Rickenbacker Survey Question

[woodyng]

i have a 4000 and a cii. the 4000 would definitely be the first to go, the cii is just as playable (to me) and it sounds way better for most of the music i play. from the front the 4004cii is a little generic looking,but from the side angles with all that contrasting maple and walnut,it is very distinctive,and quite an elegant look. for me the hb1s ,especially when put through a tube emulator,have one of the best bass sounds i've ever been able to get.

[sloop_john_b]

the 4000 would definitely be the first to go

Talk to me Woody.

[cassius987]

Ditto John.

A 4004 simply doesn't have the defining place or sound, that the 4001/3 has, and, never will.

The difference to me is similar to Fender v. Sadowsky; do you want the thing we've been hearing for 50 years or the culmination of 50 years of so-called improvements, as it were? Most people lean conservative on this issue in my experience, not so much on a conscious but subconscious level most of the time.

[cheyenne]

I would like to pick up a first generation Cheyenne. I think the walnut body and the maple neck / fingerboard would be interesting.

[incubus2432]

I guess this pic shows where my loyalties are......



(I currently only own the Laredo and LK)

I've owned a reasonable number of 4001(s)/4003(s) over the years and always wanted a bit more out of 'em. Once I got my first 4004 (my LK) I found what I was looking for.....the traditional Ric tone with a kick to the low end. It took finding the right setup and altering my technique a bit but once everything came together I found my 4003 getting almost no playing time so off it went. i may pick up another 4001/4003 someday but it'll be because it is a good deal or for sentimental reasons.

[hieronymous]

I've never owned a 4004 so I haven't commented on this thread, but that picture of all the 4004's is killer!!!

[jack1953]

I currently own a 4000, 4001, 4003, 4004L and a 4005 of these five the 4004L is the odd ball out.
I think its a great sounding bass but its a matter of neck/fretboard width. Its too much of a difference for me between the Laredo and the others and unfortunately that means that it spends a lot of time in its case

FWIW I think if the Laredo was the only bass I owned I could get used to it but...

Bottom line.. I would trade it for a 4001/4003 any day

What differences are there in the Laredo neck compared to the others?

[bluewhale]

...and had to give one up, which one would you give up and why?

An awful thing to contemplate, but I would give up the 4004Cii. The reason is that I much prefer the sound of the 4001. I assume it's mainly the single coil pickups on the 4001 that account for the difference - unplugged the two sound the same to me.

I do like the sounds I'm getting from the 4004Cii, but it has taken more than the expected amount of experimentation to get there, a little with pickup adjustment, but mostly with the amp. To me it almost seems like the 4004Cii reveals its qualities at its own pace.

[nov_1981]

I currently own a 4000, 4001, 4003, 4004L and a 4005 of these five the 4004L is the odd ball out.
I think its a great sounding bass but its a matter of neck/fretboard width. Its too much of a difference for me between the Laredo and the others and unfortunately that means that it spends a lot of time in its case

FWIW I think if the Laredo was the only bass I owned I could get used to it but...

Bottom line.. I would trade it for a 4001/4003 any day

What differences are there in the Laredo neck compared to the others?

The Laredo neck is noticeably wider

[turlu]

I owned all three of them.... I still have the 4003.... oh sorry... a 4001V63 and a 4003DCM 75th anniversary.

I preferred the feel and tone of the 4003/4001 lines.

[jack1953]

I currently own a 4000, 4001, 4003, 4004L and a 4005 of these five the 4004L is the odd ball out.
I think its a great sounding bass but its a matter of neck/fretboard width. Its too much of a difference for me between the Laredo and the others and unfortunately that means that it spends a lot of time in its case

FWIW I think if the Laredo was the only bass I owned I could get used to it but...

Bottom line.. I would trade it for a 4001/4003 any day

What differences are there in the Laredo neck compared to the others?

The Laredo neck is noticeably wider

According to the specs on the website the width of the necks are exactly the same.

[nov_1981]

jack1953 wrote:

According to the specs on the website the width of the necks are exactly the same.

John Allgaier put together a nice spead sheet of info on neck widths here http://rrf.mcx.net/Rick_400x_Neck_Measurements.xls

Comparing the numbers it doesn't seem like much of a difference when your talking mm.
but I personally can feel the difference between the 4004 and the other 4000 basses.

IMHO Its not the end of the world that the 4004's have slightly wider necks
but I just preffer the others

[jack1953]

jack1953 wrote:

According to the specs on the website the width of the necks are exactly the same.

John Allgaier put together a nice spead sheet of info on neck widths here http://rrf.mcx.net/Rick_400x_Neck_Measurements.xls

Comparing the numbers it doesn't seem like much of a difference when your talking mm.
but I personally can feel the difference between the 4004 and the other 4000 basses.

IMHO Its not the end of the world that the 4004's have slightly wider necks
but I just preffer the others

Your post that I asked about was in reference to the neck width between the 4004cii and the 4004L. Those 2 are listed exactly the same on the website and according to John's stats the Cii is actually wider.

Jack

[cassius987]

Maybe it's because the Cii was evolving towards a 5er design at one point (alas, no more).

[superdick2112]

Maybe it's because the Cii was evolving towards a 5er design at one point (alas, no more).

This would be my assumption as well. My 4004 Cii has a much wider & deeper neck than my 4003 (I don't care what the specs. say, you can feel it), and I believe Ric intended to produce both 4 and 5-string versions of the 4004 using just the one neck profile.

As for which one I'd keep, that's a head scratcher - my 4004 has superior bottom end & looks fantastic, but my 4003 has a far more playable neck and the classic Ric tone I grew up with.
I suppose I'd have to keep my 4003 JG - of the dozen or so 4000-series basses I've owned over the years, it has the best neck and sound of them all.