Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Great sounding bass Bro. Thanks for posting that. I to , have never heard one before. Mark

That does sound great Scott.....nice playing as well. I have, obviously, heard plenty of 4004's before but mine never sound like that. Maybe because I am the definition of a hack.

C'mon guys, your making me wish I'd really have rehearsed something, and with a bad shoulder to boot!!!

Really thanks for the comments. It really was a spur of the moment idea. I just wanted to contribute something. Alot of people ask about the tone of these things.

incubus2432 wrote:That does sound great Scott.....nice playing as well. I have, obviously, heard plenty of 4004's before but mine never sound like that. Maybe because I am the definition of a hack.

Great piano-like tone Scott. Brian, I think you are a flats/fingers guy if I recall (bloody fingers), Scott's tone is coming from rounds/pick ala Squire. That method just sounds so good on a rick that it's been hard for me to become a good fingers player. I try to do fingers but I end up using my fingernails to get that pick like clarity, it's what I'm addicted to. What rounds are you using Scott, they sound Roto-like?

DR Highbeams, .40, .60, .80, .100 I used to use D'Addario's all the time, but I really think the DR's work wonders for the 4004's.

Great tone, Scott! I like it!

i,too am much more a fingerstyle player these days,my facility with a pick is ok,but i always tend to put it (the pick) down after a few minutes....oddly i find myself using a pick more on my danelectro strung with ghs flats to get more definition....it really seems like the tone on the cii is not muffled but somehow less bright,and maybe more thump to it....

woodyng wrote:i,too am much more a fingerstyle player these days,my facility with a pick is ok,but i always tend to put it (the pick) down after a few minutes....oddly i find myself using a pick more on my danelectro strung with ghs flats to get more definition....it really seems like the tone on the cii is not muffled but somehow less bright,and maybe more thump to it....

That's what I was thinking Woody. My Cii sounds thicker and fat. Love the top end on the Laredo. Nice example.

One more thing to add. I think the pickups on the 4004 are just stupid sensitive. ( I mean that in a good way ), The least little adjustment up or down, really changes the overall tone of the bass. I've really been exploring that lately.

cheyenne wrote:Yeah, my wife picked mine up at a local store. As much as I want to sneer ( gear snobbery), at this little thing, its one of those pieces of equipment I'd never consider getting rid of.

Here's a pic:

Fender combo.jpg

In the video, its behind me on the workbench.

This one went cheap - I forgot it was ending.....

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... K:MEWAX:IT

Here's a question - when did eBay start throwing all those godawful auction ads at the top of a completed auction??!!

Ebay tends to overwhelm a person anymore.

scott-i had noticed the sensitivity of the hb-1 pickups too. before i had the vvt done,i had adjusted the pickups so the bridge pickup was more prominent while both were engaged, but once i was able to adjust volumes,i lowered the bridge pickup,cause it was really loud.....(to the point of overdriving-a nice built in fuzzyfart sort of sound...) the hb-1's are really awesome sounding pickups!

markbass99 wrote:Great piano-like tone Scott. Brian, I think you are a flats/fingers guy if I recall (bloody fingers), Scott's tone is coming from rounds/pick ala Squire. That method just sounds so good on a rick that it's been hard for me to become a good fingers player. I try to do fingers but I end up using my fingernails to get that pick like clarity, it's what I'm addicted to. What rounds are you using Scott, they sound Roto-like?

I like the rounds tone as well......the problem is that I like 'em right out of the box but, for me, the tone is gone half way through a set. I love the flats because they are consistent and I can set my rig and forget it. Another benefit is that they are easier on my digits. My fingerstyle technique is more of a striking than a plucking so I can still get a sharp tone. If I need a strict picking sound I'll just go with my index finger in pick mode (sort of like holding an imaginary pick). Using an actual pick is a lost cause for me......I've practiced quite a bit at it and am even sloppier at it than fingerstyle (hard to believe) and can't maintain any speed for any length of time. Plus it just doesn't feel right to me.

cheyenne wrote:One more thing to add. I think the pickups on the 4004 are just stupid sensitive. ( I mean that in a good way ), The least little adjustment up or down, really changes the overall tone of the bass. I've really been exploring that lately.

I always adjust the pickups so the the neck p/u is as close as possible to the strings to not get struck when I get aggressive and then I adjust the bridge (and middle for the LK) to whatever height is necessary for even volume. That's where I think the 4004's come alive.

I've been pleasantly surprised by those amps.

the 4004 sounds perfectomundo!