First time Rickenbacker owner! (review)

[FunkHead]

About tone: Never heard of a Ricky bass not getting enough treble tone = everything from sharp crispy treble to fat poofy lows. My '80 4001 was my main in punk bands because it could cut through two geetar Marshall stack sludge so well. Get that Chris Squire treble bite off the bridge pup and then dial in some fat bottom with the neck pup.

Used to run Ric-0-Sound with the highs (bridge pup) thru a Sunn 200s to the 12" in a Sunn 8028 (12+18 EV), and the lows (neck pup) thru a Concert head into the 18". Puncy solid state bass lo and dial in a tubey warm hi end with a little distortion.
The good ol' days!!

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Those Sunn Folded Horn Cabs can pump out amazing amounts of low end. Incredible really. & that Ruby Red Rick is bangin'.

 

[spiritbass]

Hey TB, the day has finally come. After 30 years of playing bass, and owning at least 100 instruments in that time, I now own a Rickenbacker. Being a huge Geddy fan I've always lusted after that huge, snarly tone he got out of his Rick.
Here are my thoughts:
It's a satin black 2019 4003.

Fit/finish: No complaints and no surprises. I knew the finish would be super fragile (and it is), I knew the pick guard would be a cheap 1 ply piece of plastic. Everything feels high quality and super solid. Look like a million bucks. The finish/binding/inlays are a stunning package in person. It came with a Hipshot bridge, so you won't get any complaints about the stock one. Construction is as solid as any USA Fender I've owned, and they're basically the same price these days.

Feel: As a lifelong FSO player I was worried about the comfort of playing/holding/wearing the bass. The neck reminds me of my old Spector Euro, maybe a bit less rounded. It's definitely not a jazz, but also not unwieldy. I've sold said Euro and a few early 2000s Warwicks because of the huge necks, this one feels much better IMO. Starts thick and stays pretty consistent. The body binding surprisingly doesn't bother me. Maybe it's the smaller, thinner body, but I found that my arm doesn't come into contact with the sharp edges. It came with a treble bezel so thumb placement was easy. On a strap there is slight neck dive, but nothing that would keep me from playing it out on a gig. Setup is flat and medium low, plays great. I'd like to loosen the truss rods a bit to raise the action but when I went to adjust them the nuts came right off. Uhh. I guess I need to do some more homework before I give that another go. Seems unusually difficult and non-user friendly. Overall it plays pretty great as is.

Tone: This is the thing that surprised me most. I'm not in love with the sounds this beast produces. It can do Geddy 100%, but I've yet to find another satisfying tone. The neck pickup soloed is anemic and muffled, the 2 pickups mixed sounds muddy. I'm really surprised at the lack of high end. It's like it needs higher pot values. The exception being when you pull out the tone control which makes it super thin. Also, this is, without question, the noisiest bass I've ever played. I need to play it with my band to get a true assessment on this but so far, so meh.

Overall I'd say I'm happy. It's not the most versatile bass and has it's issues, but nothing that would be a deal breaker. I can't see a scenario where it would ever be my #1 but that's ok, I'm happy having it in the stable. If I keep it I'll definitely shield it and possibly replace the noisy pickups.

My only Ric experience was with a 2012 Mapleglo 4003. It didn't sound like a Ric until I replaced the pickups with a pair from Classic Amplification. Rickenbacker's pickup QC is notoriously spotty. After replacing the pickups, my favorite tone was delivered by the bridge pickup soloed.

 

[KenSmithFan]

I find the exact opposite. I set them up the same way each tome and the results are always nearly identical. Fit & finish have always been spectacular except for the years of finish lift which my current Rick has some of.

I can't speak to the new single rod models and I will avoid them...Not for me at all.

Well, you can't "set up" neck width and you can only do so much to alter the natural tone of an instrument. I bought my first Ric in 1976 and I've owned and played a lot of them over the years. YMMV.

 

[FunkHead]

Well, you can't "set up" neck width and you can only do so much to alter the natural tone of an instrument. I bought my first Ric in 1976 and I've owned and played a lot of them over the years. YMMV.

I really don't want to get into a pissing match here. I can see neck width & thickness being varied a little but that makes zero difference to me. Rick necks are usually somewhere between a P & a Jazz in that regard. I switch from P to J all the time with no noticeable drawbacks.

I've owned well over a dozen Ricks from all eras and they are very consistently high quality. QC, Fit & finish were always spot on(other than the finish lift years).

As for tone, I'll mirror the many Rick players that say they can go from fat pillowy lows to bright singing highs and everything in between.

 

[Aceonbass]

About tone: Never heard of a Ricky bass not getting enough treble tone = everything from sharp crispy treble to fat poofy lows. My '80 4001 was my main in punk bands because it could cut through two geetar Marshall stack sludge so well. Get that Chris Squire treble bite off the bridge pup and then dial in some fat bottom with the neck pup.

If you ever played a 4004 with stock electronics, you'd take that statement back, With the stock 175k pots and .047uF tone caps, the stock HB1 pickups sound very muffled. I recently built a custom wiring harness for a 4004 owned by Paul Grey of The Damned. Using 500k push-pull volume pots to short a coil in the neck and bridge pickups with a master tone brought out the characteristic tone similar to what he's getting from the 4003's he plays live. I also cut a white acrylic guard for the bass similar to what's found on a 4005.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

^^^^^^^ I covet that blue bass with the teardrop pickguard, gorgeous custom build.

 

[Aceonbass]

^^^^^^^ I covet that blue bass with the teardrop pickguard, gorgeous custom build.

It's a genuine Rickenbacker 4004 Laredo.

 

[KenSmithFan]

I really don't want to get into a pissing match here. I can see neck width & thickness being varied a little but that makes zero difference to me. Rick necks are usually somewhere between a P & a Jazz in that regard. I switch from P to J all the time with no noticeable drawbacks.

I've owned well over a dozen Ricks from all eras and they are very consistently high quality. QC, Fit & finish were always spot on(other than the finish lift years).

As for tone, I'll mirror the many Rick players that say they can go from fat pillowy lows to bright singing highs and everything in between.

That’s why I said YMMV.

I never said they weren’t consistently high quality. It’s completely irrelevant to my statement.

I’VE seen significant variation in neck size. That’s MY observation. I’ve seen significant variation in core tone. That’s MY observation.

Again, YMMV.

 

[FunkHead]

There is no other bass which varies so much from one bass to the next, IMHO. I’ve had six or seven over the years. Three were spot on, one dog, the rest nice, but not exceptional. Absolutely a try before you buy bass.

That's the quote I was replying to, sorry if I missed something.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

The neck girth dimensions have varied a LOT on Ric basses over the years, from pencil thin 70’s models to chunky 2000’s models, but the nut width has stayed pretty consistent at 1-5/8” +/-. They varied noticeably bass to bass until the advent of CNC. I picked my 7&’ 4001 out of stack of five bssses precisely because if had the thinnest neck. In those days what you got depended on the hand if the last person to sand it. The pickups were pretty inconsistent too, so they absolutely sounded different bass to bass.

 

[GIBrat51]

I love the look of my 4003SW and tolerate the ergonomic challenges for a FSO fan. I thoroughly recommend the Hipshot aluminium replacement bridge which transformed the tone of my bass. The previous bridge design looked great but is hideous to adjust and sapped sustain in my experience. Tail lift was an issue to some degree for many too. You can slip a card under the back of most 4003 bridges that I've seen. Rickenbacker should be embarrassed for leaving such a poor original design uncorrected for decades.
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Well...
Yes, the OS bridges on my '73 4001 and my '01 COY 4003 are, indeed, a PITA to adjust. But, they are relics of the time when Ricks came from the factory with flat wound strings. Once they were set up how you wanted them? They stayed that way for... well, a long time. So, if you are somebody that changes strings a lot - either because you want to - or you play rounds, and have to? Yeah, a Rick bridge is a pain. But, personally? Since both of mine wear flat wounds, that's a pain I only had to suffer once - long ago, in a galaxy far, far away...

That tailpiece bent at a right angle is on an Ibanez faker, so it’s not a fair comparison to an actual Rickenbacker part.

^This^. There are various reasons why Rick basses have "tail lift". Sometimes it really isn't; it's simply that the bottom of the tailpiece is flat - but the bass's body isn't. Sometimes, it's the other way 'round. That's uncommon, though. IMO, it's mostly caused by the hidden screws that hold the tailpiece down (they're under the bridge) not being tight enough. If the screws you can see are not real tight, either? Then, the string's tension can lever the tailpiece up, and over time? Yes, you'll get "tail lift". The tailpiece used to be an aluminum casting, and tail lift wasn't ever a thing. When they switched to a zinc alloy casting (like a toy cap pistol), Rick had 2 extra screws to hold it down. Again, no tail lift. But, people thought that was ugly; so, Rick deleted the 2 screws that went through the back of the tailpiece's top. That's when tail lift began... Both of my Rick's do have a little lift; they came to me that way. But, since I took them apart after I got them - and tightened all the screws? It's never gotten any worse. Both have just enough lift, that I can push a credit card under the back edge of the tailpiece. But, I have to sort of force it under there... Since my 4001 is 51 years old this month - and has the same tail lift as the 23 year old 4003? I think my theory is valid...
And, while the tailpiece in the picture is a "Fakenbacker", there are Rick Tailpieces that can - and do - fold up that way. But, 99.5% of the time, they're the black ones, on some older Ricks. The reason why? Those tailpieces are powder-coated, and the 300+ degrees that it takes to powder coat something, is too much heat for a zinc casting to tolerate. It messes with the zinc, and robs it of what little strength it has to start with...

 

[Sparky Mark]

Well...
Yes, the OS bridges on my '73 4001 and my '01 COY 4003 are, indeed, a PITA to adjust. But, they are relics of the time when Ricks came from the factory with flat wound strings. Once they were set up how you wanted them? They stayed that way for... well, a long time. So, if you are somebody that changes strings a lot - either because you want to - or you play rounds, and have to? Yeah, a Rick bridge is a pain. But, personally? Since both of mine wear flat wounds, that's a pain I only had to suffer once - long ago, in a galaxy far, far away...

^This^. There are various reasons why Rick basses have "tail lift". Sometimes it really isn't; it's simply that the bottom of the tailpiece is flat - but the bass's body isn't. Sometimes, it's the other way 'round. That's uncommon, though. IMO, it's mostly caused by the hidden screws that hold the tailpiece down (they're under the bridge) not being tight enough. If the screws you can see are not real tight, either? Then, the string's tension can lever the tailpiece up, and over time? Yes, you'll get "tail lift". The tailpiece used to be an aluminum casting, and tail lift wasn't ever a thing. When they switched to a zinc alloy casting (like a toy cap pistol), Rick had 2 extra screws to hold it down. Again, no tail lift. But, people thought that was ugly; so, Rick deleted the 2 screws that went through the back of the tailpiece's top. That's when tail lift began... Both of my Rick's do have a little lift; they came to me that way. But, since I took them apart after I got them - and tightened all the screws? It's never gotten any worse. Both have just enough lift, that I can push a credit card under the back edge of the tailpiece. But, I have to sort of force it under there... Since my 4001 is 51 years old this month - and has the same tail lift as the 23 year old 4003? I think my theory is valid...
And, while the tailpiece in the picture is a "Fakenbacker", there are Rick Tailpieces that can - and do - fold up that way. But, 99.5% of the time, they're the black ones, on some older Ricks. The reason why? Those tailpieces are powder-coated, and the 300+ degrees that it takes to powder coat something, is too much heat for a zinc casting to tolerate. It messes with the zinc, and robs it of what little strength it has to start with...

All true. I didn't worry about my original Ricky 4003SW bridge; once it was adjusted correctly for the stock Ricky roundwounds, it was fine. However, the replacement bridge sounds and feels much better. YMMV.

 

[Root 5]

This is why I have flats on one Ric and rounds on the other. More Ric bassists need to turn the tone knobs and experiment with their basses. The versatility of a Ric 4003 is truly something to behold.

With enough experimentation, I was able to get a tic-tac bass tone (both the upright bass and Bass VI sides) with only my Ric.

Agree! 4003s are very versatile. I can get a beautiful, soft, mellow sound out of mine when I want it. Everyone thinks they only do Chris Squire and Geddy Lee.

 

[JIO]

Tone-wise I'm not a big fan, and I have the impression, based on an admittedly limited set of information, that the build quality can be iffy.

But, what I really hate is their "Call for Price" and "Email For Price" policy, which strikes me as being a bit arrogant.

No Ricky for me, Lucy can have him.

 

[dwellers]

Hey all...NBD, NRD, first timer...yada yada...

Got my 4003SW and so far so good. Never owned one and barely played one but love the sound, the look and the history.

FIrst impression is of the very thin D shape of the neck. I "think" I like it but I'm not very neck sensitive except if they are baseball bats, sticky or just weird like my Hofner. I think I will adapt to this neck quickly and like it. I do love the satin finish and chose the walnut Ric specifically because it's not painted.

Next up, the treble pickup cover. Coincidentally, my Treble Bezel and pickup surround ordered just a couple days ago arrived within minutes of the bass. I will be doing the install as soon as I can dedicate 30 minutes to the task. Looks easy.

So far, from what I can tell, the fit and finish is excellent. I still marvel that these instruments are mostly handmade and this one is setup just to my liking. Sounds great but will take some getting used to the controls. Whacky!

I kind of like the original round wounds. Are these Rickenbacker brand? Anyone know the gauge?

Is there an official or unofficial Rickenbacker group here? I can't find it!

Thanks and excited to be part of the Rickenbacker family!

 

[dwellers]

Hey all...NBD, NRD, first timer...yada yada...

Got my 4003SW and so far so good. Never owned one and barely played one but love the sound, the look and the history.

FIrst impression is of the very thin D shape of the neck. I "think" I like it but I'm not very neck sensitive except if they are baseball bats, sticky or just weird like my Hofner. I think I will adapt to this neck quickly and like it. I do love the satin finish and chose the walnut Ric specifically because it's not painted.

Next up, the treble pickup cover. Coincidentally, my Treble Bezel and pickup surround ordered just a couple days ago arrived within minutes of the bass. I will be doing the install as soon as I can dedicate 30 minutes to the task. Looks easy.

So far, from what I can tell, the fit and finish is excellent. I still marvel that these instruments are mostly handmade and this one is setup just to my liking. Sounds great but will take some getting used to the controls. Whacky!

Questions: I want to replace the strap pegs with Dunlop strap-loks. Don't see how they are screwed in? Is the whole peg itself the screw?

I kind of like the original round wounds. Are these Rickenbacker brand? Anyone know the gauge?

Is there an official or unofficial Rickenbacker group here? I can't find it!

Thanks and excited to be part of the Rickenbacker family!

Oh yeah, and what's the expiration date of the stickers? Do I have to keep them on for a certain period of time or can I remove them in a few days? Before the first gig?