To Rick or Not to Rick

[Fight4Bottom]

Howdy folks. This is the wife. I want to thank you all for your amazing responses. Lots of great thoughtful advice, and a lot of kind words. Sounds to me like bass players are good people (I'm a keyboard player myself). As for the cruise... I would cherish the memories of anything I do with my hubby but would rather share the joy of his playing every day!

 

[superdick2112]

Howdy folks. This is the wife. I want to thank you all for your amazing responses. Lots of great thoughtful advice, and a lot of kind words. Sounds to me like bass players are good people (I'm a keyboard player myself). As for the cruise... I would cherish the memories of anything I do with my hubby but would rather share the joy of his playing every day!

Fight4Bottom, you have chosen well & married wisely.

 

[ProgressiveDoom]

I often joke with my wife about getting a Rickenbacker bass. She'll say, "You know what I want for Christmas?" And I'll say, "A Rickenbacker bass, right?" She's heard me joke enough that she understands what it is and how neat it would be to get one. But because of the cost, I've seriously never been serious about it.

But we've just gone through a major change in our lives, the details of which I'll spare you, suffice it to say she's extremely grateful for the sacrifices I've made. So much so that last night she told me she wants me to buy a Rickenbacker.

Now, I don't earn money gigging, so it won't pay for itself. But I do have enough money to buy one. Thus, as much as I'd love to have one, I have a hard time justifying it. So with apologies for creating yet another Ricky thread, what should I do? Pros and cons?

This may be the only opportunity you will ever have and your wife gives you her blessings. Im not able to justify spending that money for the simple fact that Im not a pro taking it out on tour with me but!, if I had the money waiting with the blessing of my wife I believe I would buy one, whether Im on tour or hacking it locally. I think the answer is YES.

 

[SoundOfOneHandSlapping]

Just do it. I bought this 4003 a couple years ago to replace one I really regretted selling. This time I knew exactly which mods suited my needs.

Now, I'm in a similar situation. My wife to be has given me the green light to buy another bass. The only problem is: I'm way too happy just playing my Rickenbacker, not sure I need another bass.

Many of the major American bass models have their own "features". Some take some getting used to, but there is always a solution.

 

[bwoodman]

4003S for sale now in classifieds - good price! Same one I have in MG!

 

[woodyng2]

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.

I gotta say I didn't much like the (sound of) the maple one you had previously,but the modded
Fireglo one comes across quite well. Before you give up completely on Ricks,you should check out a 4004.(particularly a Laredo).

 

[woodyng2]

I have an amazing 4004 that's a 1 off that plays fantastic in the classifieds

DO Tell!

(Link?)

 

[woodyng2]

Just do it. I bought this 4003 a couple years ago to replace one I really regretted selling. This time I knew exactly which mods suited my needs.

Now, I'm in a similar situation. My wife to be has given me the green ligh to buy another bass. The only problem is: I'm way too happy just playing my Rickenbacker, not sure I need another bass.
View attachment 2859319Many of the major American bass models have their own "features". Some take some getting used to, but there is always a solution.

That is one gorgeous bass. Looks like a lot of seriously great mods,too.

 

[woodyng2]

Been loving Rick basses for 2/3rds of my life,but i do recognize they are quirky at best,and really have to be set up particularly to accommodate the player.
I love the 4004 models,which completely eliminate all the traditional complaints folks have about Rick basses,while also presenting a few unique (but much more easily fixed) challenges.
I've had acess to some very nice 70's 4001 basses recently,and can enjoy them for what they are,but my 4004's are much better as far as i'm concerned.
Here's my most recently acquired one,a pristine '00 Laredo with a maple fretboard.

 

[Manticore]

Nice looking Ric!.......Just keep your fingers crossed and hope that any of the frets will not need to be replaced.

I've had mine refretted twice. (They have small soft frets and I used mine extensively for two decades.) I had mine refretted by an excellent tech who had no problem dealing with the binding. He charged a little more than typical, but it's a little more work and his skill is worth it! A refret job shouldn't be an issue for a skilled tech.

 

[Manticore]

I had the same thoughts for many years. And then this happened and I'm kicking myself for not pulling the trigger sooner:
View attachment 2859191
Life is short. Get what you want.

I'm color blind, and photos sometimes alter colors a bit, but to me this looks like an Autumn Glo example. I had an Autumn Glo 4001, and to this day think it's the best finish. The one I bought first, and kept, is a Maple Glo, but I still prefer Autumn Glo. Nice!

 

[_One//Man//Mutiny_]

I'm guessing you've played one before and are aware of the good and the bad, right?
Surely you're not one of those guys who just want one because it looks cool?
If you've played one and like the way it feels and sounds, definitely find a nice used one.
Try to find a rare color.
Here's the one I'd buy. Missed out on one back in February. Two used Rics at Guitar Center, both over $2,000. Went back the following week and they were both gone.View attachment 2858603

Sorry jd56hawk! I got her!

I'm guessing you've played one before and are aware of the good and the bad, right?
Surely you're not one of those guys who just want one because it looks cool?
If you've played one and like the way it feels and sounds, definitely find a nice used one.
Try to find a rare color.
Here's the one I'd buy. Missed out on one back in February. Two used Rics at Guitar Center, both over $2,000. Went back the following week and they were both gone.View attachment 2858603

Sorry sir that was me, I went to Sam Ash to get a Rick that day after it being the bass that made me want to play bass because of how cool they looked and I went in and played every one they had, which was I believe 4 at the time and I HATED them, the neck felt great up until the first couple of frets they all varied in thickness and width a decent amount and none of them felt right. I loved the sound but I couldn't get over the weird neck shape at the nut. Disheartened I went to guitarcenter a few stores down and I didn't even see it until I went to walk out and there it was all the way up on the wall. I never saw one like that before, I got it taken down and I immediately knew as I took it from the salesperson the neck was shallow like a jazz and about as wide as a pbass. I spent maybe 20 minutes with it and I walked out with it. Moral of the story, try before you buy! I'm never ever letting my Rick go, my most prized bass. I'm voting RICK!

 

[ScottTunes]

I'll try to keep my story short...

I bought a used mid 80s Fire-Glo in the early 00s... It was my first Rick, and I LOVED the "smaller" neck. I didn't know then that the necks varied so much! And ultimately, I was annoyed by the "Bozo-Glo" finish, and sold it a year after purchase...

I looked for over a decade, bought and sold many Ricks looking for that great neck... Out of the many I'd had, only ONE had a "dead" sounding piece of wood. But the buyer LOVED it!! The others all sounded great!

I finally found a very nice, though "trashed" 4001V63, and spent a few years restoring it (looks like a Chris Squire Rick 4001 now). LOVE the sound! Smaller neck feels quite good, although I'm tempted to shave it down even more.

I just bought a 4003S JG (from Wildwood) which has some finish flaws. But everything else is fab, and the neck is even "smaller" than my V63! My goal is to set one up with flats (ala McCartney), and the other with rounds (ala Squire, et al). There's a LOT of great tones between those two Rick masters!

The tonal range of a well set up Rick bass is amazing, and outstanding! As demonstrated by the aforementioned musicians!

The quirky bridge is my biggest gripe. So I changed them on both Ricks to the Hipshot aluminum (there's a brass model too). Took off the treble pickup cover, swapped vintage looking knobs for OE, and am looking for a vintage style gold TR cover, and will change the guard to gold as well... That is my setup, basically for the new 4003S, and the Squire-like v63 is set up the same, but it is more consistent with the original v63 (4001 "mono") anyway...

Best advice has already been given... Go find the Rick that fits your hands, and enjoy the heck out of it!

Cheers! And enjoy the search!

 

[fakeneckplate'65]

The only thing I dislike about my Rickenbacker 4003, & I haven't noticed it mentioned yet, is that it's noisy as hell. The first time I took it to a band rehearsal, It was buzzing to the point of being embarrassing. I'll likely attempt to shield it to see if it helps.

It also has a very different sound compared to my other basses. It often reminds of a mix between my Precision & my SG bass.

I have a new set of Labella 760FL that I think I'll try next.

 

[jd56hawk]

Sorry jd56hawk! I got her!

Sorry sir that was me, I went to Sam Ash to get a Rick that day after it being the bass that made me want to play bass because of how cool they looked and I went in and played every one they had, which was I believe 4 at the time and I HATED them, the neck felt great up until the first couple of frets they all varied in thickness and width a decent amount and none of them felt right. I loved the sound but I couldn't get over the weird neck shape at the nut. Disheartened I went to guitarcenter a few stores down and I didn't even see it until I went to walk out and there it was all the way up on the wall. I never saw one like that before, I got it taken down and I immediately knew as I took it from the salesperson the neck was shallow like a jazz and about as wide as a pbass. I spent maybe 20 minutes with it and I walked out with it. Moral of the story, try before you buy! I'm never ever letting my Rick go, my most prized bass. I'm voting RICK!

No problem, I would've had to put it on layaway and even then it would've been close paying it off.
I do like that Guitar Center, though, they don't seem to mind that I sometimes plug in and play for 15-20 minutes…but Sam Ash beats them when it comes to buying used gear.
Do you go to 8th Street Music, too?
How about Russo Music?

 

[Fight4Bottom]

Fight4Bottom, you have chosen well & married wisely.

I have, indeed. Thank you!

 

[4SG]

I'm color blind, and photos sometimes alter colors a bit, but to me this looks like an Autumn Glo example. I had an Autumn Glo 4001, and to this day think it's the best finish. The one I bought first, and kept, is a Maple Glo, but I still prefer Autumn Glo. Nice!

You may be a little colorblind, my friend Manticore, because mine is unmistakably a Fireglo 4003. But you're right that Autumn Glo is a lovely finish.

 

[TJH3113]

I gotta say I didn't much like the (sound of) the maple one you had previously,but the modded
Fireglo one comes across quite well. Before you give up completely on Ricks,you should check out a 4004.(particularly a Laredo).

Yeah, the Maple-Glo was a dog right out of the box. Got it during the man-made Ric drought of '09. I was jonesing for one and Ric had a dealer search function on their website that would tell you what dealers within a certain radius of your zip code either had a bass or was expecting delivery of one. A store nearby had just gotten one. It was still unpacked in its shipping carton. I brought in a MusicMan 5 string to trade toward it (gave me $600 for it which I thought was pretty good). I didn't even know what Rics were going for at the time. I was playing the bass, mulling it over, when the sales guy said I'd only owe them another $500. No brainer. I only found out much later that they'd, most likely, made an error and gave it to me for cost. I saw that Musicians Fiend was selling them for $2,400 and people were buying them and turning around and selling them on eBay for a few hundred more. Anyway, it had a bum neck p/u out of the box. I spent a few hundred making it a bit more comfortable and adjustable with a bridge p/u surround, thumb-rest, and a HipShot bridge. The binding was coming off in spots. I had to adjust the truss rods nearly every time I took it out of the case (eventually just started leaving the t/r cover off). And, worst of all, it just didn't sound very good.

Much happier with the 4003S. I was happy with how it played and sounded out of the box. Not sure why I rushed into replacing the p/u with the ClassicAmplification (thinking of going back to the stock p/u). I left the bridge stock and even left the string gauge in the ball park of the stock strings...not wanting to rock the boat. That being said, it did need a fret leveling (a few rogue frets in the upper register) and there are some shameful finish flaws. If I was a nitpicker, I'd have sent it back for sure.

I think I'll go to the store and see if a 4004 is for me.

 

[bobyoung53]

Buy one, you won't regret it, there are two kinds of players, those who love them and those who haven't played them enough to love them.

 

[JMacBass65]

I no longer comment on "Rickenbacker, should I or shouldn't I?" threads, so I'll just leave this right here, you can make up your own mind.