Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

lumgimfong wrote:I know the headstock feels way out there to me over my other basses.
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Try an Alembic Exploiter, like what I had in the '90s.

The other Alembic I had at the same time was a Persuader (Vector body style); that one felt normal.

Thanks everyone! I'm really starting to form a picture of which years to look out for and as a couple of you have said (@Michael Leven (lumgimfong)), I will most likely adapt to the length and shape of the neck if/when I hear how good it sounds. Otherwise I'd try and do a Geddy Lee and make a Jazz played with fingers sound like Chris Squire(RIP)!

I've started keeping track of all the comments re size vs year, so I'm starting to form a good opinion of whether I'd risk a particular bass. If I get it and find it's too chunky, I can always resell it and keep my eye out for a slimmer year.

Ratwax wrote:Global Vintage in Annandale or Pete's Musicians Market in Newtown. Sometimes Wild Horse Guitars in Surry Hills will have one, too.

What I can suggest is I'll try and find my Wife's vernier guage tomorrow

I know those stores, I was going to see about trying that one at Global, but then lockdown happened. I'll see if it's still there when we're released & thanks for taking the time to measure yours!

thisismusicinc wrote:There's a long thread on the topic
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=280979&hilit=girth

thanks for that link, I found the spreadsheet in question. A shame it stops around 2010, but still informative

@Benjamin West thanks for all the string gauge info. I hadn't though of that. I usually use Rotosound .045 - .105

Thanks again, all!

I feel like i mat have contributed to some girth comparisons for rics. My 96 fireglow was one of the smaller is i recall. I love it and would not sell. However it is also most prone to requiring adjustment and i can never quite get things perfect. Mainly the heel just seems proud .

My 71 feels thicker in depth (not fretboard width). But in my experience they both feel great. I might even prefer the 71. I just find a thin neck does not make a huge difference if the fretboard is just as wide.

I should also add that i play mostly a fender j bass. And my rics. The one that feels best is always the one that i play the most (recently). I had the jazz for years before i got rics, so the initial change took adjustment.

Unless you truly have short fingers or something, i think it is just about what you are most used to. The longer you stick to one bass neck the harder it will be to swap. For me, i judge my necks more for how good i can get the action.

I’ve never understood why people think Jazz bass necks are so slim. At the nut they are, but as you go up the neck? Not really. I’ve played hundreds of Jazzes over the past 4 decades and just don’t think of them as slim at all, but I will add I don’t spend much time on the first few frets, I play all over the neck and spend as much time up high as down low. I’m not a big fan of taper, I much prefer a neck that’s narrow all the way along, like a Ric or Alembic. Narrow string spacing at the bridge is far more important to me in terms of comfort than a narrow nut.

Well, thank you all for the help and advice!

I'm now the proud owner of a 2011 Fireglo 4003! I love it! The buying online gamble paid off. The neck is superb, though we're in lockdown so I can't plug it in and crank it up to hear the growl.

1st fret: 115mm
3rd fret: 121mm
12th fret: 135mm

Congratulations! Glad to know your quest has borne fruit. She looks a beauty.

Simon that is a sweet looking bass! I think I'd 'pop it' for five or ten minutes at live volume, you owe it to yourself and the bass.

Contratulations, Simon, and welcome to the low-end. She is a beauty.

Nicely done!

The best way to make the neck smaller on any four string is to play a 5 string for a while. I used a fender jazz fiver for a few days and returned to my ric. It felt tiny!!!

Also… beautiful bass. The current ric specs(features/look) are amazing!

A friend of mine plays six-string basses. He says my Rics feel like toothpicks.

TTA wrote:The best way to make the neck smaller on any four string is to play a 5 string for a while. I used a fender jazz fiver for a few days and returned to my ric. It felt tiny!!!

I had a Tune 6-string that felt like an interstate highway!

I still think 1.5” nut and smaller headstock would make 4003’s even better!