Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

What do these sound like compared to a 4003? What is a reasonable price for one in mint condition?

I have a son in Greece who plays professionally and I know he covets a RIC. Might get this one for him. I have a 4003 and really love the sound I am getting.

You say reasonable?

Reasonable, hmm - $1400-$1600

Actual? - Hmm, $1900-$2200

It's the "S" factor, people will overpay in a flash.

I'll hand you over to some of our seasoned v63 players to give you a better comparison with a 4003. I'm a Cheyenne II man.

Welcome to the forum!

Ultimately, it comes down to the player but the toaster and the 1/2 inch space gives the V63 a softer, rounder tone in the neck position. The VR horseshoe, on the other hand, is powerful and ballsy. It speaks with a lot of authority - a great pickup. Unfortunately, the V63's pickups don't balance very well because the toaster just can't keep up with the horseshoe's volume. I've played my V63 hard (Rush and assorted 70' and 80's metal) on several occasions and was well pleased with the sound. The V really cuts through the mix when you want it to. Modern 4003's have better balance between the pickups and the tone is more aggressive and growly overall. The 4003 is more flexible IMHO. There is significant overlap between the two models, as you might guess. I understand that the C64 pickups are better balanced than the V63 pickups.

The 4001V63 I have has the hotter wound toaster and it does indeed keep up with the horseshoe pickup. The scatterwound toasters are lower in output and may potentially be a problem depending on the sound you are looking for. For me it is not a problem as I have a V63 horseshoe on my '73 4001 with it's original, lower output toaster and it balances well for the tone I am looking for. In fact, most of the time I roll back that toaster a bit.

OK Thanks for the good information. I think my son would probably be very happy with this bass. He is a lefty, so it is always a problem to find something for him.

Richard i think any lefty would love to be playing a v63 they sound great feel great and in a left handed model they just look natural[maybe because of pm]good luck there out there.

Let me guess, it's the www.rickbid.com example you're bidding on?

Actually, there is a newer one on Ebay right now.

Cool, good luck with it.

Welcome Richard!
The one on Ricbid is sweet! Too bad it's a lefty!
It has an original HS in it like mine:

Mine:

Would the one on RicBid have the double truss rod? There are a number of stories (possibly only rumors) that the single truss rod Rics can be problematic.

don't know of any single rod ricks richard!

say that ten times fast!

My 85 has the "modern" rod system, don't know about the 84!

Richard make sure he can play with the horseshoe pickup in the way, a lot of players can't. I had two and sold both partially for that reason although I kick myself now. One of my V63's balanced really nicely, the other had a soft toaster in it. The one that balanced sounded really good though, one of the best sounding Rics I've owned.
All Rics have double truss rods, if it has a single truss rod, it's Fakenbaker not a Rickenbacker (easier to say)

My 1993 4001V63 has two pickups that balance really well. I noticed some differences in the output of the toaster pickup from trying other V63 in the past. I am really pleased with the V63 I have now, which is my axe of choice.

And Richard- if he can't play with those danged horseshoes in the way, I can modify the p'up so they won't be in the way.