Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hey Metal Jockey, To clarify; 4003s are truly fine. Try one out at a store if you can. Don't let the pickup cover discourage you. The treble pickup bezel sold by tubeampology is really useful. The stock bridge is unusual but eminently functional, even the mute from time to time. You'll read about ta...

Try One! They're great! There are things you'll have to figure out, which is half the fun. Number one: Remove the pickup cover or not? How to deal with the bridge? At any rate, Rics play like butter and have so many tonal options that they shine in any musical situation. Plus, they look fabulous lea...

Let's face it; some fretless basses need to be in continual production as a matter of World balance. As much as I may like it to be a 4004 and others would prefer it to be a 4003, the model I'm thinking of is the 4000FL. There is something so elegant in its simplicity. I passed one up (Jetglo) in an...

The downside as you know is it weighs a ton and with that slick cabinet finish it's just difficult to get ahold of and move around.

After loading in the SVT I never noticed the weight of the Energy cab!

My Energy 1X15 was phenomenal with a four string but didn't work at all for the five string. The Bag End 2X10 is just about the same size, maybe even a little smaller, and sounds solid down to a low B.

The first time I played through a Woods I didn't like it. It was the 150 watt version and didn't have the presence I was used to. I'm really a tube fan. I love the Vox, which easily keeps up with a typical 150 watt transistor amp, but decided to move into an SVT through a compact 1X15 cabinet made i...

The times I use the AC50 are rare these days. But when I "rock out" its in a blues/roots/Americana vein...30 - 40 watt amps with a focus on the tunes and sounds rather than volume. The clubs are small and people want to dance and socialize. I used to run it through an 80's V115 Vox cabinet...

Lately lots of gigs provide a Radial BassBone and those personal mixers with a set of 'phones. Otherwise: Walter Woods (1992) and 2X10 Bag End or a Gallien-Krueger MB150S. Still, it's always fun to plug into the Vox AC50 and an old Essex cab with no guts and 2X12s. I don't have a Ric-O-Sound, so I h...

The mute is great for string bass tones on fretted Rics. So far it has been unnecessary on the fretless. Although Rickenbackers do the edgy rock thing really well, their versatility is often overlooked.

I always wanna hear a Ric! But too often mis-informed people just aren't playing on one of them. The Clash's first recordings have some obvious Ric bass tones. I'm not sure if Simonon plays all of the bass on those recordings or if perhaps Mick Jones was doing some overdubs. In any case, the sounds ...

If only there was a 660S, 'cause the wider fretboard could be fun. I edited out great "little" guitar from my original post, but the 610 is a great little guitar! Fits under the picking arm really nicely. There are some real experts on these forums who could explain what I can't fathom whi...

Classic tones...and a nice Wall'O'Rics!

Didn't the old Hohner Fretlesses have actual fret markers on the sides that spilled over a little on to the fretboard? Oh, and try not to be intimidated about the lack of lines...its freaky for a while but your intonation will get better over time. The lines can become inhibiting in the long run bec...

Oh, I know. Another guitar with a relatively thin neck and a bit off the radar in terms of tone are the Guild archtops of the latter sixties through the nineties. Both Guild and Ric seem to have taken the narrower neck route and some really great guitarists have taken advantage of what those instrum...

Please to understand that I never brought up the concept of one trick pony! You can do anything you want on a Ric. I love the blending of minds and talent in the early Southern California history of the solid body electric guitar. By the way, I haven't gotten the picture thing together...but it is a...