Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I have both as well, and play both of them out regularly. I've been favoring the 3000 recently. (I've been doubling on upright and electric, and for some reason it's easier for me to switch between the doghouse and the short-scale bass. Go figure.) The 3000 is strung with Chromes (flats) and is very versatile for my cover band; it has lots of usable tones. I have the aluminum Hipshot bridge on it at the moment, so I can palm-mute. The 3001 is strung with rounds (can't remember which) and can have a very aggressive sound, but it's also versatile due to the great passive tone controls. (I installed new saddles because the neck was put in a little tiny bit off center & I didn't feel like redrilling the pocket - now it's poifect!) The basic build quality is probably a tiny bit higher with the 3001, but both have great necks - both are loud (hot pickups) - and both are quite heavy.... but I put up with that. I won't part with either!

I have seven basses, three gibsons, three Ricks and one custom six. I play them all, each has unique characteristics and inspire me in different ways. I rotate playing all of them but guess who get the most playing time. My 74 MG 3000. It never goes out of tune, its string action is amazing, it has a low bass and a treble ring, and is very fast. I have rounds on it and flats on my 75 3000, I will be taking those off as they do not perform as well with the flats. I bought it through this forum and am grateful Mr. JB who sold it to me. I can't believe I didn't have one in the old days. Rickenbacker would be wise to bring these back in one form or another.

Great comments on the 3000 everyone. Maybe RIC would revisit the idea of a 3000 RI at some point.

daveman wrote:for some reason it's easier for me to switch between the doghouse and the short-scale bass. Go figure.

You and Stanley Clarke.

You have to love Stanley's style.

ilan wrote:

daveman wrote:for some reason it's easier for me to switch between the doghouse and the short-scale bass. Go figure.

You and Stanley Clarke.

In my dreams!
That's a great clip. Steve Gadd is just incredible, too - such big ears, such a great feel & dynamics.

I would say I like the 3000, but not really fair since it is the only Rick I own!

No complaints, but hard to set the intonation that is for sure....

I think somewhere on some forum even John Hall expressed his admiration for the 3000/3001 series. It may have actually been on the corporate forum, but I do remember reading that at one time.

i`ve been trying to get hold of one for years,they never seem to come up for sale in the u.k.if anyone wants to post one over the pond......

I wish I still had my 3001, mine was white and I bought in new in '78 or '79. Aside from being on the heavy side it was a really great bass and I hope to find another one day.

aceonbass wrote:I had a pair of beat up basket case 3000's that I modded into a double neck. The upper instrument utilized a 3001 neck with a new fingerboard that netted 24 frets on a 30" scale, while the lower neck was shortened into a 26 1/2" scale guitar with 24 frets. I'm using 4003 neck high gains on the bass, and HB1's on the guitar. The guitar side is currenty set up like the upper neck of Squires tripple neck tuned in octaves..E/E..A/A..D/D. Setting the mute properly makes it sound like a sitar. Each neck is wired VVT..and yes, I did all the wiring.

This is beyond awesome. Man I wish I could do stuff like this

Is this the same Bruce Johnson who makes the Ampeg bass clones?

jps wrote:Is this the same Bruce Johnson who makes the Ampeg bass clones?

Yep. The guy is one seriously talented luthier/mechanical engineer/musician. They're not really clones though. He's re-engineered every aspect of the bass to make them better.