Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

From a collectors standpoint, the older Ricks get the nod obviously.

Jeff is a player. His basses have to perform to the top of their structural/sonic ability. And he simply wont waste his time or money on a bass that he cant use.

I share his viewpoint but only on a slightly different level. I like 4-strings, but believe the 5 has a secure place in the mainstream. I also simply wont keep a bass if it has any issues. Im to much of a player. It has to play and sound good, or I dont want it.

If a vintage Rick would fall out of the sky, so to speak, I would be all over it. But I probably would flip it and buy more newer Ricks.

And I think Jeff would to.

I have also found '01 to be an excellent year for the 4003. My fireglo and Desert Gold are my favorites as far as playability, set up, tone, and feel.

Very consistant with each other.

Let's clear the air on an issue-
It's not the type of string(round or flat) that's the issue.
A set of Fender flats will twist the girders of the GW Bridge!
It's the make. The old Rick flats were VERY soft.They were floppy like a shoelace when you took them out of the pack. There are rounds today that are low tension as well.
The culprit was Rotosounds. Very high tension.
So-
I've had rounds on my Ricks since GHS first made Boomers;
a good 30 years(frickin' years if you're a certain doctor).
And I've had no problems with necks on any basses from '59 onward.

Perhaps their is a distinction between owning a "working" bass vs. a piece of Rickenbacker history?

For a modern working bass, Jeff's point about the later Ricks is well made. The newer models are better made to stand up to the variety of styles necessary for the typical bassist of the day. Indeed I agree with Brian, that the 4004 may be better suited for a more aggressive style of play often seen today.

That being said, my heart still goes out to the older models as interesting pieces of history, for Rickenbacker and myself. They also offer a vintage sound which arguably is their forte.

In a perfect world I would like examples of all styles in my arsenal. However, as most of us must, I must choose between what I desire and what I need to play. I find for now I try to find a bass that may offer both an esoteric and functional value.

If I were able, I would be willing to pay good money for nice examples of the past and the present.

Anyone know a nice single wealthy gal looking for an old poor ugly guy? I do windows and can lift heavy boxes.

Don't get me wrong, Scott, i'm a player too! I've got lots of guitars and a few basses, and I take measures to make sure that each one is different, whether it be pickups, hollow or solid, 12 or 6, etc. To each his own I guess, but I just wouldn't own a recent 4003 in every color of the rainbow (Indiglo?) - I like to have my instruments more varied than that, that's all (Which for many here would be 4001, J-bass, Stienberger, and Wal. )

I could not agree more John. It is not a round vs flat issue. It is a tension issue - period. Those old Fender flats were awful for any neck. I suspect the famous Fender "S" shaped bend found on many older Fender necks was in large part a function of those nasty-assed flats. For sure early Rotos were pretty hard on the neck too. I can't remember for sure but Rotos were either the first rounds or the first popular rounds made for bass. So there was a time years ago when it could be said that Rick basses were not designed for rounds. Heck, what bass was? Even Alembics with their multi-laminate necks came stock with flats until the late 70's.

I agree with Jeff on a lot of points, as many of you know, we work together and spend far more time than we should talking about basses.

I understand the desire for the old features from a beauty / collectability / desire standpoint, believe me, I have been begging for MOP inlay for as long as I can remember, and I would use checkered binding on EVERYTHING if it was my call.

But truthfully, in the position Jeff and I are in, we play every weekend, we play a lot of different kinds of music, and need something that A) We're not afraid to take out to the gig and play because it is worth $4000-6000, and B) delivers the goods sonically and can handle the rigors of playing all the time.

How I would love to have a modern designed Ric with the checkered binding, hot pickups, MOP full width inlays and walnut wings. Like a V68, for example, but designed to handle any strings. Best of all the worlds.

Therein lies the difference between players and collectors.

There was a thread a week or two ago that asked which RIC bass you would keep if you could only have one. I love my collection of old and odd basses but if I had to decide on just one, it would have to be a versatile player. That is why I would keep my '02 4003S/5 over the others. Fortunately, I can have my cake and eat it too....

I love the old Rics ... I owned and played a 1968 4001 for years ... and my 73 was a great gigging bass ... and the 76 azureglo that I set up for Steve Cooper was a real tone monster ... all great basses ... but only the 68 was RARE ... they made 1000s of 70s 4001 basses ... they are wonderful but the new ones are better ... if you want vintage look at a c64 ... they are awesome basses ... or the 4003 ... it looks almost identical to a mid 70s 4001 ...

I guess why I get worked up is I see these mid 70s basses on ebay for $1500 to $2500 range ... WTF!!! that is crazy ... I can see a good 1976 4001 selling for $800 to $900 but why spend $1300 when you can get a 4003 for less than that???

doing some simple math I estimate that Ric probably made over 10,000 4001 basses before they were discontinued in the early 80s ... now the 50s and 60s are rare and collectable and the early 70s are also collectable ... but the rest are as common as a Ford or Chevy ... except they have a longer life than a car ... it will take a lot of people hording a lot of 4001 basses for the 70s 4001 to become rare ... or as some ebay sellers think "if you list it often enough at an outrageous price then it might sell for that"

For some, It's nostalgia.

Also, everything was better 20-30 years ago... music, craftsmanship, and kids did what they were told and didn't misbehave like they do nowadays (tongue planted firmly in cheek). ;P

Right now old beat up instruments are "cool" in the eyes of some young musicians because they make you look like you have more "cred." Anyone can go out and buy a brand new fender... but a 60's fender is rare... so you stand out. You get respect and musicians coming up to you "oohing" and ahhing." That can be worth the price of admission to some.

I got my mapleglo 72' because I love rics... and I saw getting it as an opportunity (it was local). They don't make them anymore and I think they look really cool with their features (skunk, toaster, checkerboard, MOP full inlays). The necks on basses from this era are the nicest looking of all 4000 series necks in my eyes. Oh, one last thing... I'm a player and the 72 played like a dream... even better than my tiny necked 96' 4003. Each bass sees plenty of gigs... case queens don't interest me.

Another angle on getting older instruments (4+ years) is that most necks will have settled after this time period. If the neck was to warp, it would have done so.

The newer thick ric necks have more consistency in stability over time... but if you want to go for a thinner neck (without graphite reinforcement) than you have a greater risk of neck issues as not all wood is created equal. Getting something used allows you to bypass this risk (buying without playing first does not though...).

My view is that a *well played* bass that is still going strong after 30 years... it is most likley a great bass. Poorly made bases from that era either got thrown in the trash, or got put in a case (and are popping up on EBAY as we speak as "mint"... ironically getting the big bucks in auctions).

If it was such a nice bass, why was it never played for the last 30 years? Give me a well played (but cared for) old bass any day.

Oh, and vintage instruments realy have mojo. Old things just have a tone that sounds better... real "magical instruments of wonder." I play faster, get more hot chicks, and notes ring truer. (tongue planted firmly in cheek again)

I'm with you there, Jeff - i'd certainly buy a brand new 4003 over a mid-to-late 70's Rick without batting an eyelash.

Edit: Unless it was a currently unavailable finish like Azureglo, Burg, or Wite.

So in summary for the OP, Pre 73 basses are most desirable from a Kewl factor point of view, but in general post 73 basses are everywhere, and not considered all that rare. Fair enough?

Sounds right to me.