Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

cjj wrote:

fretless wrote: Hey Scott that is a killer bass , funny thing I actually ried to put the orings on mine but they didn't fit , the pot shafts seemed just a little to big .

You may have gotten knobs for metric sized pot shafts. Those are 6mm (0.2363 inch) instead of the 0.25 inch U.S. size.

yeah , though I don't see size options with the knobs .

i got to play for about 5 hours saturday with 3 acoustic guitarists,and the cii just sounded brilliant throo my markbass combo. mine is still stock,and the variety of tones just using the selector was amazing. i favored both pickups most of the time,with both tone and vol controls full on. i also really like the bridge pickukp soloed,with the tone rolled to about 50%. i keep thinking about doing some of the mods,esp the jazzbass vvt,but just have not found the basic setup wanting for my needs. my very first rick bass was a 4000 converted to 2 pickups,but with just the 1 vol 1 tone and selector--yes,simplicity IS a good thing. it's also the reason i like the markbass amps so much-very easy to dial in the tone you want.

My knobs didnt fit as well. I drilled them out a little bigger.

I prefer a V and a T for each of the two pickups. Both my Glenn Frey and my Cheyenne have the stock two-knobs-and-a-switch configuration and I find it too limiting compared with my 4001/4003's. IMO, a volume and a tone control for each pickup is really not that difficult to figure out. Dial it in for the sound you're looking for in that particular setting and leave it.

I've thought about going with stacked pots for my GF and my Cheyenne, but I haven't done it yet. At least the GF has the spring-loaded pickups so they have a wide range of height adjustment. And IMO, that's almost as good as having the 4 knobs 'cuz I can just raise one pickup and lower the other until I get my optimal pickup blend. Do it once and you're done.

WOW....

I gigged my 4004Cii for the first time last night.

I was blown away by the clarity & power of the bass. The slightest tap on the fingerboard produced a clear and audible tone.
I was able to coax some of the sweetest tones out of this bass. A real joy to play. She's a keeper!
My initial reaction was panic when I took hold of the neck. YES it is a thick one as far as my tastes go, but very playable.

I'm ECSTATIC, and I owe a HUGE thank you to Joey V. for getting it set up beautifully. I have to admit, I was VERY worried about this one. The setup it came with wasn't to my liking and I drove Joey CRAZY, but he got it playing killer. It defies all logic. I'm really glad I didn't bail on it when I first felt the neck. The more I played it, the more accustomed I became to it.

She's a different RIC for sure. I said it before, I'll say it again. If a Ric was mated to an Alembic, this would be the offspring.
Give 'em a chance guys. I'm sad to say, that IF it was on a store rack and I played it for the first time, I'd probably not taken it because of the neck. I'm SO glad I just ordered it. After just a little time with her, I'm VERY happy with it.

Now, for a 4004Cii FRETLESS!

glad to hear u love your cii,tony! did u varie your pickup/settings much ?

woodyng wrote:i also really like the bridge pickukp soloed,with the tone rolled to about 50%. i keep thinking about doing some of the mods,esp the jazzbass vvt,but just have not found the basic setup wanting for my needs.

I found the VVT setup on my former Cii gave me a great tone with the neck toaster rolled off about 30%; that tone was very Jacoesque, with the neck toaster providing some needed bottom end to the "burpy" bridge toaster tone. Perfection that easily rivaled a Jazz Bass for that sound!

woodyng wrote:glad to hear u love your cii,tony! did u varie your pickup/settings much ?

I did when I first started playing in rehearsal Woody, but settled for a 3/4 max setting on the tone and about a 1/3 setting on the volume. I play in a 2000 seat church so I started at about a 2 on the volume, but as the place filled up, I gave a slight push to about 1/3 of the way. I couldn't go any higher, it buried the horn section!

I didn't switch between the pickups at all during the service, I left it set on the middle position.

I'm loving this bass. I found myself just looking at the walnut sandwich as I was playing!

She's sleek, sexy, & slim....and she sure knows how to put out.....the sound, that is!

I don't know the history of the 4004Cii as far as who came up with the idea, but the folks at RIC hit a home run with this one.

cassius987 wrote:I always prefer more tonal options rather than fewer. That's part of why I was really taken with my 4003--how many basses have two tone knobs? Bass magazines tend to rip this configuration to shreds but I love it.

*+1*

Diversity is the spice of life!

rickaddict wrote:I prefer a V and a T for each of the two pickups. Both my Glenn Frey and my Cheyenne have the stock two-knobs-and-a-switch configuration and I find it too limiting compared with my 4001/4003's. IMO, a volume and a tone control for each pickup is really not that difficult to figure out. Dial it in for the sound you're looking for in that particular setting and leave it.

Absolutely!

ajish4 wrote:I'm ECSTATIC, and I owe a HUGE thank you to Joey V. for getting it set up beautifully. I have to admit, I was VERY worried about this one. The setup it came with wasn't to my liking and I drove Joey CRAZY, but he got it playing killer. It defies all logic. I'm really glad I didn't bail on it when I first felt the neck. The more I played it, the more accustomed I became to it.

Nah, I enjoyed setting up that Cii! and you're welcome!

ajish4 wrote: I did when I first started playing in rehearsal Woody, but settled for a 3/4 max setting on the tone and about a 1/3 setting on the volume. I play in a 2000 seat church so I started at about a 2 on the volume, but as the place filled up, I gave a slight push to about 1/3 of the way. I couldn't go any higher, it buried the horn section!

I don't know the history of the 4004Cii as far as who came up with the idea, but the folks at RIC hit a home run with this one.

Did the cotton tops think it was the voice of God?

John Hall designed the 4004 basses.

ajish4 wrote:I found myself just looking at the walnut sandwich as I was playing!

You can't eat that kind of sandwich, Tony!!!

jps wrote:

ajish4 wrote:I found myself just looking at the walnut sandwich as I was playing!

You can't eat that kind of sandwich, Tony!!!

Not unless you were a termite.

Tony the Termite!

ajish4 wrote:WOW....

I gigged my 4004Cii for the first time last night.

I was blown away by the clarity & power of the bass. The slightest tap on the fingerboard produced a clear and audible tone.
I was able to coax some of the sweetest tones out of this bass. A real joy to play. She's a keeper!
My initial reaction was panic when I took hold of the neck. YES it is a thick one as far as my tastes go, but very playable.

I'm ECSTATIC, and I owe a HUGE thank you to Joey V. for getting it set up beautifully. I have to admit, I was VERY worried about this one. The setup it came with wasn't to my liking and I drove Joey CRAZY, but he got it playing killer. It defies all logic. I'm really glad I didn't bail on it when I first felt the neck. The more I played it, the more accustomed I became to it.

She's a different RIC for sure. I said it before, I'll say it again. If a Ric was mated to an Alembic, this would be the offspring.
Give 'em a chance guys. I'm sad to say, that IF it was on a store rack and I played it for the first time, I'd probably not taken it because of the neck. I'm SO glad I just ordered it. After just a little time with her, I'm VERY happy with it.

Now, for a 4004Cii FRETLESS!

Glad you love it Tony! And as for the boldface hilight in your post above - I TOLD YOU SO!!!!