As far as new finishes, I vote burgundy glow. My dream bass would probably be 70's 4001 with checker binding and horse shoe pickup/toaster. Probably available in Japan for $5k, right? Eyes always were bigger than my wallet.
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WHAT??? Rickenbacker 4003S!?
- Thread starter PubliclyViewable
- Start date
I have no idea what makes for a good review, but here goes. I'll post a separate write up when I plug the bass in.
4003s Reissue First Impressions
I ordered the reissue 4003s the day after Rickenbacker announced it. As luck would have it
the two basses they showed at winter NAMM 2015 were shipped to dealers and my dealer got
the first FireGlo bass. I was the first one to place the order, so I am the happy recipient
of the the fireglo 4003s reissue.
The bass arrived yesterday and after letting it sit overnight to acclimatize, I cracked
open the case this morning. I have not yet plugged in the bass.
Initial Inspection:
There are two notable things, which I'll touch on later, but nothing dealbreaking. The bass was
clearly well cared for by Rickenbacker and by Chris at Pick Of The Ricks (PoTR). Inside the
case are the bass, the usual Rickenbacker case candy along with the bridge cover and original
strings that came with the bass. A couple of extra pieces of bubble wrap were in the case to
prevent the bass from moving during shipment. The case is in new condition, with no scratches,
or other issues.
Set Up:
At my request Chris set the bass up with a new set of TI Jazz Flats. The setup is exactly as
requested, with the action as low as possible. The bass was just below concert pitch when it
arrived and after tuning it, it still has low action and is easy to play. As someone who
has a chronic tendonitis issue and is developing some finger joint arthritis a good, low
action setup is crucial.
Finish:
The finish, as mentioned before is FireGlo. It's a great color and looks great on this bass.
The reds are red and the translucent areas really highlight the maple underneath. I can't
say if this is better or worse than other fireglo finishes, but it looks great to me. There
is however, one small finish flaw. On the edge of the upper horn there is what looks like
a finish drip that never got cleaned up. This isn't noticeable, except at close inspection.
I doesn't bother me, but I am including it for accuracy and compeleteness. I didn't find
any other finish issues.
Hardware:
The hardware, for example, the bridge, pickup surround, etc are all problem free and also
completely clean when I recieved the bass. The only notable issue is that the bridge pickup
is a little slanted. this is very unlikely to cause any issues in terms of sound. This also
doesn't bother me much, but I'm including it for the same reasons as mentioned above.
Weight and Balance:
I don't have any way to weigh the bass, but it seems lighter than other Rick basses I've
owned, aside from the 4000L, wich was very lightweight. It weighs more than my 2003 Fender
Highway 1 P Bass, so I'd say it's not too heavy. From the balance perspective, there's a
tiny bit of a neck dive, but very, very slight. This is not different from other Ricks
I've owned. I'll add here that the bass sounds good and seems quite resonant when not
plugged in.
Neck:
The fit and finish of the neck is very well done. The finish is clean, with no blemishes
or other issues. The fret ends are clean, with no burrs. The neck width seems to be
pretty much standard for Rickenbacker 400x basses. I can't quite describe the fingerboard.
The wood looks like it has some sort of pattern or something in it. It looks quite distinctive
to my eye. Much different than my 2004 620/6. I think it looks good and adds another dimension
to the overall look of the bass. The neck is on the chunky side, but not clubby. I'm coming
from usually playing shorties or my P which has a J neck, so almost anything will seem
chunky to me.
Overall Impressions:
I'm happy with this bass. It looks great, plays well and when I finally get to plugging it in,
I'm sure it's going to sound great as well. But that's for another review.
The first set of pictures can be found here:
4003s Reissue First Impressions
I ordered the reissue 4003s the day after Rickenbacker announced it. As luck would have it
the two basses they showed at winter NAMM 2015 were shipped to dealers and my dealer got
the first FireGlo bass. I was the first one to place the order, so I am the happy recipient
of the the fireglo 4003s reissue.
The bass arrived yesterday and after letting it sit overnight to acclimatize, I cracked
open the case this morning. I have not yet plugged in the bass.
Initial Inspection:
There are two notable things, which I'll touch on later, but nothing dealbreaking. The bass was
clearly well cared for by Rickenbacker and by Chris at Pick Of The Ricks (PoTR). Inside the
case are the bass, the usual Rickenbacker case candy along with the bridge cover and original
strings that came with the bass. A couple of extra pieces of bubble wrap were in the case to
prevent the bass from moving during shipment. The case is in new condition, with no scratches,
or other issues.
Set Up:
At my request Chris set the bass up with a new set of TI Jazz Flats. The setup is exactly as
requested, with the action as low as possible. The bass was just below concert pitch when it
arrived and after tuning it, it still has low action and is easy to play. As someone who
has a chronic tendonitis issue and is developing some finger joint arthritis a good, low
action setup is crucial.
Finish:
The finish, as mentioned before is FireGlo. It's a great color and looks great on this bass.
The reds are red and the translucent areas really highlight the maple underneath. I can't
say if this is better or worse than other fireglo finishes, but it looks great to me. There
is however, one small finish flaw. On the edge of the upper horn there is what looks like
a finish drip that never got cleaned up. This isn't noticeable, except at close inspection.
I doesn't bother me, but I am including it for accuracy and compeleteness. I didn't find
any other finish issues.
Hardware:
The hardware, for example, the bridge, pickup surround, etc are all problem free and also
completely clean when I recieved the bass. The only notable issue is that the bridge pickup
is a little slanted. this is very unlikely to cause any issues in terms of sound. This also
doesn't bother me much, but I'm including it for the same reasons as mentioned above.
Weight and Balance:
I don't have any way to weigh the bass, but it seems lighter than other Rick basses I've
owned, aside from the 4000L, wich was very lightweight. It weighs more than my 2003 Fender
Highway 1 P Bass, so I'd say it's not too heavy. From the balance perspective, there's a
tiny bit of a neck dive, but very, very slight. This is not different from other Ricks
I've owned. I'll add here that the bass sounds good and seems quite resonant when not
plugged in.
Neck:
The fit and finish of the neck is very well done. The finish is clean, with no blemishes
or other issues. The fret ends are clean, with no burrs. The neck width seems to be
pretty much standard for Rickenbacker 400x basses. I can't quite describe the fingerboard.
The wood looks like it has some sort of pattern or something in it. It looks quite distinctive
to my eye. Much different than my 2004 620/6. I think it looks good and adds another dimension
to the overall look of the bass. The neck is on the chunky side, but not clubby. I'm coming
from usually playing shorties or my P which has a J neck, so almost anything will seem
chunky to me.
Overall Impressions:
I'm happy with this bass. It looks great, plays well and when I finally get to plugging it in,
I'm sure it's going to sound great as well. But that's for another review.
The first set of pictures can be found here:
Tom ,
Congratulations! Make sure you keep any documentation of its provenance as the NAMM bass, might add a lot to its value if you ever decide to sell it. In the meantime, play the hell out of it and repost some sound clips when you feel like it.
Congratulations! Make sure you keep any documentation of its provenance as the NAMM bass, might add a lot to its value if you ever decide to sell it. In the meantime, play the hell out of it and repost some sound clips when you feel like it.
Very nice... Congrats! I've go TI Jazz flats on my 2011 4003.. Great strings.. Are you considering putting a treble bezel on it... I know Chris from POTR has them...they just finish the bridge pickup surround nicely..
The fretboard on that bass is exquisite. It's a bit too brown for a Rickenbacker, but the pattern of the wood is beautiful, and it looks like they finished the fretboard well. Rickenbacker has gotten a LOT better at this in the last 5 or so years.
There seems to be some nice character in the upper body wing; not quite flame, but nice character nonetheless.
The color looks the same as the NAMM pics. I've described it before. It's too bad they've gone from the recent more vintage darker fireglo (with an almost amber center) to the newer SpaghettioGlo. I'm sure it looks better in person, but maple-to-red just looks a bit odd on a Rickenbacker. It begs for a more tinted center rather than tomato soup burst.
The finish looks pretty smooth for a Rickenbacker and the heel/body joints don't look that bad; Rickenbacker NEVER pays attention the heel of the fretboard and sometimes it can look horrid. That's not the case here; Rick does worse at the fretboard end with bound necks.
There doesn't appear to be any finish lifting around the tailpiece although the finish looks thick at the front edges. Be careful there and keep an eye on it; that's where the finish likes to lift a few months after ownership. But, that's much more rare on MapleGlo and Fireglo for some reason.
The pickup is greatly crooked, and yes, the tailpiece is installed off-center as expected. The strings, even with the bridges slots cut way toward the E string side of the neck (look at the E string slot) are STILL too close to the G string side of the neck. It's like they screw the tailpiece on any sort of way then slice the bridge slots to try to compensate. Rickenbacker hasn't always done this but in the last couple years something has gone on that has made it a common occurrence (see the 4001S referred to early in this thread). The bass in question isn't THAT bad in this regard; some Rickenbackers have the stings completely off-center with the fretboard dots. While this bass has that problem, it's not NEARLY as bad as some I've seen.
It doesn't surprise me however that Rickenbacker would send a bass with a finish drip on the upper horn to NAMM. As I stated before, they don't want people to expect more than what Rickenbacker is going to deliver, and they are proud of that fact. Their instruments have finish flaws; they know it, and they don't care. They feel they don't HAVE to...someone will buy it. Most manufacturers especially at NAMM would make sure they brought their best examples of their work. And, I offer that Rickenbacker has done exactly that; that bass is the best they can do on any given day, faults and all.
I suspect however that you did good with this bass; I honestly feel that this is the best that Rickenbacker can build at this time...and since they are obviously proud of that level of workmanship, I don't see it improving in any way in the immediate future.
I'd say you got a great example of Rickenbacker's best level of ability and quality. As long as the finish doesn't lift, I'd be happy. As I'm sure you are.
I get and appreciate what ggoat brings to the discussion, even if his delivery isn't always unicorns and rainbows.
In this day and age of CNC MFG processes, and that it's their design they've been making for over 50 years and protect so fiercely, you'd think they'd nail each and every one that rolls off the production line and out the door.
But he makes a relevant point, even if indelicately: the demand, mystique and cachet affords them the luxury of "mailing some in."
From their standpoint, it's a good problem to have.
It's also a bit of battered wife syndrome. And I hate to admit it, but I still want one.
In this day and age of CNC MFG processes, and that it's their design they've been making for over 50 years and protect so fiercely, you'd think they'd nail each and every one that rolls off the production line and out the door.
But he makes a relevant point, even if indelicately: the demand, mystique and cachet affords them the luxury of "mailing some in."
From their standpoint, it's a good problem to have.
It's also a bit of battered wife syndrome. And I hate to admit it, but I still want one.
I've adding pictures, including a picture of the finish issue I mentioned.
I avoid current Rickenbacker QC issues by strictly buying used/vintage. I have two, a V63 and a late 80's 3s with no issues whatsoever
Twangster101
You gonna pull them pistols or whistle Dixie?
I avoid current Rickenbacker QC issues by strictly buying used/vintage. I have two, a V63 and a late 80's 3s with no issues whatsoever
...that being said, my v63 is for sale in the classifieds!
It used to belong to Jeff S., and it's awesome! ...I'm only selling it because, well... times are tough.
...that being said, my v63 is for sale in the classifieds!
It used to belong to Jeff S., and it's awesome! ...I'm only selling it because, well... times are tough.
Dude! I've seen it! Believe me, if I had the scratch if be all over it!
It is an awesome bass, really....that being said, my v63 is for sale in the classifieds!
It used to belong to Jeff S., and it's awesome! ...I'm only selling it because, well... times are tough.
Here is a live recording of it from a few years ago.
There, fixed it for you.
Kidding, of course.
But that finish flaw above (on a NAMM bass, no less) is INEXCUSABLE.
