The most versatile Ric bass?

[rickenbrother]

That's a cool picture, Pete!

+1, well said, Joey!

Thanks, Paul!

[paul_yan]

Not at all, Joey. You were speaking the ultimate truth!

Pete, cool pic!

[JakeK]

Pete, thank you for that description of the V63/CS. Getting a new bass is the next thing I buy (let me get a RoMo RI guitar out the way), and I think I'm gonna have to see what's out there when the money flows in!

BTW, Pete, John's bass sound on "Bargain" (the live version you mentioned) was done on either a P-bass or a '64 Thunderbird, played through a Sunn or Hiwatt amp. He was, no doubt about this, playing the song with his fingers. Is the horseshoe on your V63 similar to the song's tone when played with your fingers or with a pick?

[johnallg]

Great picture Pete! Damn, that CS looks just like the one Chris is holding in his RIC poster. Oh, wait, it is!!

What kind of strings do you play?

[seyesbass]

Yes Jake,
Its got a really different tone from the HS on the CS.
When I first used the V63 I tended to try and get the same tone that the CS has and I couldnt get used to how over the top the treble was on the HS and there was some problem trying to blend both pick ups so now I tend to switch from neck to bridge pick up depending on the song.
Has anyone else had that when trying to blend both pick ups?
As I got more used to the bass generally I tried rolling off a lot of the treble on the HS to see what other tones I could get.
Its driven hard on the front end of my Ampeg but even Di its got a really creamy rasp very much like the T'bird or Precision.
(When my left hand was in plaster last year I went to rehearsal sat down and plugged the V63 into a Di box to "ghost" the bass parts for the rest of the band.
I was really impressed with the direct sound, no amp just a guitar lead into the venue PA so take it from me its all down to the Rick and your amp is just the icing on the cake.)
I usually play with a plec but you can get some great tones with fingers if you are willing to play quite hard near the bridge.Full on treble and kind of slap+finger style you get a really agressive sound for Baba O'Riley on the V...quite versatile and somewhere inbetween theres a tone just like So Sad About Us which I think was played on Entwistles RM.
I still put a lot of the tonal difference on the V63 down to the thicker neck,and coincidentally the T'bird bass is usually chunky (thru neck too)and theres an example of CS using one on Release Release on the Tormato album. Check out the bass at the end of that track...its worth the wait.
By the way when we played Tavistock in Devon recently we actually walked three miles up Dartmoor to Yes Tor unlike Yes who just stuck photos over the Tor shot! Thats cheating!
Heres the (REAL) photos of Yes Tor ..............is that Bon Scott or some hippie guitarist from Preston?

Glad you enjoyed the "Roto photo"too.
I met Jason How (Mr.Rotosound Jnr) at the Music Live Show in Birmingham on Friday (once again thats the Midlands not the Deep South one!) and I did it as a jokey thing to go with an email I sent him later that day.I expect he has been busy all weekend at the show so he probably hasnt seen it yet.
I wonder if they will take pity and send me some free strings?

[JakeK]

quite versatile and somewhere inbetween theres a tone just like So Sad About Us which I think was played on Entwistles RM.

Entwistle no longer had the RM in his possession in 1966. It was more than likely played on his Fender Precision, as that was the bass he was using in 1966.

He used the RM on the High Numbers recordings, as well as PROBABLY "Can't Explain" and "Bald Headed Woman". By "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere" the neck was beyond warped, and had started to warp during November 1964.

[teeder]

My vote would be a V63, though this one with the push/pull pot gets it done nicely.

[jps]

Where's the horsie, Kevin? If you no longer have use for it, I'd gladly come up to Erie to give it a new home.

[rickaddict]

Where's the horsie, Kevin? If you no longer have use for it, I'd gladly come up to Erie to give it a new home.

That's Kevin's '69 4000, converted to a 4001S Jeffrey. It wasn't born with a horseshoe. (Thank goodness) And the bass sounds and plays flippin' outstanding.

[rickaddict]

Tough question on this thread, by the way. I think its bound to degenerate into a popularity contest/ show and tell/ "My Rick is better than your Rick" thread.

I like this quote:

I'll suggest that if you have the right touch and sense of the part then, even with less than optimum choice of gear, you will convince your audience. And I find effectiveness in art is not so much about being correct as it its about being convincing. That's just my own experience, of course.

Having said that (and having agreed with the above Kira quote), my choice for versatility would have to be the 4003. Strung with rounds or flats, mute on or mute off, cap in or cap out (via push-pull pot), and the ability to control volume and tone for each individual pickup make it more versatile than the 4004 IMHO. The C64 comes in a close second as it has no push/pull.

[woodyng]

that combination with an hb1 and a reissue horseshoe sounds VERY interesting.......i would love to hear that combination blended.....

[teeder]

Different mapleglo, Jeffrey.
You're thinking of my old V63 (on the right) that now belongs to John A now.

[cassius987]

The current flagship model, the 4003, is EXTREMELY versatile. I've also owned an Ernie Ball Music Man Stingray, a low-end Spector, and currently own a Fender Jazz Bass, and, sorry, but none of those others holds a candle to my 4003 in terms of versatility. Two well-voiced pickups, each with its own volume and tone control, a selector switch, and the push-pull cap make for lots of sounds on one machine.

I also own a 4003 fretless--my favorite bass, actually. It is as nasty as it is sweet. Another highly versatile bass.

Just so you know what my biases are, I tend to really like jazz, fusion, and prog, etc., as well as a pinch of 70s-style heavy metal and stoner rock.

If you are looking for a versatile workhorse there is no reason not to go with a post-2006 4003.

[jps]

Different mapleglo, Jeffrey.
You're thinking of my old V63 (on the right) that now belongs to John A now.

Yeah, I forgot!

[johnallg]

Different mapleglo, Jeffrey.
You're thinking of my old V63 (on the right) that now belongs to John A now.

A pair of beautiful MGs there, Kevin. I have a plan for the V63, and almost had it implemented, when I broke a brand new string. Never happened before, but it was in the loop at the ball end and I believe defective wire. Awaiting the replacement.