83 4003 vs 96 4003

[Prowl]

my 83 isn't stock though. its had the grover tuners updated to the current tuners and the cap has been removed and bypassed. She arrives on wednesday so I'm very anxious

[Prowl]

i really hate waiting for stuff. I've been waiting for my bass to ship for three and a half weeks now. So so frustrating

[Prowl]

well my bass finally turned up. Its been abused a bit and I have to repair some stuff, but it plays amazingly and it sounds awesome. So the jacks need to be replaced as does the switch and a tuning gear. The nut has either been replaced by a bone nut that's ivory in color, or the original nut has had the finish worn off. The serial plate says its a 06/96 model but the body style is the same as my bass from 83. I thought RIC started the whole CNC stuff around this time. So it has the older fatter horns instead of the thinner ones. i dunno.

[rickaddict]

I think thinner horns started in '97, or maybe later in '96. First the horns changed, then a few months later the headstock changed.

[Prowl]

ah that explains that. i was kind of hoping it would have been the thinner one, but it is what it is. It plays great and sounds great so I'll keep it. The only thing that really bothered me about the deal was that there was no case. My friend's repair shop waited two weeks to ship it, and when they did they shipped it with no case. Just a bunch of bubble wrap in a cardboard box. So with that said, I need one mono/stereo jack assembly= $25, one 3 way toggle = $25, and a case to fit the bass in = sad face. The bass was tagged at $1500 after tax and I got it for $1000. I'll post some pics when I get a chance. As far as the sound goes, there is a major contrast in power compared to my 83. The 96 is definitely way more powerful and much warmer sounding. i think from a recording aspect this will be a blessing considering the amount of EQ-ing and compressing I had to do to get my bass to sound the way it does in my little studio project. So I'm pretty happy about that. I only wished the bass wasn't as beat up as it was. i never understood that about people. Why spend a ton of money on something and then kick the tar out of it?

[rickaddict]

You might want to try some electronics cleaner first:

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index ... Id=2103700

I put some on a Q-Tip and work it around the inside of the jack including the tabs. Works wonders! The switch is a little more tricky. I put some cleaner on a thin strip of strong, coarse cloth (like old blue jeans) and pull it through the contact points.

[Prowl]

ah the switch works fine, its just not a RIC switch and it feels weird because its not as long. The jacks are also not RIC Jacks either and the Ric-o-sound jack sticks out further than the mono input

[rickaddict]

ah the switch works fine, its just not a RIC switch and it feels weird because its not as long. The jacks are also not RIC Jacks either and the Ric-o-sound jack sticks out further than the mono input

Oh. Well that's different. Remove the inferior non-RIC parts and carefully place them in the nearest waste receptacle. Install the correct parts and hear/feel/see your bass as it now magically sounds, plays and looks better!

Check the jack from the inside to make sure it isn't a RIC jack. There should be three star washers used as spacers that go around the threads of the jack. Many times I've seen people re-assemble Ricks without those three washers ("What are all these extra parts fer, Cooter?") which causes the jack to stick out about 3/16" farther than it would before it was messed with.

[hieronymous]

RE: case - you should post in the "wanted" section - you never know, someone might have a spare case they're willing to let go cheap! Some of the people here have a ton of basses, and the cases just start to take up space. I speak from experience, I'm the same way, but my instruments are all different - someone that has 10 Rickenbacker basses might see the cases as redundant!

Anyway, congrats on the new bass. I like both the fat horns and the later, skinny horns. I used to dislike the new headstocks, but I've gotten used to them too. Love your bass for what it is!

[Prowl]

RE: case - you should post in the "wanted" section - you never know, someone might have a spare case they're willing to let go cheap! Some of the people here have a ton of basses, and the cases just start to take up space. I speak from experience, I'm the same way, but my instruments are all different - someone that has 10 Rickenbacker basses might see the cases as redundant!

Anyway, congrats on the new bass. I like both the fat horns and the later, skinny horns. I used to dislike the new headstocks, but I've gotten used to them too. Love your bass for what it is!

Thanks for the tip on the case Harry, i didn't think of that. I do like the 96 it sounds so good and plays a little faster by a smidge. I think the neck profile is different, a little more flatter maybe. The frets are much larger on this bass than my 83, which has very small frets and can sound at times like a fretless. The fretboard wood is also a bit lighter in hue compared to my 83 as well and the headstock is a bit more curvier .

I've scratch doctored and zymol'ed the bass but it could use it a few more times really. it has some serious swirl in it and the back is pretty rashed as well. Other than the spots wear there's bare wood, this bass is very cool. However, I still want a model from the 2000's