Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Here's a bass & drum preview of a new tune in the works called 'Electric'. I'm using the Frankenstein bass for this song on both bass tracks - the main bassline, and the melody hook played through a Digitech Whammy pedal.

Electric - bass & drum mix

Nice stuff Bro. Don't know how you snuck that one by me. I usually am right on top of your offerings. Quick question, if I may. Frankenstien is a lefty V63, right ? Is that a RIHS ? 0047 cap ? What's the straight scoop on that bass ? Mark

Hey Mark - the 'Frankenstein Bass' started out as a stock 1979 4001S-LH. I put in a 60's vintage toaster (routed extra space in the neck cavity to move the pickup fwd to pre-'75 specs) and an old pre-WWII horseshoe pickup in the bridge position - it came from an old Spanish Electro model. I'm using the original wiring harness bypassing the tone pots & capacitors with the .0047 cap coming right off the pickup lead wire to the volume pot. I had to disconnect the tone pots because my arm always hits those knobs and I'd F up my tone! No big loss - I usually keep the tone straight up anyway. I think that the bigger size of the horseshoe mags and the bypassed tone pots is what makes this bass the brightest sounding of all my Ricks. I tried it without the .0047 cap for awhile, but the attack was just too intense.

walker wrote:...I'm guessing that the bigger size of the horseshoe mags and the bypassed tone pots is what makes this bass the brightest sounding of all my Ricks..

I think just bypassing the tone controls is what gives the bass it's extra brightness.

jps wrote:

walker wrote:...I'm guessing that the bigger size of the horseshoe mags and the bypassed tone pots is what makes this bass the brightest sounding of all my Ricks..

I think just bypassing the tone controls is what gives the bass it's extra brightness.

+1

Great sound Bro. I have a 99 V63 and it just does not like to get that "bellish" if you will. Not that I'm complaining, I love the thing. Mark

Do you find that to be the case with other amps/amp configurations as well?

Bro, this Ric is unlike the other Rics I've owned or other Rics I've played. It is deeper, thicker, fuller I guess. I have had several other bass players as well as techs and luthiers comment on that fact. It is pure Ric, just a little heavier in tone. I run through an older SVT4 with the 410 and 115 BXT bottoms. I, like you, use rounds. I also play with a pick. I normally stick to a pretty clean tone, hence my set up. I have to admit to being very envious of the tone of "Clankus Maximus". Great tone Bro. If you have any ideas for me, I'd love to hear them. Back to work in the morning for two weeks. I'll get back with you when I get back home. Mark

That's interesting. Since it's a V63 I wonder if the RI pickups are typical in that they're way louder than the stock pickups wound to 7.5k - not sure if that's still the standard. My 4001 with RI pickups has what I'd describe as a "thicker" tone than my other Ricks. The horseshoe on that one registers 14k! Have you compared your V63 with other V63s and heard the same difference?

When I started using an SWR SM-400 head (circa early-to-mid '90s I'm guessing) which has a tube preamp I really noticed an improvement in my tone. SO much warmer and with a crystal bell-like quality with Rick 4001/4003 basses. I had been using an Acoustic 370 head for years until it got stolen. All transistor, and I loved it for the years I had it, but it wasn't quite "nailing it" for me. When I shopped for a new head, I was leaning towards a Trace Elliot because it sounded a lot like the Acoustic, but then I noticed the SWR tucked away in a rack and figured I should at least A/B the two while I was at the store and... yeah - like night & day, that SWR sounded so much better for the way I play.