Neck of the early version 4004 Laredo

heinpete · Post by **heinpete** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 9:27 pm

Has anybody noticed that the old version 4004L does not match the specs of the Rickenbacker company homepage? I recently bought a mint '95 4004L fireglo from Netherlands with a very chunky neck compared to my 4003. The width of the neck at the nut is already 44mm at the 12th fret 59mm and at the 20th fret 64mm. The thickness of the neck is nearly double than that of my 4003.
There is some very professionell mod to a 5-string: "http://www.3dentourage.com/4004L5.htm", maybe that is the best for this neck? But also the weight is about 1kg more than of my '98 4003FG and would even increase by a 5-string mod. The sound is not bad, but seems to be suppressed, as the dry instrument has more crisp than the plugged in. Is it due to the 500kOhm volume pot? I do not believe that the reason is the HB-PUs of the 4004L as the HBs on the 4002 I once played sounded very crisp as well but it had 250kOhm pots i remember. I also think about some active circuit like EMG BTC or BTS. Does somebody have experience with it installed in a Laredo. Maybe I still have to get used to the sound and the feeling, but besides the new bridge and the smooth shape of the 4004, I do not see much improvement over my 4003? Does anybody have more information and some comparison data (neck and weight) of the new 4004Cii or 4004Lii? I'm not a collector but a serious player and dislike the sharp edges of my 4003 body binding, the old nifty bridge and the ugly, too large headstock of the new 4003's (although it might have been intended by Rick co. to give it more of the vintage look).

henny · Post by **henny** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 10:51 pm

I recently bought a mint '95 4004L fireglo from Netherlands with a very chunky neck compared to my 4003

I'd hardly say it's chunky.... just a bit wider.

There is some very professionell mod to a 5-string: "http://www.3dentourage.com/4004L5.htm"

That's Jwr2's site - Jeff Rath.

Jeff, pipe up!

cheyenne · Post by **cheyenne** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 12:39 am

4004's and 4003's are like night and day in my opinion. (literaly), 4004's have a darker, moodier tone whereas the 4003's are brighter sounding. I think the 4004 has a supierior feel, but thats my personal preference.

My 4004 can sound a little "harsh" to me, but the tone works well with a band, and punches through the mix well.

Bottom line in my opinion, if you like the classic 4001/4003 tone, dont buy a 4004. But,if your looking for something a little different, the 4004 may be right for you.

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 4:49 am

I have 2 4004 basses ... a 1993 4004L black with maple fretboard ... and a 1998 4004Ci oil finish ... the neck is wider when viewed from the front by 1/8" or 1/16" ... also the neck tapers more as it get's near the body ... so it is wider at the 20th fret ... but when viewed from the top my 4004 basses are as slim or slimmer than my 4003 basses ... I find the basses to be well balanced lighter than a 4003 by a pound or so ... on the 4004 bass a carvin 5 string nut fits perfect for width ... but it has to be shimmed for height ...

I find the 4004 bass makes a good 5 string ... converting to a 5 string bass does not add much weight ... one tuner and one string ... the 4003 bass converted to a 5 string sounds a little better to my ears but the string spacing is tighter ... a 4004 converted to a 5 string has a more finger friendly spacing ... it is still more narrow than the new 4004CII5 which uses the String Ray 5 spacing ...

as per tone ... the 4004 uses dual rail dual coil series humbuckers wired to about 15k ohms ... this will give you like a hot p-bass type sound ... it comes wired with a toggle and 2 500k pots ... this does not give you the same bite and growl that a 4003 bass does ... but with bass tone sometimes the limitations of a bass is part of its tonal character ... some of us find the 4004 too dark sounding ... there are several things to do to change that ... I tried wiring the pickups parallel or single coil ... they got harsh and didn't growl as well ... I tried 4003 or guitar high gains ... but these were harsh with the 500k pots so I tried single coils with 250 k pots ... this was a nice sound ... then I tried the hb1 pickups with 1000k volume pots and a 500k tone pot ... this is an interesting sound ... but I am finding the 4004 Laredo with the thin mapple body and the laquered maple fret board is going to be a little cold sounding no matter what I do ... so I just accept it for what it is ...

My 4004ci with the walnut body and maple fretboard and oil finish has a nice growlly warm tone that I really like the only thing I did to that bass was add a low B and wire it volume, volume, tone ... with the oil finish you hear the wood more and it is lighter ... but the oil finish doesn't protect the wood as well a 4004ci is a good studio bass ...

I highly recommend you remove the toggle and wire it with 1 tone and 2 volume controls ... but with the maple body and maple fretboard and laquer finish that 4004L bass may still have a cold tone no matter what pickups or pots you use ...

I could convert it to a 5 string for you but the shipping from Germany to Michigan and back will kill your budget ...

crazypink · Post by **crazypink** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 6:43 am

Jeff I have never seen your 4004ci with the walnut body, can you post a photo?

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 7:18 am

here's my 4004's

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 7:32 am

more 4004 pics ...

a patriotic 4004

with triangle inlays

natural

walnut

fireglo

blue

red

gold

henny · Post by **henny** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 7:57 am

I want that Desert Gold Laredo ii.

paul_yan · Post by **paul_yan** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 11:58 am

Welcome aboard, Peter.

What's the distance between the treble pickup and the G string saddle of your 4004 L?

crazypink · Post by **crazypink** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 10:37 pm

Thanks Jeff, she's a beaut too just like your 4004fg!

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 4:59 am

that 4004L FG bass is Paul Boyer's ... I rewired it Volume Volume Tone for him ...

The post which says more 4004 pics ... none of those are mine ...

johnashfield · Post by **johnashfield** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 5:44 am

It's funny that you mention the headstock since the 4004 actually appears to have a headstock that is a little longer than a 4003.

I was playing a 4004L yesterday at a store, and comparing it to a 4003 and the 4001c64 basses. The 4004 has a headstock closer to the c series, though not backwards and upside down obviously.

heinpete · Post by **heinpete** » Sun Apr 03, 2005 9:04 am

Hi Paul!

The distance between G-string saddle of the bridge and the top adjecent side of the bridge pick up is nearly exact 9cm.
What does this tell?

Best regards
Peter

heinpete · Post by **heinpete** » Sun Apr 03, 2005 9:09 am

... but if you meant the distance of the G-string nut to the PU then it is 73cm to the adjecent side of the bridge pick up.

Best regards
Peter

paul_yan · Post by **paul_yan** » Mon Apr 04, 2005 6:36 am

Thank you very much, Peter.

Yes I meant the distance between the bridge and the treble pickup. As a pick player who rests his palm on the strings closely in front of the bridge, I tend to favour a treble pickup position that's pretty close to the bridge and doesn't get hit by my pick. If I may ask, Peter, do you play in pick style? If yes, does the treble pickup get hit by your picking?

I certainly hope the 4004 Cii BBR I ordered from MP would have the treble PU closer to the bridge to produce the good old RIC growl. Hmm, 9 cm...honestly I'm not so sure if I like that position...