Best Amp for a Rickenbacker 4003

[necrobacker]

as the subject title suggests. wha, in your collective opinions, is the best Amp/cab to have when playing a Ric 4003?
i currently use a 500watt Orange Tiny Terrror through an Orange OBC115 bass cab.
a few people have mentioned though that Ashdown bass amps are the best amps to have if playing a ric bass. others have said the Fender amp/cab combo's are there weapon of choice.
so what do you guys think is the best? my hypothetical budget for the amp and cab is up to :£1100.....($1500????)

[jps]

Well, here is my perfect Rick bass rig.

[Kopfjaeger]

Jeff,

Very nice!!! What size speakers in thopse awesome cabs??

I have both an orange AD200b Mk3 as well as an Orange TB 500. My cab is a Glasstone 2-12 inch cab. I do like the tone the orange puts out and I like it's simplicity. It may not be a Matamp but Orange makes some real nice stuff. My Glasstone and Orange TB500 weigh in at under 50 lbs. I can carry both in with a bass in a case in one shot. Power and portability mean a lot to me now since I normally only get a postage stamp size of real estate to park my gear.

Sepp.

[jps]

Jeff,

Very nice!!! What size speakers in thopse awesome cabs??

Sepp.

Thanks! This was a design between Don and I, and he wanted to keep them for himself!!!

They have Eminence 3010LF and Faital Pro W6N8-120 drivers with a custom Ralf Patterson crossover at around 1100 Hz. As you can see from how I have the rubber feet mounted and the location of the handles, these cabs can be stacked with them vertical (as shown) or horizontal and keep the mid drivers in the same orientation to each other to enhance the dispersion of the sound horizontally across the field of view hearing. Amazingly deep bottom end for a couple of 10" drivers and very even sound from top to bottom of the fingerboard, no boominess or suckout anywhere.

I have never seen in person or heard the Glasstone cabinets but have read lots of good things about them.

[edski]

Well, here is my perfect Rick bass rig.

I have an LDS 4x8. Don Oatman is a genius.

[jps]

I have an LDS 4x8. Don Oatman is a genius.

Yes, he is! Real nice guy, too.

I have a 2-8/6 cabinet, the first one he made for me, and I recently sold a 2-12/6 cabinet that just pounded venues!

[T28]

I also run a Glasstone Lil'G (2/12) cab but with a TecAmp Puma 900 head. Sonic bliss with my V63.
Also Phil Jones Bass amps and cabs sound killer.

[ram]

probably the best amp is the one you have the Ric plugged into....

[Captain Bob]

I would give serious consideration to a Reeves 225, Matamp GT200, and Divided by 13 RDL.

[henry5]

Depends what sound you're after, how you play etc. Try as many as you can and pick the one you like. For me, with the way I play, it was always Trace Elliot but YMMV.

[rikk]

I don't think there is a perfect bass rig for a Rickenbacker. Even with a 4001/4003's unique sound many people want to get very different sounds out if it. I'm currently using a GK Fusion. It has two channels clean and tube driven. I love it. I have also used Peavey back in the day and that was nice if you wanted a super clean tone. I also like Ampeg SVT for the distorted tube sound. But today my 5 pound GK Fusion gets all that.

[henry5]

I'm looking forward t trying some GKs. I haven't been able to use Trace for a long time because of the weight.

[edski]

Personally I find the cabinet makes most of the difference, thought I'm sure amps have a wide variation. Well, after owning a dozen or so amps over the years, I know that...

But I brought my new custom fretless to the local GC because there were some issues with my current amp - a 10 or 11 year old less than good 300 W Behringer head. Among other issues with this old tired originally less than good amp, if I crank the bass or treble boosts to their max, I get a squeal...

So I try out several different amps/cabinets with the new bass mainly to confirm that it's the amp squealing, not the active circuit in the bass. Check. I tried a markbass with a 2x10 and 15; a new Acoustic (450W? Can't recall) with a 4x10; a 500W Ampeg portaflex (can't remember the cabinet). All amps were flat, as I was really testing the bass...

I liked the Markbass the best, but I thought in fairness they should all be tested against the same cabinet. And a few hours later when I was at rehearsal playing on my battered, buzzing, wheezing less than good amp and great cabinet, well, I liked the sound far better than anything that $1000 would get me at GC.

I don't know what Don Oatman at Low Down Sound is charging these days - my 4x8" was a little under $500 about 10 years ago. I told him I fell in love with an SWR Henry the 8x8, and he said he'd make a cab that did that. It does a damn good job for a 50-60 pound box that fits in the trunk of any mid sized car. I'm sure a real 8x8 will blow it away, but it holds it's own against any moderate sized cabinet.

Anyway, once the drums start, who hears anything?

[jps]

Don's prices are still considerably below what the custom builder market generally charges. He doesn't gouge like those "authorized builders" in that Green world does IMO.

Here is another configuration for my two 1106 cabinets, for those times when I need a lower profile on stage.

[berth]

This will be sufficient in most situations.