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Where can I find a Rick to play?

S

samalope

Sep 15, 2009
25
0
#1
Hello Everybody :)
I love the way Chris Squire's Rickenbacker sounds. Probably my favorite tone of all my "Idols." I would love to have one of these basses, but have never played one. Before I spend $1500+ on one on ebay or something, I wanna know how they play. Does anyone know of a place in Denver where I can try one out?

Thanks a lot :)
:bassist:
 
#5
You know, this is not a bad question - - I can't think of the last time I saw a Ric hanging on a wall at a store... And they used to be EVERYWHERE at one time.

Now, the good news is that if you buy one used on Ebay or whatnot, you can always resell it without much loss (if any). A fine reason to never buy new.
 
#11
There's a store a mile from me, the Chicago Music Exchange, that always has multiple Rics in stock. They usually have 3-5 4003s and a V63 or two as well.
 
#12
Rob Martinez said:
The 4001C64 is a pretty close reissue of a 60s Rick. Or at least it is supposed to be. I love mine! Even if it isn't, I still love it, it is a killer Rickenbacker bass.
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It looks similar and they claim it to be a reproduction, but it really isn't. Its a 4003 with different pickups (not the same as the ones in the 60s, the horseshoes in the horseshoe pickups are now just for show) and less embellishment for a grand and a half more. They are still nice basses, I think modern ricks sound great in their own way, but they are way different from the old ricks in many ways and claiming they are like the old models is IMO misleading. I wish they would call them tributes rather than reproductions.
 
#14
deliciouspesto said:
It looks similar and they claim it to be a reproduction, but it really isn't. Its a 4003 with different pickups (not the same as the ones in the 60s, the horseshoes in the horseshoe pickups are now just for show) and less embellishment for a grand and a half more. They are still nice basses, I think modern ricks sound great in their own way, but they are way different from the old ricks in many ways and claiming they are like the old models is IMO misleading. I wish they would call them tributes rather than reproductions.
Click to expand...

Fair enough. Still, I think there is a lot of romantic myths about old Ricks and other brands from the 60s. Truth be told, even those basses are not consistent in tone and feel one from another, and actually some had real design and electronic problems. To correct them often means modernizing them anyway. If that is what a person wants, though, then they should get one. I have no GAS for a real 60s Rick bass.
 
#15
I just want a 4003. And what is with the "tone in the fingers" thing? HE PLAYED WITH A PICK! Plenty of people sound just like him, a lot of the discrepancies in sound you hear are the recording techniques. I know Chris always recorded his speakers and did not go DI so that has a lot to do with it as well.
 
#16
samalope said:
I just want a 4003. And what is with the "tone in the fingers" thing? HE PLAYED WITH A PICK! Plenty of people sound just like him, a lot of the discrepancies in sound you hear are the recording techniques. I know Chris always recorded his speakers and did not go DI so that has a lot to do with it as well.
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no two people pick the strings the same way. I agree, you'll be able to get plenty close to his tone if you replicate his gear, but unless you pick the strings the same way chris does, you wont get it bang on.
 
#18
Ric5 said:
The new ones don't have weak necks and weak pickups.
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Which is part of the equation ;) There is some myth as Rob says, but there are some real differences too. Get a new 4003 and then get an old 4001 and just feel them, they are totally different animals. It is true that there were some deficiencies for some people, but there wasn't anything really wrong with them. The weak neck was not a sign of a bad design, it was a sign that the necks were just really tiny and meant for lower tension strings. Weak pickups? Raise the preamp! The only thing wrong was that people didn't know that they were different and expected them to react like fenders and other basses when they couldn't. Not a faulty design, but certainly indicative of an inability to educate its customers properly.

I do give rick a lot of credit in making their modern instruments a lot less needy, for all intents and purposes they now respond to adjustment like many other instruments and are pretty foolproof. At the same time, however, I wish they would indicate to people how the instruments have changed to explain why they changed. There are some good reasons for them changing the designs, but there is not a good reason for them not detailing it for new customers.
 

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