Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I got my 4003 from Musician’s Friend, and it was perfect! It's in the covering the basses section of this site.

I got my 4003s/5 MG from Musicians Friend a couple of years ago (when they were still available) with no problems. It came out of the case ready to play, with low action. I did tweak it a little to suite my playing style, but that is about it. Any new guitar owner, should do any proper adjustments to fit their style on their instrument, not the factory.

Mr. Hall, thank you for correcting my earlier post. I guess I'm so deep in winter denial that I had forgotten the freezing thing. I'm sure nature will remind me shortly.

Gabriel: Do what he say! Do what he say!

In summer it doesn't matter much but you will regret skipping the acclimatization period for the entire life of your guitar if shipment took the package through any freezing weather.

Thanks for the reply Mr. Hall! I'll be sure to wait out the acclimatization period since I'm not sure if the Instrument will be coming straight up the West coast directly to Washington state or via Music 123. I suppose I can just track the shipment through Fed EX but just to be on the safe side I'll heed your warning. GOD, its gonna be a tough 48 hours lol.

Gabriel, quick, go get yourself a plexiglass case so you'll at least be able to stare at it. Oh well, just gift wrap it and sing Christmas carols for 2 days.

Have bought from Musicians Friend, Elderly, Music123, zZounds, Pick of the Ricks, Mike Parks.

So far only description problem from an over rated g'tar dealer.

Like Chris @ POR, he's a straight up guy.

Acclimation period for EVERY guitar that comes here.

Got my 2002 Turquoise 4003 from Elderly a month ago,and it was perfectly intonated straight out of the box. The action was nice, too, I haven't adjusted a thing.
Just recorded with it for the first time over the weekend (into a Bassman 10, after lugging my Ampeg stuff into the studio),best clean bass sound I have ever gotten, hands down.

I too set up my basses WHILE playing them, takes me a while, I'm always tweaking something. And playing in massachusetts for 37 years has tought me a few things about cold weather, when my bass has been in the cold for an extended period of time (hour drive to a gig) I open the case cover for a split second to let some wram air in and then let it warm up gradually. I try to fit them inside the car when it is cold if I am going to be driving for any considerable length of time. I will not leave a bass in a car overnight even in summer but especially in winter, as when they get really cold it takes them a LONG time to warm up. Despite some of my earlier stories about basses sliding down cellar stairs when I was a kid, etc. I really do take good care of my basses, they are like precious jewels to me. (my Rics especially). In lima I don't have to worry about the cold, I have to worry about rateros (thieves, picturesque name huh?) more. They do not leave my sight here.

I'm beginning to think that if you live in a really cold place like Minnesota, Canada, etc., then a bass player should look into basses with graphite necks at least. Just having one such bass would save his other basses from harm if traveling in extremely cold weather and the car broke down with the resultant loss of a heater. In such situations all thoughts for the bass disappear (you just THOUGHT you liked it so much) and you are more likely to use the case as a body shield against the wind if trying to walk out to safety. I've seen -40 degrees Fahrenheit in Minnesota, actual temperature before wind chill is factored in, and an auto you thought was reliable can have sudden death syndrome. The Steinberger and Status Graphite basses that tune at the bridge with those screw adjusters are said to never go out of tune unless the strings stretch. I've heard several played on my music videos, and I like the concept of ruggedness, low maintenance, and possible lighter weight. However, the sound seems a bit sterile in all cases even if very balanced everywhere on the fretboard. Strings can be a headache to buy locally, unless owning a bass with regular headstock, and for the price of one Status Graphite Buzzard 2, which doesn't even have a graphite body (which may be a plus for sound), I can buy 10 OLP MM2 basses with SKB Freedom cases. I guess the OLP MM2 or SB4 is one of the cheapest insurance policies you can buy. You ought to keep a couple of them in plain view, Bob, and hide your Rickenbackers. With an OLP in each hand, the rateros will leave without looking further for more basses and they probably don't know that an OLP is worth a lot less than a Rickenbacker. OLP's look a lot more pricey than their actual cost, so the decoy might work. In actuality, that neck they have is a lot of fun to play on, like the Rickenbackers with tung oil finish. The tung oil finished Rickenbackers will not suffer from finish checking in cold weather, so that is an option for far north denizens as well. Maybe RIC should make the tung oil finish optional on ALL guitars for northern players. A pro that shows up at a gig unavoidably late has no time for instrument warmup.

Got my 4003 JG from Guitar Den, Orlando FL. No problem with them. Great communication, and the bass was as perfect and new as described.

Philip, my old Gibson EB-0L spent many a Minnesota winter going from subzero cars to crowded hot bars and it has zero lacquer checks on the neck and much fewer on the body than most other 30-plus-year-old nitro finishes I've seen. I never had a warmup delay. I'm the second owner and never had to adjust the truss rod. Never had any cold-related problems with newer instruments either.

Fact is, a true tung oil finish (as opposed to a tung oil based varnish) offers much less protection against humidity changes than "standard" finishes such as nitro, polyurethane and conversion varnishes.

Phil,
I'm glad you said unavoidably late because I was going to say anyone that shows up late without a damn good excuse is not a pro in my book. And rateros won't try to steal it out of my hand, only if I do somethng stupid like leave it in a club unattended. And why would I want to play any other bass when I have A Ric, if I bring another bass to a gig I end up playing the Ric anyway, (at this point I only own two other brands and one is in pieces and the other is just a curiosity piece, an old EKO violin bass, which actually sounds pretty good) I buy them to play, I'm not going to let fear make me play a lesser instrument.
And I've never had an instrument check on me either and I haven't always followed my rituals.

Bob & Dave, my 4004L is the first instrument I ever owned with a conversion varnish finish. Don't know how it will fare over time. I do know it doesn't chip easily or spider crack like Fender's polyurethane finish does. The tung oil finish and frequent truss rod adjustments on the MM2 and 650D are no problem as long as I have the super easy StingRay type adjusters on my MM2. I don't consider my MM2 a lesser sound now, only a different sound. It's definitely better than the 4004L for popping, but I personally prefer the deeper "earthquake generator" tone of the 4004L most of the time. The MM2 just gets a funky growly sound that the 4004L cannot. Also, my Marshall AVT20B practice amp seems to like the MM2 better. My SansAmp RBI likes the 4004L better. The MM2 would work better for a guy that plays lead bass like John Entwistle did. A John McVie fan would prefer the 4004L sound.

I don't think it hurts too much for an instrument to get cold, as long as the temperature change is slow. If you step outside in a blizzard with your bass, the strings will contract long before the truss rod does causing severe stress. In a case, the strings cool down similar to the truss rod. A thin gig bag is probably not sufficient, unless you wrap the bass in a blanket.

FWIW, I just read last night that the old Fender J-bass that Geddy Lee uses a lot right now is one that he found in a pawn shop for $150. It just goes to show that money doesn't necessarily have a lot to do with a person's choice of instrument. I (and the guy writing the story) think he would get a better sound with a Rick, but I guess he just likes the Fender for some reason. My main reason for getting the 4004L was for the tone, but the looks don't hurt either.

If my funds were unlimited, I would probably own a Status Buzzard II bass. I'd never have to worry about truss rod adjustments with that baby.