How would you describe the neck on a new 4003 ?

[scotty]

my old 76 4001 - sold it too quick to remember, wish I had kept it!!!!!!!!!
(_8^(I)

Doh!

[RicOSoundMan]

I dig em, the ones I played were beefier than my 76' Yet i have not yet bought one (For Lack of funds ) But hopefully in the future I will. This might sound weird, I like the thought of the pre CNC machine uniqueness in handmade.

[slave]

I have a friend who's about to buy one sight unseen, and I'm not too familiar with the new 4003 neck profile. Like, me, he likes the thinner neck, and is concerned that the newer ones might have a thicker profile than his old '73 4001.

Hoping I can hop on this thread too.
I'm looking to get a Ric in the near future... trying to decide which years to go for.
Unfortunately, due to where I live, I'd have to buy sight-unseen.

So whats the current 4003 neck feel like compared to some more common bass necks out there?
I have a 2009 4string Stingray and a 2008 4string Precision and a fat neck Martin-wannabe acoustic bass to compare to.
(I really like the necks on these two, not a fan as much of a Fender Jazz type neck.)

Thanks!!

[surfinmars]

My '04 4003BB had a beefy neck, and quite heavy and uncomfortable overall. I ended up selling it. My '85 4003 appears to be thinner and very comfortable. I didn't know there could be so much variation from year to year.

[cassius987]

I didn't know there could be so much variation from year to year.

There has been a lot of variation. The 2004 you owned is probably lightyears away from a 2010-2011 neck. I think (and hope, in a way) that RIC has settled on the two-piece profile they started doing in mid-2009, which is only just slightly bigger than my paper-thin 4001FL's neck. Maybe we'll see variation drop off, it seems to be a hit.

People sometimes ask whether CNC shouldn't remove these variations but, first off, RIC seems to tinker with their stuff quite a bit in order to optimize its performance (just look at all the awesome stuff that has accumulated in the 4003 to date), and secondly, the necks are still hand profiled as far as I know so the human element has not disappeared. I'm actually grateful for that in a way. It's nice to know my guitar money went to some folks' bank accounts and not just the startup to get a few robots. Still, the benefits of CNC as far as the high throughput part of the job is concerned is indisputable.

[dricard]

Thanks ! Also, any idea of what the crown radius is and where to measure it ?

It's 10'' in the case of my 2007 and 2010 4003s and I usually measure closer to the end of the fingerboard but I believe it's consistent. My 4001FL is around 8-9'' and my 4003FL, because of a fingerboard sanding/refinishing, is more like 12''.

From what I've read, most of the necks described as chunky were '98~08. I wonder what was going on in those years?

Not everyone likes playing bass on a skinny neck.

It's also good to point out that RIC has gone slowly over time from less consistent to more about features like this, probably by a combination of CNC and just plain deciding to stick with one neck profile for the human end of the work. I think a lot of the chunky necks in the past were made to try to make a stable one-piece neck, but as soon as RIC went to a two-piece method again, the necks went to and remained thin. My 2010 barely needs its truss rods to stay straight. Maybe a three-piece neck would be too much, as much as I like the look of them; my 1976 4001FL can't take light tension strings without backbowing like mad, even if I completely slacken both truss rods.

My January 2009 was one of the last "chunksters", in fact it was a true baseball neck. But it felt comfy and wow, the tone!! Sadly the neck was so thick it had to be replaced. RIC made me a 2010 body and that's the one I referred to above. To be honest I do like it better but I can see where some people like chunky necks.

That's a good point- 2 piece necks make for less adjustments. I know when the humidity has climbed sufficiently to turn on the dehumidifier in my basement based on the action height of my '97 (think it has a chunky neck)