Model of the week 19: 2020 and 2060 and 2030GF

[fretless]

Those are stunning basses !

[kiramdear]

I love the turquoise!

[rickaddict]

Ahhh...There we go. Now I can reprint my earlier post. (I jumped the gun and posted this to the Model of the Week Eleven: The 2030/2050 thread):

Here's my 1992 2030 Glenn Frey bass. I found this one at Dirk Witte's in Amsterdam about a year and a half ago and am the first to own it. http://rickresource.com/register/user_i ... llsize.jpg Barry Witte told me that they had ordered 8 of them as soon as they became available and this was the last one left. You would think that there was something wrong with it for it to sit there for 15 years unsold, but that is not the case. It's a flippin' great-sounding bass with a strong, yet smallish, straight neck and perfect frets. The nice round contour on the body means that this bass is really comfortable on your right wrist whether you play over the neck, right in front of the bridge or you float back and forth from the neck to the bridge. The price for mine was around $1300, but I wouldn't sell it for twice that today.

Nice, chunky tone on it too. When I picked it up in Amsterdam and started playing through an Ampeg 8X10 and an SVT-3 or SVT-4 Pro, (I forgot which) a couple people gathered and commented on how great it sounded. I only had about 15 minutes that I could stay, so I put the bass back and started walking out. As soon as my hand left it's neck, some kid ran up and grabbed it off the rack! Funny...The thing sat there for 15 years, but as soon as someone plugged it in and played it...it sure got noticed! After I met my wife and a friend, I returned to the store a couple hours later and bought the bass.

Handy for me...I brought the bass right on the 747 I flew home on, put it in the nose-cone storage bin (free shipping) and got a refund on the VAT tax because I don't live in Europe. And when I got to customs in the States, I didn't have to pay any tax there either 'cuz the bass was made in the U.S.A.

Here are more pics:

http://rickresource.com/register/viewit ... ine%3Dtrue

[rickaddict]

The 2060 had binding front and back and gold hardware, the same bridge, knobs, and tuners as used on the 4004C.

Not to step on your toes, Paul but my GF doesn't have the same bridge as my Cheyenne. One might be a Schaller and the other an ABM? Not sure, but what I do know is that the string spacing on my GF adjusts narrower (and the neck is narrower as well) than my Cheyenne. The GF's string spacing can be adjusted to be as narrow as the 4001/4003 which I prefer over the 4004's spacing.

[rickaddict]

There are a couple of 2030GFs. Here's a photo of one (must belong to Jeff Thomas, I recognize the backyard):

001.JPG

Yep, that one's mine Ron! Good eye on the back yard.

My Dad makes fun of me every time I tell him I cut the lawn: "You cut the lawn? How long did it take you? Five minutes? Your lawn is the size of a POSTAGE STAMP!! HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!"

[kiramdear]

Wow, Jeff, that's beautiful! I find the headstock shape to be one of the prettiest I've ever seen, and the jetglo just floors me.

[rickaddict]

I have played Gary's GF and the one Chris Pappas had for a while, they are heavy and have thick necks, but do sound great. I could see maybe getting a GF in the future.

Heavy? Yes. I'd like to put it on a scale to see just how heavy it is 'cuz it's not that much worse than my other Ricks (Especially the ones that have the horseshoes on). But I have to disagree on you about the necks. Mine has a sweet neck that feels similar to my late 80's 4003S's. It might be thicker front to back than some, but the girth is smaller and more comfortable than any post-1994 Rick bass I've ever played.

I'll try to measure it's girth tonight and post the results for comparison.

[rickaddict]

Wow, Jeff, that's beautiful! I find the headstock shape to be one of the prettiest I've ever seen, and the jetglo just floors me.

Thanks Kira! I like it too! I've only seen three of them in person including mine. I played Gary Clauson's at the RIC 75th and it made quite an impression on me! The other one was completely trashed and had a "Do Not Touch" sign on it!

I dig it 'cuz it's different. It feels very similar (same scale length, same string spacing, close to the same bridge pickup location) as my 4001/4003's but it sounds different.

The contoured body is super comfortable, and like the 4001/4003 it balances well on my lap or on the strap.

And I agree..That cool Gumby headstock is a bonus as well!

[rickaddict]

Here's a link to a copy of the original RIC promotional flyer for the GF:

http://www.rickenbacker.com/catalog_boo ... talog=frey

[kiramdear]

Cool, thanks for that. As I mentioned, I'm playing a 430 which is like the 230GF in shape but is not contoured. It feels comfortable too but I haven't used it hard yet so we'll see if the slab is okay for my forearm. So far I find it very comfortable, and the mahogany is not too weighty. I'd also love to try a 3000 bass. Of all of these similar-bodied models, I find the Glen Frey ones the prettiest.

[bassduke49]

That's the flyer with the infamous typo: 203GF. It should be 2030GF.

[rickaddict]

So who can tell me once and for all, definitively, if these pickups are humbuckers or single coils?

http://www.rickresource.com/register/us ... llsize.jpg



I thought they were, but there seemed to be conflicting opinions on the 2030/2050 thread.

[jps]

My Dad makes fun of me every time I tell him I cut the lawn: "You cut the lawn? How long did it take you? Five minutes? Your lawn is the size of a POSTAGE STAMP!! HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!"

Does that time include getting out and putting away the lawn mower?

[rickfan60]

So who can tell me once and for all, definitively, if these pickups are humbuckers or single coils?

http://www.rickresource.com/register/us ... llsize.jpg



I thought they were, but there seemed to be conflicting opinions on the 2030/2050 thread.

How many wires do they have? If there are three wires they are humbuckers. I am pretty sure by then they were HB2s.

[johnallg]

Or just hold the bass up to an amp head when it is plugged in - that will also tell you if it is a humbucker!