Talk me off the ledge, please....

[buldog5151bass]

This is a tool/instrument, not a fashion accessory. Play one and decide how it feels and sounds before you spend any money.

 

[Bass Ape]

Vintage 4001 all day all night. Don’t go into debt to buy one. Try as many as you can, they each have unique personalities.

 

[skycruiser]

Forget extending your credit. COD or nothing. I'd only think of going in debt for something vital.

Unless you know how to handle your finances like an adult. Nothing wrong with zero interest payoff plans. With inflation it actually ends up costing less because the value of a dollar goes down.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

People rave about 4001’s, but having owned one as my first bass, a 1978 4001, I think the new ones are overall better basses, particularly now they have gone back to slimmer necks. And…. New ones are CHEAPER, which I don’t get, except no waiting for a used bass. The S models are more comfortable, but mono output only. With modern class D amps and lightweight noeodymium cabs, running a “stereo” rig is a lot more viable than back in the Lead Sled era. (Believe me, I tried) Ric-o-Sound CRUSHES.

 

[mikewalker]

The new Rickenbacker 4003S/5 5-strings are awesome instruments! Get "the look" in a more ergonomic package...

 

[B-Mac]

Lately I've been jonesing (80's term) for a Rick. Yes was one of my first favorite bands, still have vinyl, including Fish Out Of Water, saw them live 4 or 5 times in the late 70's early 80's, Tormato, In the Round, etc. I can extend my credit and buy a used 4003, but should I? Currently playing Jazz and Reverend 5-strings as my goto's. But I really want a Rick. help.

Ehem, this is Talk Bass... The bass enablers club. I'll talk you into jumping off the ledge and diving into one!

 

[DJ Bebop]

Lately I've been jonesing (80's term) for a Rick. Yes was one of my first favorite bands, still have vinyl, including Fish Out Of Water, saw them live 4 or 5 times in the late 70's early 80's, Tormato, In the Round, etc. I can extend my credit and buy a used 4003, but should I? Currently playing Jazz and Reverend 5-strings as my goto's. But I really want a Rick. help.

You've got that Jazz. He used a Jazz bass a lot actually in the studio, P bass too. With Rotosounds you can get very close with both, but he is known for that Ric.

 

[ThunderV]

I usually save up for something like this. No credit. When you actually save for something, you will develop an appreciation for not only what you buy, but you will have more respect for the effort that it takes to earn/save the money.

 

[DanBass]

Have you ever played a Rick? Word on the street is that the ergonomics don’t suit some people. Try one before you buy if you can.

110% here.

I want to like them, many of my heroes have played them, they look neat, sound cool, but they just don’t feel right in my hands. I hate that.

Was playing and recording with a guy some years back, and despite him being a guitarist, he had a Ric.. I tried it, but sadly it never felt “right” or comfy.

 

[Mike Marshall]

Lately I've been jonesing (80's term) for a Rick. Yes was one of my first favorite bands, still have vinyl, including Fish Out Of Water, saw them live 4 or 5 times in the late 70's early 80's, Tormato, In the Round, etc. I can extend my credit and buy a used 4003, but should I? Currently playing Jazz and Reverend 5-strings as my goto's. But I really want a Rick. help.

No I bought a new one in 73 I loved it a wide array of tones and great workmanship for that time period. I sold it and regretted it for years. I bought a used late 73 didn't have the checkerboard binding or the toaster pickup or the grovers. It didnt sound like I remembered but it was fine I ended selling it. None of the stuff that I remember from years past ever comes that close when I revisit it with a reissue or another purchase.

 

[DJ Bebop]

Here's my Ric story from my kid's days of bass playing.

My first bass was a Japanese 70s bass exactly like this:

I miss this bass btw, it was medium scale like a Ric, similar pickup layout.

I loved Chris' tone so I put Rotosounds on it. My friends and band mates thought I sounded like Chris. The guitarist we played with had a friend that had a real Ric and brought him by one of our practices so I could try his. I was shocked as I loved the look and sound and Yes in general. He came with it and I was excited to try it.

I was so disappointed, I didn't like the feel of it and to my surprise, it didn't sound much better than my bass with Rotosounds on it. It cooled my gas on one, plus I would have never got the money to get one. But I would have begged my grandparents for it if I really dig it. That didn't happen.

 

[ProbablyTooLoud]

Lately I've been jonesing (80's term) for a Rick. Yes was one of my first favorite bands, still have vinyl, including Fish Out Of Water, saw them live 4 or 5 times in the late 70's early 80's, Tormato, In the Round, etc. I can extend my credit and buy a used 4003, but should I? Currently playing Jazz and Reverend 5-strings as my goto's. But I really want a Rick. help.

Stick with what ya got holmes.
Nothing magic about them.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

Lately I've been jonesing (80's term) for a Rick. Yes was one of my first favorite bands, still have vinyl, including Fish Out Of Water, saw them live 4 or 5 times in the late 70's early 80's, Tormato, In the Round, etc. I can extend my credit and buy a used 4003, but should I? Currently playing Jazz and Reverend 5-strings as my goto's. But I really want a Rick. help.

So you are pining (1800’s term) for a Rick. Are we talking in addition to or instead of what you currently own?

Second question, How much credit, how long will it take you to pay off the loan, and at what rate of interest?

Example: let’s say you use a credit card and just pay the minimum required payment at the maximum rate of interest rate here in the states, and you buy a $2,000 Rick. That loan could cost you as much as $500 a year. I’d say paying $2,500 (including the accumulated interest) for a $2,000 instrument is not a wise choice.

But say you got a really good deal, say $1,500 instead of $2,000, and you pay off the loan in 60 days which would cost you say $40 in interest, it’s a bargain.

Of course using the value of selling one of your existing basses would offset a goodly amount, but you still need to do the math to exercise good judgement.

I had a Rick for 34 years, mostly used back in the 70’s with a ROS set up. It is truly a great instrument. If you are going to do the Yes type sound, unless you know how to modify the set up, you will have the expense of having a luthier to do the setup for you.

My experience is right out of the box, you’re not going to get that sound. Not only that, but I couldn’t play like Squire either..LOL!!

Best wishes.

 

[MynameisMe]

I tried one. Couldn't figure out where to pluck the strings. Handed it right back to the guy.

 

[MarshallAC50Stack]

Grab it off the rack and dash out the door shouting, "Pay ya next week!"

 

[MCF]

Lately I've been jonesing (80's term) for a Rick. Yes was one of my first favorite bands, still have vinyl, including Fish Out Of Water, saw them live 4 or 5 times in the late 70's early 80's, Tormato, In the Round, etc. I can extend my credit and buy a used 4003, but should I? Currently playing Jazz and Reverend 5-strings as my goto's. But I really want a Rick. help.

I’ve been there. Haven’t bought one yet. I got very serious in 2018 and tried a bunch all over L.A. and Orange counties. Never found one that felt right. But I’m getting the bug again. Good luck!

 

[Sortarican]

I've never understood some detractors outright hatred of the various 4000 series.
Can't help thinking all they've ever played are the plethora of generic modern C jazz neck basses (no argument, a great profile/design) but never played double bass, a 60's P with a tree trunk neck, or a 5 ton Gibson/Peavey.
Yes, the truss adj is a pain, yes the bridge could be designed better (maybe get a door hinge from the hardware store like Fender has for the last 70 years...admit it Fender fans, first thing you replace), and the body could be contoured to keep their fragile forearm from chaffing (poor baby, here's some lotion).
Can you throw it in your trunk, pull it out and hit a promoter over the head without it going out of tune, no.
But for me they're still the most beautiful, tonally versatile (for the day) and fastest necks to play.
(Sorry for the rant, day drinking and they were picking on my kids, I will fight them.)

OP, don't go into debt.
Are they worth 3K+? Not to me, I bought my '73 and '78 for $250 each (humble brag).
But is a $250 MSRP 70's Jazz made of alder and pressed steel worth 4K, I don't think so either.
Save and watch for a deal on one you can demo (maybe a knockoff like some have suggested). Used 4001/3 series seem to have come down in price a little over the last year or 2 so maybe there's a deal to be had out there.

 

[Ulf Buck]

I play Spectors and P Basses and have a rick 4003s. I always feel like I am fighting the Rick whereas even with the different ergonomics I play the other ones with relative ease.

Sounds amazing though, so unique. I semi regret getting it but I kind of admire the weirdness of the bass and the company.

Leo really was the first one to get it right in my opinion. Love my Spectors but the P and Jazz basses really are amazing considering when they were perfected.

 

[AnchorHoy]

Absolutely a try-before-you-buy proposition IME. As many have mentioned, they are unlike anything else out there

Many years ago I had a 4001 fretless and the way they went about making it a fretless proved to be such a distraction that I sold it less than a year later. The idea of using dot-inlay fretted fingerboards with no fret slots cut in them might have made sense from an economic perspective but it definitely didn't work in a practical sense, for me at least. The whole one-dot-per-fret position on the binding wasn't cutting it either

At this point, the only way I'd even consider getting one would be if I had an extra $1000 lying around (over the purchase price, mind you) to cover the cost of replacing the fingerboard entirely with a totally blank piece of ebony. No lines, no dots, no binding - just black wood. I saw one just like this on an old YouTube video by the notoriously cranky Dave of Dave's Fun Stuff and it seemed to me like the perfect solution

My first bass was a ‘78 4001. Unfortunately it was stolen in ‘89, but now I have three, an ‘83, a ‘92 fretless (my main bass), and a ‘15. I agree with everyone that says it’s a bass that should be tried first

How long did it take you to adapt to the weird inlay pattern?

 

[Doug4321]

Hah hah. I’ve wanted a Rick (and a BC Rich Mockingbird and an Alembic Series 1) since the 1980s.