I played Ricks and only Ricks for over Thirty Five Years. Swore them off too never play another again. I'll be looking for a new one in the near future. Never say Never !
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Why Rickenbacker?
- Thread starter tb-player
- Start date
Yep - when he figured out how to make his Jazz sound like a Ric (at least on the lower frets)!
However, a Jazz's sound doesn't evolve up the neck like a Ric does; he changed his style a bit to reflect that change in emphasis.
The most difficult transition I find is to swap from a Strat to a Les Paul, but lots of musicians seem to be able to do that with ease.
I think if you've played a Jazz all your life and then swap to another brand (Warwick, Ric, etc.) it may seem odd, but that's down to closed minds rather than issues with the instruments themselves; in extremis, some folks find it odd to go from a Jazz to a Precision and in the olde days there was a thing of putting Jazz necks on Precisions.
Apart from the obvious - looks and sound! - I really like the flatness of the fingerboard and the lack of taper on the neck; the way the string spacing feels the same all the way from bridge to nut. I replaced the saddle adjustment screws with allen head ones so they can be moved without taking the strings off (
Why, Rickenbacker, why?) although in fairness I've never needed to adjust it in the ten years I've had it.
I've tried other people's Ricks and disliked the feel of the paint on the neck - not an issue on my walnut one; that feels silky smooth. Walnut is lighter too, if that's an issue - and it doesn't show dings and scrapes up as much!
As lovely as the binding looks, I find the contouring on the unbound S versions is much more comfortable.
I'm surprised at the amount of comments criticizing the ergonomics - I find it balances perfectly and the hump at the upper rear bout is just right for my forearm and hand position. Horses for courses, I guess! I did, in fairness, remove the pickup cover and fit a bezel with a thumb rest scoop in it.
It's been my main bass for a decade and I absolutely love it. The only GAS I have left is Alembic - and that's not getting fed anytime soon! My advice would be to go for it! Good luck, and I hope you find a good 'un!
Why, Rickenbacker, why?) although in fairness I've never needed to adjust it in the ten years I've had it.I've tried other people's Ricks and disliked the feel of the paint on the neck - not an issue on my walnut one; that feels silky smooth. Walnut is lighter too, if that's an issue - and it doesn't show dings and scrapes up as much!
As lovely as the binding looks, I find the contouring on the unbound S versions is much more comfortable.
I'm surprised at the amount of comments criticizing the ergonomics - I find it balances perfectly and the hump at the upper rear bout is just right for my forearm and hand position. Horses for courses, I guess! I did, in fairness, remove the pickup cover and fit a bezel with a thumb rest scoop in it.
It's been my main bass for a decade and I absolutely love it. The only GAS I have left is Alembic - and that's not getting fed anytime soon! My advice would be to go for it! Good luck, and I hope you find a good 'un!
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I always was enamored with Rics since a few of my earliest influences were Chris Squire and Paul McCartney. At different points in my playing life, both the more aggressive approach of Squire and the more round approach of McCartney appealed to me quite a bit as direct tone influences. One thing that both tones had and that I was never able to achieve from many other basses I'd tried previously was this "woody" character- sort of a midrange honk that made the bass slot in the mix and stick out in a very particular and appealing way to my ears. I avoided Rics for years because of the ergonomics- they felt like alot of sharp edges and the necks felt foreign (compared to my comfy Fender-type standards) when I'd pick them up and so I missed the boat on the era of cheap-ish used Rics before they became backlogged and prices shot up as a result starting some 20 years ago and the price became a big detractor to me (I only bought used sub-$1000 basses back then due to my budget).
Finally I ran across a well-used 4004 at a very low price, bought it, fell in love (that woody tone I was missing for years was there is spades), and that was that- I eventually picked up a few 4003S (the more contoured body versions) basses and a 4001 though none of those ever felt as comfy as the 4004 (which is kind of the Ric compromise between the traditional Ric and a Fender-type ergonomics, with a wider neck taper and wider bridge spacing, fully contoured body, less stabby chrome hardware, simplified controls, standard bridge style, etc). Now I can easily go back and forth between a Fender-type and 4003-type bass, though the 4004 remains by far my favorite and my 4003S rarely gets touched except when I need to show off at a gig (still one of the best looking basses ever of course)
Finally I ran across a well-used 4004 at a very low price, bought it, fell in love (that woody tone I was missing for years was there is spades), and that was that- I eventually picked up a few 4003S (the more contoured body versions) basses and a 4001 though none of those ever felt as comfy as the 4004 (which is kind of the Ric compromise between the traditional Ric and a Fender-type ergonomics, with a wider neck taper and wider bridge spacing, fully contoured body, less stabby chrome hardware, simplified controls, standard bridge style, etc). Now I can easily go back and forth between a Fender-type and 4003-type bass, though the 4004 remains by far my favorite and my 4003S rarely gets touched except when I need to show off at a gig (still one of the best looking basses ever of course)
Gaolee
Official leathers tester and crash dummy
I usually play a Thunderbird and happily play an SG guitar. Rics hang differently from either, but not like a Fender. No knock on Fender, but I find them to be more awkward than either a Ric or a Thunderbird. Take everything I say with that in mind.
When I first picked up bass, I was warned about Rickenbackers -- if I got one, I'd become a "Rickenbacker person". At the time, the notion of a 7lb bass that played super well was the deciding factor, and I dismissed the whole "Rickenbacker person" thing. Sadly, it was true.
Seriously... it's weird, isn't it. I think that a person's first formative "serious" instrument goes a long way into shaping their internal musical voice. And mine is very definitely a Rickenbacker. I can get by all right on a P-Bass, though it feels a little compressed and squashed, and I absolutely detest the timbre of J basses. It's peculiar.
Why Rickenbacker?
Nothing else sounds quite the same. I feel like the sound is more a result of the construction than the electronics. I love the feel of the necks. (when you can find a shallow one.) Inconsistency is the rule, but when you find one you love, It’s so worth it.
I’ve owned about a baker’s dozen (4001/2/4/5/4000) over the years, and feel like the 4004 series were made for me. Especially 2006 and earlier.
Nothing else sounds quite the same. I feel like the sound is more a result of the construction than the electronics. I love the feel of the necks. (when you can find a shallow one.) Inconsistency is the rule, but when you find one you love, It’s so worth it.
I’ve owned about a baker’s dozen (4001/2/4/5/4000) over the years, and feel like the 4004 series were made for me. Especially 2006 and earlier.
D
First Ric I ever picked up was a Fireglo 4005 at J. Gravity in St. Louis. It was $900.00. It felt great, it seemed like it just fit me. I was fresh out of the Army and wooried about money as a new civilian. Regret still, that I passed on it. They all seem to differ from one another. You gotta play them, or roll the dice.
Gaolee
Official leathers tester and crash dummy
My current Ric copy has a log for a neck. It is very different from either real Ric I had. Those were both pretty small, front to back. I guess whatever the Japanese were copying was a 4001 with a godzilla neck. A Ric is the one bass I would not recommend buying without trying. The good news is that you probably won't lose much money if you find you hate it and sell it.
And they sure are pretty.
And they sure are pretty.
I just checked sweetwater and most American Precision basses from Fender are $1749 right now. Thats Rickenbacker territory.
At Long and McQuade, an American Professional II P-Bass is $2400. Same price as a 4003S. An American Professional II Jazz is $2500, and so is a bound 4003.
The Ultra series is in the $3300 range, which is in Rickenbacker limited run territory (checkerboard binding, exclusive colour, toaster pickups).
On Wildwood, asking is $1829 for a 4003S, $2119 for a 4003S/5, and $2039 for a 4003.
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I think this was because the horseshoes had a habit of de-gaussing. The same thing happened with Chris Squires Rm1999, too.
Mine has a slight neck dive with standard bridge and tuners. But it feels great to play, this coming from a mainly Fender Jazz/P gigger. Just got this back from my son after a couple of years, man I forgot how much fun it is to play
