Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

As a side bar, I've never played any of the so called 'boutique' basses

Just wondering what those are ...lololololol "boutique basses" never heard of em called that before

I have always Loved my Rics and so does everyone else who ever plays em. it is just an opinion thing and we all know that opinions are like rear-ends.....everyones got one

johnallg wrote:

jimk wrote:

ajish4 wrote:
I come here because I am comfortable here, have friends here, can find LIMITLESS amounts of knowledge, and we get to talk about my favorite bass....for the most part without the petty garbage.

Well said, very well said. Substitute the word "guitar" for bass, and those are my sentiments exactly. Truth be told, one day I'd love to play a lick or two on a Rick bass just to have the experience. I'm no bass player, by any stretch of the imagination, but messin' around on 'em is fun.
JimK

Jim, if we ever organize a Midwest Confluence you can have a spin on any of mine.

Cool beans! I'll take you up on it. With no attempt to hijack the thread, I've been wondering about organizing a Midwest confluence.
JimK

"We're all different. If we all liked the same thing, everybody'd be chasing after your Grandmother." - Gary Muledeer's Grandfather

One of my all time favorite quotes.

Seriously, though, all instruments have pros and cons. It can be design, cost, availability or suitability for the desired purpose. For example, I've never seen a standup bass in a Heavy Metal band, doesn't make 'em bad, just unsuitable. That being said, I have many guitars (including Rickenbackers) and a few basses, including a JetGlo 4003. I would like to have more basses but I wouldn't trade my Rick to get one.

YMMV (but it means your car is all wrong).

jimk wrote:

johnallg wrote:

jimk wrote:....I've been wondering about organizing a Midwest confluence.
JimK

A more proper place for that might be:

This forum under - Rickenbacker Conferences and Confluences

harley wrote: For example, I've never seen a standup bass in a Heavy Metal band

Oh... now you've gone and done it.

You're gonna make me start a metal band and get an upright, string it with custom rounds and put a 2mm pick to it with a piezo pickup and a distorted wah.

Type O Negative used a standup bass at times, I think that counts!

TalkBass was the first bass forum I ever visited. It was a really nice forum with lots of information about various basses and, through various posts, I started listening to Chicago and Jammerson more than I had before. I haven't really been there in a long time because I got jaded on it. I read it everyday for nearly three years and it got to the point where the majority of the posts were repetitive. You know the type: Is X bass better than Y, what should I buy first, brand Z is no good, you're not a real player unless you play brand W expensive bass or play with fingers, etc. You could pretty much predict what each response was going to be before it was posted. Don't get me wrong, you had plenty of guys on that forum, like this one, who were doing their best to help whomever was asking the question, but there was more of the standard forum junk there than here, despite the best efforts of the moderators.

I did read a number of anti Rickenbacker posts, but there were also a number of people who liked Rickenbacker. I don't worry too much about all the negative Rickenbacker press since everyone should play an instrument he/she likes and not get caught up in name brands.

nukebass wrote:I did read a number of anti Rickenbacker posts...

Yeah, it seems to mostly be based on hear say rather than firsthand experience over there.

...and by one poster.

This was 10 years ago, though, so it may not be this person in particular. Opinions abound...

Wait! You're telling me there are other forums?

I have to say that I can understand why some might not like Rickenbackers at first. The way the neck meets the headstock is very different than a F**der, and the normal thumb rest that the usual Jazz or Precision pickup provides is absent. Personally, I was more than happy to embrace a bass that I had desired for almost 20 years, and more than willing to put up with the idiosyncrasies. But a lot of people aren't. Oh well, so what! Let them stick with their run-of-the-mill, generic basses, whether original or clones! I am more than happy to play interesting basses, whether Rickenbacker or Alembic or Gibson or what have you.

kiramdear wrote:Wait! You're telling me there are other forums?

they say there are... but I think its just another lie like man walking on the moon.... jeese what will they come up with next???

You guys have to ask?
-Bridges are really quite awful.
-Tone is tricky sometimes
-Nobody wants the binding but unless you get one of the really expensive models you can't get a comfortable "S" like model.
-The cost is really high for some of the issues these things have, the cost of the expensive models is really insane.
-Rick company has made some PR mistakes and there is a perception of a not-quite-right culture

They are expensive, quirky, and don't play like other basses. People who want a rick want the RM1999 (thin neck, contoured body, less cost, great tone, great looks) and the sound of their favorite players, but they get something not quite right and it when they dive deeper into it it just drives them nuts.

All of that said, in the right conditions and with the right instrument+setup, a rick bass is a wonderful thing.

I love the body binding, and my body never touches it. Elbows out = neutral wrist = no injury.