Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Paul said : "That setup kicks major ***, Brad!"

Paul, so does Brad, he is an excellent bassist.

**slips Joey ten bucks**

I wish I still had that head, it was on of the first ones, it had two a prong plug with a polarity switch, and a Rotron (something like that) fan that you had to oil. The faceplate lettering was blue and it wasn't printed, it had a piece of blue plastic that the faceplate went over with the lettering cut out in it, kind of like a stencil. I even had the old dolly for the cab. I payed $400.00 for the whole rig.
I have two of the real early cabs again now though, the square ones without the metal handles before they put the cutouts in them for the wheels. I just put 4 casters on them, since I haven't seen a dolly for them in years. I have two heads, one a blue grille mid to late 70's (getting the filter caps replaced)and a black grille 87 re-issue head that sounds good.
those SVT-CL's sound really good too.

I hear ya, Bob! I went away from the Ampegs in the '80s and used *groan* Peaveys for several years until I got sick of them and got the CLs. IMO the SVT rig is just a perfect match for a Ric. The complaints that are heard of SVTs having an unfocused sound are often made by players using something like a pee bass that has a boomy bottom and no treble punch. A Ric's natural punch and clarity are practically made for the SVT.

Oh yeah, I think they are very focused and tight, I do know that the tone controls take some getting used to though, that could be part of the problem for some players... no patience. 8 10" speakers moves a lot of air too, it is easy to get carried away. the old ones like mine had only 30 watt speakers and would distort if really pushed with the 300 watt head. I had to use both of them for a band I was in a few years ago, nothing like it though

My basic set-up live (currently in the Cyndi Lauper band, formerly in Too Much Joy):
Hiwatt Custom 100 head. Vox Foundation 1x 18, Vox Sovereign 4x12. Sansamp BassDriver DI for DI to FOH.

Can see it fairly well here, although playing the Status, not the Rickenbacker.

I wondered how Vox amps sound w/a Ric 4003. There is a store in WI that is a licensed reproduction maker of Vox bass amps. http://www.voxshowroom.com/northcoast/shopping/index.htm
Those old retro stacks look pretty sweet. I just wonder how they perform.

Yeah, nice Vox stuff William, a friend of mine has an old 50 watt tube head and won't let it go for anything, and I think it's a bass head, I forgot the model. Essex? It is definitly an old 60's tube head though if the Essex is not.
Hey Jean, I was reading the archives and me and you have two thing in common: our birthdays are the same day, March 11, and we both bought our first Ric 4001's in 1977, I don't know the exact date of my first though, all I remember was that it was in the spring, because I got my tax returns back and headed right for Wurlitzers in Boston and bought a 4001MG.

Hey Bob, nice about our identical birthdays !
I got my first 4001 (JG) in July 1977, and I believe it was assembled in January 1977, since its S/N started with QA.
That was my first real bass, after 1 year and half playing on a very cheap Westone bass.
All the best,
JL

I had played a P bass that I had bought in 71 and then a Tele bass, before that I had a BIG Howard or something like that, I payed 20 or 25 bucks for it from a friend. the Ric was quite a difference, took me a long time to get used to it after playing all one pickup basses all my life. Now I gotta get an old 4000.

Bob, I find that the 4000 model is way too expensive regarding to what it's worth. These models are generally overpriced and intended for collectors. They sound much too trebly for me. I like the bottom end the neck pickup brings to the 4001-4003's.
But if you really want one, I wish you good luck in your search.
All the best,
JL

Yeah they are expensive, but they were made for flatwounds and sound very punchy with them, at least the stuff I've heard does. Rics weren't designed for roundwounds, they were designed to be clear with flats, which IMHO they do very nicely. I once read an article in Bassplayers Magazine about Michael Anthony's old 4000, they commented that it sounded like hitting a bass string with a ball peen hammer, if those idiots (resentment?) had put flats on it, (round wounds weren't even in existence when those basses were made) they would have gotten the true sound of the bass, there are more misunderstandings among supposed "Experts" about Rics than any other bass I think. I have written to Bassplayer several times about more exposure for Rics, maybe an article on Ric players, but I've gotten ignored so far. I am so sick of Fender this and Fender that that I almost let my subscription lapse this last time. they must be a BIG time advertiser, and I like OLD Fenders.

I'd love to have an old '57 4000 like Anthony's. With flats it would be schweet.

Bob-- You've nailed the situation perfectly concerning constant Fender exposure in "Bass Player" magazine while Rickenbacker gets practically zero. The reason is advertising dollars. Fender spends money to advertise in that rag whereas Rickenbacker spends very little, if any. So it's not surprising why Fender is glorified in there all the time.

The fact that these publications are thinly disguised industry whores is the reason I dropped my subscription several years ago. Too much of the content was fluff 'n filler and I got tired of it. I might've had a tiny bit more respect for them if they had gone to a quarterly publication schedule instead of churning out dreck every month.

I'm with Jean concerning the overpricing of the Ric 4000 basses. Only serious *collectors* with deep pockets have realistic access to them.