4004L neck size

[Lemmy4ever]

Is there any size difference with the neck and headstock on a 4004L from 1998 and one from 2013?

[thisismusicinc]

The neck on my 08 4004 cii is very different from the typical 4001/3. Much wider, and keeps getting wider up on the neck. I had to adjust my playing style and shorten the strap quite a bit to be able to play it. It sounds so good, it was worth the effort. I think they have the same necks as the 4003 since when they made the two piece neck.

[jps]

The older (1998, in your case) 4004 necks were pretty chunky overall in depth, and in width as you go up the neck. Think vintage Fender Precision neck, more or less. The current 4004 necks are the same dimensions as current 4003 model basses (thinner front to back, narrower as you move up the neck and are (to me) way more comfortable to play. Depending on what you prefer, either is good, it all comes down to what you are used to or willing to get used to, really.

[Lemmy4ever]

Finally saw one in person today. Played it as well and want one even more now! This one is was made in '98 and the neck didn't feel chunky, really like it. In the middle of sorting out a 4004ci at the moment and if that doesn't go ahead.... I'm going to go back and buy the 4004L.

[T28]

Was the main difference between the Cii and the L cosmetics?

[Lemmy4ever]

I missed out on the 4004L while holding out for the 4004Ci, which I don't think is going to happen. Never even got to see the 4004ci in person, so can't answer your question...

[jps]

Was the main difference between the Cii and the L cosmetics?

Cii - gold hardware, maple/walnut/maple sandwich body, black with gold lettering TRC. Earlier ones have clearcoat on the fingerboard, later ones have no finish on the fingerboard.

L - chrome hardware, all maple body (although some did/do end up with a Cii body sandwich), black with silver lettering TRC, clearcoat on fingerboard.

Different choice of colors finishes between the two models.

So, outside of the body woods, the differences are bassically, cosmetic. Although, IME, the body woods make a significant difference in tone.

[aceonbass]

Some Cii's with solid colors don't have the walnut sandwich construction, but when they do, they're noticeably lighter due to the fact that walnut is lighter than maple. When a bass dips below 9 pounds, I feel a noticeable difference. I had a Cii once that I did a 5-string conversion on that still only weighed 8 pounds after the conversion, and the bass felt like a featherweight compared to my 9 1/2 pound 4003 8-string conversion.

[T28]

Just curious cause I have had a Cii but never played an L.
I have an opportunity to pick up an L for a pretty decent price but was wondering what to expect sound wise vs the Cii.

[jps]

My experience is that the L sounds brighter, more aggressive, more like a typical Rick bass sound, whereas the 2004 Cii I had was thicker, deeper, fuller sounding with a diminished high end to it. That was my first experience with the HB-1 pickups but I wanted a more "normal" Rick bass tone so I put scatterwound toasters in the bass. When I finally got to plug in a Laredo for the first time (Ron O'Keefe's 4004L) it gave me the tone I was looking for, and that was with the HB-1 pickups.

[squirebass]

Some Cii's with solid colors don't have the walnut sandwich construction, but when they do, they're noticeably lighter due to the fact that walnut is lighter than maple. When a bass dips below 9 pounds, I feel a noticeable difference. I had a Cii once that I did a 5-string conversion on that still only weighed 8 pounds after the conversion, and the bass felt like a featherweight compared to my 9 1/2 pound 4003 8-string conversion.

So, I've never understood about the walnut sandwich construction -- when did it go away, or is it still available? The only Cheyennes I've played have been the original one from back in the '90s when they had an oiled finish(Ci), and a sunburst one(Cii), which I believe did not have the walnut sandwich construction.... There appear to have been some changes made in the body construction as well as the pickup placement over the years. I'll bet this is covered in detail in Paul's book...

[bassduke49]

Well, yeah, kinda. In theory, ALL Ciis should have the walnut sandwich construction. If it is a solid opaque color, you can see the construction of the body inside the control cavity in the back of the body. SOME basses finished in solid colors as 4004L Laredo have this construction, most are solid maple. AND it is possible that a solid color Cii has solid maple. If, during a production run of 4004Ciis, they have an outstanding order for an L in, let's say, Midnight Blue, they may take one of the sets of sandwich body wings and build it up as a Laredo. Likewise, if they are short of sandwich body wings but need to have a solid color Cii to fill an order, they may have all-maple wings handy. The main differences between the current Cii and L are that "premium" of "figured" wood is used on the Cii. In theory, figured maple stock is less common and therefore more expensive. They save some money by building the walnut core (using two thinner slices of maple), but no way for me to tell how much since there's more labor involved building the sandwich. The Ciis are a bit lighter than a solid maple bass. And the hardware is different color. I had a 2004 Turquoise 4004L (which has chromed hardware) but while photographing the control cavity, I discovered it had the sandwich construction (at least in the lower wing, anyway). I decided that Turquoise would look killer with the gold hardware, so swapped hardware with Dane who prefers chrome. That particular 4004 is shown in the book with both the chrome hardware (p. 105) and gold hardware (p. 127).