Another ruined bass

ken_james · Post by **ken_james** » Wed Dec 10, 2003 2:03 pm

Check out this morons idea of what's good tone is:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2365795291&category=4713

basshawk · Post by **basshawk** » Wed Dec 10, 2003 2:51 pm

Reminds me of when I bought my 4000. The guy had a Schecter/active/p-style pup in it because as he said "Rickenbacker pickups sound like sh** ". So, why would you buy a Chris Squire bass only to make it sound unlike Chris Squire ?

ojobob2 · Post by **ojobob2** » Wed Dec 10, 2003 3:00 pm

maybe cos.....your not Chris Squire and its a damn nice/unique looking Rickenbacker so you buy one regardless?

gstuadams · Post by **gstuadams** » Wed Dec 10, 2003 3:52 pm

I don't understand how you can have the horseshoe cover but not the pickup. They are one unit, unlike the standard 400x treble PU and cover. Still, pretty easy fix for this one -- at least he didn't take a router to it. And then again the is the cheasy fake autograph on the body when it already has one on the pickgaurd. No idea what they were thinking.

basshawk · Post by **basshawk** » Wed Dec 10, 2003 3:58 pm

Yep, you're right. I should have also added the fact that it no longer looks like a Squire bass either. I'm sure if 50 people played Chris Squire's own bass it would sound like 50 different people playing Chris' bass. We all have our own sound. It is in fact the looks that make the 4001CS appealing to me, more than the sound because I know I could never come close to sounding like him. I absolutely love the sound I get from the vintage horseshoe on my 4000.

ken_james · Post by **ken_james** » Wed Dec 10, 2003 4:25 pm

The shoes are easy to remove from the pickup, just a couple of screws and you got no shoes.

jnbass · Post by **jnbass** » Wed Dec 10, 2003 6:39 pm

And I thank you for them shoes!!!

ken_james · Post by **ken_james** » Thu Dec 11, 2003 1:20 am

Oh yeah, I forgot about those, what did yo end up using them on?

rickcrazy · Post by **rickcrazy** » Thu Dec 11, 2003 2:26 am

I can not understand for the life of me why many people, including Seymour himself, view a twin blade polepiece pickup as adequate. Don't they care about even string-to-string volume on their instruments? Plus, it looks bad on a Rick!
I certainly do not mean to sound contentious, but I truly feel I got to come up with a definitive replacement 4001/4003 treble pickup of my own for players who are serious about how their Ricks sound AND look and yet keep going for joke replacement pickups.

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Thu Dec 11, 2003 4:38 am

Sergio:

Keep in mind there are 2 schools of thought (both valid). One school wants the old 60's jangly sound with the bass cut capaciter ... The second wants the thicker, mid punch, and treble bite modern sound.

You ought to make 2 models ...

There is no good replacement pickup out there for a Ric ... I have a set of the Seymour Duncan sound suckers ... the sound is noticably worse than any Ric pickup. The main 2 reasons a player would like these is ... 1 it eliminates hum ... 2 they tell you to remove the bass cut capaciter ... the result is a 4001 will sound fuller mainly because of the capaciter removal ...

If anybody wants a set of these pickups ... I have a set I can sell cheap ...they ain't worth it folks ...

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Thu Dec 11, 2003 5:04 am

the guy who ruined the Ric also did this ... he should not be allowed to own basses ... this is one of his other auctions ...

big_g · Post by **big_g** » Thu Dec 11, 2003 5:16 am

I must say, however, if you've got not much left to work with and do choose to do a modification or have one done, at least see to it that a professional job gets done. Check out this following Ebay link to see an example of a professional job done on a bass that was in bad shape when the guitar tech got it.

Although I'm usually fairly at odds with modification, but, in some cases, if professionally done, especially to a bass that's already been roughly treated, it can be good.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2579541438&category=41439

dave4004 · Post by **dave4004** » Thu Dec 11, 2003 5:41 am

Big g, did you look at his website? Look at the restorations, he turned a 360 with a broken neck into a short scale bass.

atomic_punk · Post by **atomic_punk** » Thu Dec 11, 2003 6:28 am

Agreed, I saw that bass and thought it was well done, not MY cup of tea, but it at least looks like a pro job. I saw that 360 bass on his site, I thought it was very cool! Looks like a 3000 series bass neck bolted on! I am just not enamoured with his pickup surrounds. Other than that, it looks fantastic!

big_g · Post by **big_g** » Thu Dec 11, 2003 7:34 am

Yes, his website is very interesting, he is, after all restoring, it's kind of like the car guys debate with old cars, do you restore vintage, or hot rod? It's up to the guys laying out the cash and the condition of the parts you're left to work with.

His site and work brings up the fact that no matter which direction you take a customization, make it something you can be proud of and show off, not some cobbled together pile of junk. Even though I'm more of the try to restore it to as close to what it was type, a well done custom job can be a statement in craftsmanship too.