Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

If I had an 8 string Rick bass, I wouldn't really care if the octave strings were at the top or bottom. I would just adjust my playing technique to suit the setup.

Joey, I thought I would too - I enjoy letting each bass be itself and reacting to it as it is - be it fretted/fretless/baritone/short-medium-long-extra-long scale, Rickenbacker - Gibson - Alembic - Fender - but the octave bottom set-up was too much for me!

Finally threw something together!

taurus VIII

Both pickups and tones on full, played with a pick. The 4008 is split into two tracks: the clean track is through a Demeter Compulator and Fodera Model 2000 preamp, the dirty track is through my CAE V-Comp tube compressor, Budda Phatman distortion, and Alembic F2-B preamp. All the usual suspects were involved: drums by Greg DeGuglielmo, recorded by Damon Burke @ Oxbow Studios in Wayland MA. Bass and synth recorded at home by me.

Damn Harry that is some tasty bass playing on that track! the 8 banger sounds wicked dude...very nice score. I'm totaly GASing right now. The synth on the track is pretty cool too...gives it a sort of Rush vibe.

Well done Harry.

You will need a 12er to top that.

Very nice!
You got some great tone happening.

Well, a local guy (Lisbon, Portugal) has been trying to sell his 1999 4003S/8 for three years now. Last time I exchanged e-mails with him he was asking 1,900 Euros. I've seen the bass "in the flesh". Actually I even removed the pickguard and the treble pickup assembly to check whether anything had been tampered with. It's dead mint and all original.
Here's a pic of the actual bass:

It's been on ebay a time or two hasn't it?
A very nice bass & a fairly reasonable price (if I'm estimating the exchange properly)!

$2400+/-?

I typed a response to some of the earlier posts, but lost it at some point along the way, so here goes. You might want to grab a cup of coffee, it's a long one.

Johnallg – it did come from upstate NY, and it’s been unseasonably warm here in Lodi, so that may very well have exacerbated the checking that was already there.

Gary – RE: the checking being invisible in photos – kind of a double-edged sword, huh? It’s nice when you have it in your hands that you can’t see them in pictures, but it would’ve been nice to be able to see the checking before I bought it!

John B – Jared posted some really nice pics illustrating the differences b/n the 4008 & 4003S/8, but I think basically it can be summed up like this: the 4008 is kind of a hybrid 4001 and 4001S – dot markers and no binding like the S, but with Rick-o-sound and the bound neck. The S/8 is basically a 4003S with 8 strings. I think!

Jared – thanks for the pics! A veritable photo-essay! I like the creative censoring too.

Dave – it is the Rumbleseat one. I’d love to check that place out! They’ve got some amazing stuff, though you certainly pay for it.

Matt – thanks for the compliment. Definitely Rush influenced. The synth is the new Moog Little Phatty. I wanted an 8-string bass for years (decades?) – now I can finally indulge a little! Sorry to feed your GAS – I know the feeling!

J Gary – “You will need a 12er to top that.” LOL! Don’t even tempt me!

Sergio – DO IT! That thing looks sweet!

Kevin – Thanks. I had fun setting up the two channels – one’s all solid state, the other’s tubes galore!

Oops! I was thinking that the exchange worked out closer to $2400 Cdn.
Still, they are rare & sound incredible. The condition seems pretty darn good, too.

Wow I wish I had some spare dollars right now. That would cover just about all of my present bass needs... oh well kids thru college first. Sweet looking bass!

Sorry, but I'm not gonna "do it" haha. I just thought I'd let everybody know there was a 4003S/8 for sale here in Portugal. Yes, it's been on Ebay before.

I'm more of a 5&10 string guy ...

Not the best picture I've ever taken, but here's a family portrait - 4008 FG, meet 4001 AG:



On my list: another stand like the one the 4008 is in for pictures like this.