New 4003 Basses

[steverok]

Hey Everyone. I own a 4001 Jetglo bass, probably from the early 80s or so. It was given to me, and I am not the original owner. Anyway, a friend of mine likes my 4001, and is considering buying a new 4003. Looking at the neck profiles of the inventory listed at Wildwood, it seems like the new 4003s have a similar neck profile to mine. Should we expect a new 4003 to have a similar tone, as well as the same sort of neck profile, compared to the old 4001 bass ? Thanks in advance. I know there is alot of expertise here at RRF.

[Colonel Sanders]

It should be a rather different neck profile. The new 4003 has a very flat D profile.

Tone would also be quite different also, the new 4003 would sound meaner with more clang, though both have the unique Ric signature (obviously).

In other words, expect a different beast.

[Isaac]

A different beast, but obviously related. Not twins, but siblings. Cousins, maybe.

[steverok]

Perhaps the pull-switch they added to the new 4003, on the treble tone knob, helps bring the tone closer to that of my 4001 ?

[Isaac]

Perhaps the pull-switch they added to the new 4003, on the treble tone knob, helps bring the tone closer to that of my 4001 ?

Maybe. What's the serial number on the jack plate on yours? With that, you can find out when it was made. From that, the very knowledgeable people here can infer quite a bit about the pickups and wiring, and how those compare to new models.

[steverok]

Serial # on endplate jack says RJ6222.

[henry5]

It should be a rather different neck profile. The new 4003 has a very flat D profile.

Tone would also be quite different also, the new 4003 would sound meaner with more clang, though both have the unique Ric signature (obviously).

In other words, expect a different beast.

I’m really intrigued to try a new 4003 for this very reason. My ‘72s have a very flattened neck profile which is my absolute favourite. I don’t suppose there’s anyone with experience of ‘72-era necks who has played a new 4003 who could chime in?

[Colonel Sanders]

It should be a rather different neck profile. The new 4003 has a very flat D profile.

Tone would also be quite different also, the new 4003 would sound meaner with more clang, though both have the unique Ric signature (obviously).

In other words, expect a different beast.

I’m really intrigued to try a new 4003 for this very reason. My ‘72s have a very flattened neck profile which is my absolute favourite. I don’t suppose there’s anyone with experience of ‘72-era necks who has played a new 4003 who could chime in?

I had 2 ‘72. A 4001 and a 4001S.

Neck profile was nowhere near as flat as the new 4003. Think an absolutely flat neck on 60% of the (back) neck surface with rounded corners.

My trusty ‘73 has the neck profile I feel the most comfortable with.

[Isaac]

Serial # on endplate jack says RJ6222.

October 1978.
In 1978, the 4001 basses had a capacitor in series with the treble (bridge) pickup. That blocks the low end on that pickup, and gave Rics a distinctive sound. A lot of us prefer the full range output of the bridge pickup, and bypass or remove that cap.

Newer 4003 basses have a "vintage switch" which bypasses the cap when the treble tone knob is pulled out. So a new 4003 with the cap engaged will have a tone closer to that of a '78 than with it bypassed. Unless, of course, the cap on the '78 has been bypassed or removed.

The pickups will be somewhat different. Newer pickups tend to have higher output and a sound that is less bright. How much that matters is a personal thing. I love the sound of my old Rics and my new ones, but they're not exactly the same.

As for the neck profile, I can't say. My newest Ric is from 2019, before they went to the newer, slimmer neck profile.

[henry5]

It should be a rather different neck profile. The new 4003 has a very flat D profile.

Tone would also be quite different also, the new 4003 would sound meaner with more clang, though both have the unique Ric signature (obviously).

In other words, expect a different beast.

I’m really intrigued to try a new 4003 for this very reason. My ‘72s have a very flattened neck profile which is my absolute favourite. I don’t suppose there’s anyone with experience of ‘72-era necks who has played a new 4003 who could chime in?

I had 2 ‘72. A 4001 and a 4001S.

Neck profile was nowhere near as flat as the new 4003. Think an absolutely flat neck on 60% of the (back) neck surface with rounded corners.

My trusty ‘73 has the neck profile I feel the most comfortable with.

Really? Wow. I’ve played some from 2 or 3 years ago that have a very flat back with rounded sides, but they were still deeper and chunkier than mine; similar profile but just bigger all round. I was told by a dealer that they changed again around 18 months ago. I think I really need to try one of the new ones, based on what you’ve said. I’ve had a couple of ‘73s but the necks were a bit too round for me.

[Koshchei]

The new 4003s have a distinctive skunk stripe (three piece neck), which indicates that they have the new DA truss rod design. These new ones can have a much shallower route, so there's no technical reason for the neck to be as thick in the past (having an older 2020 dual truss rod satin autumnglo Ric, they're still by no means girthy anyway).

[henry5]

The new 4003s have a distinctive skunk stripe (three piece neck), which indicates that they have the new DA truss rod design. These new ones can have a much shallower route, so there's no technical reason for the neck to be as thick in the past (having an older 2020 dual truss rod satin autumnglo Ric, they're still by no means girthy anyway).

The skunk stripe is the one disappointing thing about the latest basses for me, as it’s never been my favourite aesthetic. I wish they’d kept them without, as previously.

[lumgimfong]

My 2016 has a very thin, flattish neck. Feels like someone at the factory sanded it flat then rounded the shoulders. It’s not totally flat, of course. Just feels flat and thin. No skunk stripe.