Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

The action on my RM1999 is better than ever. Lovely and low, with no buzz. A combination of a good neck, no adjustments made by people who were clueless and 40-95 light gauge strings.

Light Gauge TI Jazz Rounds would probably do the trick on the old RM's.

ya light strings help ... 95s always sounded too thin for my taste ... I used to string my 68 with 100s ... but on my modern basses I use 105s

The TI's especially because they are lighter tension than a similiar guage string from another vendor. Even the power bass TI's are light tension.

Check out the back-angle tilt to the headstock. My '68's headstock was straight, no rearward angle. Anyone else notice this?

all 4001 basses have no tilt in the headstock ... starting in 1980 the 4003 got a tilt ... another improvement ...

Hey all. I got a chance to take a look at this instrument from a close (but respectful) 6" away on Monday at a SYN concert, it was sitting in a guitar stand at the edge of the stage before the concert started. I had the urge to grab it and run, but I would've missed the concert, so I resisted. The action isn't THAT high, I think the video may be an optical illusion. I'd say it was about factory specs, which is a little on the high side, but not bad. THIN neck!

he can play it-so who cares!

I'm not sure that that's the old RM1999, as it seems there's a few space on both sides of the TRC. I mean, the neck doesn't look that slim to me.

BTW, I keep medium-high action on every bass of mine, mainly because I find that keeping a very low action would reduce dynamics, and also because I hit pretty hard...

"from a close (but respectful) 6" away"

Wow, A respectful 6" (inches!)

I posted that video + image months ago!

let us not forget the Nick Beggs article...

http://www.kajagoogoo.com/ChrisNickInterview.shtml

His trademark bass, the Rickenbacker 4001 is quite amazing to hold. Because it’s been through so many refits and fret dressings the neck feels very thin, like it’s been shaved by a few mill along its entire length. It feels fantastically comfortable for a 4001. Marry this with Chris’s stature and you get another insight into where the hurricane comes from. After I held the original 4001, Zang let me feel the signature model in comparison that Rickenbacker produced for Chris. It was based on his 60s guitar but felt nothing like it. I was amazed. The looks were the same, but the neck was fat and uncomfortable with an action reminiscent of Lemmys’ axe.

I have played Chris’s bass several times. It’s neck does not feel shaved. Instead it has more of a 1963 feel. A thinner necked 63. Some of those were very thin in the way Chris’s bass is. It’s a winner. Like all models of all guitars some are better than others and some are other worldly. Chris’s 64 1999 has the best feel of any bass I have touched. I went together with Chris to a Stone’s concert in LA a few months ago. After the show we went to his hotel room to hang a bit. He had the Squire signature model in his hotel room and we picked it up a few times. He told me he has never played it live. Never. The Syn tour was booked very modestly so maybe he did take it along and actually played it this time though I doubt it. I forgot to mention in my earlier post regarding The Fish Out Of Water film footage. Chris is not playing his 64 1999 in that film. Instead he has a bound 4001

Chris had a 4001 21 fret bass that he is pictured playing on the Yes Album from about 1970 ... it had the high gain pickups and triangle inlays and binding ... I don't know how much he used it ...

Must be cool knowing Chris.

I'd just like to meet him sometime and shake his hand.

Thats all. Just shake his hand and say hi.