4001 -vs- 4003

wints · Post by **wints** » Tue Jul 08, 2003 3:58 pm

This comes down to individual critera and choice as ever... You play a Ric bass primarily because of a certain sound you want/like /play. Do you need a working bass??. What decade does it for you??. As a 60,s owner you can go from Squire to McCartney. That covers a lot of timbre...The 60,s basses always seem very acoustic...better wood?...or is it just my ears... The neck on my 64 is the thinnest I,ve ever played. Some recent Rics seem like clubs in comparison, even though they are still slim....It,s all relative...so in terms of playability this one isn,t close for me. Aesthetics.. Rics are simply one of THE great looking basses. They sound great AND they compliment that with the looks. But to my mind, again no contest here...just one look at the old style with the full sparkle inlays, checkered binding, in any finish looks superior again to me than the contemporary equivalents..(I do like the V63 seagreen tho...)When it comes down to design and function, of course technology has made the new basses better than anything previous...Trussrod design alone would make the difference here...Ric have spent a lot of time in the last 20 years on reissues of a 63/64 bass..The V and the C are both testament to the original appeal of this bass..people still want them...But given the chance, I think most people would like an original...And still JH is always being asked about inlays and binding..I,d happily have a contemporary, and may do in the future, but for my critera the old school are still ahead...

rickenbrother · Post by **rickenbrother** » Tue Jul 08, 2003 5:33 pm

I love the 4001 basses as well as the newer 4003 basses, from the mid 80's to current production.
Brad, as you know I disliked the first three 4003 basses from the early 80's that I had. My fourth one was an '88 I loved that one, but when I moved out to CA I had to lighten my load a bit and kept my 4001 over the 4003 figuring I could much easier ger another 4003 than another 4001 in nice condition. I agree that it doesn't make sense to by a 4001 for $1000 or more when you can buy a new 4003 for the same or less. I've been seeing 4001 basses in fair condition go for $1299 at music shops and guitar shows.
I jumped at the chance to get a '73 4001 at a great price recently. It'a a great bass, it sounds different that my '79. the '73 has more mids.
There should definitely be a new 4003 eventually added to my collection, but first I want a 4004Cii5.........if they ever make them !!!

dave4004 · Post by **dave4004** » Tue Jul 08, 2003 6:43 pm

As I've said here before, I strongly prefer the 4003. I love the beefier neck profile and beefier pickups. But I haven't seen any real flat out vintage snobbery here (certainly nothing like in the world of Fenders), just some people who prefer the old sound, profile, or other features. Nothing wrong with that.

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Tue Jul 08, 2003 6:58 pm

I didn't mean to disparage Bread by the way, and their bass player was pretty good, he played some interesting lines. Just another side to the Ric bass.

jeff_ulmer · Post by **jeff_ulmer** » Wed Jul 09, 2003 4:55 am

There is another side to old guitars that I like, which is their wear character. When I buy new, I want the guitar to remain that way, but a beat up old guitar is a little easier maintenance wise, as an extra ding here or there isn't really going to hurt anything, while on a new instrument it is catastrophic.

Every instrument plays just a little differently, which I find causes me to approach it with a slightly different angle. From a philosophical point of view, the old guitar has tunes already built in, and know how to play, while a new one is still in virgin territory, and needs to learn the ropes. I liken them to tools - I much prefer to work with a hammer that knows how to drive a spike than a new one that still thinks my thumb is a viable target...

I can always use more Bread...

banta · Post by **banta** » Wed Jul 09, 2003 5:09 am

Sounds pretty sentimental to me, Jeff.

big_g · Post by **big_g** » Wed Jul 09, 2003 5:09 am

I used to own a 4001 a mapleglo '78 during the eighties. If it hadn't been destroyed I'd still have it today. I have a brand new 4003 jetglo, I prefer it on sound to my old 4001.
I must say that if I had a see-thru finish I'd prefer the seventies 4001 walnut stripe donw the neck.

squirebass · Post by **squirebass** » Wed Jul 09, 2003 1:09 pm

I'd have to say No, there is no vintage snobbery on my part, although I prefer the checkerboard binding and wide inlays to the current configurations. As far as tone and playability are concerned, I think the 4003 is more versatile than the old models, but then they have to be to perform well on the relatively hi-fi bass amps we have today... I love both, and I may just have to buy a 4003 in Montezuma Brown!! I just love that finish! Good topic!