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What's wrong with the Rickenbacker 4003?
- Thread starter trothwell
- Start date
Some old 70's had their binding attached with a glue that would slowly seep into the maple so you got this kind of weird oil stained darker ring around the outside of the body on the mapleglo bodies. It's rare, like the 2 years where the midnight blue finish could stain the white binding and back of the pickguard (mine is like this). These were all fixed shortly after it was discovered.
First Ric I tried was the one I ordered from wildwood and tried after I owned it.
I currently have 5 of the 6 I have owned. (Traded one for another).
I don’t get a lot of them rhetorical repetitive complaints, but I also don’t get some of the elitist douchebag fanboi’s.
Some shagers can’t adjust a single truss rod, so add a second and see what happens…
I have one with the “new” single truss rod and I prefer the dual set up, but the single is fine too.
I just play what I like.
I currently have 5 of the 6 I have owned. (Traded one for another).
I don’t get a lot of them rhetorical repetitive complaints, but I also don’t get some of the elitist douchebag fanboi’s.
Some shagers can’t adjust a single truss rod, so add a second and see what happens…
I have one with the “new” single truss rod and I prefer the dual set up, but the single is fine too.
I just play what I like.
If a bass gets you excited to play, then it's the right bass for you. Period, end of story. Don't let anybody talk you out of having fun with an instrument.
I played one once in a store. I liked it OK. But it was too expensive for me, and too heavy for me.
I've heard them from the audience and loved the or hated the sound. That's true for other basses also, depending on the player and the music and the amp/PA and the mix etc etc.
I don't need one, but people like them, so I won't tell anyone they're wrong. Just don't say "Danelectros suck!"
I've heard them from the audience and loved the or hated the sound. That's true for other basses also, depending on the player and the music and the amp/PA and the mix etc etc.
I don't need one, but people like them, so I won't tell anyone they're wrong. Just don't say "Danelectros suck!"
So the only thing that would bug me is that sometimes the bridge can be a pain in ass to deal with and the Ric o sound is kinda a novelty since many people don't use it. I feel like it's not really necessary anymore with how good eq systems are now. Also you have the binding that can be sharp unless you sand it down and dull the edges of need be. The pickup cover is kinda dumb and is the first thing to go. Fenders are goofy for having them too btw. The dual truss rod can be tricky if you don't know what you're doing. But that's what YouTube is for. Aside from those things mentioned they are absolutely beautiful and if you can get it to feel good when you're playing and get the tone you are happy with then it's worth having. I never scoffed at anyone who brings a Ricky out on stage, to a jam, to the studio, anywhere.
You should be doing exactly as you have been. Based on what you said in parenthesis above, you should be liking it just fine. Some do, some don't, you (and I) do.
I think lack of ergonomics is more appropriate.
I played them but never owned one.
However, they sound fantastic, play nice referring to the neck, and I love the look!
I will own one someday
@trothwell :
Rickenbackers are idiosyncratic, and the company is extremely conservative.
They stick with design choices made long ago, for better or for worse.
Rickenbacker could easily make a bass that sounds exactly the same, but isn't one giant ergonomic fail.
But they don't.
They view the 'unique' shape, with binding sharp enough to cut into your forearm like a cheese slicer, as a necessary part of the bass.
They view the needlessly gigantic bridge pickup frame, that leaves many players nowhere to put their hand, as a necessary part of the bass.
Even when they make a design change that is obviously for the worse, they'll stick with it for at least a decade before deciding to change it.
That gets them a lot of hate.
But it also gets them the same sort of love that people have for vintage British sports cars.
They're idiosyncratic, poorly built, have massive design flaws, and they're not even all that fast.
But the experience of driving them is unique -- and there are plenty of people willing to put up with all of that, because they have so much fun driving them.
So it is with the Ric.
I can't stand them, myself. To me, playing a Ric is like playing while standing barefoot on Legos.
But like vintage British sports cars, plenty of other people find the sound, and the experience of playing a Ric, worth dealing with all the issues...and I don't tell them they're wrong, because that's their experience, not mine.
If you love playing yours, rock on.
Rickenbackers are idiosyncratic, and the company is extremely conservative.
They stick with design choices made long ago, for better or for worse.
Rickenbacker could easily make a bass that sounds exactly the same, but isn't one giant ergonomic fail.
But they don't.
They view the 'unique' shape, with binding sharp enough to cut into your forearm like a cheese slicer, as a necessary part of the bass.
They view the needlessly gigantic bridge pickup frame, that leaves many players nowhere to put their hand, as a necessary part of the bass.
Even when they make a design change that is obviously for the worse, they'll stick with it for at least a decade before deciding to change it.
That gets them a lot of hate.
But it also gets them the same sort of love that people have for vintage British sports cars.
They're idiosyncratic, poorly built, have massive design flaws, and they're not even all that fast.
But the experience of driving them is unique -- and there are plenty of people willing to put up with all of that, because they have so much fun driving them.
So it is with the Ric.
I can't stand them, myself. To me, playing a Ric is like playing while standing barefoot on Legos.
But like vintage British sports cars, plenty of other people find the sound, and the experience of playing a Ric, worth dealing with all the issues...and I don't tell them they're wrong, because that's their experience, not mine.
If you love playing yours, rock on.
Nothing.
Wait until you hear a Thunderbird next to a Fender.
But gig time is crunch time, really.
D
Well, there are three possible outcomes when buying a Rick:
1) You love it (or adapt to it) and it works great forever after.
2) There may not be anything wrong with it but you simply can't bond with it. Many players seem to fall into this category. Ricks look cool but they're not for everyone.
3) You curse the day you spent a fortune on this piece of junk when it starts falling apart after a couple of years. Sadly I'm in this category. Within a couple of years my (early 2000s) 4003 developed the dreaded "tail lift", a twisted neck (and yes, I know how to use a Rick truss rod, I work at a guitar workshop/luthier) and binding coming loose from the body. From what I see at the workshop (and read online) it seems I'm not alone in category 3).
To sum it up: Report back after 10 years. That's when you'll know which category YOU have ended up in.
I should probably also add that some dealers are wary about keeping Ricks in stock because of RICs laughable warranty policy (which often leaves the store with the cost of repairs if anything bad happens).
1) You love it (or adapt to it) and it works great forever after.
2) There may not be anything wrong with it but you simply can't bond with it. Many players seem to fall into this category. Ricks look cool but they're not for everyone.
3) You curse the day you spent a fortune on this piece of junk when it starts falling apart after a couple of years. Sadly I'm in this category. Within a couple of years my (early 2000s) 4003 developed the dreaded "tail lift", a twisted neck (and yes, I know how to use a Rick truss rod, I work at a guitar workshop/luthier) and binding coming loose from the body. From what I see at the workshop (and read online) it seems I'm not alone in category 3).
To sum it up: Report back after 10 years. That's when you'll know which category YOU have ended up in.
I should probably also add that some dealers are wary about keeping Ricks in stock because of RICs laughable warranty policy (which often leaves the store with the cost of repairs if anything bad happens).
Nothing wrong with a Ric. If you like it, you like it. The ergonomics and some of the hardware (bridge) is often what makes players shy away. Some of the Ric basses I have played have a sort of goofy, mildly tapered neck profile. Some of the more recent models (as well as my friend's Jet Glo 73) have a profile that is more like a P bass, which works great for me.
I'm a J bass guy, but find I only use two settings: the neck PU soloed or neck mixed 50/50 with the bridge PU. The bridge PU soloed lacks oomph without extra push from the bass control on the onboard EQ or low end from the amp. No biggie, it's how I play and enjoy a J.
However, the Ric, with both pickups pushed neckward, sound great soloed or blended. I can still get a bigger, band-supporting tonality out of the soloed bridge pickup (as long as it doesn't have the high pass cap). The soloed neck pickup has a nice, deep fundamental. Both pickups blended get that familiar, scoopy, 2 pickup tone that I like on the J.
I'm a J bass guy, but find I only use two settings: the neck PU soloed or neck mixed 50/50 with the bridge PU. The bridge PU soloed lacks oomph without extra push from the bass control on the onboard EQ or low end from the amp. No biggie, it's how I play and enjoy a J.
However, the Ric, with both pickups pushed neckward, sound great soloed or blended. I can still get a bigger, band-supporting tonality out of the soloed bridge pickup (as long as it doesn't have the high pass cap). The soloed neck pickup has a nice, deep fundamental. Both pickups blended get that familiar, scoopy, 2 pickup tone that I like on the J.
Truth! Time will tell...
The warranty is laughable. It starts ticking away the day it leaves the factory, not at the time of purchase from the customer. No biggie, warranties are usually a joke, anyway.
Ricks are great basses. As far as adjusting them, just learn how to do it properly, and you'll be fine. "knowledge is power"
Some folks will disagree...
Some folks will disagree...
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.
