Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Does a 4003 suffer from single coil hum problems like (for example) a Fender Jazz does? I did a search of the forum and didn't find any mention of it.

I understand that the 4003FLs are shipped with roundwounds on them. Is this safe? Won't it chew up the fingerboard? I really like the sound of roundwounds, so if at all possible I'd like to use them. Otherwise, I'll probably use D'Addario flatwound XL Chromes.

Thanks for all the responses! I probably overstated what I'm really looking for. I know a fretless will never sound exactly like a fretted bass (my main bass right now is a fretless Jazz). I'm just wanting to get as close as possible while keeping the character of a fretless. Sounds like bright ...

I’m about to pull the trigger on a 4003. However I’m trying to decide between a fretless or a fretted one. What I want is a fretless bass that sounds like a regular 4003. I don’t want to use rounds ‘cause I don’t want to chew up the fingerboard. If I use flats that say they sound like rounds will my ...