What's wrong with the Rickenbacker 4003?

[Rnr..........4]

I was glad to wait and get a 2021 Rick with the updated bridge. I think the modern circuit sounds great but the option to change to vintage is nice. I am not sure if the 2021 Ricks have the single truss rod or not. Have yet to remove the truss rod cover.

 

[Fishheadjoe]

i heard "rumours" that the newest releases have less beefy necks, which would interest me. The more recent one's i've seen and played have big beefy necks that just don't work for me.
Anyone have any info on that?
Thanks,
Fishheadjoe

 

[Shooz]

I take umbrage to this point. My last two Ric's were under 2K, for a US made bass. To me that's not prohibitively expensive, although it might be for some, granted.



Once again I don't think Ric even approaches boutique prices. They are in line with most US manufactured basses. I've owned a half dozen Ric's and while they have components that I swap out sometimes I've had zero QC issues. Many of the QC issues were from over a decade ago involving the paints they used and the bridge lift, which having owned two newer Ric 4003's within the past 5 years, has been solved. There are always outliers, as with any manufacturer, but I honestly don't think they have any more or less than any other builder at this point.



I would tend to disagree considering I've owned numerous Fender J basses and currently own a Fender J bass. A J bass really doesn't sound like a Ric other than the fact that they are both bass guitars.

I agree with everything you just said in you reply.

 

[TexasEdition]

Idk why this landed in my feed, but I just got my ric back from the Luther to straighten out the lousy nut and fret job. $100 later I have a $2000 instrument that is almost playable.

 

[Snakeman1066]

I agree with everything you just said in you reply.

Average going price for a new 4003 (as i type this) is between $2300.00 and $2500.00 depending on where you buy...I just spec'd out a new build with aknown American Boutique Company south of where i live and it came in right @ $3000.00 out the door...

American Made Fenders start around $1500.00 for the Performer series and top out around the $2250.00 mark for the Vintage series with the Ultra series being somewhat in the middle...I'm not a Fender nerd so I'm not sure what the actual differences are

So Rics are a little higher price wise than MOST of their American mass produced contemporaries...

that said i bought mine when they were under the $2000.00 price point and can honestly tell you that i would NOT buy a new one at current price levels...

(for the record I own a 4001 and two 4003's) the 4001 never gets played anymore I'm sure the wife or the kids will get decent money for it when I'm gone. the 4003's are relatively new 2010 and 2021...

I dig them a lot...nothing sounds (to my ears) as good distorted as a Ric does...that said they are Not for everyone...

 

[Qlanq]

I used to go to a music shop in London just to play a lovely Rick. I didn't buy it because it was a Sno Glo. I wanted a Jet Glo.
Big mistake. That Sno Glo was the best Rick I ever touched.

 

[bmusic]

Anything you love comes with a boatload of people on the internet telling you why it’s the worst thing ever.

 

[CochinoBass]

My 1989 4003 was flawless straight from Rickenbacker. I'm sure things have changed a lot in the 30+ years since then, but I have not played a new one in the last 10-15 years so maybe their quality has slipped.

 

[Gluvhand]

My 4003S, bought new in 2017, is great. Love it. Bubbling paint at the bridge included. Hipshot bridge and treble bezel are my only mods to date. I'd love a d-tuner but I don't like what Hipshot is doing with them for Rics.

 

[Deleted member 394181]

There aren't many Rickenbackers on the racks even in larger cities, but certainly not around where I live. I've long been interested in them, though.

My dad played a Rickenbacker years ago, I suppose a 4001. He said he once played it at a recording session, and the engineer liked the sound so much, he asked my Dad to bring it back to another session. Apparently he just wanted to borrow the bass itself, not my Dad to play it... :-/

Five years ago, I walked into a music store out of town, and on the rack were two basses I was interested in: a limited edition Fender P/J, and a Rickenbacker 4003. I excitedly tried the Fender first, and was pleased, but not as amazed as I expected. Then I tried the Rickenbacker, and was astounded. This sounded so good! So clear and punchy. It was unlike anything I had played before. I thought about buying it right then and there, but didn't.

I was recently at another store that had a 4003 on the rack, and tried it out, again comparing to a Fender. Again, the Rickenbacker sounded markedly better to me. I might would have this time bought that one off the rack, but they only had black finish, and I wanted to get one in natural maple, like my Dad had.

I found one at another store, ordered it, and have been enjoying it greatly the past few days.

So getting down to the question -- now that I'm doing some actual research about specific questions about Rickenbackers (e.g., how to adjust the pickup height, how to tweak the truss rod, etc.), I am seeing lots and lots of people complaining about them. Either claiming quality control issues (seems perfectly well-made to me!), or claiming that they just don't sound good (sounds great to me!), or claiming they feel weird in their hands (a little different, but no complaints from me there either).

Am I missing something? Should I in fact not be liking this 4003 as much as I do? Do I have some blind spot?

What's wrong with the Rickenbacker 4003?

Forme, nothing. All basses are different from one another, even Ricks. Still, my 4003 is my number one.

 

[Deleted member 394181]

Dual trussrods weren't scary, they were poopy. Necks still warped with it. Why? Cause if you remove that much wood, it's useless to have two trussrod, the structural integrity of the remaining wood is too soft/damaged. A good neck (not too flat) with a good trussrod will do wonders.

Lacquered fretboards from RIC are a pain because they apply lacquer AFTER fret job. Which is why removing the frets to replace them is hard. Some other brand install the frets after lacquer.

And yes RIC has patents all over their instruments, shape, pickup placement, headstock shape, logos, etc. They have the right to do that and protect that.



Sound isn't different enough from a Jazz Bass? Maybe you need a earing check, they sound completely different. Pickups soloed or blended, period.



Nope, and nope. Doesn't sound close enough to a Rick.

I think they are leaving the fretboard without lacquer.. I use the treble cover for a handrest. Mine always seems to be in tune. I have traded / sold a few. Regret it but had to. I often wonder why a person would sand necks and replace so many things on them. ?

 

[Jeff Scott]

I used to go to a music shop in London just to play a lovely Rick. I didn't buy it because it was a Sno Glo. I wanted a Jet Glo.
Big mistake. That Sno Glo was the best Rick I ever touched.

You need both.

 

[Rnr..........4]

Can confirm, my Rick has the dual truss rods.

 

[philiprst]

I have used Rickenbacker 4003 models and 4003s models for over 25 years (I have had several). They are not my only basses and they are not, in my opinion, basses that can cover a wide variety of situations. I think that nowadays the trend is for a bass that is more flexible. I have had no issues with mine and it is a fairly large sample. You can find lots of basses with better ergonomics, of course and almost everyone takes off the plastic pickup cover which just gets in the way. Rickenbacker seems to be comfortable with selling all it can make but not expanding into lots of different versions or incremental changes every year. The regular price is not at all out of line with comparable USA basses on the market. It seems that some techs don't like working on double truss rods (this has been somewhat my experience) but I think this has less to do with it being a fundamental problem with the design but more to do with them seeing this type of truss rod only occasionally and being much more comfortable with the more straightforward and less time consuming process of adjusting a single truss rod.

My most recent 4003 is a 2022 model which has some changes as other have noted. I found a store with 4 20022s in stock (they didn't last long) and compared them. What I did notice is some variation in the neck shape between seemingly identical models and there were noticeable differences (albeit fairly small) in the way they sounded. This struck me as different to my experience with older models.

And yes you can get a somewhat similar sound from other basses, especially if they have single coils and/or comprehensive EQ.

 

[Jeff Scott]

It seems that some techs don't like working on double truss rods (this has been somewhat my experience) but I think this has less to do with it being a fundamental problem with the design but more to do with them seeing this type of truss rod only occasionally and being much more comfortable with the more straightforward and less time consuming process of adjusting a single truss rod.

I wonder how many of those same techs have done setups on Alembic basses.

 

[Rnr..........4]

I noticed a difference in two 2021 Ricks. A 4003 sounded great and more like the tone associated with Ricks but another 4003S with unfinished fretboard sounded different. I think the finished fretboard of yesteryears might contribute some to that sound.

 

[Deleted member 394181]

People should say "I think" or "I believe" the pick up cover "gets in the way" or "Is useless". Not everyone agrees, some of us like the covers.

 

[Gluvhand]

People should say "I think" or "I believe" the pick up cover "gets in the way" or "Is useless". Not everyone agrees, some of us like the covers.

I don't think anyone believes they speak for everyone. If I'm saying it it's obvious it's what I think or believe. If you disagree, say so. Or not.

 

[Kayvan S]

I have a 4003, I think it’s a 2005. It wasn’t often that I’d seen Rics in any stores; I’d always attributed that to small production, but who knows.

I guess I must have gotten lucky, because I don’t feel the neck on mine is beefy or wide at all. In fact, the neck felt slim and fast and was one of the things I liked the most about it. The body looks cool, but I do find it uncomfortable after a while. I also wasn’t crazy about the pickup cover, but I swapped it with a thumbrest variant from Pick of the Rics. Never had any Tech issues with the truss rods, but it was a chore to get the input jack(s) replaced and wired correctly.

Other than that, it’s a great bass and cuts through mixes really well.

 

[Jeff Scott]

People should say "I think" or "I believe" the pick up cover "gets in the way" or "Is useless". Not everyone agrees, some of us like the covers.

They also need to add "for me".