Vintage Rics - Are they really that fragile?

[Baker69]

I see quite a few postings on various Forums from Ric owners who appear to be vary wary about using their 'old' Rics for gigging, and saw a posting the other day from a guy who would like to buy a Ric copy to gig with so as he didn't need to take his Ric to gigs!

Are people afraid of taking old (and expensive) Rics to gigs for fear of them getting accidentally damaged, (or even stolen), or are these old necks a bit too fragile now they're getting on in years? I would be interested to hear on people's thoughts on using old Rics for gigging, my '78 4001is one of my main gigging basses and I personally do not have any worries about taking it to gigs and playing the old girl, I bought the bass to play and not for it to sit at home in its case.

[Seans]

I gig all mine, even a doubleneck, although this hasn't been out for a long while. I would say I'm more concerned with theft than live gigging, but if you're always aware. I played a Hell's Angel bash last month with my friends CS as I was a little concerned about taking my 64, I didn't need to worry after all, it was a great gig and just how I remember them.

[jps]

I gig mine, that is what they are for, after all.

[rickenbrother]

My Ricks get used at gigs, practices and jams, whether they be new or vintage.

[Grey]

The guitars are wood and bits of metal, it's the players who are fragile. "Afraid to gig with" = "afraid to get it nicked or scuffed".

[cassius987]

My 1976 4001FL is built like a tank. I gig it.

[ilan]

The necks on old Rics are weaker and most of them can take only low-tension strings, but this has little relevance to gigging them (as you can see in my avatar... it's a '73).

[Baker69]

The necks on old Rics are weaker and most of them can take only low-tension strings, but this has little relevance to gigging them (as you can see in my avatar... it's a '73).

Yeah, I've seen a lot of postings on here about the 'weaker' necks on 4001's and other older Rics, I was a bit hesitant in changing my string gauge from 40-100's to 45-105's but the bass seems perfectly fine with them and I can't see as the neck needs any adjustment.

With a build date of 1978 is mine considered to be an 'old' Ric?

I like to think I take good care of my basses but have no worries about gigging any of them, I particularly take care of them on stage as well as I have found they are far more likely to get damaged by your fellow band mates than any marauding fans! My Sandberg has a ding on it the perfect size and shape of the end of our ex-drummer's cymbal stand!

[Seans]

78, is oldish but it's probably in the strongest of the 4001 series, 45-105 will be no problem.

[walker]

I don't gig with my '68 primarily for concern of damage (alcohol spills, cases getting knocked around) not because the bass is FRAGILE, per-say, but because the older basses are a bit of a rare bunch and pretty much irreplaceable. Theft is an even bigger concern.

As much as I love playing the '68, it's not a suitable gigging bass due to the pliability of the neck. Even during some recording sessions, if I'm really rocking out and gripping hard on the neck, I'll inadvertently pull the strings so close to the fretboard that the sustain chokes out, or sometimes even get pulled flush to the fretboard completely. My newer era basses don't have that issue.

The '68 holds high tension strings just fine, it's just not sturdy enough to withstand a lot of pulling which is sometimes hard to avoid.

[woodyng]

I use my '74 4000 for gigs. I don't have to worry about it not being up to the task,and of course i keep an eye on my guitars whenever i play out....

[johnhall]

Boiled down, it's the rarity and value that's keeping some of these old guitars from gigging, not any particular fragility.

[ram]

I gig my '74 4001 and have no worries.... I have always treated my instruments as nice as possible (per conditions available) and have never had an issue with the 4001. My biggest concern is that it may get stolen.

[vulcan_creedler]

I gig my 78 4001 and my 88 4003!

Both get taken to gigs, but I nearly always play the 4003. Whatever bass I play (ric or other), I always go through A strings far too frequently, so a spare Ric is well handy!

Anyhow - beautiful basses are meant to be seen heard. That is the very reason they were made. My '78 has a bit of history, but my '88 is a workhorse - full of dents, dings, sweat, beer, and many hours of happy gigging history! It really isn't worth getting all "precious" over an instrument that is just meant to be played live, and LOUD!!!!!

VC

[cassius987]

The necks on old Rics are weaker and most of them can take only low-tension strings, but this has little relevance to gigging them (as you can see in my avatar... it's a '73).

Gotta disagree, at least as far as my experience with my 1976. Maybe I got lucky but I think its neck is far more resilient (without any tension on the rods) than any 4003 or 4004 I have played. If I need high-tension strings on a bass, the 4001FL is really the only bass in my stable that I know for sure will be able to handle it and keep a dead straight neck. That's not because my 4003s are wimpy, because they handle medium strings just fine; it's because the 4001FL is incredibly strong. And I've played others 70s Rics that appeared to be similarly tough but I can't say that for sure.