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Rickenbacker

#41
Jason, It really doesn't matter which pole you connect to off of the treble volume pot and like wise to the pick-up selector switch.
If there is a pin free on each one then connect to there, if not you'll have to double up to one of the existing solder connections at one or both connections.

David, was 4005 is Rickenbacker's semi- acoustic bass line-up during the 60,70 and 80's. They're styled after the Ric 360 guitar line. Unfortunately they never received the attention that the 4001 series did so they didn't become very popular.
You could by a 4005 as a 4-6-8 string configuration and either bound or double bound body. There were very few 4005/6 string basses made but a few more 4005/8 string saw production.
The binding on a 4005 was always on the back of the bass with rounded front top. You could order the bass double bound, which means bindings on the front and back of the instrument. They were great basses and are now hard to come by, as you noted in your post.
With a bit of luck all of that will change shortly as Rickenbacker will hopefully announce a limited run of 4005's. This had been in the works for a few years and hopefully this will be announced at the summer NAMM show in June.
Cheers
 
#42
Thought you guys might like to see a photo that I like to call "field of dreams". You will see 12 Rickenbacker basses, all of which are vintage with the newest being a 1968.
You can see a 4005/8 string in the center in Fireglo and a 4005/4 double bound third from the right finished in special redburst.

Unfortunately, this picture was taken about 10 years ago, and all of the basses have since been sold, but what a collection. Enjoy
Cheers
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

[This message has been edited by bassman (edited May 01, 2000).]
 
#43
Hey everyone, I'm really glad a thread on Ricks exists! I've wanted a Rickenbacker for years and I finally just bought my first one. It's a black 83 4001, that I bought from a "bassist turned guitarist" guy that is a friend of a friend in Atlanta. According to this guy, he bought it from some guy in L.A. in '84. About a year later he also bought a Les Paul that was previously owned by one of the guys from Tears for Fears
rolleyes.gif
Hence, after all these years of him saying he would go back to bass... He didn't... Now it's mine.
I love the Rick, since the sound and quality of the bass far surpass my other 2 Ibanez models. I am curious about the strings though... I went to the Rickenbacker site, and they say the '83 4001 is to be strung with flatwounds. Yech! My favorite strings are Dean Markley Blue Steel's, and I was hoping to use these on my 4001. Will these damage the frets? If so, that's the last thing I want to do to this beauty.
Also, does anyone know where I can get a new Rickenbacker case for this bass? The original one is pretty beat up, and the felt inside is torn from the tuning peg. It keeps chipping away at the wood, creating sawdust every time I travel with it. Heh.
Lastly, I want to thank everyone for all their posts on Ricks. I hope to learn as much as I can about this line of basses, and many more also.

Oh, and to Bassman... That story about you missing your dreambass was tearjerking. I do wish you luck on your quest for another... The field of dreams was a treat, and thanks for your advice... I"m going to bypass the treble volume capacitator this weekend. I'll let you know how it turns out!
 
#44
Superfrappe:

There is a thread on Ric strings in the "Strings" forum.

Regarding the flats and the 4001. When the bass was redesigned in the '80's - and it's name changed to 4003 - the neck was redesigned to handle a bit more tension. Also they fixed some of the dead spots in the neck that were often prominent on the old 4001's.

Keep in mind that plenty of people have used roundwounds on their 4001's for years. Chris Squier has been using rounds for over 32 years on the same Ric bass. I do recommend that you have it setup from time to time by a pro luthier who will keep an eye out for any problems. You can really damage the neck if you don't know how to adjust the dual truss rods properly.

As for fret wear, that is a by product of using roundwounds. If you expect to use rounds, expect to have the frets worked on from time to time. That's a sacrifice you'll have to make.

By the way, are you sure you have a 4001 and not a 4003? They are essentially the same except for the small improvements. If you have a 4003, you really shouldn't have to worry about using rounds at all.
 
#45
Superfrappe - Thanks for your kind words. I'll never stop looking for that bass, and I will get another! Congratulations on your 1st
As far as strings for your 4001. I highly recommend Dean Markley Blue Steel Med-Lite gauge strings. I've been using them on my current Ric for about 15 yrs now. I've never found a bad string in any package during that time. They're consistent and very predictable strings and they bring out the best in my Ric.
If you go with the Blue Steel's make sure you use either the Med-Lite or Lite gauge strings (which ever you prefer) only on your 4001. The medium gauge strings have a tendency to put to much tension on the neck of a 4001 which will cause the neck to "travel".
Cheers
 
#46
Hey Rob W and bassman, thanks for your quick responses. Rob, I'm sure my Rick is an '83 4001. I also looked on the Rick site, and the last catalog printed in the '80's was in '85. This catalog has BOTH the 4001 and 4003 models. I'm not sure what year they stopped making the 4001 model. I would like to try out a 4003 soon though, just to see and feel the differences. I'm also still trying to find a Rick case in better condition than the one I have now.
I'm going to check out the strings thread after this post. I appreciate the advice on the strings. I'm glad I don't have to give up using Blue Steels. Although, I use med guage on my other basses, I'll gladly switch to med-lite or lite to save the neck any additional stress. I was going to attempt a complete tune up this weekend, when I try bassman's re-wiring... but, I may wait and let a pro do it. I don't know very much about Rickenbackers yet.
I can tell this poor bass hasn't had a tune up in over a decade, and she needs a breath of fresh air.(as i said, the previous owner ignored the poor thing, and left it in a corner for many, many years
frown.gif
)
I need to find someone in the Boston area that is worthy and up to the task. Any advice on finding the right man for the job?

I love this site! Later...
 
#50
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Homer_J:
I've got a 79' 4001F (fretless). I love it, it has such unique sound. So far it's the only Ric fretless that I have ever seen in person.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I've never seen one, but I'd sure like to!

I just found another 4001. It's a red '73, and according to the owner, been locked up and unplayed for quite a long time. I haven't seen it yet, so you never know... Gonna prolly go see it next weekend.

 
#51
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Homer_J:
I've got a 79' 4001F (fretless). I love it, it has such unique sound. So far it's the only Ric fretless that I have ever seen in person.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
I have a
4001 FL (1977), and a 4003 FL (1985). I love them both - really great tone, and very easy to play. Both have a nice thin super-fast neck. The '77 is strung with LaBella black nylon tape-wounds, and the '85 has Pyramid Golds. Great sounding basses.

- Wil
 
#52
Very interesting thread.
I'm about to get a Rick. and have the options of a '79 4003, a '90 4003 or a '78 4001, all in very good condition.
Which is more preferred by Rick. lovers, the 4003 or 4001?
I know the 4003 has two truss rods and is meant to be for roundwounds, but does this really make much difference, and do they play and sound the same?
 
#53
Hi guys I use to have a 73 mapleglo 4001 and I was a bonehead and put a Jazz pup in the bridge position (sacrelidge) and traded it for a Guild b302:0, Rob W what color is yours you might have my old one. Well 25+ yrs and about 20 different basses later I never found that right feel again.
frown.gif
I had a chance to buy a red 80 4001 a little beat up but a nice player for 500.00 but I passed and bought a used Rumblefish. Dont tell Dave Ziff
wink.gif
but I have a chance to trade the fish for a 83 Autumglo 4003 and Im riding the fence right now and have a couple weeks before I decide but I think the decision is already made, I can always buy a new Fish but a nice old Ric only comes around once in a while. I'll keep you posted...
Funkster
 
#54
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Funkster:
Dont tell Dave Ziff
wink.gif
but I have a chance to trade the fish for a 83 Autumglo 4003 and Im riding the fence right now and have a couple weeks before I decide but I think the decision is already made, I can always buy a new Fish but a nice old Ric only comes around once in a while<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Hey Funkster, it's Siff, with an "S"
smile.gif
Anyway, go ahead, trade the 'Fish, #29, right? If I had some money I'd buy it from you. But your statement about a nice old Ric only coming around once in a while, I don't know about that.. check out http://www.basspalace.com They have many, including a '77 Autumnglo!
And hey, that little Reverend Rumblefish thread you started is up to 6 pages!



[This message has been edited by Dave Siff (edited June 08, 2000).]
 
#55
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Funkster:
Hi guys I use to have a 73 mapleglo 4001 and I was a bonehead and put a Jazz pup in the bridge position (sacrelidge) and traded it for a Guild b302:0, Rob W what color is yours you might have my old one. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Mine's a Fireglow. It's in great shape except for the bridge pickup. Apparently the original owner played it for a couple of years, then it sat in his closet for almost 25 years. He traded it in last year to the shop where I bought it.

 
#56
About the "skip-third-capacitor" procedure:

Maybe this makes sense only to me but... if they threw a third capacitor in there, don't you think there was a reason for it?

Are you 100% positive that a 'fixed' ric with the bridge pickup volume half-way has the exact same sound as an untouched ric with bridge pickup volume at the max?

Thanx for the info.


RICK-
biggrin.gif
-SOUND
 
#57
I just heard that McCartney had a Zero fret installed on his Rickenbacker. Has anyone else heard this or know why?

I know his Hofners come wih a Zero fret, could that have something to do with it?

Near as I can tell, little is gained by a Zero fret. It does provide a slightly better witness point for the strings but it reduces the function of the bridge to holding the springs in position horizontally across the fretboard.

This means with a Zero fret you can never adjust the strings up or down, which can be done easily with a nut by fileing the grooves deeper or replacing the nut (a minor job).
 
#58
I guess that the zero fret was a trendy thing in the early 70s. But, it sounds wierd that he put it on his Rick, ´cause that would have messed up the whole spacing of the frets so to speak. The bass wouldn´t have been possible to play in tune after the operation. Maybee he had the whole fretboard reworked.
Anyone tried a Chris Squier Rickenbacker?
 
#59
i wish that rickenbacker made a 7 string
biggrin.gif


i still have my 4001, and my '75 4080 doubleneck. that doubleneck has the most beautiful Fire Glow finish i have ever seen.

------------------
john

"Bad Muttluk, No Anuses!!" - our own lil'biski




[This message has been edited by john turner (edited July 07, 2000).]
 
#60
So I just picked up a '78 4001 fretless over the weekend, and so far I'm loving it.

My first bass (15 years ago) was a Rick, and while I loved playing it around the house, there were something about it that didn't work in my band context at that time. It was too midrangy, without the solid low end I was looking for, and I ended up going to 5-strings before eventually settling on a Jazz bass. I gotta say, though, that on a fretless that middy tone is a feature, and the growling midrange totally works.

It came with a set of extra-lite (.095) flats, but I just replaced those with D'Addario Chrome .100s and it's deeper now, and has taken on a whole new authority.

What kind of strings do you fretless players use on your Ricks?
 

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