• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

The dreaded Rickenbacker floppy E string!

#43
Ric5 said:
There are 2 kinds of Ric fans ... those like me who like the look and tone of a Ric bass ... then there are the Ric purists who belong to the Rickenbacker cult ... they drink the koolaid
Click to expand...

Although I fall into the same category as you - I like my Rick in both looks and tone while acknowledging they aren't perfect - there's a third, which is the folks that believe that Ricks are overpriced firewood. I can rattle off a few things about mine that I'm not fond of, but a floppy E string definitely is not one of them. Wasn't a problem on my old Jetglo either.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ric5
#45
This may be a troll thread, but the E on my 4003 - while not what I would call 'floppy' - did lack definition, no matter how I set the pickups/pole pieces AND the G was weak. But my bass should have never gotten through QC (it was kind of a lemon all around). They're not all like that.
 
#48
I have a 4003 and I absolutely love the E string! In fact, I prefer the power of it over my Rumblefish, ASAT and Thunderbird. The timbre of the Rickenbacker E is like a crazed middle linebacker hunting down a running back. It's slamming, jamming and electrifying. Since the action is a touch higher than Fender, G&L, etc., you can really get behind the notes and technique it while balancing the power of it all. The Ric E is simply ferocious, man.
 
#49
I loved my Ric to death, but always wondered if anybody else experienced this. the E string on mine just felt...different. Maybe a little more loose, or lacking punch, the way a low tension string sounds. Never caused me a problem, but I always wondered why it was that way.
 
#50
now for something completely different

c7ee4cf03795fffb26bb1ba00770d325.jpg
 
#54
Some of you guys are waaay too sensitive. Not got enough Charmin to wipe your collective arse?

Not a troll thread at all. It's a common gripe, the floppy and sometimes weak response from a Rick 4001 E string. Type it into Google if you really think I'm trolling. Had it on just about every 4001/3 I had bar a V63 and the CS.
 
#55
stacker said:
Some of you guys are waaay too sensitive. Not got enough Charmin to wipe your collective arse?

Not a troll thread at all. It's a common gripe, the floppy and sometimes weak response from a Rick 4001 E string. Type it into Google if you really think I'm trolling. Had it on just about every 4001/3 I had bar a V63 and the CS.
Click to expand...
I've had a floppy E string on zero of the four Ric's I've owned. I had one Ric with an E string that lacked definition. It was a Ric pre pickup redesign. The newer pickups pretty much solved the string balance issue.
 
#56
Mvilmany said:
Maybe Roger Glover was just making that up so he himself could troll Ric users. Or it could be that he wants bass-playing Deep Purple fans to buy Vigier instead of Ric.

Conspiracy theories aside, his experience may be a physical thing related to the old weird Ric truss rods. There may be an issue with his particular bass' neck. Or, it may be how his sound ended up by routing and inserting a set of jazz pickups. It may be due to having 4 pickups which would reduce string vibration.

I wouldn't necessarily condemn this as a troll post. This could be a "hey, guys! Look what I found on the inter webs!" post.

I notice that some Ric owners are a little high strung when it comes to anything critical about Ric's. I won't blame them, because I totally understand the strong emotional ties to a particular instrument.
Click to expand...

Thank you. A voice of reason amidst the wailing and moaning. I happened to be looking at RG's gear after the 'Sid with Ric' thread that popped up the other day and found his comment on the E string. How some of you reckon this is a troll post is beyond me.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mvilmany
#57
For reasons already outlined above, with the neck pickup where it is and the bridge pickup cap always on I'd expect the open string notes to sound less authoritative than others - greatly attenuated 2nd harmonic. For a meat 'n' taters rocker mindlessly going 0 000 000 000 00... on the lowest string this might be a noticeable problem. But Roger Glover? And the rest of the frets? I dunno.
(I'm about the opposite of a Rick expert, mind you.)

More importantly, and also mentioned already, why is floppiness even in the title? Glover's post makes no mention of it.
 
#59
Could this be a question of strings? Rickenbacker used to void the warranty if other brands of strings were used. Ric string gauges (heavy E compared to lighter A, D and G) may look strange compared to others, but are made to accommodate the 4000 series. High tension strings such as Rotosounds were quite common back then and not only did they tax the necks, but they may have contributed to uneven volume. No idea what type of strings Mr. Glover used, his setup, or the particulars of his bass, so this may not be pertinent.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Spidey2112

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back