Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

bassduke49 wrote:Whew!

Thanks for the info, bassduke49, that's good stuff.

I wish I was lefty...

Here's a 4001 from May 1974. It has all of the crossover features associated with this build year (no checkerboard or walnut, red dots, 1/2" neck pup placement, etc.) This summer, Paul W installed new frets and wiring, tapped the Grovers and set it up perfectly. This picture is prior to that, but from this distance, you can't tell (Paul liked the patina on the screws, so he put them back as he found them). Up close, you now can't tell that I learned my playing on this bass. Deep grooves, but not the ones that move the crowd, right? Best of all is that it is physically easier to play and sounds like I want it to sound now. Prior to the work, it was set up and intonated fine, but with a slight bow, not the Rickenbacker spec. Lots of air between the strings and frets. It's miles better now. The neck on this particular bass is what makes me put down some other basses.

I play more as a hobby and not in front of audiences outside of friends. But, I play this thing almost daily, even if for 15 minutes. It's one of the best escapes I know and the 4001 has a breadth of the unique tones I like to hear. I play through an SWR Baby Blue II (2nd generation I think, 2x8 celestions and a 5" tweeter) with the EQ pulled, just using the 4001 tone controls. Sounds great (duh). I'm shopping for some distortion.

It's unfortunate, but not unprecedented, that RIC doesn't have lefties in regular production. I've read alot about how John Hall wants to run his company and if I worked there, I think I'd feel supported and busy. I understand the approach and also know that if a large enough order were placed, they'd probably be made. That's how my business works, too. Go figure. What I CANNOT agree with is JH's contention that an instrument is "icky" if not new.

This ol' LH Ricky ain't icky. In fact, it is the opposite of that.

More pics! More Lefties!

Nice one, fellow Walker! And nice breakdown of why Ricks are so beloved. Did you have to custom order that bass, or did you find it in a store somewhere?

IvanMunoz wrote:I wish I was lefty...

No you don't.

wmthor wrote:

IvanMunoz wrote:I wish I was lefty...

No you don't.

+1.

There are, however, times that it gives me a good feeling......

Nice spread Simmons! Umm... is that all of them?

wmthor wrote:

IvanMunoz wrote:I wish I was lefty...

No you don't.

I'm a lefty... But I'm glad I learned to play righty...

cjj wrote: I'm a lefty... But I'm glad I learned to play righty...

I tried to play right-handed and it just didn't work out.

Interesting, Cjj. What influenced your decision to learn righty? The abundance of guitar choices offered in the right-hand position vs the left?

I started lefty and my Dad said to play righty...so I did...huge regret.

walker wrote:Interesting, Cjj. What influenced your decision to learn righty? The abundance of guitar choices offered in the right-hand position vs the left?

Mostly because that's what was around when I was a kid. My Dad was a heck of a guitar player (acoustic, mostly flamenco style) and played right handed...

cjj wrote:My Dad was a heck of a guitar player (acoustic, mostly flamenco style) and played right handed...

Did any of it rub off on you? The flamenco part.

jps wrote:

cjj wrote:My Dad was a heck of a guitar player (acoustic, mostly flamenco style) and played right handed...

Did any of it rub off on you? The flamenco part.

Not really, oddly enough, I never really learned to play much on a guitar. Us kids weren't allowed to mess with his guitars except under his supervision, then I lost my Dad before I was in high school, don't really even know what became of his guitars...

leftybass wrote:

Sorry about the ambiguous comment, Simmons. For some reason, I thought your '69 was a Mapleglo and going with that assumption, I thought you were omitting a bass for some reason. Woops! Kind of throws a monkey wrench in the Duck Soup plan, but I think I can borrow an FG from the appropriate time period, so I think we're still on.