I had the same thoughts for many years. And then this happened and I'm kicking myself for not pulling the trigger sooner:
Life is short. Get what you want.
Life is short. Get what you want.
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To Rick or Not to Rick
- Thread starter Fight4Bottom
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- rickenbacker
Nice looking Ric!.......Just keep your fingers crossed and hope that any of the frets will not need to be replaced.
Simple, if you want one and can get one then go for it, if no to the previous two criteria then don't.
I see the Ruby Red 4003s missing from Reverb....
I see the Ruby Red 4003s missing from Reverb....
It's the 4003 with binding and triangle inlay. Purchased it from Dave's Guitar in WI. Great little shop by the way. They also have a Ruby 4004L if anyone is interested.
PULL THE TRIGGER ON (THE) RICK! JUST DO IT!
In all seriousness, though, do it. Not knowing your story it sounds like you have personally earned it, and so if the financial cost isn't a burden then it can only bring peace. First (and I am repeating everyone else here), if it is your instrument then do it. If you want a Rick that badly, do it.
Secondly, from one married man to another, let your wife say thank you. In marriages it is not often that you get to take full stock of your spouse, truly evaluate how you feel, and act on it accordingly. If this has been a long-running "joke" and she finally decided to do it, she may need to thank you as much as you need to crunch those funky grooves.
Do it for her. Do it for you. DO IT FOR THE TONE! And play the hell out of that Rick.
In all seriousness, though, do it. Not knowing your story it sounds like you have personally earned it, and so if the financial cost isn't a burden then it can only bring peace. First (and I am repeating everyone else here), if it is your instrument then do it. If you want a Rick that badly, do it.
Secondly, from one married man to another, let your wife say thank you. In marriages it is not often that you get to take full stock of your spouse, truly evaluate how you feel, and act on it accordingly. If this has been a long-running "joke" and she finally decided to do it, she may need to thank you as much as you need to crunch those funky grooves.
Do it for her. Do it for you. DO IT FOR THE TONE! And play the hell out of that Rick.
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I wish I had a better picture, but I'm away from my baby for now
Definitely try before you buy, the necks can be a bit weird to some as they are thin in a flat D shape, almost like a trapezoid... I got the 4003s because of the body's sleeker feeling as well, so you may want to consider that too. Otherwise, it sounds like you're very lucky- go for it!
I'm on my 4th and final Rickenbacker and have had a love/hate relationship with them since I started playing a very long time ago. The "love/hate" thing stems from the fact that I love the idea of owning a Ric but, in some respects, hate actually owning one. Check one out and see if it's the right bass for you, it very well may be. I own around 20 basses and the Ric is near the bottom of the list in many respects. I have to say, my current Ric, a recent 4003S (converted into a 4000) is MUCH better than the last one I owned, an '09 4003, but I still have to work to get a decent sound out of it when I plug it in. Most of my other basses, I can just pick them up, plug them in, and go. A lot of people love to trash Rics (without actually owning one) because of their inherent flaws, but, since I own one, I feel that my opinion is pretty unbiased.
4003S - and go ahead and buy it - if it's not for you - flip it.
Buy it if you can do it and make ends meet. Rickenbackers way more versatile than many folks realize.
If it's your absolute dream bass even after trying enough of them just get one. I've always loved the tone many of my bass heroes get on a RIC, still won't probably buy one ever. Don't know how to out some of this exactly in words. Every RIC I've played had this cheap sensation to it, didn't resonate as nice as the basses I'm used to (mostly Musicman), didn't like their necks (even tho' some claim to have some very thin ones, not the ones I've played) and then there's the crappy bridge issue, I'd need to spend money on an aftermarket bridge the moment I got it. I know they still sell them so, why change. But those known and uncorrected deficiencies is what makes me look at Rickenbacker as a somehow neglecting company with less than state of the art products. Some other companies manage to keep their products personal and distinguishable while still updating them, at least for their known and proven weak points. RIC doesn't, you either like them as they are (MANY do) or go look somewhere else.
It is an amazing bass. If it isn't too big a sacrifice and your wife is on board you should probably go for it. I love my 4003. It took me a while to bond with it but once it clicked, there was no going back. I fingerpick and use a zero mod. I tried a treble bezle but ended up putting the pickup cover back on.
True. Hell, I did a 9-week run of "Fiddler on the Roof" with a 4003.
"If I were a rich man..." I'd probably have owned one years ago.
I've never tried a cruise either. But somehow I think I'd enjoy the Ric better. The missus, on the other hand...
We could play some of my favorite songs off The Nightfly!
I wish I could like this twice!
I have an amazing 4004 that's a 1 off that plays fantastic in the classifieds 
