What don’t you like about Rickenbackers?

[JW56789]

I've often said that I think there is no cooler looking bass in the world than a 4001 or 4003 in black with the white trim. And in the hands of OTHER guys, a remarkable tone. Try as I might it just never worked for me, it happens.

Sure I could moan and groan about wierd pickups and that bridge or other features, but as I think about it, in a world dominated by Fender Precision and Jazz basses, it seems a little disingenuous to complain about a design or features that have barely changed since the 50's . . . . .

 

[Killed_by_Death]

there is no cooler looking bass in the world than a 4001 or 4003

this one spanks the pants off a 4001 or 4003, IMHO

 

[lokikallas]

Not a fan of the body binding. Pickup covers annoy me, but when they are removed it feels odd to me, like I don't know where to rest my thumb. Out of my price range. Other people have made magic with them, but not me.

 

[JW56789]

this one spanks the pants off a 4001 or 4003, IMHO

You know, KbD, I'd agree on that one. Seems like all I've ever seen on those were the natural finish ones, which are just kinda boring to me, I like colors.

 

[Salo70]

They only look good on Lemmy.

 

[monsterthompson]

Other than never ending TB threads about the “shortcomings” they have?

I don’t like checkered binding on the special editions.

My 4003 seems to have a noticeable difference in tone between the open A and 5th fret of the E string. I’ve tried adjusting the pickup and pole heights. It’s been suggested that a truss rod adjustment could help with that. I find that with compression and/or drive and pick hand compensation it can be adjusted for.

Palm muting is also a challenge with the stock bridge.

Overall, I’m a happy owner of a recent model 4003. I’d buy one again.

 

[Johnny Fingers]

Bought a new one and played it for many years in the early 70’s and loved it. Can’t attest to the quality of the current models but I have always liked maple and mahogany guitars and basses best. I would like to have another one someday.

 

[HubbardsFate]

this one spanks the pants off a 4001 or 4003, IMHO

Without even checking out the video, those Cheyennes are the only Rics I'd really be interested in giving a whirl these days. THe 4001s and 4003s don't interest me...

 

[J_Bass]

7

this one spanks the pants off a 4001 or 4003, IMHO

Oh yes, those are wonderful.

I never owned a Rick. I have never even seen one.

But those 4004, uau, I love those!

I don't seem to find them for sale, though.

 

[Sparky Mark]

In 1973 I bought a new 4001 Ric. To me it sounded gimmicky compared to my friend’s 62 P bass. So I sold it. Two years ago I bought a 4003SW and it was so poorly made I returned it. I really wanted to love it but couldn’t. Frets were bad finish looked like an amateur had dropped tools on it and filled it poorly. This thing just sucked except for the sound. Great sounding! Very poor QC. B STOCK OR LOWER! I returned it to MF!

I have two 4003S because the standard binding kills my picking hand wrist. The QC on my 4003SW was woeful but as I picked it up second-hand I was content to finish the cavity carpentry and fretwork myself.
Several iconic basses feel very different to play, perhaps harder than more ergonomic designs but I appreciate their history and take the extra effort involved. Hofner violins, Ricky's and even the supposedly ergonomic tiny bodied Warwick NT Thumb all felt "wrong" to me at first but some classic cars aren't up to the best of modern comfort levels either but they're still popular with many.

 

[TrevorG]

Seen a few pretty enough to make me take as closer look but the price has always made me step back. Oddly I saw one in a classical instrument shop window with a lot of children's classical guitar and recorders. The only thing that looked out of place about it was the £4000 price tag. The bass was a bright red and kind of child like. Not that they all look like that but, havin funk tendencies, I never saw enough reasons to pick up a Rick.

IMPORTANT EDIT
Dear moderators; I'm not sure how my spell check managed to come up with the word "F@*k" instead of "funk" but I definitely don't have "shag" tendencies!!! And if I ever absentmindedly write "sh£t" again please remember I NEVER say "poopies"!! Thank you.

 

[2112]

I've owned 4 Rick 4001's (JetGlo 80, JetGlo 75, AzureGlo 79, and AzureGlo/Checker 73) and still have the latter 2. I love the way they look, feel, play, and sound. But as Dave's World of Fun Stuff pointed out so eloquently (pre-hack), I hate working on them. It's like they intentionally set them up to be user-unfriendly. I don't gig them, but if I did, I'd slap Hipshot replacement bridges onto them.

 

[Wilmingtonian]

The cost

 

[mattj1stc]

I bought a new one about 10 years ago. I had always wanted one based on how they sounded, how they looked, some of the people who played them, etc.

Mine looked, sounded and played great, but it was really poor in terms of quality. The finish was by far the most susceptible to scratches and dings - taking off the headstock nameplate left a mark. The pickup switch died as did a volume pot. The bridge had tail lift and had intonation issues, requiring me to replace it with the hipshot drop-in replacement. Eventually, I just got sick of fixing it, so I sold it.

I’ve owned over 20 new basses and none had any issues except for the Ric. I would have liked mine and kept it, maybe even buying a few others, but mine wasn’t made very well.

I know others love their Rics, and that’s fine, just didn’t work out for me.

 

[micguy]

My first bass was a Ric 4001. I loved that thing, but...I just didn't know any better. Once i got a second bass (A Kramer metal necked bass) some of its limitations were obvious, and it got sold. Many years later, I picked up one to try in a store (a bit of nostalgia hit me), and when I plugged it in, yeah - hum, buzz, and the thing diggin' into my arm. My 4001 was a cool thing for its time, but that time for me has come and gone, and I won't buy a Ric again.

I did, in the interim, buy a Ric short scale guitar that I did all sorts of mods to (by the time I was done, it didn't sound like a Ric), and played at a lot of gigs. When I moved back to bass, that got donated.

 

[johnnynitro]

I have owned three Rickys for over thirty five years. Used them for everything from Punk to Country. (Looked Funny in a Country/Western Band) I just changed taste. Throughout the years I just got tired of always working to get the right sound for the style I was playing. I always felt like I was never getting enough bottom out of it.(4001s Flatwounds, SVT) Swore I would NEVER own another Fender. But that changed ! Ricks are Great Bass's. Just Not for Me (anymore)

 

[Picton]

A great bass with a few ergonomic "challenges" that are largely overcome by the "S" models with no binding. Weirdly polarizing on TB for reasons I still don't understand. It's a few pieces of artfully assembled lumber with some wire tensioned on it, not a Political Statement, though you'd hardly know that based on the pro/con Vitriol on TB. It was designed to lool Cool as Hell, which it succeeds at brillantly, with the massive fringe benefit of sounding utterly unique. If you don't like that tone or look, get a Fender, like everybody else.

/thread

 

[Ostie]

I had a 4001 burgundy glo back on the eighties. I loved it but foolishly let it go. I would buy another, if the right deal came along.

 

[India_Sierra]

Played them, dislike the looks, the tone, the feel etc.

 

[Bertr]

I had a pre-84 with the old truss rod: A pain to adjust, and never seemed right. I eventually sold it.
The binding was pure torture on the forearm.
I am still vaguely looking for a 4003s (no binding) locally so I can test-drive it. But the ones I saw, I did not like:
Some had a thick neck, some had a dreadful Strings/neck/pickup alignement...
Still looking though: the most inspirational bass I can think of.