Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I tried ric high gains on a 4004 ... for me it didn't work because it was a 5 string with 2 3/8" spacing and the pole pieces weren't quite spaced right ... but if you want to put 4003 high gains in a 4004 then put in 250k ohm pots and then you will get that wonderful edgy single coil sound ...

I don't mean to say that they don't sound at all like 4003/1s there is certainly some overlap but they are definitely different - in a good way.

Brian, Sure send them over,Thanks

I was wondering if it looses all Ric tone. Fat lows and crisp highs is what i meant. I thought Maybe the HB`s accented them more.

Jeff, How do they compare with the overall Feel of the 4003?
no other bass feels as comfortable in my hands as the 4003.

Hey Jeff, will the HB1 covers fit over the higains? I haven't tried.

Sorry Ted.....I didn't mean to imply that you thought I sounded heinous (it would be fine if you did BTW). I just took what you said about about people either liking or hating the tone and meant that he may not like the tone as well. I guess I wasn't clear....what a shock!

Files sent Christopher. Just keep in mind that I recorded them direct so the levels are somewhat low and the tone is quite dry. Also I just noodled around some so don't critique my playing too harshly (someone wanted a dry 4004 tone for comparison with his dry 4003 tone so I just plugged in and recorded some warmup junk). All basses with flats except the Ci (tuned BEAD) and with tone controls cranked.

I'll put something together in the next day or two using a preamp so I can get a more "real world" tone.

No prob Brian! I figured that is what you meant.

Brian,

It hasnt come through yet but I will keep an eye out for it.
Trust me I will not be critcal of your playing.If you ever heard me play, well theres something to be critical about

lol

Joey: HB1s and high gains are the same size and shape so the covers should fit.

Thanks Ted, I thought so, but wasn't sure. That's good, should I do some trying out higains in my Cii someday, since it has all gold hardware. I don't want to mix different color hardware.

Sorry I'm late to this topic, but I will echo Ted's and Brian's evaluation of the 4004C bass tone. The all walnut body wings and HB1 pickups make for a darker tone than the 4003, and the HB1 being a high gain pickup (15k windings I believe??) make for less clarity in the treble range, but you would hear the bass and know it is a Rickenbacker. It will growl and even clang some, but not like the 4001/3 bass does. I like it because of this tone character difference - I use Chromes (flats) on the Cheyenne and love that it will let me thump of even grind a little depending on tone settings. Rounds on the 4003 and Chromes on the 4004 and I have Rick sound in two different tone catagories. As for the neck, it is thinner (fretboard to back of the neck) and the oiled finish is just so smooth. I wish my 4003 had that profile, and hope the new 4003 neck profile is like that. Very comfortable to play - a real joy.

"Hey Jeff, will the HB1 covers fit over the higains? I haven't tried."

The hb cover and the high gain cover are the same exact part ...

I love all of my basses ... the 4003s5, the 4004L5, the 4004ci5, the 2000 series ... but for my ear the best is the 4003 4-2-5 basses that I make ...

Ted, does the 15K high gain sound much different than the HB1? How so? You described both as ballsy.

The HB1 has a darker sound. IMHO It leans more toward the fundamental where the high gain picks up more of the higher overtones. There is some overlap but they cover different areas of the spectrum.

My site is back online now.