Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

ilan wrote:I love the simplicity of the 4000, but I never play without the neck pickup - it's either the toaster soloed or both pickups.

+1! (here we go again. )

When I first got my 4003 it was all bridge pickup, and with Hi-Gains I still kind've feel that way. But with a Toaster, or even better a 4002 pickup, in the neck position I find I prefer to solo that pickup or run both with attenuation on the bridge pickup. It really gives the sound a powerful "fullness" that I just don't hear when I solo the bridge. So that's my two cents on it.

It likely depends in a big way on how you set up your rig to fit your bass.

antipodean wrote:

henry5 wrote: That looks just like my old 73. Man, I miss that bass; it could be awkward with some amps but it sounded killer through the right ones, by far the most aggressive-sounding Ric I've ever had.

Ah - the fantastic sound of the '70s higain sans cap.

It wasn't just that; no 4001 I've ever played, cap or no, sounded like that bass. Ask the other members of my band! It was fierce.....

gearhed289 wrote:

ilan wrote:I love the simplicity of the 4000, but I never play without the neck pickup - it's either the toaster soloed or both pickups.

+1! (here we go again. )

Make that +2. I allways missed a neck pickup in the (long) time my 4000 was my only fretted Rick. (And having a 4001 FL at the same time made me know that.)

I also use the neck PU for the most part on all my basses. Still, the Rick 4000 has a KILLER agressive tone that my other Ricks just don't have with a solo'd bridge PU. Not sure why. The 4000 is just DIFFERENT IMO. And, the 4000 sits nicely in the mix when recording. I can get a decent McCartney tone with it too, if I turn the tone knob almost to zero and mess with the amp EQ a bit.

RobRick wrote:I also use the neck PU for the most part on all my basses. Still, the Rick 4000 has a KILLER agressive tone that my other Ricks just don't have with a solo'd bridge PU. Not sure why. The 4000 is just DIFFERENT IMO. And, the 4000 sits nicely in the mix when recording. I can get a decent McCartney tone with it too, if I turn the tone knob almost to zero and mess with the amp EQ a bit.

becuase of the extra wood where the pickup cavity would normally be. Same reason a 4080 has ridiculous sustain and its own sound too.

gearhed289 wrote:

ilan wrote:I love the simplicity of the 4000, but I never play without the neck pickup - it's either the toaster soloed or both pickups.

+1! (here we go again. )

-1 (dons crash helmet.)

jdogric12 wrote:becuase of the extra wood where the pickup cavity would normally be.

Probably, but I also think it has to do with the fact that the pickup is being loaded down only half as much, i.e. the way a 4001 would be in Ric-O-Sound, so you get that extra punch/bite all the time.

You mean since it's going through less wiring and pots and junk? I hadn't thought of that. Good point.

jdogric12 wrote:You mean since it's going through less wiring and pots and junk? I hadn't thought of that. Good point.

I've also heard a theory that the fewer pu's a guitar has the more the strings can vibrate due to less magnets pulling on them.

my 4000 has been really sounding fantastic in practices lately,but it has taken me a while and a lot of expermenting to get it to that point. (but i am a slo-moving guy) The single pickup cuts throo everything,and has a real throaty resonance. The combination of factors that is working for me is the aluminum hipshot bridge,maxima flatwounds,tech 21 vt preamp and markbass combo amp. this bass and my cii give me pretty much everything i could hope for tone-wise. i tend to roll off the volume on the neck pickup when playing the cii,doing pretty much the opposite of most folks.

edit i left out that the 4000 was refretted with heavier modern fretwire,which also seemed to really help,and was outfitted with a deer antler nut....

deer antler nut

That would work better than an "antlered deer" nut!
I hope to have some antler material this Saturday!

RAS