What's wrong with the Rickenbacker 4003?

[pbass2]

I grew up on a 4001, my first good bass, bought at age 15 in the 70's. I played only that for a decade in my original rock and new wave bands before trying anything else. I didn't even really know what other basses felt like. Once I started working pro and doing lots of recording, I gravitated towards FSO's for all the usual reasons. But I'd love to have another Ricky one day though, even if I don't have a particular need for it - nothing else sounds like them.

 

[willsellout]

As for the prices, I'd say that they're definitely in the boutique range, being over 2k. Currently a new 4003 will set you back about $2400.

I guess everyone should qualify what their threshold for boutique is. My threshold for what I'd consider boutique is probably 4-5K and above. As far as what you can get a Ric for, I've purchased three new Ric's over the last 5 years; one from Wildwood, two from Sweetwater. I paid 1750.00 at Wildwood, 1500.00 and 1800.00 at Sweetwater. I'm sure there are people who pay full price, I don't think most people are actually paying list price for Ric's. I could certainly be wrong. Definitely not trying to be argumentative with you on this but I feel like folks should know you should NOT be paying full price for a Ric, especially since their cost is about half that.

A significant difference between the two brands might be though that if you get a crappy fender, you can just take it back to the store and get another one immediately or likely in a reasonable amount of time. Not so with a Ric, and probably with more hassle.

This is why everyone should live 5 minutes from Sweetwater, like I do, so they can play basses before they buy them! Seriously, this is a really good point. Ric's are rare and resellers get them in whenever Ric decides to send them some.

 

[Steve Cooke]

Ive owned 4 total in my life, and at one point recently I had 3 at once. Its probably overkill - at least for me, so after this one sells, I will have only 1: For Sale - Rickenbacker 4003s 2020

There's nothing wrong with them. There are a lot of solutions for problems that don't exist for me [Hipshot Bridge] and some that make sense for me [treble bezel]. Dual rods are easy to adjust on anything after early 80's [?].

Its probably been mentioned, but go here for more Rick Bass Fun: The Rickenbacker Club Part Twelve

 

[willsellout]

I really like my '21 4003 Jetglo (Wildwood Guitars, 1/16/22) but Ric's QC let a faulty neck finish pass through (mine is an unfinished fretboard and roughly halfway down the topcoat started to chip off at the fingerboard edge). So back to Santa Ana it went, got it back two weeks later and it's flawless. The only issue (a serious one) is the strap button on the upper horn, it loosens up frequently; I tried the thread tape solution but it didn't work, it would keep loosening up...removed the thread tape and it's better but still un-solid. Haven't tried the 'drop of pure water' method that Mr Hall 'recommended', but I'm looking into the possibility of a drop of Loctite instead. So I am asking here, what is the best method to secure that straplok button?

This is a common thing for sure. What I normally do is fill the hole with toothpicks and a bit of wood glue and then reinstall the button with some loctite on it. It has worked for me so far. I'm honestly not sure why Ric's have this issue and other makers don't.

 

[Gianni "Orlandez" Orlati]

Most of what I knew about them prior to buying one was (a) I like how they sound in recordings, and (b) I like how they sound when I've played one in person. It didn't even occur to me to ask other people what they thought of them.

After getting one, researching forums for answers to some specific questions about instrument setup, I noticed a curiously large number of people complaining about them. I was asking this question trying to learn if there was anything beyond "I don't prefer them" that I should be concerned about, such as some well-known problems perhaps I had never heard of.

Thanks!

Well, I never had the pleasure to play one but I love the instrument’s tone very much and I’ll buy one in the future for sure.
I believe that, from a purely practical perspective, having two thin truss-rods instead of one may be a problem (provided that the newest 4003 are still made like that, which I’m not sure about); how can one be sure to avoid neck twisting?
There are also certified complaints about the bridge stiffness, with the bridge tail tending to detach from the bass body; they said this issue has been solved in the more recent specimen with a modification of the bridge itself.
People also complain about the bad ergonomics of the instrument.
Maybe all of the above has a meaning but this is a Rickenbacker; as stated, if you want that tone, that is the instrument to play or its more ergo-friendly version, the 4003S.
So no hate on my side.
I’m a Fender guy for now for the simple reason that I’ve never found an affordable enough Rick to buy !

 

[GretschWretch]

Prog Boomer cred

Band name right here.

 

[iiipopes]

It wasn't my intention to present such a trite question. In terms of personal preference, I couldn't care any less.

It wasn't until I acquired one myself, and started researching specific questions on forums, that I noticed so many negative comments against them. I was genuinely interested in learning if there was some well-known problem with them that I wasn't aware of, beyond simply "I don't like it".

It sounds like the answer is, "maybe, kinda, sorta, but actually most of the tangible problems have been resolved in the past few years". I think I was unintentionally wise to wait and get a 2022 model, although I may well have been happy with an earlier one as well.

Thanks all! Very enlightening discussion.

The question was not trite. I did not mean for my reply to be interpreted as trite. My response was directed to the rest of the forum which does tend to be opinionated and will not accept diversity in many areas of discussion. Quite the contrary. I was equating the question about a Rickenbacker bass to the more weighty issues of humanity and how in the "real world" we have to deal with bias and prejudice, which we all unfortunately must do from time to time. And BTW, I also have a Rickenbacker bass, a 4002 (yes, "2," not "1" or "3"). Cheers!

 

[BassyBill]

Between the ages of 15 and 45, I always wanted a Rickenbacker. I was really pleased to buy one in £2004, a Fireglo 4003, for £900 new, with the Ric case, of course.

The bass was beautifully made and the finish over the wood grain was also beautiful. I loved the sound of it and the feel of the neck. The rosewood fingerboard was gorgeous.

Things I disliked - the pickup cover (looks great, but otherwise just a pointless nuisance), the design and very fiddly adjustability of the bridge / mute / tailpiece assembly. The neck needed frequent seasonal truss rod tweaking (never had to do this so much on any other bass).

After keeping it for about five years and only ever gigging it twice, I decided to let it go as the great things about it were outweighed by the minuses. The Jazz basses I had at the time just worked for me better - it was really that simple. I sold it, mint, for the same price I paid for it. So, not a disaster by any means. Just kinda disappointing after dreaming of getting one for so many years.

 

[Gizmot]

I've owned and played Rics for over 40 years. The only instruments in my closet that are absolutely not going anywhere are my Rics! My G&Ls, Gibsons, PRS, Fender, Yamaha, etc. can all go away - but not my Rics. I've written about this before, but in my experience, Rics are extremely well made and the ones I own have been perfectly trouble-free. Of course, anything made by human hands can have flaws or problems, but all the ones my friends and I have owned have been solidly reliable and have never had a single problem.
If Rickenbacker gave me good reasons to buy another bass, I'd jump right on it.

 

[DRay521]

Honest question, are there ANY bass brands that nobody complains about?

They’re all unique and so are the players who use them, so if you find one you love, enjoy!

 

[Ric5]

A lot of people prefer Fender because their 1st bass was a cheap Fender clone, then got used to the brand/style of a j or p bass and then go on to play Fenders for the rest of their careers ...

My first bass was a Hofner clone, then I gat a real Hofner, then a SG bass and then I got a used 4001 bass that needed work ... I went 30 years before I owned a Fender or Fender style bass.

Rickenbacker goes after clones like a Salem witch trial so today a beginner has to pay $2500 to get a 4003. So they don't ever develop brand loyalty to Rickenbacker and after years of playing other basses

 

[zubrycky]

The only wrong thing about a Rickenbacker 4003s is the fact that I don't have one.

 

[AtomicPunk]

I'm sure you know this, but just to be clear for the folks who don't. The new ones don't have lacquered fretboards and I really love it. I thought it was a downside but it's actually much better. Easier to work on for fretwork and the grain of the wood really comes through in a way it didn't with the lacquered fretboards. I dig it.

But does it have the same "clank"?

 

[J Wilson]

I never had any luck making one sound 'bassy' enough, but that's me. I worked with a guy who had one in a serious Rush tribute, and he got that big, firm, bright Geddy tone no problem

The double-truss rods were only a problem to the unskilled. They always ran very minimum frets, not many recrowns possible. Older ones had tiny posts relative to big bass strings. The previous, traditional bridge was simply pitiful, impossible to adjust under tension for most guys, and the saddles were difficult to recut cleanly.

Now. Having said that, every bass design has it's quirks, and Rickenbacker is hardly alone in selling 50's-era instruments, and their is big demand for traditional instruments. I've made peace with the idea that heel-adjust truss rods are a better idea. I'll never understand why Fender has never left easy access for it, leaving a small rout like Yamaha and others.

I always say you should play whatever helps you make your best music. And for some guys, they can really make a 4000-series Ric walk and talk, and that's great.

 

[prowla]

Quit showing off . You have any idea how many of them seem to be out there yet they are so rare to find on sale for decent condition and semi reasonable price. Seems like every post on the Rickenbacker owners club or Facebook group is a damn azureglo. *Rant over*

That's a beautiful bass, hold onto it

Hehe - it was a bit gratuitous.
Here's a selection of my other basses.

Actually, I didn't bond with the 5-string and sold it back to the person I bought it from a year later.
However, I did buy another 4003 to take its place; this is it having a lie down.

(It does need a couple of frets looking at, so it might be a whole refret.)
As an aside, if you're into blue Rics, this is a faker I have too.

 

[willsellout]

But does it have the same "clank"?

My newest one seems to sound the same as any other Ric I've owned. It's actually a really great example of what a Ric should be.

 

[farace]

I really like my '21 4003 Jetglo (Wildwood Guitars, 1/16/22) but Ric's QC let a faulty neck finish pass through (mine is an unfinished fretboard and roughly halfway down the topcoat started to chip off at the fingerboard edge). So back to Santa Ana it went, got it back two weeks later and it's flawless. The only issue (a serious one) is the strap button on the upper horn, it loosens up frequently; I tried the thread tape solution but it didn't work, it would keep loosening up...removed the thread tape and it's better but still un-solid. Haven't tried the 'drop of pure water' method that Mr Hall 'recommended', but I'm looking into the possibility of a drop of Loctite instead. So I am asking here, what is the best method to secure that straplok button?

When my strap buttons were getting loose I emailed Ric customer service to see if there was a factory fix. The CS rep emailed me back and told me that no, there wasn’t a factory solution, but that on his own bass he removed the button, put a small drop of cyanoacrylate glue down the hole, and screwed the button back in. I tried that and haven’t had a problem since.

 

[NOVAX]

CHRIS SQUIRE IS NO LONGER ON THIS PLANE-THAT'S WHATS WRONG!

 

[Ric5]

I never had any luck making one sound 'bassy' enough, but that's me.

There is a big difference from a 4001 to a 4003. I started with a 1968 4001 and that was my main bass for 30 years, it had a weak 6.7k ohm toaster neck pickup, and a 4k ohm bridge pickup, and it had the .0047 capacitor the was basically a high pass filter that removed the low end from the already weak and trebly bridge pickup. Even with those issues that bass worked great in a blues band, when properly equalized and using a big old school bass and and bass cab. The toaster pickup is a 6 pole guitar pickup, and the horseshoe pickup is a lap steel pickup. These pickups were not voiced for a grunty bass tone. Also the 4001 had 250k ohm volume pots and 500k ohm tone pots with single coil pickups. The 4003 is a different animal. The pickups are wound to more like 11k ohms and the pots and caps vary but overall the 4003 is a thicker and fatter sounding bass. I have a 4004 that has been converted into a 5 string and it has single coils. When I solo or favor the neck pickup the low end is immense, while still having a treble bite.

 

[devnulljp]

I would also like to try a new one. I have a 2005 Midnight Blue, and I desperately want an Azureglo 4001 (more for the color than needing it to be a 4001) If they would bring back Azureglo I'd buy a new one instantly, but as it stands, I just don't like black, pale, red, or maple fretboards.

Found a pic of my old 4003

I'd love one in this colour, whatever it's called. I love the commitment in this pic.