I have always wanted one. The guy that does my setups says to stay away from them. He claims they are junk lol. Its probably a headache to work on.
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What's so great about the Rickenbacker?
- Thread starter Greenman72
- Start date
Because if you want something like a Ric, then you need a Ric.
In a world of FSO's they are something unique. That is both a good thing and a bad thing, but while in the Fender camp you can debate body shape details, pickup options, bindings, neck profiles, fret size/count, string count, country of origin, and dozens of manufacturers of essentially similar basses, in the Ric camp you can buy a Rick.
That doesn't make it "great" but it does make it special,
In a world of FSO's they are something unique. That is both a good thing and a bad thing, but while in the Fender camp you can debate body shape details, pickup options, bindings, neck profiles, fret size/count, string count, country of origin, and dozens of manufacturers of essentially similar basses, in the Ric camp you can buy a Rick.
That doesn't make it "great" but it does make it special,
As others have said, can't pick from that list. I don't think there's anything "wrong" with them. They are iconic, played by many famous players and have a distinctive sound. But that being said they have a specific ergonomics and their own set of quirks like any other bass. Just not for me.
And I can speak from experience. My first bass was a lawsuit Ibanez copy of the Ric 4001 in Fireglo. Perfectly fine bass and I learned alot on it as my first bass. But for my 5'6" frame it felt huge and I found it uncomfortable to play. I sold it to a good friend that I lost touch with over the years who is now passed. I think like many others there is little middle ground, you love 'em or hate 'em.
And I can speak from experience. My first bass was a lawsuit Ibanez copy of the Ric 4001 in Fireglo. Perfectly fine bass and I learned alot on it as my first bass. But for my 5'6" frame it felt huge and I found it uncomfortable to play. I sold it to a good friend that I lost touch with over the years who is now passed. I think like many others there is little middle ground, you love 'em or hate 'em.
I've owned two and sold both. I want to love them but they just don't work for me.
People like what they like, there's no accounting for taste, and confirmation bias is a helluva drug
They're not for me, but you do you
They're not for me, but you do you
What is so great about Rickenbacker:
Poor ergonomics can make it uncomfortable on your right arm.
Truss rod adjustment on older Rics can be a real challenge.
Poor build / finish quality and a baseball bat-like neck would make any reasonable person buy something else.
Poor shielding makes them prone to hum and buzz.
Not 32", not 34", something odd in between in an odd gauge.
Scale length - 33 1/4" fits my short sausage-like fingers.
Sound - I play so poorly everything sounds bad, so who cares.
I can't use a pick, so there goes that idea of the 'sound' again.
Two of my four inspirational bass players played non-ric basses.
The heavy weight helps keep my arms in shape.
The high cost keeps me from buying too many of them.
They come in such pretty colors.
They come with a really nice case that stack to make a great cat bed.
I vote Greatest Bass of All Time. Thank you Sir, can I have another?
Poor ergonomics can make it uncomfortable on your right arm.
Truss rod adjustment on older Rics can be a real challenge.
Poor build / finish quality and a baseball bat-like neck would make any reasonable person buy something else.
Poor shielding makes them prone to hum and buzz.
Not 32", not 34", something odd in between in an odd gauge.
Scale length - 33 1/4" fits my short sausage-like fingers.
Sound - I play so poorly everything sounds bad, so who cares.
I can't use a pick, so there goes that idea of the 'sound' again.
Two of my four inspirational bass players played non-ric basses.
The heavy weight helps keep my arms in shape.
The high cost keeps me from buying too many of them.
They come in such pretty colors.
They come with a really nice case that stack to make a great cat bed.
I vote Greatest Bass of All Time. Thank you Sir, can I have another?
They're (IMO) the coolest looking basses ever designed, and that's what's so great about them.
The ones I've played, I didn't care for the neck profile, or their sound, so not for me. I'll admire from the other side of the stage.
The ones I've played, I didn't care for the neck profile, or their sound, so not for me. I'll admire from the other side of the stage.
Any bass good enough for Paul McCartney, Rick James, Cliff Burton and Mike Mills is good enough for me.
They are, at least in my opinion, the coolest looking basses out there. The company trademarked the body and headstock shape, so unlike Fenders there aren't many "Ric Shaped Objects" out there, aside from the Ali Express copies that are of dubious quality. Ric doesn't make enough to keep up with demand, so there's a little bit of a mystique around them, most guitar shops don't just keep them hanging on the wall.
But then there's the whole "nothing sounds like a Rickenbacker" trope. There are a lot of reasons for that, I think first and foremost is the pickup placement - the "bridge" pickup is in between the two standard jazz bass pickups (relative to scale), slightly closer to the neck. The neck pickup is almost right against the neck. Most basses don't put single coil pickups in those spots. The pickups are made in house as well, the wiring is unique (especially on the models with a stereo output option) the construction is neck-through, the scale is unusual at 33.25" and the body is (usually) made of maple, those contribute something to the sound as well but I suspect a lot of it has to do with the placement.
Ergonomically, they're unique instruments so some people can't stand them, some people find they just feel right. I am in the latter camp, but I won't ever say anyone in the former camp is wrong.
TL;DR they look cool, they sound unique and if you like that sound it's hard to find something else that does it.
But then there's the whole "nothing sounds like a Rickenbacker" trope. There are a lot of reasons for that, I think first and foremost is the pickup placement - the "bridge" pickup is in between the two standard jazz bass pickups (relative to scale), slightly closer to the neck. The neck pickup is almost right against the neck. Most basses don't put single coil pickups in those spots. The pickups are made in house as well, the wiring is unique (especially on the models with a stereo output option) the construction is neck-through, the scale is unusual at 33.25" and the body is (usually) made of maple, those contribute something to the sound as well but I suspect a lot of it has to do with the placement.
Ergonomically, they're unique instruments so some people can't stand them, some people find they just feel right. I am in the latter camp, but I won't ever say anyone in the former camp is wrong.
TL;DR they look cool, they sound unique and if you like that sound it's hard to find something else that does it.
They aren't "that" expensive compared to what everything else costs these days. If you want a USA Geddy Lee Jazz... it's the same price.
I had one of the blue ones (forgot the actually name of the color) back in the early 2000's for a hot minute. Traded it for a Warwick. Today me is kicking old me.
I had one of the blue ones (forgot the actually name of the color) back in the early 2000's for a hot minute. Traded it for a Warwick. Today me is kicking old me.
My disdain for the Rickenbacker bass is quite possibly ill founded.
I've never played one and I don't want to. The only time I've ever had the chance to play one, I literally forgot to.
I know I'm being willfully ignorant, perhaps one day there may be an "a ha" moment but, like American football and organized religion, I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything by never finding out any more.
I've never played one and I don't want to. The only time I've ever had the chance to play one, I literally forgot to.
I know I'm being willfully ignorant, perhaps one day there may be an "a ha" moment but, like American football and organized religion, I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything by never finding out any more.
I've had a few in my time.
My bass of choice for a long time. I still play mine often.
My bass of choice for a long time. I still play mine often.
Iconic looks and legendary players, but you can get the sound a lot of other ways. It's true that nothing sounds like a Ric, but you can get close (and IMO better) with EQ - boost the mids, cut the lows.
Brandon Shea
Commercial User
I finally tried a Ric last year, and it really wasn't for me. I had trouble figuring out how to make it sound good, and I think part of that was just how uncomfortable it was to play (at least while seated). Maybe ergonomics are better while standing?
Not many instruments look as cool as a Ric though, especially in Fireglo!
Not many instruments look as cool as a Ric though, especially in Fireglo!
Never owned one, never wanted to. I have a friend who owns several, including a fireglo 4001V63 cause he's a McCartney fanatic. I have played his, it's cool but I don't like the neck profile and it's generally not comfortable for me. As a general rule, Ricks look great on stage.
They are a bit of hot mess ergonomically, at least the bound models, but they make an "S" model in various finishes that has rounded edges, simple dot inlay fingerboard, etc. that addresses most of the common complaints. They are typically well balanced and reasonably light at any rate. They have recently started building them with a better (IMO) single DA trussrod, better bridge, and thinner neck profile, which makes the current crop the best they have ever built. I've never understood why Rics are so polarizing on TB, it's just a bass. You can get close to the classic Squire/Geddy Lee Ric tone with other basses, but there is some magic there, NOTHING else sounds exactly like a Ric, which makes it a bit unique in the world of basses. Are they overpriced? Compared to what? They are comparable to high-end Fenders, which nobody seems to blink an eye at, go figure. The hardware is very high quality, and the neck through construction is just more expensive and time consuming to produce. They had some finish issues for a while, which they seem to have solved, and when they get it right, nobody does a bass finish better. They are as versatile as any 2-pickup bass, all that "one trick pony" stuff is nonsense, as should be obvious listening to range of tones between Macca and Squire, but people still regularly repeat that hogwash. No bass is for everybody, but if you really like the looks and classic Ric tone, there is no substitute.
On the downside, their "warranty" is effectively worthless, since ANY warranty repairs require the owner to ship the bass back to the CA factory, with the Owner paying shipping one-way. There really is no way to polish that particular Turd, but since they sell every bass they make on backorder, I guess Ric doesn't have to care. I don't have to love the company to love the bass, but it's a reality that needs to be factored into the decision to buy one. Luckily most of the reputable dealers will issue refunds for truly defective instruments, so often dealing with Ric at all is unnecessary.
There is also no shielding whatsoever, which is absurd on a $2K+ bass with single coils, but it's an easy afternoon's work with copper shielding foil or paint to fix.... but you shouldn't have to at this price point.
The "teeth" between the bridge mute make it effectively impossible to palm mute behind the bridge pup, if you palm mute there a lot... it's a problem. The mute itself is an archaic design that is only useful if left "on" or "off" for the duration, forget about fiddling with it mid-song.
The biggest difficulty of all is just finding a bass in stock to test play. GC used to be a Ric dealer, but Ric dropped them. They have relatively few dealers, and often they only receive a couple basses at a time, or they are pre-sold and never even make it to the showroom floor. If you buy one sight-unseen/unplayed, and can't bond with it, you have an excellent chance of getting your money back, plus a bit more, on the used market. Used basses often sell for more than new because people don't want to wait 6 months to get one. No many basses you can say that about.
On the downside, their "warranty" is effectively worthless, since ANY warranty repairs require the owner to ship the bass back to the CA factory, with the Owner paying shipping one-way. There really is no way to polish that particular Turd, but since they sell every bass they make on backorder, I guess Ric doesn't have to care. I don't have to love the company to love the bass, but it's a reality that needs to be factored into the decision to buy one. Luckily most of the reputable dealers will issue refunds for truly defective instruments, so often dealing with Ric at all is unnecessary.
There is also no shielding whatsoever, which is absurd on a $2K+ bass with single coils, but it's an easy afternoon's work with copper shielding foil or paint to fix.... but you shouldn't have to at this price point.
The "teeth" between the bridge mute make it effectively impossible to palm mute behind the bridge pup, if you palm mute there a lot... it's a problem. The mute itself is an archaic design that is only useful if left "on" or "off" for the duration, forget about fiddling with it mid-song.
The biggest difficulty of all is just finding a bass in stock to test play. GC used to be a Ric dealer, but Ric dropped them. They have relatively few dealers, and often they only receive a couple basses at a time, or they are pre-sold and never even make it to the showroom floor. If you buy one sight-unseen/unplayed, and can't bond with it, you have an excellent chance of getting your money back, plus a bit more, on the used market. Used basses often sell for more than new because people don't want to wait 6 months to get one. No many basses you can say that about.
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