Experiment with 4004

[cassius987]

I'll probably get flamed for this, but look at like this, I Ricks were Fenders, the 4001/3 would be more within the Jazz bass realm, where the 4004 would be more of a Pbass.

I think the 4004 really sounds Rickish, but with Pbass attitude and punch.

Why is this opinion flame-worthy?

[cheyenne]

Alot of people dont like their Rickenbackers compared to Fender. I think is a pretty good analgy though.

[rickaddict]

I'll probably get flamed for this, but look at like this, I Ricks were Fenders, the 4001/3 would be more within the Jazz bass realm, where the 4004 would be more of a Pbass.

I think the 4004 really sounds Rickish, but with Pbass attitude and punch.

Sounds reasonable to me. No flames forthcoming!

[rickfan60]

I'll probably get flamed for this, but look at like this, I Ricks were Fenders, the 4001/3 would be more within the Jazz bass realm, where the 4004 would be more of a Pbass.

I think the 4004 really sounds Rickish, but with Pbass attitude and punch.

That is a pretty astute observation, if you ask me.

[dcr]

The first pair: D'Addario Pro Steels, pick style. 4003 has neck pickup rolled off to "sweet spot." No EQ.
Clip 7:
http://hydqcq.bay.livefilestore.com/y1p ... 3?download
Clip 8:
http://hydqcq.bay.livefilestore.com/y1p ... 3?download

The second pair: D'Addario Pro Steels, finger style. 4003 has neck pickup rolled off to "sweet spot." No EQ.
Clip 9:
http://hydqcq.bay.livefilestore.com/y1p ... 3?download
Clip 10:
http://hydqcq.bay.livefilestore.com/y1p ... 3?download

The third pair: TI Jazz Flats, pick style. 4003 has both pickups full up. No EQ.
Clip 11:
http://hydqcq.bay.livefilestore.com/y1p ... 3?download
Clip 12:
http://hydqcq.bay.livefilestore.com/y1p ... 3?download

What do you think?

Thanks for the response, Joshua. Any other takers?

[rickaddict]

Thanks for the response, Joshua. Any other takers?

Sorry Dan...I forgot to listen last night at home.

And I wouldn't want my co-workers to think that I obsess about Rickenbacker basses all day long while I'm at work!

[johnallg]

Thanks for the response, Joshua. Any other takers?

Sorry Dan...I forgot to listen last night at home.

And I wouldn't want my co-workers to think that I obsess about Rickenbacker basses all day long while I'm at work!

Uh, too late for that Jeff. I'm waiting for better than the notebook speakers.

[rickaddict]

Well...after giving it a listen...I'm not so sure which ones I prefer. I find that I keep trying to figure out which is the 4003! I think they sound a little closer in tone than the earlier clips of the Yamaha vs. the 4004. Your style is very different than mine. I don't play with a pick. So I think maybe that's why its tough for me to decide. I'll go out on a limb and say that clips 8, 9, and 11 are the 4003. But which ones do I prefer? I dunno! I probably would prefer clip 8, but it has a little too much high end for me. Between 9 & 10 I probably prefer 9, but don't feel strong about it. And between 11 and 12, I probably prefer 11 but don't feel strong about it either.

[heinpete]

Here's a new comparison: 4003 vs not-4003. There are two main questions. (a) Which one will more people prefer? I think the 4003 is going to be tough to beat. (b) Will there be a clear, far & away winner? (I.e., will there be a big "boom!"?) You tell me.

The first pair: D'Addario Pro Steels, pick style. 4003 has neck pickup rolled off to "sweet spot." No EQ.
Clip 7:
http://hydqcq.bay.livefilestore.com/y1p ... 3?download
Clip 8:
http://hydqcq.bay.livefilestore.com/y1p ... 3?download

The second pair: D'Addario Pro Steels, finger style. 4003 has neck pickup rolled off to "sweet spot." No EQ.
Clip 9:
http://hydqcq.bay.livefilestore.com/y1p ... 3?download
Clip 10:
http://hydqcq.bay.livefilestore.com/y1p ... 3?download

The third pair: TI Jazz Flats, pick style. 4003 has both pickups full up. No EQ.
Clip 11:
http://hydqcq.bay.livefilestore.com/y1p ... 3?download
Clip 12:
http://hydqcq.bay.livefilestore.com/y1p ... 3?download

What do you think?

The first song: b) ist the winner!
For second,the Steely Dan song, the first take (4004?) is definietly the better sound!!!
The third song: a) is a more defined/clear sound, where b) is a bit muddy in my ears.

Excellent comparison, but not so clear result IMHO.

[dcr]

OK, I think this has run its course.

Here are the basses used on the clips:
First pair:
Clip 1: Yamaha
Clip 2: 4004
Second pair:
Clip 3: 4004
Clip 4: Yamaha
Third pair:
Clip 5: Yamaha
Clip 6: 4004
Fourth pair:
Clip 7: 4003
Clip 8: Yamaha
Fifth pair:
Clip 9: Yamaha
Clip 10: 4003
Sixth pair:
Clip 11: 4003
Clip 12: Yamaha

Based on the responses given, the favorite clips were 1, 4, 5, 8, 9, and 11. Those were my favorites, too. The preferences seemed fairly strong in the case of clips 1-6, but not very strong (& in some cases no preference) in the case of clips 7-12.

What this tells me is that, for my playing style, I would prefer a Yamaha with rounds and a 4003 with flats. This is good news, since those are exactly the two basses I currently own! It also tells me that, for my playing style, I do not prefer a 4004.

I've emphasized "for my playing style" here because another person playing those same basses could yield different sounding clips that wouldn't necessarily have the same distribution of preferences. In other words, nothing has been shown about what sounds better than what, only what sounds better to me (& some of you) based on the way I play.

Thanks to everyone who participated. I found this very useful.

[cassius987]

Hey Dan, that was great. Your Yamaha and your Ric both sound really nice.

[mtnckr]

I think a little different about the similar sounding bass subject. Especially on live performances, where you need loud sound, character of the basses differ each other. I mean when you put 2 different bass in a preamp and record it, you may achieve similar sounds but when it comes to loud amplified sound on stage basses go their onwn way (character) and you can realize what are the differences.
By the way I prefer thumpy somehow vintagey sound of your yamaha to hormoney! sound of 4004. of course this doesn't mean Yamaha is better than 4004, but acording to these examples, I would chose Yamaha
I am not sure if I can explain what I am trying to say I need to make some excersize, my English goes worse day after day