Help this young pup define his goal.

[SquireFan91]

Hi there, I'm relatively new here, and hoping some of the Rickenbacker gurus here can help me out. I occasionally lurk around here to look at instruments and read an interesting tid-bit here or there. I do not own a Ric, but desperately want to, and as soon as finances allow, plan on acquiring one. But I've decided it's time I flesh out this dream of mine so I have a clear idea of what I'm working towards. I'm a 20-year old bass guitarist whose dream tone is the sound Chris Squire gets on "Yours Is No Disgrace" from The Yes Album. I also LOVE Geddy Lee's tone on the Hemispheres album, Paul D'Amour's (Tool) tone on the Undertow album, Jon Camp's (Renaissance) tone on the Scheherazade and Other Stories album, and Martin Turner's (Wishbone Ash) tone on the Argus Album. I know that on all of these albums a Rickenbacker 4001 was used, respectively: RM1999, 4001, 4001CS, 4001, and another 4001. Couldn't say what year or exactly what custom mods might have been made, only this very basic info. As to my preferences as a player, I like the more stripped down look of the RM1999,4003s, 4001V63, 4001CS and 4001C64 basses and the look (and I'll assume sound, though I've never gotten the chance to compare side by side) of toaster/horseshoe pups. As to necks, I'm a smaller guy with stupid, short little sausage fingers, I really like the feel of the neck on my Schecter 004 (which I call my Rickenfacker, though I know it really isn't), which is pretty J-bass like, if perhaps a little chunkier to keep it from feeling too small. I prefer a shorter scale, and with the shorter scale can even be quite comfortable with a wider neck (which I know almost all Rics have), but I HATE baseball bat necks (Thunderbird). So what I'm asking is, with all the variation in Rickenbacker basses over the years, what am I saving up for? What model/year is best suited for my needs? Thank you in advance for your input, and my apologies for being so long-winded.
Cheers,
Matt

[mikko]

Get a Rick, find out what strings & other gear your heroes use, learn their playing techniques and don´t forget that what you hear on a record can be something processed many times through different effects etc. That´s pretty much about it in my opinion but it´s totally different story to make it happen in real life (I´ve been trying about 20 years). My advice is, read through threads on this forum. There´s whole lotta information available here. Trial & error is the only way.
BTW, I have a ´03 4003. It has a thick neck. I had a 2010 4003 and it had slim neck so go for newer Ricks if you want a slim neck (or get an older 4001, I guess…)
BTW2, I think it was Thunderbird on “Argus”. But I can be wrong too. Anyways, one of the best albums ever made and a very cool bass sound whatever bass it is.

[cassius987]

I got into Rics thanks to Paul d'Amour, for starters, and I think his tone is much more like the "true" Ric sound than the heavily processed sounds of Squire, Lee, etc. So it's fairly easy to get with a solid rig. I can cop a spot-on Tool tone without even trying most of the time.

I think the newer Rics, with their thinner 2-piece necks, sound a lot more like the "vintage tone" people chase after than the instruments that came immediately before them and had thicker one-piece necks. I have one example of each. The ones with skinnier and more stable necks tend to have less mids in the sound which gives it a clarity people associate with Rics... again going back to guys like Squire, etc.

Honestly, my 2010 4003 is probably one of the best made basses I've ever played. It's just hard to find fault with. I love all my other Rics, but they have all needed a bit more TLC than this one to get them where they needed to be. I'd go with something fairly new.

[Ivan3000]

Go all out and save up for a 4001CS, and I'm pretty sure Chris Squire Used ampegs and roundwound strings.
Good luck!

[coolingitdown]

I second what cassius said. Both of my 2010 Ricks are excellent. I'd say a new 4003 would be more versatile and might be a better choice to get close to all the tones you listed.

On the other hand, a brand new 4001c64 (i guess these could be considered NOS by now) would help you nail down the Squire tone a bit better and just generally sound more like a 4001, with the trade off being that it's not as versatile as a 4003 in terms of tone.

[weemac]

If you are looking for the Jon Camp and Geddy sounds a 4003 is probably a better starting point than a vintage spec 4001 the Higains do impart a different aspect to the tone, you will still be able to get much of the Squier sounds with a new 4003....

So I third what the others have said!

Eden.

[aceonbass]

Go all out and save up for a 4001CS, and I'm pretty sure Chris Squire Used ampegs and roundwound strings.
Good luck!

A V63 or C64 is closer to the bass Squire actually owns and much less expensive than a 4001CS. A current 4003 is closer to the bass Squire used on "The Yes Album". It really comes down to playing technique more than anything. While a current reissue horseshoe pickup has the vintage vibe, it really doesn't sound like an original horseshoe because it's a completely different pickup.

[johnallg]

A 4003 with the right strings/amp/effects will get you the sounds you want. A lot is in the hands too. Also, I saw Wishbone Ash on the Argus promotion tour and he was playing a 4001 through a Acoustic amp/speaker.

[Ivan3000]

Well, what Dane said makes alot of sense, do you want sound, or looks, or both?

[SquireFan91]

First, I'd like to say thank you thus far for the replies. Second, I need to say that there are some things that I know about the tone I'm hunting that I forgot to mention. I already use standard gauge Rotosound Swing 66 stainless steel roundwound bass strings as both Squire and Lee put fresh on their basses every night. I know that Squire and Lee both used Ampegs and am quite a fan myself, and that Lee is now on to Orange (not as big a fan). Squire, D'Amour, Camp and Turner were almost exclusively pick bassists, as am I. And as for right hand technique, I know Squire chokes his picks very close to the point so as to get a "near-pinch harmonic" with every note, which I sort of try to do. And I know that Squire re-wired his bass to have Rick-o-sound before it existed, and has all his basses wired as such. I love the look of all Rics, I just prefer the more stripped down ones. The sound and playability however are paramount to me.

[marc61]

Agreed with those commenting that tone comes from technique and the hands. That said, I really dig the modern Rics and the tonal enhancements they offer. You should be able to get most of the sounds you want from one. Excellent playability not to mention top notch construction

[Ivan3000]

Well, Mattew , It seems like you've got it down. I never knew that about the whole Ric - O - Sound thing...thats pretty cool!

[SquireFan91]

So what I'm hearing is that a 2010+ 4003 should meet my needs the best, right? Or would it be worth the extra investment of time and money to look for a V63 or C64? And if so, what year of V63 would I want to look out for, knowing that the neck profile has changed so much over the course of their run?

[Lefty4001]

So what I'm hearing is that a 2010+ 4003 should meet my needs the best, right? Or would it be worth the extra investment of time and money to look for a V63 or C64? And if so, what year of V63 would I want to look out for, knowing that the neck profile has changed so much over the course of their run?

Hi Mathew. Welcome to the forum. There is a ton of information here on this site that may help you narrow it down. Make use of the search function because there are some very in depth discussions, especially on models and neck profiles. But if you can get a couple models in your hands, that would be even better. I see that you're in Colorado. Maybe you can get in touch with Wildwood Guitars? They seem to get good press in these rooms and are an authorized RIC dealer (warranties, right?).

Good luck on your hunt for tone. Let me know if it ever ends.

also +1 to Paul D'Amour. great harmonics, too

[Ivan3000]

Definatley a V63, you could always get a refin and the headstock is correct.