Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I've played a couple of Joey's, and one of Dane's, 4004s; I think they're great basses. They're light and have a wide-ranging tonal palette, from punch to "round," with lots of bottom.

Joey said "no one loves 4004's better than me..."...sir,respectfully...i beg to compete! i have had a bunch of different RIC basses over the years,my cii is my favorite bass of ANY brand i've ever owned. i purchased a laredo from the same year (2004),they both have kinda wide necks,but i like them. i had heard the cii described as "dark',but i would characterize its comparative sound as "tighter' and more focused sounding when A/B'd with the laredo,which seems a bit more open and lively sounding acoustically.
THEY ARE GREAT BASSES!

Woody, I stand by the statement that no one loves the 4004's more than me. Is it possible you love then as much as I do? Maybe! But then that would possibly make you an equal, but not greater lover than me of the 4004's!

I disagree with the comments that the Cii's don't sound dark at all......of the several that I've owned and the quite a few that I've demoed I've found them all to sound noticeably darker than the Laredos that I've owned. The only exception was the Cii/5 with Bartolinis that I recently sold. The dark tone, dare I say almost muddy, I was able to dial out with some amp tweaking for the most part but I don't want to have to do that when swapping Rics during a gig. My strings of choice are Chromes so that may be a contributing factor but my Laredo and LK sound crisp and lively. Apparently others don't have the same opinion but this is my experience.

I've played 4004s pretty much exclusively since shortly after I received my LK in '05. My Laredo and LK trade "main player" status routinely. My ex-band (I think I was fired) was a three piece and was a metal band. The Laredo cut through the mix perfectly and while my go-to-tone was a bit on the dirty side getting crystal clear highs or lows was only a foot switch away.

As far as neck size/shape I'm not really sensitive to that sort of thing but I never had an issue when switching from my 4003s to my 4004s.

incubus2432 wrote:I disagree with the comments that the Cii's don't sound dark at all...

Seems to me they vary. My '05 Blueburst Cii seems to be the darkest one. My '04 Jetglo Cii much easier goes from thick thump to 4001/4003 type treble grind. It has the pickups closer to the bridge, however when I got my '08 Fireglo Cii, I was surprised at how easy it went from thick thump to 4001/4003 type treble grind with the pickups closer to the neck like the '05. I never really got a chance to fairly A/B the '04 and '08. When the '08 arrived the strings were old and tired. As well it was very soon that I put a set of Chromes on the '08 to play in the blues band I was in. I keep thinking I might go back to roundwounds on the '08, but it's nice to have on on hand that sounds completely different.

im convinced...i'm gonna pull the trigger on one as soon as it's visible...trick being that i'm in canada...wish me luck. the mapleglo is my colour of pref-but i'll see what comes my way.

Nice choice Adam!
My mapleglo 4004Cii is one of my favorite basses.
The super-stable 2-piece neck has a beefy but comfortable profile, the humbuckers are warm & deep sounding, yet have enough highs & mids to balance the tone nicely & impart a healthy dose of Ric vibe & mojo, and the contoured body is light weight and more ergonomic than my 4001 or my 4003. And the figured maple. Oh, that beautiful maple...

My '08 has zero issues , sounds like a 10 ton pbass and weighs in at 8 lbs on the nose . It's a fantastic instrument and yes it looks nice too The one mod I did do was remove the bridge base plate , this let me get wonderful low action and she plays like a dream . I think I adjusted the neck 1 time in all these years .

fretless wrote:My '08 has zero issues , sounds like a 10 ton pbass and weighs in at 8 lbs on the nose . It's a fantastic instrument and yes it looks nice too

TWric.jpg

I agree with you. They are great basses and I have exactly same model. My friend has a p-bass and my Cii's output is higher than p-bass. Also Cii has unique Rickenbacker sound that we love. I really wonder why are these rare in the world. I think the bass players that don't like 4001/4003 low end should give a chance to 4004.

fretless wrote:My '08 has zero issues , sounds like a 10 ton pbass and weighs in at 8 lbs on the nose . It's a fantastic instrument and yes it looks nice too

With just the bridge pickup on and you dig in just right (fingerstyle or with a pick), right before the bridge pickup, you'll get some really good growly J-Bass-like sounds as well. No issues on the Cii's that I'd mention a few posts back either.

rickenbrother wrote:

fretless wrote:My '08 has zero issues , sounds like a 10 ton pbass and weighs in at 8 lbs on the nose . It's a fantastic instrument and yes it looks nice too

With just the bridge pickup on and you dig in just right (fingerstyle or with a pick), right before the bridge pickup, you'll get some really good growly J-Bass-like sounds as well. No issues on the Cii's that I'd mention a few posts back either.

Lareth wrote:I think the bass players that don't like 4001/4003 low end should give a chance to 4004.

+1!
The 4004 should appeal to bassist with a more traditional idea of the bass guitar design, as well a Rickenbacker enthusiasts.

i pulled the trigger...a 4004L mapleglo is on its way.

Good for you, Adam, congrats! Post some pics when you receive it!

When were the 4004s built by CNC? My late model 08 (one of the last with the ABM bridges) has a pretty wide neck (I think one piece), nearly too wide for me, and I've had to make numerous adjustments. I remember a number of those from that time period being sent back for neck repairs, but I don't think mine is there yet. If it does get there, I've got two more years of warranty

It would be great if you could play one to ensure the neck on the particular bass, since they seem to vary in dimension from year to year, is to your liking. As for the sound, I really like the neck pickup in mine. The more I play it, the more I like the sound.

Well, lots to comment on here, firstly ADAM...CONGRATULATIONS!

Second, it's nice to see Joey posting again! Missed you tall, dark and ugly!
Seriously, I personally missed your posts Joey.

My first and ONLY experience was my 2008 4004cii Blueburst. I received mine about the same time Ryan did.

At first, I couldn't get the buzzing to stop in various spots around the neck. It arrived just in time for SERF so I had a number of
folks have a look see if I was doing something wrong. I have to admit, I was upset. I waited a long time for that bass.
After Joey suggested "resetting" the neck, basically removing all the string tension and loosened up the rods and the neck settled right in.
I never hand another issue with it. I still regret selling it, but the neck was just HUGE. This was before the new, 4003 two piece necks.

Here is where it gets interesting. I play with a lot of professional musicians. Unfortunately, I'm not one of them! BUT, EACH AND EVERY ONE of those people ask me where my "BLUE DENIM" bass went. When I asked them why they keep asking for the 4004cii, the ALL say it was the BEST sounding, "PUNCHY", "CLEAR", "CLEAN" and just overall BEST sounding bass they've ever heard. it just sits in the mix so well.

These are people NOT like we Rickenjunkies here. I've shown up with over 100 basses over the years, some mine, some borrowed, some....who remembers, but the 4004cii stood out in their memory. The bass really comes to life playing live. I've never recorded but these folks know their stuff, putting it out there 6 sometimes, 7 days a week. THAT to me speaks volumes.

I love the Vintage Ricks, love the 4001 and 4003, and the FL's too! BUT, I'm getting another 4004cii when the $$$$$ is available.

Why these basses don't get the attention they deserve, just blows my mind. I can see a WHOLE line of basses based on the 4004 platform. It's a natural.

Just a few thoughts here, I spoke to a RIC dealer who KNOWS his stuff, he feels that these basses NEED some neck tension. He said that EVERY 4004 he managed to get his hands on he was able to set right. He too RESET the necks, but put higher tension strings on and that was that.

I can't wait to see the new 4004s with the new necks.