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What's so great about the Rickenbacker?
- Thread starter Greenman72
- Start date
Roger Rossmeisl was inspired by the cresting waves of the Pacific Ocean when he designed the 4000 in 1956 - hence the name "cresting wave headstock". That's why the wave on the headstock faces to the right.
My 60 year old self loves it now!
And yet it took RIC nearly seventy years to improve on it. Can't have those purists and fanbois upset, you know.
Funnily enough, in 1969 it was Yes' version of the Beatles' song "Every Little Thing" that first made me wonder what was the instrument
making that glorious bass sound. I'd probably already seen some Rick 4005 basses being played by Ox, or Nick st Nicholas on tv,
but Chris' playing style and tone was totally different and unique at the time.
making that glorious bass sound. I'd probably already seen some Rick 4005 basses being played by Ox, or Nick st Nicholas on tv,
but Chris' playing style and tone was totally different and unique at the time.
I absolutely love my Ric. It looks great, sounds great - with its RS66s - and is very comfortable to play.
It's beautifully balanced, light, my forearm sits in just the right place to put my plucking hand... in just the right place.
Without a doubt, the nicest instrument - in fact, the nicest thing! - I've ever owned.
It's been on every gig for the last ten years, playing rock, country, folk and pop music ,without any notion of it being "unsuitable" for any of them.
I replaced the intonation grub screws with allen headed ones, but after its first set up, ten years ago, no adjustments have been required.
The neck is my favourite aspect. Deeper front to back than my other basses, almost flat at the back with rounded shoulders, and having very little taper either front to back or side to side. Being a walnut S model it has a lovely satin finish.
I got it on ebay - in a private sale - nine weeks from its date of manufacture for £1600. So, second hand, but seemingly unopened and untouched.
Ive been offered £2000 for it, but - needless to say - I won't be parting with it. Easily one of my best decisions.
"Rickenbackers", as an esteemed gentleman round these parts has it, "rule the roost."
It's beautifully balanced, light, my forearm sits in just the right place to put my plucking hand... in just the right place.
Without a doubt, the nicest instrument - in fact, the nicest thing! - I've ever owned.
It's been on every gig for the last ten years, playing rock, country, folk and pop music ,without any notion of it being "unsuitable" for any of them.
I replaced the intonation grub screws with allen headed ones, but after its first set up, ten years ago, no adjustments have been required.
The neck is my favourite aspect. Deeper front to back than my other basses, almost flat at the back with rounded shoulders, and having very little taper either front to back or side to side. Being a walnut S model it has a lovely satin finish.
I got it on ebay - in a private sale - nine weeks from its date of manufacture for £1600. So, second hand, but seemingly unopened and untouched.
Ive been offered £2000 for it, but - needless to say - I won't be parting with it. Easily one of my best decisions.
"Rickenbackers", as an esteemed gentleman round these parts has it, "rule the roost."
I have always loved the shape & styling of the 4000 - 4004 basses, I still think they look amazing even with their odd things that annoyed me.
I had a 1992 4003 for 16 years and had my fair share of annoying issues, getting the action low enough tail lift and other things that used to bug me.
I moved to a new 2014 Am.Std P bass but over the years I missed owning a 4001/4003. The prices secondhand are three times or more than, the £650 my wife paid in 1998.
To scratch the Ric itch this February I bought a 1990 Greco RB-85 for a lot less, honestly it's made very well and until funds are are available it covers my Ric cravings.
I had a 1992 4003 for 16 years and had my fair share of annoying issues, getting the action low enough tail lift and other things that used to bug me.
I moved to a new 2014 Am.Std P bass but over the years I missed owning a 4001/4003. The prices secondhand are three times or more than, the £650 my wife paid in 1998.
To scratch the Ric itch this February I bought a 1990 Greco RB-85 for a lot less, honestly it's made very well and until funds are are available it covers my Ric cravings.
Yikes. We were discussing inflation and prices a bit over in the club thread, but even accounting for the extra premium I would expect just getting the things over the water to you guys that's still outstripped inflation for both of us.
There was an interview with Ringo that I heard on the Sirius XM radio Beatles Channel while driving this week. He said that the early Beatles records didn't have much bass drum because they lowered the bass frequencies all around. Most of the bass heard on the earlier Beatles songs is from Paul's bass. So I think Ringo would have wanted his bass drum to be heard more like it is on the later Beatles records.Fantastic! I don't know what Ringo might have thought, but that's awesome.
Anyone who claims that RickenBACKers are "Junk" is to be avoided at all costs.
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Probably an unpopular opinion, but I think the Ric isn't a great bass per se
...but so much great music has been played on one that it deserves a place in the pantheon of inspiring musical instruments that are worth owning (or at least trying).
...but so much great music has been played on one that it deserves a place in the pantheon of inspiring musical instruments that are worth owning (or at least trying).
Great song, great bass sound,but not the Rick.
Which bass did Chris Squire use on "Lucky Seven"?
And, what's your source? I would love to find a reputable guide of all the basses Squire has used on every tune in his discography!
One of Only Two Basses that I purchased NEW (both from DownTown Sounds, my LOCAL M.I shop) before I walked down the Aisle, picked them up and played them.
Without sounding too "Corporate or Greedy"..... the Keyword above might very well be "Discontinued". RickenBACKer did pretty much NOTHING to promote the bass including ignoring it on their own Web Site. 
So where does "Discontinued" come in? As it's a Fabulous Bass there will come a day when some "Biggie" will make it their prime instrument and the Pricetag on the few that are out there will Soar. Stranger things have happened...have they not? There are those among us who pay HUGE money for Heavy Relics....something I find Hysterical.
Patience is a Virtue.......RickenBACKers are a Treasure.Attachments
Some biggie like... Geddy Lee? Lemmy? Paul McCartney? [Edit: realized that you probably meant specifically the 4003S5, which none of these guys played... disregard...]One of Only Two Basses that I purchased NEW (both from DownTown Sounds, my LOCAL M.I shop) before I walked down the Aisle, picked them up and played them.
So where does "Discontinued" come in? As it's a Fabulous Bass there will come a day when some "Biggie" will make it their prime instrument and the Pricetag on the few that are out there will Soar. Stranger things have happened...have they not? There are those among us who pay HUGE money for Heavy Relics....something I find Hysterical.
There are plenty of big names attached to the 4001/4003 style bass, demand has been pretty consistently higher than their current production process can meet, so they always sell quickly. Rare or discontinued models sell for even more. I guess you can get away with not having a good website when you've got people lining up to buy your stuff anyway.
What's great? Esthetics, unique sound, unique connectability (why others haven't follow is beyond me), good MIA build quality, great heritage... I've played a Ric for over 10 years, sold it and I don't regret, but it doesn't mean they are not great basses. Yes, they are costly, and at least here, in Europe you may need to get on a waiting list to get a new one, but gees, nothing sounds like a Ric.
LOVE that V63! Where Did you get the pickguard?Anyone who claims that RickenBACKers are "Junk" is to be avoided at all costs.
His white custom Fender Telecaster bass with the extra pickup. Also Used on South side of the sky,Time and a Word,,No Opportunity,
and other tracks I'm sure. My source is my brain's memory, which admittedly CAN be sketchy
Here's an expert's opinion. As far as a reputable guide, maybe RickResource Forum, I think they have an entire section devoted to Chris,
for his Ricks and other basses. It would be great to see an actual table of what instruments he used for all the recordings!
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YES released Fragile approx 1971 and I was a 20 year old bass player (born in 1951 I should have been using Leo's Precision Bass loll..makes me wonder if woody is older then me now I blabbed my age loll). Anyway I was in a working band using a beautiful Gibson EB-3, but I fell in love with the sound of Chris Squire's Rickenbacker belting out Roundabout through the car speakers on the way to my gigs...I had to have one loll
There was no internet or ready information on the actual Rickenbacker basses and what I could glean came from mainly Bass and guitar magazines and newspaper clippings etc. I'm sure I ordered the 4000 model because an advert at the time stated they were a bit cheaper than the 2 pup model 4001 series and being ignorant of anything Rickenbacker except how they sounded I opted for the 4000 model in blue (Azureglo I think it was called at that time).
I was a bricklayer in that era and making reasonable money so I ordered a Ric 4000 through my local music shop and waited months for the delivery. Being an Australian order back then from a city that never stocked them anywhere in the first place (Adelaide South Aust), my order was channeled through a large Sydney music store first, then onto Rickenbacker in the USA. I cant remember exactly how long I waited for the bass to arrive but I know it was at least 6 months even back then in 1971 loll
Once I had it in my hands it was a dream come true and was the finest bass sound I had ever imagined from that 1 bridge pickup. Its a pity at the time there wasnt an affordable bass amp here to equal the sound the Ric put out...I was running an Aussie brand Lenard 150 watt amp and 4 x 12" Etone speakers cab bought about 1970 and it sufficed.
I guess you could say I have always been a Rickenbacker bass lover...the slightly shorter neck length I loved and the ergonomics people go on about never bothered me one bit and every gig was something to look forward to so I could let loose with that sound loll...I was pretty confident I was the only guy in a town of nearly 1Mill people at the time, who owned a Ric 4000
I bought a 4001 in the 80's sometime and rocked that through into the 90's and stupidly traded it in for a brand new 1991 Peavey Dyna Bass 5 string..a purchase I have never regretted anyway..The Peavey Dyna 5 is a great bass.
I missed my Rics though and lashed out in 2017 when a music shop in the next state (Victoria) emailed me that 2 4003 Rics had just come in from the USA that day...was I interested...I was on the phone in minutes and laying down a deposit on the 4003 Fireglo. I completed purchase in the next few weeks and received the bass before my birthday in May of 2017. It was like greeting a long lost friend back home. Pictures from the mentioned era's of 70's 80's and 2017.
That's my Rickenbacker story and I'm sticking to it loll
There was no internet or ready information on the actual Rickenbacker basses and what I could glean came from mainly Bass and guitar magazines and newspaper clippings etc. I'm sure I ordered the 4000 model because an advert at the time stated they were a bit cheaper than the 2 pup model 4001 series and being ignorant of anything Rickenbacker except how they sounded I opted for the 4000 model in blue (Azureglo I think it was called at that time).
I was a bricklayer in that era and making reasonable money so I ordered a Ric 4000 through my local music shop and waited months for the delivery. Being an Australian order back then from a city that never stocked them anywhere in the first place (Adelaide South Aust), my order was channeled through a large Sydney music store first, then onto Rickenbacker in the USA. I cant remember exactly how long I waited for the bass to arrive but I know it was at least 6 months even back then in 1971 loll
Once I had it in my hands it was a dream come true and was the finest bass sound I had ever imagined from that 1 bridge pickup. Its a pity at the time there wasnt an affordable bass amp here to equal the sound the Ric put out...I was running an Aussie brand Lenard 150 watt amp and 4 x 12" Etone speakers cab bought about 1970 and it sufficed.
I guess you could say I have always been a Rickenbacker bass lover...the slightly shorter neck length I loved and the ergonomics people go on about never bothered me one bit and every gig was something to look forward to so I could let loose with that sound loll...I was pretty confident I was the only guy in a town of nearly 1Mill people at the time, who owned a Ric 4000
I bought a 4001 in the 80's sometime and rocked that through into the 90's and stupidly traded it in for a brand new 1991 Peavey Dyna Bass 5 string..a purchase I have never regretted anyway..The Peavey Dyna 5 is a great bass.
I missed my Rics though and lashed out in 2017 when a music shop in the next state (Victoria) emailed me that 2 4003 Rics had just come in from the USA that day...was I interested...I was on the phone in minutes and laying down a deposit on the 4003 Fireglo. I completed purchase in the next few weeks and received the bass before my birthday in May of 2017. It was like greeting a long lost friend back home. Pictures from the mentioned era's of 70's 80's and 2017.
That's my Rickenbacker story and I'm sticking to it loll
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