Best Amp for a Rickenbacker 4003

[woodyng]

I normally play my Markbass 1-12" combo,with a 2nd 1-12" Markbass Traveller cab. 500 watts,gets the job done quite nicely,preamped with a VT pedal. I got the opportunity yesterday to hear my 4004c at a live outdoor gig,through a comparable stack,a 500-watt Ashdown head through 2 1-12" Epifani cabs. The amp has a 12ax7 preamp tube,so i did not use ny VT pedal. It sounded pretty fabulous,i think the Epi cabs were a bit warmer and fuller than the Markbass,but still retained that clarity i like to hear over the full range of the bass. I also use a tech 21 Landmark 300 head from time to time,with 2 channels that can be switched or combined,it can come up with some really neat tone options.

[sledz]

I could play my Rick with probably every vintage tube amp, but if it wasn't Sunn I'm actually using, it probably would be Mesa 400+ or SVT. You can't go wrong with a Rick and a vintage tube amp. But in SS matter and hifi tones I can't imagine better choice than SWR SM series. I played friends stack a few weeks ago, SWR SM900 and two 1x15 cabs with FaitalPro 15PR400 speakers and it was a thunder! So natural and so precise, every detail I played was perfectly pronounced and it perfectly fitted to Rick's brightness and growl. FaitalPro equipped cabs added a little bit of oldschool sweetness and warmth. I played TE, Ampeg, GK, Markbass, Orange, etc. and they may be OK if you like the sound of TE, Ampeg, GK, Markbass, Orange etc. amps, but if you really like your Rick's sound - you probably can't go better than SWR.

[jps]

You can't go wrong with a Rick and a vintage tube amp.

I was playing my 2030GF through my 1962 Fender Concert Amp this afternoon. It sounds fine through it's own 4-10 speakers but I plugged it into my two new LDS 1106 cabinets; man, this amp has limitless bottom end and great snarl!

[sledz]

You can't go wrong with a Rick and a vintage tube amp.

I was playing my 2030GF through my 1962 Fender Concert Amp this afternoon. It sounds fine through it's own 4-10 speakers but I plugged it into my two new LDS 1106 cabinets; man, this amp has limitless bottom end and great snarl!

Oh, yep. Recently I played old Fender Bassman 4x10 combo also and it didn't sound well with bass, but I had no chance to check it with different cab.

[Benjamin]

I get some nice results from a GK 700RB-II through an SWR Henry 8x8. I can get a fatter tone using pedals, but my preference all round is for a nice responsive grindy contemporary tone. This rig complements my other basses, so I am happy.
The Ric really sings through anything. My church uses a GK MB212 combo and that's real tasty as well.

[Happyface]

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.

I agree. There s something really "glassy" about the sound. To my ears it is great with a Ric.

That said, since I play in a late 60s cover band, I use the same two Orange rigs as Kopfjaeger. My Blackstar sounds righteous through the AD200 with two Orange15s. Good with the Terror and the 2x12" SPC cab as well, though it's more of a punchy sound.

All in all, the Ric basses sound pretty good through just about anything!!!

[bassman4001]

I use a GK MB fusion 500 and play through a GK 2/12 neo cabinet for small venues and for bigger I add a Neo 1/15. All my basses including my Ricks sound fantastic through it. I do practice with a Line 6 LD150 which sounds pretty good as well.

[Benjamin]

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.

I agree. There s something really "glassy" about the sound. To my ears it is great with a Ric.

I think I agree. Started on an old AH250 through a 4x10, then an AH300 through same cab. Changed heads to fix tone issue unsuccessfully, because I later learnt it was the cab's fault. Still, I loved the glassy Trace tone. That AH250 was the most awesome simultaneously clean AND aggressive tone ever. Alas, this was all before my Ric-time. I wish I could try Ric through AH250 into Henry 8x8.

[necrobacker]

think im gonna keep the rig i got............for now
managed to get a really aggressive tone out of it now by setting the amp to:
treble:2/10
bass 2/10,
mids 10/10
gain: 4/10

all the bass guitar knobs turned to max.

also my tone improved by flipping my cab upside down- the logic being its on wheels so turning it upside down means i get more rumble.........probably. in science i think this is called magic.

plus the terror is just sooo easy to carry around.

[superheavydeathmetal]

None! I use two Line6 Pods.

I run the neck pickup into a Bass Pod using the Rock Classic, which models an Ampeg (I guess the SVT) for some sweet low-end.

I run the bridge pickup into a Pod X3 using the Marshall Plexi model with the "classic distiortion" pedal. This is where the magic happens.

The outputs go into a small mixer, and I get a pretty nice Chris Squire sound. It's not perfect, so I am always tweaking and looking for advice on how I can get more of that South Side of the Sky "gurgle" with my 1986 4003.

I can get you more detailed settings if you are interested. I don't have them handy.

[12stringbassist]

This rig is doing it for me....



Alternately, this.

[vulcan_creedler]

This will be sufficient in most situations.

Nice practice amp, Bert!(despite the non-Ric monstrosity on the left of the rig!)

[thisismusicinc]

It's Hiwatt all the way for me. Vintage 400watt or modern 200watt, depending on the occasion, into newer Fane loaded 2x15". This rig gives me just the sound I want. Needs to be played at a certain volume, though.

[vulcan_creedler]

Actually - for good, all-round bass amplification, Ashdown is remarkable value for money. The company evolved from the good guys who left Trace Elliot. They have various ranges, but I'm a particular fan of the bog standard no-frills MAG range (which alas has just become obsolete) but I also have a Mibass micro head too. The ABM speakers are a lot better than the MAG speakers though, as they're made from 18mm birch ply, rather than chipboard, and better drivers too. The newer Mibass range also includes the Mibass 1 x 10" and 1 x 12" speakers. I sold my old ABM 2 x 10" for a Mibass 1 x 12", which I pair with my AMB 1 x 15", and the combination of a single 12" and a single 15" is a sort of quarter size Murder 1 (Lemmy) stack! Sounds good to me - both my 4003 basses and my 4004L are able to really clank with alot of oomph.

I'm NOT on commission from Ashdown!!!!!!!

GT

[rictified]

Jeez, i must be slipping I thought I had already posted in this thread: Ampeg SVT of course. Right Jeffrey?