4000 sighting

[paul_yan]

I just came home from a concert by the British band "Suede".

Their bass player played a RIC 4000 autumnglo and a cream white Fender Jazz on a 50/50 basis.

This was the 1st time I'd seen a 4000 in person.

The 4000 didn't appeal to me much because the lack of a neck pickup (excuse my explicit words here, but a girl with only one "T", no, thank you very much) made it look pretty wicked for me.

Due to the PA balance, I could not hear the bass sufficiently, not to mention hearing the sonic differences between a Fender and a RIC bass.

But it felt quite cool to see a RIC bass on stage anyway.

[rickcrazy]

From what I've learned about the 4000 bass, I'm afraid soundwise it isn't as charismatic as a 4001. I've always felt the 4000 should have been fitted with a dual coil pickup, assigning one coil to treble and the other coil to bass. I tell you, if one day I happen to find a 4000 I'll be sure to modify it this way.

[mortivan]

According to the liner notes, Pete Trewavas played a 4000 on Marillion's Script for a Jester's Tear. It sure had an awesome RIC sound.

[rickcrazy]

I'll say! I brought this up in 'The Single Pickup On The Model 4000 Bass'. What I've learned from Mark and others was that the 4000 was never fitted with the C3 capacitor. I wonder how Marillion's bass player got that definite Rick tone.

[robj]

I owned a neck thru 4000 in the early 70s that I had no problem getting a real Rick tone out of. I'm still kicking myself for selling it.

[weemac]

I think the real reason that a 4000 sounds like a Rickenbacker, is because it is a Rickenbacker.
I also had a 4000 (set neck) But there was no mistaking what this creature sounded like.
I don't think it is entirely fair to credit one capacitor for the classic rick sound, when it is the body material and thickness, scale length, bridge type and all that stuff that makes 90% of the sound. The right electrics are just the cream on the cake!
Yup! the 4000 is still a dead good beastie!

[dougp]

The bass sound on all the early Motorhead albums, and most of Lemmy's recordings with Hawkwind (except the "Silver Machine" single, which was, I think, a Hopf, and 1975's 'Warrior on the Edge of Time', which was a ThunderBird) is a 4000, albeit one with a T-Bird pickup added where the neck pu would go on a 4001. Still a classic "Ric" sound to my ears!

[jps]

I recently got a '73 4001 in Fireglo. To see what the difference was with and without the capacitor I put alligator clips across the capacitor and it is a nice tonal option. I am going to make custom electronics for mine on a new pickguard that will have a switch to choose between the two sounds. This way I will not alter the original electronics and it will be easy to restore the instrument to it's original version.

[rickcrazy]

Jeffrey, which version of the high-gain treble pickup is fitted to your '73 4001? And is it mounted on a black plastic baseplate or a metal baseplate? Can you tell me the second letter on the jackplate (the month)? Thanks.

[admin]

Jeffrey: A nice compromise. What about keeping the guard the same and using a push pull pot to kick in the capacitor. That way your instrument maintains the traditional look.

[brammy]

[antipodean]

A '70s 4000 sounds a bit like a 4003 with the treble pup soloed, but with more clarity and treble punch given the fact that the earlier pups were wound to around 7-8kohms. To my ear it is the most aggressive of the 4000 family - the perfect punk bass in fact! I'm seriously thinking of converting my V63 to 4000 spec... (keeping the horsie of course!)

[nov_1981]

A '70s 4000 sounds a bit like a 4003 with the treble pup soloed, but with more clarity and treble punch given the fact that the earlier pups were wound to around 7-8kohms. To my ear it is the most aggressive of the 4000 family - the perfect punk bass in fact!

+1
I have a 72 neck through thats truly a growler
No warmth out of that baby

[bassduke49]

I nominate this thread for the oldest resurrection. One week shy of seven years! Congrats! It's nice to know folks are scanning the archives!

[BAD RONBO, KiLLeR DWaRfS]

i had a neck set '79 4000 and had great sound out of it, although i had later modified it to 4001 specs. a rick is a rick if your using the stock pickups and a rear high gain on a 4000 will be the same as a 4001 with the cap out. to me, the neck set had not offered any difference to the neck thru as far as rigidity, or tonal aspects. i think it's all in the pickups, bridge assy and 1 1/4 " maple. "bad arse" bridges just tighten up the sound a bit but it will still have the rick characteristics.