Rickenbacker Bass Strings

admin · Post by **admin** » Thu Jan 04, 2001 11:18 am

I am wondering how may Rickenbacker Bass owners use Rickenbacker Strings. I am very familiar with the Rickenbacker Guitar Strings but not the Bass Strings. I would be interested in your comments with respect to the Round Wound Nickel, Round Wound Stainless, Compressed Round Wound or Round Ground Bass Strings.

Bassman_4080 · Post by **Bassman_4080** » Tue Jan 09, 2001 11:55 pm

I use the RIC strings pretty regularly, depending on the sound I'm going for. I have '77, '78 and '79 4001's as well as an '82 4080/12 and switch between the RIC strings, Dean Markley Blue Steels and Rotosounds. I think the RIC nickel strings have more sustain and punch than the Blue Steels, and I think the stainless strings are a little smoother sounding than the others. I ONLY use RIC strings on the doubleneck- both the bass and the 12. They are very similar to Rotosounds for their punch and attack, but with less string tension and an overall smoother tone- more consitent than either of the other two. I tend to prefer stainless strings for steady, walking lines, a la McCartney, and the nickels for more punchy, aggressive lines, a la 70's Geddy Lee. Depends on your style and approach, really. That, and a set of API 550B's, ADL tube compressors, 70's SVT head, etc., etc.. lol.

Hope this helps.

marcus · Post by **marcus** » Sun Mar 11, 2001 8:15 am

I have a set of roundwound nickel 40-55-75-95
Rickenbacker bass strings on my 4005 bass.
The reason I bought these is that my usual brand
(dadario slowwounds) are not long enough for the 4005. I am fairly happy with them but I do think
the slowwounds are nicer. Also nickel blue steels
from dean markley I think are nicer than the rick strings. But gauge-wise the ricks are probably
best balanced for their instruments. If I would have to rate them I would go 7.5/10 for the ricks
8.5/10 for the slowwounds and 9/10 for the blue steels.

admin · Post by **admin** » Sun Mar 11, 2001 8:20 am

Marcus: Would you be able to comment on how the RIC strings feel and sound compared to the D'Addario and Markley's. Is the smaller gauge an issue?

Tony_Cook · Post by **Tony_Cook** » Sun Mar 11, 2001 1:03 pm

Bassman 4080,
I am curious about whether there is a noticeable difference in the sustain of the 4080 bolt on bass neck versus the neck through 4001 construction? I have always thought of the neck through being a contributing factor in "the sound". What is your opinion?

leftybass · Post by **leftybass** » Mon Mar 12, 2001 8:17 am

I tend to go along with what Bassman 4080 is saying to the extent of using certain types of string to suit the style of music you play or tone that you want. GHS I have found to be benificial to my needs which usually runs along the lines of Rush, Yes, Police and other things that may require a little growl with wide open tone. Way back when I used Rickenbacker strings and liked them alot but I think mainly out of convenience and availability I started using Rotosound Swing-Bass and others (Ken Smith)-- Inevitably whatever you use you will run across a string or a set that will not get it done (do strings have a shelf-life or do they just make bad ones from time to time????) Strings and signal processing-----many many choices to make (or break) your sound.....

admin · Post by **admin** » Tue Mar 13, 2001 2:20 pm

leftybass: You have touched upon several interesting issues. I too have come up against the availability issue. I am hoping that there will be more dealers that stock RIC strings. At present I have to order ahead well in advance.

leftybass · Post by **leftybass** » Wed Mar 14, 2001 3:55 am

Peter: My location is west of Wash. D.C. by about an hour and a half. That is how far I have to go to get Rick strings and that hasnt changed in 20 years as far as I know....When I bought my first 4001 in 1980 I was very 'gung-ho' on using these strings and did get good service from them. As I got older (and lazier) I looked for alternatives to the logistical nightmare of driving 70-80 miles to buy strings...I didnt want to buy in bulk (too hard on the wallet) and didnt want to pay shipping on 2-3 packs of bass strings.
So it would be interesting to know more about how the distribution of Rickenbacker Strings is handled. I wonder if you have to be a full-fledged RIC franchise....???? In my 'old' age I just tend to go with what sounds good to my ear...but there are definite reasons to use different types of string for different sounds.

markthemd · Post by **markthemd** » Wed Mar 14, 2001 1:37 pm

You will find strings that are bad out of the pack.This is not uncommon.Think about most people and their jobs ,they tend to have bad days from time to time .Sometimes the days are few ,and only the materials are bad,sometimes the labor is bad.It's a universal problem and everyone tries to minimize it.
The computer driven strings are probably the most consistant.You may not like the brand names,but it is a fact.
Most of the little string makers are in fact not string makers ,but they are just being private labled,and most likely by one of the makers that you dislike.

leftybass · Post by **leftybass** » Thu Mar 15, 2001 3:12 am

Mark, I totally agree. Its like when you buy a car that starts to have problems; there is an old saying it was "probably built on a Friday..."
No matter the degree of quality control you're bound to have situations where a customer is dissatisfied, even with the big ticket stuff like guitars and basses.

eddier · Post by **eddier** » Fri Jan 11, 2002 10:20 am

In regard to Peter's question: I have used RIC bass strings (stainless steel's) & found them quite good albiet hard to find.

In regards to Leftybass' question: Strings do in fact have a "shelf-life".

According to Hammer at Rotosound USA, "strings are fresh when they come from the manufacturer, the problem with dead/old strings lies with the distributors".

Many times the distributors will have the strings for well over a two years before they are able to move them. Often the strings are kept in a warehouse were conditions are not ideal for string storage (extreme swings in temperature for example)which does not help the situation.
By the time the consumer purchases them, you have a string which has lost a great deal of harmonic richness.

He assured me Rotosound is working to make sure their distribution channels provide "fresh strings" to their consumers. My kudos to Hammer & Rotosound on their excellent customer service.

As you could probably tell I am a loyal Rotosound man & string my 4001 with Swing Bass 105's.

Ultimately with string choice your sound comes from your fingers & what your ears percieve.

Thanks for allowing me to be a part of this great forum.

ricnvolved · Post by **ricnvolved** » Fri Jan 11, 2002 6:03 pm

This thread prompts me to ask whether anyone knows who actually manufactures strings for Rickenbacker? I've always had the impression (perhaps unfounded) that GHS produced strings for Rickenbacker. Does anyone here really know the score on this one?

Not that it really matters to me, as I use Pyramid Gold flatwounds exclusively on my 4003. I can't praise these strings highly enough. They are the best quality I've ever seen in a bass string-- incredibly smooth to the touch, and they really bring the best tone out of the 4003.

I like Thomastik-Infeld flatwounds a very close second, followed by LaBella's premium flatwounds.

turlu · Post by **turlu** » Tue Jan 14, 2003 8:00 am

I ordered a brand new 4003 Burgundy recently and, obviously, the Bass came with Rickenbacker nickel strings gauge .045-.105 on it.
I am used to play with Dean Markley Blue Steel
(stainless - blue package) and I have to admit that I am very pleased with the original RIC strings that are on the Bass. They are warm, truly delivers the RIC tone of the Bass and are very easy to play and this with a soft touch.
Now, because RIC strings are very hard to find in Canada, what Brand would resemble the most to the RIC strings, in your opinion ?
The Blue Steel (stainless) seem to have more tension on the neck with same gauge of strings .045-.105 for comparaison

Because I am also very pleased with Blue Steel Stainless, I also think I will give the Blue Steel nickel plated Bass strings a try (Silver package).

4003seagreen · Post by **4003seagreen** » Tue Jan 21, 2003 8:13 pm

I too like the Dean Markley Blue Steels, that's what I'm currently using. I also like the RIC factory strings, as well as RotoSounds, but when I'm in the mood to play flats there's nothing better than Pyramid Golds on a RIC. But for now I'm in a classic rock outfit, and the rounds compliment the sound just fine.