Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Wow, you must have had some heavy F****rs!
My JB is a feather compared to the V63's.

I didn't get any pictures last night. I'll try to take some this weekend.

...only the early '70ies 4001 had some considerably "lighter" series, the rest of the 4001/3 is quite a bit heavier than the 4004 series.

A lot of people think the Rick is a heavy bass. I disagree entirely. Not only does it feel light, but it plays like a dream. It's the only bass that I've owned that doesn't give me arm ache.
The secret is a good wide leather strap. It spreads the load nicely.
J and P basses ARE heavy. The old ones, not the puny newer versions

You know what's fun...play a 70's boat anchor J bass then strap on a 4004 for the last set or 2.
You feel like your holding a feather.

I have the hipshot bridge and I like it very much, better then the stock one. The looks of the original was better though, but you can't have it all. Intonation and sustain is better now.

"J and P basses ARE heavy. The old ones, not the puny newer versions"

I don't know about that. My JB is pretty old and the only 4001-4003 I've felt that was lighter was the '72 I had for a while.

My 2004 Monty 4003 is very light. I've no complaints. Since getting it my playing has got better and better.
All the J and P's I've owned have been 'hefty' to say the least. Great tone from the Precision. Probably cos of all that wood. Disappointed with J basses. Great growl, no real definition. Pretty generic IMO.
Again YMMV with a lot of these points....

Are we talking alder or ash Fenders? That will make a difference, plus the older basses tend to be lighter, perhaps due to the moisture content of the wood to some extent.

I had a Japanese P (1991?) that was quite light, the '71 Tele bass I had was light, but the mid '70's ash P I played once weighed at least 12 lbs.!

My '77 4001 is pretty heavy, but my '76 4000 is ultra light.

I've had J basses well into 11+ pounds, the most recent was a Geddy bass.
The one I held onto, though, is around 9 pounds, which still seems heavier than my 4003- 4001.
The 4004 is a blessing compared with anything else I have.

I would say my Rick is about 10 pounds with the Hipshot bridge on.
I still consider it to be light. Maybe it's just because it's such a joy to play. Having the wider strap certainly helps.
I played with my band for about 8 hours straight when we were practicing for a crucial gig. After all that I still felt as fresh as a daisy. My arms , hands and wrists felt great. Whenever I played my J bass for longer than an hour, I had to sit down. My right shoulder ached forever. And that's just my picking arm.
Thankfully those days are behind me, as I play exclusively my Monty 4003. I won't ever change to another make. I've tried most of 'em.
Finally I've come home!!!

...I still felt as fresh as a daisy.

Did someone say Daisy?

The 4004 is a blessing compared with anything else I have.

Try a '60s 4005WB sometime, makes a 4004 feel heavy.

I found my '73 4000 was a bit too light with a touch of neck dive. I've fixed this by packing some lead in the control cavity! It now feels perfect.

...isn't the 4005 a neck diver too?