Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I took the LTF set off my '72 4000,and installed my vintage Maxima set. As much as i love those,I'm not sure the LTF's didn't sound better on that bass......it may be the combination of the darker sounding strings with the trebley-er sounding single pickup.....the old Maxima's sounded fantastic when they were on my Cii.

Anyway,very impressed with the Labellas......

Just tried out a set of DR Legend flats (45-105) on my 'new to me' Mapleglo 4003. I played them for about an hour and then replaced them with the factory round wounds that were on the bass when I bought it from the original owner (he played it a reported "2 hours" in the 6 months he owned it - must be nice to have the luxury, eh?). As evidenced by my replacing the new Legends set with the factory rounds, they weren't my cup of tea. I have LaBella flats (can't remember which type) on my Hofner 500/1, and I like them a lot. The Legends on the 4003 just weren't right at all in feel and playability - sound was okay, but I know that would change over time and wasn't the deciding factor in putting back on the factory rounds.

I'll probably stick with the stock rounds or similar set - anybody know what gauge a new Ric 4003 comes with to save me a trip to my shop and haves them micrometered? I see the standard Rickenbacker RW replacement strings you can buy are 45-105, and that's what I went with on the Legends - maybe should have gone 40-100 to compensate for the round to flat change, but I don't think that would have made enough difference to keep them on my bass.

If anybody wants the Legends I'll mail them to you First Class ('lower 48' USA) for $10.

ScottWally wrote:Just tried out a set of DR Legend flats (45-105) on my 'new to me' Mapleglo 4003. I played them for about an hour and then replaced them with the factory round wounds that were on the bass when I bought it from the original owner (he played it a reported "2 hours" in the 6 months he owned it - must be nice to have the luxury, eh?). As evidenced by my replacing the new Legends set with the factory rounds, they weren't my cup of tea. I have LaBella flats (can't remember which type) on my Hofner 500/1, and I like them a lot. The Legends on the 4003 just weren't right at all in feel and playability - sound was okay, but I know that would change over time and wasn't the deciding factor in putting back on the factory rounds.

I'll probably stick with the stock rounds or similar set - anybody know what gauge a new Ric 4003 comes with to save me a trip to my shop and haves them micrometered? I see the standard Rickenbacker RW replacement strings you can buy are 45-105, and that's what I went with on the Legends - maybe should have gone 40-100 to compensate for the round to flat change, but I don't think that would have made enough difference to keep them on my bass.

If anybody wants the Legends I'll mail them to you First Class ('lower 48' USA) for $10.

I'd love to try them out at that price!
Edit pm sent!

Woody gets them - thanks.

ScottWally wrote:Woody gets them - thanks.

Thank you
I've used DR Sunbeams on my Ricks for years,always been curious about their flatwound set.
They may find their way onto my defretted Cii,which i think should be able to handle a bit more tension.

ScottWally wrote:anybody know what gauge a new Ric 4003 comes with to save me a trip to my shop and haves them micrometered? I see the standard Rickenbacker RW replacement strings you can buy are 45-105,

The stock roundwounds are indeed .045-.105, but instead of increasing each string by .020 like most sets, the Ric strings increase .010, .020, .030; in other words they're gauged .045, .055, .075, .105. I've yet to find another set gauged that way from any other brand.

farace wrote:The stock roundwounds are indeed .045-.105, but instead of increasing each string by .020 like most sets, the Ric strings increase .010, .020, .030; in other words they're gauged .045, .055, .075, .105. I've yet to find another set gauged that way from any other brand.

That's interesting. I should check and see if that's the case on my 4003W.

These are TI-Jazz flats on my 4001: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUpGBa51JGA

(That's on the neck pickup with some compression to get the "pop" sound on pick strike).

How about the Optima RB flats, which are supposed to be re-creations of the original Maxima flats OEM on '60's and '70's basses? They have a lot of great reviews.

iiipopes wrote:How about the Optima RB flats, which are supposed to be re-creations of the original Maxima flats OEM on '60's and '70's basses? They have a lot of great reviews.

They are good strings but they do not recreate the original Maximas like I had hoped.
They actually seemed a little darker and stiffer than the 4099s.
I haven't tried either on a post '84 Rick so I couldn't say what they'd sound like on anything other than a 71 or earlier 4001 or one of my Faux Thousands (term coined by Larry Davis) which are 34' scale. On the Faux's, the Optimas sound great.

So what's a Faux Thousand?

Long shiny ones...

Isaac wrote:So what's a Faux Thousand?

Looks like that's Larry Davis' term for a counterfeit Rickenbacker. Sort of like "Rickenfaker" or "Fakenbacker." He's playing on the 4000 series designation. Faux Thousand instead of Four Thousand. I like it!

John's posted picks before of 3 custom made basses that are modeled on the original 50's 4000.
(They're WAAYY cool)!

bassduke49 wrote:

Isaac wrote:So what's a Faux Thousand?

Looks like that's Larry Davis' term for a counterfeit Rickenbacker. Sort of like "Rickenfaker" or "Fakenbacker." He's playing on the 4000 series designation. Faux Thousand instead of Four Thousand. I like it!

I thought that might be it.