the sound they produce. You can always use effects to degrade a clean sound but when you start off with that murky tube amp sound you can never achieve the crispness and accuracy of high quality solid state technology. I also hate the bulk, weight and fragility of the big tube rigs. That's just my opinion, for my own needs, I know a lot of people swear by them.
 
#22
Maybe we are drifting too far from the origional thread but what the heck. I love the big speakers too but their sound projection is beyond the distance that most of us play to. Ever notice how hard it is to hear yourself on stage with 15" & 18" speakers, that's the reason. I have even noticed it with 12" speakers. If you play mostly in concert halls and out doors the big speakers are perfect.

That is why so many mafacturers are making cabinets with 8" and 10" speakers. The bass sound can get to the ear of the audiance more effectively and the side benifit is that you can hear yourself play without monitors.

I would recommend a 4 X 10" or an 8 X 8" for the first speaker in your stack, then add an 18" later if you feel the need.

If you already have a big JBL though, what the heck, give it a try, I would.
 
#23
that sounds like i think...! i've generally steered away from all-tube 'cause i've been a bit of a klutz throughout my life (knowing my luck i'd pop half the tubes before i even got to the venue!) ;-)

i'm really after some warmth and volume - the wm15 is ok and all that, but pretty underpowered when dealing with drums and 3x guitars - so a stack arrangement will be the go, but where to start? i kinda like the crusty JBL 1x15" i'm using as an extension now, all i need is a worthy head...ashdown? ampeg? orange?

btw you foreigners have got it so sweeeet! the prices we pay here for equipment is criminal...i mean, a 4003 for $2900 rrp? ouch!
 
#24
bassman - I looked up the data on the Rick 5 string. They don't have a standard 4 string neck. The 5 string neck is 1/16 wider at the nut and at the 12th fret.

I haven't compared this to other 5 strings but I know on some of them the neck looks like a piece of 2 X 4 lumber, damn scary!

Hope I get a chance to play one someday.
 
#25
you bring back fond memories when you asked about the 8-string Ric.I used to own one but real world obligations made me sell it
frown.gif
(sob sob).tuned in octaves(like a 12 string guitar)that bass had some monster sounds in it...espically in a trio.kinda like a guitar and bass playing the same thing at the same time.the sound was real THICK and high.playing with a pick worked best although using fingers(fingernails actualy) did work.you will not find anything that sounds quite like it..not that you got me cryin all over again(I hope your happy)i must go feel sorry for myself and drink myself silly....BTW I still have my 4001,just love it...I'll never part with it...till next time.....
 
#26
I just noticed that this topic had slipped back to page #4, so I think that it's time we start talking about Ric's again. Here's a little story for you all that just goes to show timing is EVERYTHING!!
Some of you may or may not know that I bought my first new Rickenbacker 4001 back in 1968. It was delivered in early 1969. The color was BurgundyGlo. I loved this bass, but in 1972 a sweet talking 1964 Fender Jazz came calling on me and convinced me to buy her. I traded my presious 4001 for the Jazz. Now I know we've all done stupid things at least once in our lives, and I can honestly say this was the stupidest thing I've ever done (besides marrying my first wife).
But I attribute it to being only 19 at the time and not knowing any better. If I only knew then what I know now (good song title).
I quickly determined that the Jazz wasn't the instrument I thought it was going to be and traded it for a new 1972 Ric 4001 in JetGlo as my beloved 69 4001 BurgundyGlo was long gone and was know where to be found.
For the past 10 years i've been seeking another 69 4001 in BurgundyGlo just like my original, and over the years i've spread the word that i'm looking for one.
Last Thursday a acquaintance from another discussion board e-mailed me to say that he'd just seen my dream bass on a web-site, I quickly e-mailed the store before I left in the morning (8 am) hoping that they'd read my e-mail asap. I had appointments that day that I had to keep, so I finished up early and went home to check my e-mails. There was no return e-mail from them, damm! I picked up the phone and called (it's now 2:30pm). I was told that the owner of the store had just left 20 minutes before with the bass in his truck. He was taking it to a guitar show to show it to someone who had inquired about it. They told me they considered the bass sold but the customer had the right of refusal. I asked them to send me a jpeg of the bass, they did. No one in their right mind would refuse this baby, it was georgeous and in mint condition. Almost unheard of for a 1969 and 100% original.
So I e-mailed the boss, he told me the guy liked the bass and was given 48 hrs to accept it or return it, but the boss was mad at the guy because he hadn't paid for the bass yet. I offered him my visa card number, he wouldn't take it (yet). He needed to see where his money was from the 1st guy. If the deal falls through, they promissed me the bass is mine.
Man, I missed my dream instrument by 30 minutes after 10 years of looking, what a disappointment and bummer. Oh well, life goes on and i've still got my other basses to keep my mind off this one. I'll get my bass someday, i'm sure of it.
Cheers
PS - If only Rickenbacker would open a custom shop, I would have them make me one and i'd see to it my order would be one of their first. My fingers are crossed!!!

[This message has been edited by bassman (edited April 25, 2000).]
 
#27
I don't know about the five string, but I've played around a bit with the 8-string in the store, and it was alot of fun and suprisingly easy to play.

However, I'm interested in knowing whether anyone has ever actually seen or played a 4004C - The Cheyenne II. I've seen this listed on the site, but never actually seen one in a store. It is a beautiful looking instrument and I'm really intrigued by the idea of a Ric with 2 humbuckers.

Does anyone know anything about it?

Also, if you haven't seen it check out this shot of the new Lemmy Kilmister bass they are getting ready to release. It's pretty wild looking. [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
 
#28
Maybe you guys and gals can help me with this...

I have a 1976 Rick 4001 and I absolutely love it, but the bridge p/u seems to be putting out a very low volume as compared to the neck p/u. There are no other problematic noises regarding the p/u's. Should the pickup be rewound? Do you have any other suggestions? I would rather not replace the pickup if I don't have to. Thanks in advance.


------------------
Jason Statts
Savannah, GA
 
#29
Mine's also very quiet - perhaps that's normal. Do you have any other Rics to compare it too. Mine isn't an entirely typical though since some numbskull replaced the bridge pickup with a Fender Jazz pickup (OUCH!) - other than that, it's a near mint '73 4001.

BTW if you ever do take that pickup out, I'd be happy to buy it off you.
wink.gif
A new one from Rickenbacker is $125 - I'm still hoping to find a used one one day.
 
#30
Rob:

No, I am sorry to say that I do not have a second rick to compare it to. I wish I did. However, I do know someone in town who has a 4001... same year and finish (mapleglo) as mine... maybe I can lure him to my home to do an A/B of the two.

I am sorry to say that even if I do have to buy a replacement pickup from Rickenbacker... I will be holding on to the original. Thanks for the offer though.

JS
 
#32
I tried an old Rick with flats on it, and didn't care for it all; and I DO like the idea of flats for the P-Bass in my future, but I felt they dulled the Rick's character too much. I have a 4001v63 myself, and I'll stick with rounds on it. I'm sorry this doesn't answer your question, but I wanted to just toss my opinion in there
wink.gif
 
#34
jasonstats; All 70's 4001's are wired with three large capacitors between the two pickups and the volume controls. The third capacitor greatly impacts the bridge pick-ups output, by reducing it to half. There is a very simple wiring modification that any guitar tech can do for you that bypasses the third capacitor and thus restoring the full output signal of the pick-up.
I recently had my 1988 4001v63 in for a very minor tweeking and the first thing my guitar tech said was "do you want me to bypass the third capacitor to restore your bridge p/u's output". I told him that i've never had a problem with the rear p/u. So he quickly popped the pickguard off the bass and looked to see if my bass had the third capacitor, it didn't! None of the v63's have it, as it turns out. He was impressed that Rickenbacker was finally wiring their basses the way they should have always been wired.
I'll talk to my tech tomorrow and ask him what's involved. He did tell me but i've forgotten exactly how he said to do it. I'll let you know by posting something about it here.
As far as strings go, I only use Dean Markley Blue Steels Roundwounds, med-lite gauge on my 4001v63. I've been using them for the past 15 yrs on my Rickenbackers and really like them.
I did try a set of Markley flatwounds again med-lite gauge, and they lasted about 30 minutes before I took them off. I just didn't like the sound or feel of my bass with the flats.
Cheers

[This message has been edited by bassman (edited April 27, 2000).]
 
#35
OK Jasonstatts, heres the story on the level of the bridge p/u on your 4001.
As I mentioned above, your bass has three capacitors wired into it. Two of the capacitors are wired into the tone controls, ie; one is wired to the treble tone control and the other is wired to the bass tone control. The third capacitor is wired into the bridge volume control and thus decreases the p/u's output signal by half.
A simple wiring work a round of bypassing the capacitor wired to the bridge p/u volume control will instantly double the output of the p/u.
I went to the Rickenbacker site and checked the wiring diagrams. All 4001's and 4003's with stereo output are wired with the third capacitor in place. All 4000's and 4001v63's which have mono outputs are wired without the third capacitor. No wonder the v63's sound so much louder then their stereo counterparts.
You can have any guitar tech make this simple wiring bypass to your bass.
Cheers
 
#38
Jason, here's what you need to do if you want to bypass the treble volume capacitor according to my guitar tech.
This is very simple and anyone who is mechanically inclined can easily perform this minor modification.
First get a piece of wire that is the same gauge as the wire in your bass. This wire will become your jumper. Second, solder one end of the jumper wire to the treble volume control and the other end to the p/u toggle selector switch and your done. This effectivly bypasses the treble volume capacitor which will allow the p/u to output (approx) double the signal from before.
Also, it has no effect on the stereo wiring of the bass, so your stereo output jack will function as normal.
Good luck with the modification
Cheers
 
#39
bassman... Thanks so much for going through the trouble of getting this info for me. I appreciate it very much. I am still confused as to where (what post on the treble volume pot) and where (what post on the selector switch) to solder the "jumper" wire.

Could you help there? Sorry...

JS
 
#40
I know everyone loves the 4001/4003, but what do people think about rarer models such as the 4005 (semi-acoustic, gorgeous-looking) and the 3000 (short-scale) and 3001 (long-scale)?

I've only ever seen one 4005 in the flesh. I turned up late to watch a concert from some local band, and the bassist had a gorgeous black 4005. I got talking to him after the gig, and he said that he'd had to phone about seventy shops to find one - most people he rang hadn't even heard of a 4005. He paid £2000 for it over a year ago and still hasn't finished paying for it (he's a student).

The 3000 and 3000 were budget instruments, I think. I've been on the lookout for a 3000 for about two years.

Does anyone have experience of these instruments?

Dave
 

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