Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hi Paul,
the new 4003's are great basses, powerful pickups, great truss rod system, and sound much fuller than the old 4001's, with these you can play any kind of music, not just progressive rock. They are made much better than the new Fenders in my humble opinion, play better and sound better. I've had both. I used to think that a P bass was the first bass someone should buy, now I think it's the 4003 because it can do anything a P bass can do and much more, it has more bottom and more top, and also a nice mid to it that the old 400'1s lacked (because of the caps) they are very full sounding, versatile instruments.

Bob said it perfectly in the last post ...

So what is wrong with a 4003 ... NOTHING at all ... it is an excellent bass ...

Why compromise? Buy 'em both!

Let the creditors decide

Well, now to find one?!? Here's my future list. Hep me somebody!

Fender 1977 Precision Ash/maple
Fender 1999 Amer. Deluxe Jazz 5 Ash/maple
Steinberger 5 string fretless
Rickenbacker 4003/S5 MapleGlo (TBD)

Nice list, huh (when it's complete)? Okay, on with the search.

They've got a nice looking Jazz Deluxe 5 at the Bass Emporium.

http://www.bassemporium.com/used/usedframeset.html

Not your color, but a good looking bass. Didn't realize those had body-through strings. Interesting.

I have a '74 4001 & a '03 4003 & the 4003 is the winner hands down. Tone, feel, sturdiness...you name it. Much more versatile. One way to look at it is this: As some of you out there probably know, guitarists (non-Rick) & singers sometimes have a "problem" with the tone of a Rick Bass. (Must be due to the fact that they are upset for not choosing a "man's" instrument...).

Anyway, with a 4003 you can satiate their little insecurities & still have your classic angry piano tone and Rick snarl & clank at the ready!

LOL, Chris, what you say is true.
I had some arguments over the tone of my bass when playing in an band.
The guitar players didn't like me invading into their tonal range with my 4001, the others where just annoyed by it. Me, I liked it loud and clanky (lol)
And maybe the fact I played more than the basic groundtones of the chords ...


It's always been my opinion that a Ric bass schould go with a Ric guitar. They match eachother perfectly.
Worst combination (for me) is with a Les Paul guitar.

Actually my guitarist (Les Paul) doesn't mind so much. We sound OK together as I also play a Gibson T-Bird at times. But it's mostly the whiny singer. "There's not enough low-end. You really like that clank-clank noise?" You know, people who can't actually play an instrument like to complain about those who can!


I just turn up louder & if he continues to ***** I hit the overdrive or the wah!

Oh yeah, regarding: "the fact I played more than the basic groundtones of the chords ..."

Bless you my child! Don't busy bass lines just sound better on a Rick!

Rick,
I had an American Deluxe 4 string Jazz, and when you intonate the E string correctly there is an almost 90 degree turn in the string from the bridge to the hole when you use the string through, not real good for the string or for the tone, they go dead real quick.

The slanted neck makes them a lot easier to pull off, too.

IMHO the modern Rickenbacker 4003's beat the old ones in every way. Thats why i sold my 73 4001 and bought a second 4003 yesterday.

Im maybe a bit biased because the early 70's ones are known for being inconsistent and maybe a bit quirky. The Modern Necks are comfortable and rock solid - better than any new fender too. The pickups are more powerful - even more than a SD qtr pounder on a P Bass.

To my ears the old and new Ricks sound basically the same, only that the modern ones are way more powerful. I didnt like the way my 4001 seemed to pickup way too much clanky buzz - too sensitive. I also think that the Hi gain neck pickups are way better than the toasters - to me those dont get the job done well enough, because tone is kind of irrelevant when the bass is too quiet!
IMHO of course

The noise is one of the reasons I put my 4001 pickups close to the strings, the signal to noise ratio changes for the better, I think they are buzzier also because they are more trebly than the newer ones. High output strings like TI's help the old 4001's also. My 79 is much noisier than my 78 for some reason, I think the strings have a lot to do with it. I think the Fenders put out more signal the Ric stock round wounds. Also my pickups on my 78 are a little closer to the strings. But the pickups are just brighter for some reason, and the impedance is pretty close in all of them. 7.5K to 8K

Preach on Owen! I almost got toasters in my 2003 MB 4003, but after a/b'ing a toaster vs. hi-gains I'm so glad I didn't. I mean it'd be great to have a V63 with toasters, but if you want the maximum tone rage w/o losing the signature Rick sound go with Hi-gains.
Not that I don't love my 4001, but you're very limited in what you can accomplish with it.

The 4003 knows no peers! I also reach for my 3001 before my 4001. 3001's are SO underrated, but that's another story.

Chris Poteat (Loendmaestro);
"Bless you my child! Don't busy bass lines just sound better on a Rick! "

That's right!



btw: I used to plug the 4001 into a Marshall guitar amp set at 'Lemmy' when they kept nagging.
(maybe Rickenbackers cause attitude problems lol)

Anyway, I think the 4001 is so much more than just a bass guitar.