Rick Resource Limited Edition Bass?
Moderators: rickenbrother, ajish4
Gene, I have a SPECTOR, not a Schecter. Totally different basses, although I hear the Schecter basses are one of the better Asian imports. The model I have is a ReBop, and they are AT LEAST as good as a Warwick in workmanship, but the price tag is a lot different. Why anybody would NOT want a Czech Republic bass is beyond me. They are next door to Germany, and have a tradition of building some of the finest stringed instruments in the world.
My "antiquated" P-bass is long sold, and I don't think anybody here in their right mind would have wanted it.
Chris, it was out of frustration that I tried a Spector, and was I ever glad I did. Getting your hands on one of their American or European models would make your wait for the V68, or whatever, a lot more tolerable. I got a Euro Spector because the used American Spectors are VERY hard to come by, and NEVER cheap when you find them. It seems their owners have a hard time letting go of them, which is a good sign to me. Bass Central usually has several nice used American Spectors in stock, but bring lots of $$$$. Bass Central is Spector's largest American series dealer and their prices are deeply discounted, but the American series is still FAR out of my price range. Really, why should you want one if all you want is a player? I can do without the heavy AAA flamed maple body, and the alder body is lighter and has a punchier sound. The American series may reign supreme in a recording studio, but the lighter weight of the ReBop and punchier sound should appeal to gigging players more, not to mention the much lower price. If you already have a clean 4001, 4003, or 4004, the price of a new ReBop w/case is in that league and makes a good alternate bass without joining the all-too-common Fender camp. Nothing personal to Fender owners, but Fender basses just aren't my bag, and the Music Man StingRay was a better Leo Fender design anyway, but heavy. If you like StingRays, the ReBop is also a great similar type bass, but with more tonal range due to the separated pickups, and lighter weight. I need to check out the new Ernie Ball S.U.B. (6-bolt neck and poplar body), as I think they lightened the body quite a bit. Then there's the new Ernie Ball Bongo, which is aimed straight at the ReBop camp with those big dual humbuckers, but why pay extra for basswood over alder? The ReBop weighs almost the same as a Rickenbacker 4000 series bass, while a lot of others weigh like an anchor. Just one more reason a Rickenbacker owner should consider one as an alternate bass.
My "antiquated" P-bass is long sold, and I don't think anybody here in their right mind would have wanted it.
Chris, it was out of frustration that I tried a Spector, and was I ever glad I did. Getting your hands on one of their American or European models would make your wait for the V68, or whatever, a lot more tolerable. I got a Euro Spector because the used American Spectors are VERY hard to come by, and NEVER cheap when you find them. It seems their owners have a hard time letting go of them, which is a good sign to me. Bass Central usually has several nice used American Spectors in stock, but bring lots of $$$$. Bass Central is Spector's largest American series dealer and their prices are deeply discounted, but the American series is still FAR out of my price range. Really, why should you want one if all you want is a player? I can do without the heavy AAA flamed maple body, and the alder body is lighter and has a punchier sound. The American series may reign supreme in a recording studio, but the lighter weight of the ReBop and punchier sound should appeal to gigging players more, not to mention the much lower price. If you already have a clean 4001, 4003, or 4004, the price of a new ReBop w/case is in that league and makes a good alternate bass without joining the all-too-common Fender camp. Nothing personal to Fender owners, but Fender basses just aren't my bag, and the Music Man StingRay was a better Leo Fender design anyway, but heavy. If you like StingRays, the ReBop is also a great similar type bass, but with more tonal range due to the separated pickups, and lighter weight. I need to check out the new Ernie Ball S.U.B. (6-bolt neck and poplar body), as I think they lightened the body quite a bit. Then there's the new Ernie Ball Bongo, which is aimed straight at the ReBop camp with those big dual humbuckers, but why pay extra for basswood over alder? The ReBop weighs almost the same as a Rickenbacker 4000 series bass, while a lot of others weigh like an anchor. Just one more reason a Rickenbacker owner should consider one as an alternate bass.
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modelcitizen
- Veteran RRF member
- Posts: 53
- Joined: Mon Aug 27, 2001 1:39 pm
I checked out a Warwick Fortress Flashback here a while ago...probably one of the only other basses i'd really wanna play outside of a Ric. Warwicks have never grabbed me much probably due to too many monkeys slapping away in nu-metal bands with 'em... 
My last bass purchase was an unused Ampeg Dan Armstrong lucite reissue, given to Lenny Kravitz' bass player (who used it on a photo shoot then promptly sold it to a music shop in his home town). While I had always wanted one, it never had the sound for me nor the playability (although it's short-ish scale made fast runs and harmonics a joy).
The only Fender i'd touch now (my first bass was a factory fretless Mustang [odd] that's now a wall hanging) would be a Tele/'57 reissue with the bitey single coil. I've got a '63 Burns that bears a passing resemblance to a Stratocaster, but has a tone that not even a Ric can match. Pity it's about the same weight as my car!
My last bass purchase was an unused Ampeg Dan Armstrong lucite reissue, given to Lenny Kravitz' bass player (who used it on a photo shoot then promptly sold it to a music shop in his home town). While I had always wanted one, it never had the sound for me nor the playability (although it's short-ish scale made fast runs and harmonics a joy).
The only Fender i'd touch now (my first bass was a factory fretless Mustang [odd] that's now a wall hanging) would be a Tele/'57 reissue with the bitey single coil. I've got a '63 Burns that bears a passing resemblance to a Stratocaster, but has a tone that not even a Ric can match. Pity it's about the same weight as my car!
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atomic_punk
- Senior Member
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- Joined: Wed Sep 17, 2003 5:00 am
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Actually I have played (and enjoyed playing!) a Warwick Fortress One 5-string a while back, and considered it as my token 5-string until I played Jeff's 4003s5. I can't tell you how much better it felt and how much easier it was to play! So I wait...
"They make great f***'n basses". - Lemmy, NAMM 2009
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jwr2
The local guitar center has a whole rack full of Warwicks ... the have a smooth mellow jazzy sound ... but not nearly enough bite for me ... I like a bass with mid punch and treble bite ... the Warwicks don't seem to deliver ...
I have a whole bunch of basses ... nothing seems to measure up to a Ric unless you get into very expensive American made basses ...
I have a whole bunch of basses ... nothing seems to measure up to a Ric unless you get into very expensive American made basses ...
Well, Jeff, that's what the ReBop is, a darn good copy of the VERY expensive American Spector basses, but without the fancy flamed maple, heavy weight, or heavier price tag. It doesn't feel or sound like a Rickenbacker, although it's light and highly ergonomic like a 4004 Rickenbacker. In other words, you'd probably like it and you're not covering the same ground. Spector makes no attempt to mimic a Rick with the ReBop, because they can mimic one of the greatest basses ever made, an American Spector. The workmanship would please any Rick bass owner, for sure. Is that long 24-fret neck ever a nice one!
This info MIGHT help you get a good one really cheap. The preamp has no battery indicator, as Spector tells you to "change it when it starts sounding bad". Some people don't know it's active, because it doesn't have a separate battery cover. You have to remove the entire back cover plate to change the battery, which is only about once a year in average use. Find one that's "sounding bad" from a bad battery, get a good deal for such a "raunchy" sounding bass, then change out the battery and have yourself a real killer lightweight gig bass with heavyweight sound. The neck feels a lot like an early 4004 or 650D because of the minimal oil finish. Really smooth and fast, better than the gloss finishes. I bought mine from a Gibson guitar shop that knew little about basses, and even less about Spectors, or I doubt I would have gotten it for what I paid. They show up regularly on eBay, but the American series almost never do. American Spector players have got it worse than Rickenbacker players when it comes to finding used basses. Bass Central had a really good selection of Euro Spector neck-thrus the last time I checked them. A new Euro neck-thru goes for a few bucks more than a new 4004 (but the used ones on eBay often go for a bit less.....how does $620 for a mint one in purple stain with hardcase grab you?), the ReBop w/case goes for about what a 4003 w/case costs, and about $500 for a really clean used one on eBay. I just saw a 5-string ReBop w/case go for $599. You can ignore Asian basses at those prices.
This info MIGHT help you get a good one really cheap. The preamp has no battery indicator, as Spector tells you to "change it when it starts sounding bad". Some people don't know it's active, because it doesn't have a separate battery cover. You have to remove the entire back cover plate to change the battery, which is only about once a year in average use. Find one that's "sounding bad" from a bad battery, get a good deal for such a "raunchy" sounding bass, then change out the battery and have yourself a real killer lightweight gig bass with heavyweight sound. The neck feels a lot like an early 4004 or 650D because of the minimal oil finish. Really smooth and fast, better than the gloss finishes. I bought mine from a Gibson guitar shop that knew little about basses, and even less about Spectors, or I doubt I would have gotten it for what I paid. They show up regularly on eBay, but the American series almost never do. American Spector players have got it worse than Rickenbacker players when it comes to finding used basses. Bass Central had a really good selection of Euro Spector neck-thrus the last time I checked them. A new Euro neck-thru goes for a few bucks more than a new 4004 (but the used ones on eBay often go for a bit less.....how does $620 for a mint one in purple stain with hardcase grab you?), the ReBop w/case goes for about what a 4003 w/case costs, and about $500 for a really clean used one on eBay. I just saw a 5-string ReBop w/case go for $599. You can ignore Asian basses at those prices.
KJames, Did the SD Quarter pound jazz PU drop right in your Corvette pro-line? I've got a Corvette Pro-line five string I wanna put SD quarter pounders in. But I dont want to have to do alot of modifiing. As a stock 5-string the Warwick sounds great on the B-E-and A strings but loses low end drastically in the upper registers. I thought the Duncans may be the way to go.
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