Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

A lot of us worship at the alter of Ampeg SVT and Ric, Jeffrey.

Ampegs are super in that they make any bass sound great....

But, for me, there's only one bass amp for a Ric - that's a Marshall Super Bass 100...

...(and to a lesser extent the new Marshall VBA412)

They just bring out the best of Rics.

I've never tried one but have heard they sound good, Paul Yan has one also, I used to own a Marshall Major 200 watt head, sounded great for bass, this was pre-Ric though. I like most tube bass heads, and I have always liked Marshalls.

There are some good amps from that era ... Marshall ... Ampeg ... Acoustic ... Sunn ...

well i just ordered the bass podxt and some flatwound strings. so begins my journey into the great unknown. the roto flatwounds i purchased are a slightly different gauge than the ric strings. the d string is .10 heavier. is that a big enough difference that i should consult a guitar expert i trust to help me with? im thinking my action is too low anyway, so maybe i'll just bring it to him with the new strings and a big MORON sign attached to my forehead. i know many of you folks recommend learning how to do these things yourself and fixing it, but if i tried to do that, i would be bringing in my mangled 4003 with an even bigger MORON sign attached to me.
sorry i haven't posted a pic of my turqouis baby yet. i know it's the law but i do not have a digital camera or scanner

I have a question for the bass experts. Did Vox ever make a have decent bass amplifier?

I had a Vox amp ... did not like it ...

Joseph ... we get opinionated here but we try not to get personal ... even though I would never use a flatwound string ... I also don't think you are a moron for using flats ... I know flats have a cool sound ... I just think that rounds are cooler and more versatile ...

I have a bass podxt and I have to admit I only use it for recording. I play live direct through either of one of my ampex amps, it depends on how I feel the amp will suit the songs. I have never really taken the time to set the pod up for playing live but now that I have seen Jeff's settings I'll probably give them a try.

I heard the pod xt is better for the studio and the 1st bass pod is better for live stuff ...

but I just use mine as a front end tone shaper no matter what I am doing ... I can get my sound in the studio, or for a gig, or for an open jam, or what ever ... it can make an inferior amp sound good or a good amp sound great ... or it can suck if you use it wrong ... it is not for everybody ...

This is an awesome thread; sorry I'm just now jumping in - my access over the weekend was cut.

This has been a very valuable discussion to me. My live tone is 100% there, but Jeff and others have me wondering about how to improve my studio tone. Last time in the studio, I ran direct with only a SansAmp (nice effect, btw). I'm thinking some compression and a little more bite would have been great. Might try some of your suggestions for the next time.

Anybody have any suggestions on a great compression effect, stand-alone, for bass guitar?

Also - Steve: Thanks for posting on Steve Harris using flats. Wow, that is incredible, given his tone. He is a huge influence, and Iron Maiden is a great band!

Right now my Rick is strung up with flats - it's been that way for a while and will probably stay that way. I keep the mutes up quite often to get a "plunky" tone with lots of attack, it works great within my music.

If I want a bright sound, I pick up my Musicman Sterling, a bass which can REALLY run the gamut of tones. Not to say the Rick can't - i've used it in metal bands, punk bands, and even for classical recitals! I just love it the way I have it now, mellow sounding.

Question - Would a Toaster pickup better suit my needs based on what i've said about my Rick use? I get the impression that the Hi-gains are more geared towards Roundwound strings, but I don't know for sure.

Thanks Jeff. I will start a new thread on The Others as I don't want to take from this discussion.

i really hope it is untrue about the basspodxt being good for studio but not live, because i got it for my live sound, not the studio.
jeff, the MORON thing was just my poor attempt at humour. i know everybody around here is great. i really love all of the diverse opinions. i was reading about how the p'up guard bothers some folks, and also where everyone likes to rest to rest there thumb. i rest mine on the E string and then dangle it when im playing an E. definitely a lot of different strokes in this forum. I love that there is not any self righteousness in the opinions given. everyone is very open.

John: Many like the toaster sound on their Rickenbacker bass. It is a simple experiment to do and so I would encourage you to buy a toaster an pop it in. Should you not like it, there is always someone looking for a toaster and you could easily sell it for a fair price.

I tried the toaster in my 4003 but in the end, having only one bass, I put the high gain back in the neck position as I preferred that sound overall. This was a more versatile arrangement for me.

Dean ... I have a sans amp ... it can give you a live sound in the studio ... but it lacks compression ... If you add a compressor in with it the sans amp will work fine ... I have to have a compressor because I play aggressively ... I hate when I do a heavy thumb slap and the amp clips ... that is a ****** sound ...

Also the bass pod has deep editing options where you can hook it up to a computer and really tweak your patches ... I never use it though because I get a good enough sound out of the dials ...