Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

The problem I have with the mute is that it is not close enough to the bridge saddles. The few times that I tried using it, I found the notes go sharp because it is acting like a new bridge saddle that is closer to the nut. The pitch goes about 20 cents sharp according to my Korg DTR-1 tuner.

So does one get an old 4001 or a new 4003 ... I really like both ... but if you play modern music the 4003 is a better fit ... if you play 60's and 70's music then a 4001 is a better fit ...

I have owned 60's, 70's, 80's, and 90's Rics ... they are all good basses ... my favorite is the 4003s5 1990 and later ... man I love those walnut headwings

1960's Rics are wonderful they have a cool vibe ... the weaker pickups and capaciter reduce mid punch ... but they do have a treble bite ... I played a 60's bass as my main bass for 25 years ... until I switched to 5 strings ...

1970's Rics have a better neck and hotter pickups ... they still used the bass cut capaciter which some players removed. A 70's ric is a good gigging bass. I don't like the 70's headstock too much, but I love the walnut stripe ...

1980's Rics introduced the 4003 and the 5 string and the 2000 series. The capaciter was eliminated and the pickups got hotter. The Walnut stripe went away and the truss rod system is better and easier to adjust.

1990's Rics are my favorite. The hot pickups, the 60's headstock, and the new 4004 basses ... very cool ... these basses have a real mid punch and they still get the bottom and treble bite ...

hey Jeff, is that Korg tuner any good?

I have a piece of cr_p tuner w/LEDS that's gotta go.

tune by ear!

oooh-not that good!

tuning 4 strings are hard enough, but eight strings-its them octaves.

Yes , these Korg tuners should be in everybody's rack. They are accurate plus the strobe mode is essential for adjusting bridge intonation. I have two of them, one in my gig rack and one in my recording rack. Of course you don't have to rack it, just keep it somewhere handy to use.

When I use the mute I put it so it's just touching the strings enough so that it doesn't buzz, the intonation is not bad that way. One thing I did do, was get a new one for one of my 4001's and cut it in half lengthwise and then mount it near the bridge, that helps a lot too, and doesn't damp the strings as much as a full width mute.

Perhaps with a thinner mute pad it would work better, but I really don't use it anyway. I just played around with it a couple of times, the music I do doesn't warrant the sound that muting would give me.

Check out my band's website www.rareblend.net

I'm in internet cafes with very slow phone lines but I could hear bits and snatches of 7/8 and it sounded great, polar opposite of what I play and listen to, but I like all kinds of music. I play blues to manic rock, listen to Coltrane and Monk, I'm a roots kind of player. I don't listen to much fusion but appreciate the time and talent that goes into playing it, very good band from what I can tell by the lousy one channel two second bits and snatches that I heard..

Jeff-

nice website but where's the RIC's?

Those are Prerickstoric recordings!!!

So, to get the "classic" 4001 sound I can add the "tone cap" to a 4003, right?.

I'm assuming a 4001 wiring diagram compared to a 4003 wiring diagram would spell it out.

Who can point me to a good place to get some info on that?

Thanks!

Paul,
You will find a wire running from the pickup selector switch to the treble volume pot. Replace this wire with a quality 0.0047 cap, one lead to the switch and one lead to the pot. The opposite is true, if you want a fuller sound out of a 4001 either solder a wire across the cap (to short it out) or remove it completly and replace with a wire. The best solution is to put a switch in that shorts out the cap so you can select a "vintage" treble tone.

This has been talked to death, but i dont think you can make a new 4003 sound like a 4001 by adding the cap. The old basses have underwound pickups, even without caps - 4001's are far twangier and thinner.

By adding the cap to a 4003 you are simply crippling the most useful and powerful pickup on your bass. By adding that cap your effectivly putting a permenant EQ on the treble pickup. No bass and hardly any middle, and all treble.

Sure the neck pickup is still a full sound, but whats the point, If the old cap is so essential to the Rick bass sound, why no cap's on the C's or V's?

IMHO of course

Yeah, I agree I think you'd have to have your pickups unwound also, and I think the cap is a .047 uf. (I'm not sure though.)Hey they sound close enough now anyway, and are much punchier.