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Why do you play a Rickenbacker?
- Thread starter lfmn16
- Start date
When I first started playing bass, I idolized Cliff Burton. Not to mention that I've never seen a bass as unique as a ric.
Anyway, I finally found a place that carried them, and I hated it. Not a single thing felt right, or fitting of an instrument with with that price tag. Not to mention that Cliff's was far from stock. I came back to that store several times, and eventually fell in love with them for what they are, and bought one.
Now, it's hard for me to play my other basses. The ric is just too different, and it's the only one I pick up.
Anyway, I finally found a place that carried them, and I hated it. Not a single thing felt right, or fitting of an instrument with with that price tag. Not to mention that Cliff's was far from stock. I came back to that store several times, and eventually fell in love with them for what they are, and bought one.
Now, it's hard for me to play my other basses. The ric is just too different, and it's the only one I pick up.
cause i just look so bad ass doing it.... just kidding, well maybe not, but nothing that i own sounds exactly like the ol' ric
There is no "why". (Other than "because"!)
Always loved the look, always loved the sound. What I wasn't expecting was how the Ric fretless sounds.
(Then there's the 8 string.) 
Always loved the look, always loved the sound. What I wasn't expecting was how the Ric fretless sounds.
(Then there's the 8 string.) 
My Rick is the least versatile and least comfortable bass I own, as it growls harder than any other Rick I've played and the edge of the body is so danged sharp, but there's just not anything else that sounds like it. For some tunes, you just need "that Rickenbacker tone", and I've yet to find anything other than a Rick that will do it properly. I can't imagine "Roundabout" sounding right on anything else.
It's kind of like that expensive tool in the tool box that you might not use a lot, but when you need it, you NEED it.
It's kind of like that expensive tool in the tool box that you might not use a lot, but when you need it, you NEED it.
Because I happen to be in both a psychedelic pop band a sludgey thrash band and can use the exact same setup for both.
Gaolee
Official leathers tester and crash dummy
I own one, so I play it. It does what it does. Other bass guitars do something else. There isn't any magic to it.
I still have my Rickenbacker 4000 made in 1974, it is my avatar photo. It cuts through like nothing else. Currently I play an Epiphone Classic IV Pro Thunderbird, which I think I like so much because it has similar qualities I find in my Rick: a thin, fast neck, a cutting, growly tone, and a really cool look.
I have many Rics...Three 4001's , Three 4003's, Matching Snoglo's ( one 4003 and one Laredo ) Limited run of 15 made, and a Laredo with Dark Star Pickups. The reason I play them is that they are the opposite sound of a Fender Precision. Perfect bass for Prog Rock with their tone. The pioneers of the Ric sound Chris Squire, Jon Camp, Mike Rutherford,etc, were guys who I grew up listening to and influenced me a lot. Not a fan of Roger Glover's playing or tone...but Richie Blackmore actually insisted that Glenn Hughes play a Ric on the Burn album and his tone was great. Glenn hated the bass and gave it to Geezer Butler shortly after he went back to playing Fender Basses.
They can be temperamental instruments and need a little extra attention compared to a Fender Bass but I think their tone makes them worth any extra attention.
They can be temperamental instruments and need a little extra attention compared to a Fender Bass but I think their tone makes them worth any extra attention.
Truthfully, although most of my favorite bass players played a Rick, I never could get a feel for them for years and years. I loved the way that they look, but I couldn't play them. I always had a hard time finding a place to anchor my right hand. A few years back I borrowed a buddy's '73 4001 to record one song and suddenly I had to have one. So, essentially: Macca. Chris Squire, Bruce afoxton, A bit of Geddy left over from my teenage years, and a very slow, long period of figuring out how to play one.
Whilst I fit into the category of neither currently play a Ric or ever owned a Ric. I absolutely love them. They have flawless paint jobs, sounds amazing, those classic colours. I love how they are so unique and can turn so many heads instantly.
I love how they stick to their tradition and really just stand there and say. This is a Ric, we are not an I-Phone where you interchange parts, upgrade, modify. If you don't like it the way it is, then just keep on walking!
Especially in Australia where you never see them anywhere. I have only seen a few and only played 1 in a store.
I just wish the Blue Burst were more openly available. They were just stunning.
Will definately be on the shopping list over the next few years.
I love how they stick to their tradition and really just stand there and say. This is a Ric, we are not an I-Phone where you interchange parts, upgrade, modify. If you don't like it the way it is, then just keep on walking!
Especially in Australia where you never see them anywhere. I have only seen a few and only played 1 in a store.
I just wish the Blue Burst were more openly available. They were just stunning.
Will definately be on the shopping list over the next few years.
I played in bands with bass players who used Rics ( I used to be a keyboard player) and they sounded worlds better than the Fenders everyone used. When I started playing bass, I played a Fender and I never could get comfortable with how it sounded or felt. I finally got a Ric in '79 and I'm still playing it. The Ric sound has the perfect blend of lows and highs that cut through perfectly but still fill out the sound of a band. The way a Ric sounds is completely unique
Mine has flaws...but I didn't send it back because I liked it immediately and got it for cheap. Plus I don't feel super guilty when it gets a ding here and there. It got put right into heavy rotation.
Rickenbacker is not a perfect company. It is subject to the same problems everyone else is, occasional QC issues, etc. A boss with a prickly attitude at times. A lot of Ric owners will say, "Love the instrument, not the company".
But for all the company's flaws they do build what we expect and they haven't sold out, and they get props for that.
