Back to the fold

mikmik · Post by **mikmik** » Fri Jun 17, 2005 5:24 am

I play bass for a living. I had several Ricks back in the day,( including 1 blue one with toasters and checkered binding - d'oh!) but have been playing original Steinbergers for the past few years. I got a hankering for a Rick a few weeks back, but I was almost put off actually getting one when I tried a FG 4003 brand new in a store here in dublin. I hated it!! Big chunky neck, and the sound was markedly different to my ears.

Well, my new 1979 4001JG arrived an hour ago and I'm delighted with it. Got it very cheap ( $800 plus shipping), so I'm even luckier than I thought I could be. She's only had one other owner, and he played drums, and only wanted a bass to mess about on.

Good to be back!

incubus2432 · Post by **incubus2432** » Fri Jun 17, 2005 5:27 am

Congrats on the "new" Ric....and welcome to the Forum !

phlemmy · Post by **phlemmy** » Fri Jun 17, 2005 6:33 am

sweet, now go play some thin lizzy songs on it!

edski · Post by **edski** » Fri Jun 17, 2005 6:37 am

Some of us don't mind the newer necks, so of us do. Personally I'm fine with just about any neck it seems: my new Laredo has the "chunk", my 75 4001 is pretty slim, and I don't mind playing my J Bass (which is even slimmer than the 4001).

Congrats on getting back to the "fold"...

Hope the 79 rocks well for you!

mikmik · Post by **mikmik** » Fri Jun 17, 2005 6:41 am

I REALLY didn't like that bass at all. The neck felt HUGE - and my L-2 (serial number 11!!!) has a fairly chunky neck. It sounded very non-Ric too. None of that bite I love so much.

edski · Post by **edski** » Fri Jun 17, 2005 6:48 am

Hmmmm...not sure what to make of that. Most of the folks with newer 4003's rave about the sound being even better than the old 4001. Personally, with a 4001 already I don't see the point of a 4003...the 4004 is sufficiently different.

With the humbuckers, the 4004 is a bit more bassy, but IMO has quite enough of that growl we all like from a Rick. The necks of the newer 4003's and the 4004's seems to be pretty similar, except that the 4004 definitely gets wider as you head down the neck (towards the higher frets).

Then again, I've worked with a studio guy who claimed his old Rick didn't sound good with the Ampeg SVT he had in the studio. Traded his Rick for a late 70's P-Bass. Go figure...

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Fri Jun 17, 2005 7:05 am

I have both 4001's and 4003's, I prefer the 4003's over the 4001's because the new ones have more bottom and are more solid sounding and feeling. Mick do you prefer the older twangy sound of the caps and less wound pickups of the pre 84 4001's and 4003's? There are a few other people here who do.

mikmik · Post by **mikmik** » Fri Jun 17, 2005 7:08 am

Yeah, much prefer that. I have my Bergers for the big bass sound stuff. The 4003 I played sounded more like a P-bass than a 4001. I know that's going to cause hassle!!

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Fri Jun 17, 2005 7:47 am

I put flatwounds on mine and play all sorts of stuff that doesn't really sound that good on a 4001. I like the big sound. Incidently I did a demo CD with a 78 4001 with Fender flatwounds on it and bridge pickup cap bypassed with a mic'ed SVT head through a B-15 cab and everyone that hears it thinks it's a P bass and it was not intentional.