Funk: A place for Rickenbacker basses?

[johnallg]

Slap demo and a short lesson on a Rick:

[Danotron]

Does this count?

[jps]

As I understand it, RJ mostly just posed with the Rick.

[cassius987]

I have actually heard more recently that his early work did in fact feature a Ric bass in the recordings, but I didn't see any solid evidence either... It would be cool if it were true though.

[jaymi]

Slap demo and a short lesson on a Rick:

too bad that thing's all cheesed out with bartolini pickups and the electronics are changed.....does not sound complete...
now for REAL Rick sound with slap...

[songdog]

I don't have any real skill at slapping... and what little I've tried on my 4001, I've found the strings kind of close together for my clumsy technique... but I have to say I think the reissue horseshoe (without the .0047 cap) combined with a vintage toaster has an absolutely killer tone for it!

[pekka]

http://youtu.be/EKWPynScqgw[/youtube]

http://youtu.be/5GWikmANtgM[/youtube]

Larry Johnson (yes, Larry Johnson, not Graham or Louis Johnson) plays a 4001 and sounds pretty funky to me. The bass sounds like it has the cap or he is using just the neck pickup.

The late great Doug Rauch who pioneered the double thumbing style used a Fender Jazz with a Gibson EB mudbucker at the neck position and had a great tone. You can get a pretty similar sound from a Rickenbacker's neck PU.

http://youtu.be/AvVMRXjh1pc[/youtube]

I personally can't stand the hi-fi slap sound and the neck pickup is perfect for "dirt" and that's why a Rick is a perfect bass for slap.

[pekka]

Larry Johnson (yes, Larry Johnson, not Graham or Louis Johnson) plays a 4001 and sounds pretty funky to me. The bass sounds like it has the cap or he is using just the neck pickup.

The late great Doug Rauch who pioneered the double thumbing style used a Fender Jazz with a Gibson EB mudbucker at the neck position and had a great tone. You can get a pretty similar sound from a Rickenbacker's neck PU.



I personally can't stand the hi-fi slap sound and the neck pickup is perfect for "dirt" and that's why a Rick is a perfect bass for slap.

[syncop8r]

I play mostly funk, and fingerstyle. Funny thing is, the more I have got into funk the LESS slap and pop I have done.

[wints]

I play mostly funk, and fingerstyle. Funny thing is, the more I have got into funk the LESS slap and pop I have done.

That's the way it should be...

You can funk a Ric, but to my ears it's always going to behind a Fender or a Pre EB Stingray. And the vast majority of the choir feels the same way...

[coolingitdown]

I don't have any real skill at slapping... and what little I've tried on my 4001, I've found the strings kind of close together for my clumsy technique... but I have to say I think the reissue horseshoe (without the .0047 cap) combined with a vintage toaster has an absolutely killer tone for it!

+1

I'm not much of a slap-n-pop kinda guy, but now that I've got the push/pull tone pot installed on my 4001C64, I have tried this experiment. Even with strung with TIs it has a decent slap tone! I can only imagine that switching to some roundwounds would sound really good for slap.

But that's not why I own a 4001C64. It's my vintage (Macca) tone machine!

[jaymi]

I don't have any real skill at slapping... and what little I've tried on my 4001, I've found the strings kind of close together for my clumsy technique... but I have to say I think the reissue horseshoe (without the .0047 cap) combined with a vintage toaster has an absolutely killer tone for it!

+1

I'm not much of a slap-n-pop kinda guy, but now that I've got the push/pull tone pot installed on my 4001C64, I have tried this experiment. Even with strung with TIs it has a decent slap tone! I can only imagine that switching to some roundwounds would sound really good for slap.

But that's not why I own a 4001C64. It's my vintage (Macca) tone machine!

Like every other bass, it takes some adjustment to make it work on a Rick but it CAN and IS being done!