Almost exactly 24.25 months to the day I ordered it, my 4003 MG finally showed up yesterday morning... after letting it have some time to acclimate it, I opened it up. I was emotionally guarded at the time because I had begun to expect to be disappointed. Was I wrong! Incredible... let me go into the details separately.
First things first, you look at the bass when you open the case up. Wow! I wasn't really happy with pics of recent 4003 MGs that I had seen and was hoping for something more like the 2007 run that I had been watching. Well, this is exactly what the doctor ordered. The headstock shape is spot-on, the walnut is not too dark, the grain is AWESOME, there are little hints of birdseyes here and there, and the color of the wood is the perfect sort of warm amber-ish tone, not sterile pink like MG sometimes looks in photos.
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Next up, the playability. I had been hearing a lot on this forum about chunky necks lately, and while I wasn't afraid of getting one that was fatter than my other two (both quite thin), I was pretty curious about what was going on. After all of the hubbub it's ironic that this bass is easily as thin-necked and playable as EITHER of my other two (a 2007 and a 2008). Here are the measurements I took:
1 @ 11.2 cm
3 @ 11.5 cm
7 @ 12.3 cm
12 @ 13.1 cm
As you can see, quite thin; and I used the exact same method to measure it that I did the other two. In fact, the neck feels very stable and comfy. The hardest thing for me is something that 90% of you wouldn't have a problem with: getting used to playing with frets again. I actually feel that you have to be more precise on a fretted bass because on a fretless your ear does all the work for you... basically, like Jaco once said, it takes time getting used to those speed bumps! But once I settled in (ca. 1 hour) it felt great and extremely playable. I wowed myself busting out fast numbers like my personal arrangement of "Afro Blue" and not missing a single note. The B part of "Spain" flew out effortlessly as well. The neck was nearly flat out of the box; if anything, the bridge was set a bit too low (too much Chris Squire THWACK with every note for me). I dialed it up just a tad (1.25 turns on either side, then a bit more on the A/E side) and it was perfect. This bass is a BEAST! I like it so much I almost want to take it to a jazz gig.
Finally let me comment on the sound. While I intend to record clips later, I'll say what I can about it right now... one, John Hall's "rifle" analogy to the Hi-Gains is dead on. They hit each note very precisely. You have to have really good right-hand technique not to sound sloppy through them, IMO. Once I adjusted my playing a bit I started hitting a great pocket and I actually started dancing with the bass while I played it! It was getting pretty funky. My wife commented that she really liked it as well--and she can be a tough critic. When I told her I kind've wanted to put two Toasters in like on my fretless, she said, "NO! It works for your fretless but this bass sounds incredible right now. Don't touch it!" So I heeded the wise words of this woman I love...
Yep indeed, if you had your doubts about the 2009 4003s, fear not! They are magnificent creatures... THANK YOU RICKENBACKER for pulling this bass directly out of my brain 2 years ago and making it come EXACTLY to life. It's uncanny how many details match up with my two-year-long fantasy. The wait was utterly worth it. Thank you and a hundred more times thank you!
...I am thinking of naming it Tafod y Cigfran, which means "raven's tongue" in Welsh. It fits this bass's bold, striking, dynamic personality and its "naturalistic" vibe too. It also has another meaning, because this bass, like my other basses, gives voice to my music--and I have for years gone by the nickname "Raven" to my close friends. What do you think? I'll give the bass some time first so it can decide for itself...
Loving this bass!! PEACE!
joshua
I'm too happy with it just like it is.
