Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Does anyone have experience with the Rickenbacker Fretless 4003? I was wondering what you thought the high points were, and the low, as well as collectablity of this instrument.
Thanks,
Joey

I have a 73 4001 Fretless Joey, which has a toaster instead of a hi-gain and it has a real warm woody tone to it. At present I play it nearly all the time. I prefer them with rounds myself, but there are plenty here who like the flats on their FL's..
Hopefully ,Bob, Jeff and a few others will chime in...

I saw Dave Brubeck and his sons back in the 70's and one of his kids played a 4001FL ... it had a nice upright sound to it ... a lot of fretless players use flats to get that upright sound ... I am uncomfortable with fretless basses ... but they are cool ... someday I might get a real upright bass violin ... those are cool instruments ... when you bow them they have an interesting growl ...

Mine has toasters also but gives me a nice warn tone or a growly Jacoish tone too, depending on the pickup blend. My MAJOR beef is that the fingerboard and side dots are totally in the wrong positions! It take much concentration not to hit a wrong note as I have to "think between the dots".



Overall it is a great bass though!

I don't look at the neck dots and don't really like the side dots either, BTW Jeffrey the side dots should be right on the note, what year is yours?. I use flats on mine as rounds eat the necks on them, beware Andy! I have a new BlueBoy 4003FL coming and can't wait to get it. Did you get yours yet Andy?
Jeff uprights are really cool, but you have to use flatwounds haha! I've never heard of round wound upright strings. You get major growl from them though plucking and TI's are great sounding upright strings, cheap too, 140.00 a pop but they last forever. They take some getting used to though, talk about long scale and high action.

I have a 2002 Burgundyglo Fretless that I like very much. I have Labella Tapewounds on it and I absolutely love the sound. With a little chorus and the subharmonizer on my Ashdown, I can get a fair approximation of an upright.

But circumstances being what they are, I may have to sell it soon. The Forum will be the first to know.

You can also get a very jazzy sound out of them with flats and heavy on the bridge pickup. they sound really good, best fretlesses i have heard or played, I like old P bass fretlesses also.

Mine is '04, and the side dots are aligned with the fingerboard dots.

really? I don't like that, I hope mine isn't like that, my other two (both 4001's) had them at the frets. I'll put something over them if that's the case, I don't like them anyway.

I saw a lefty at the Phoenix Guitar Show last weekend. I can see how the dots on the side and on the fretboard would be confusing...really confusing. They do have a good sound though. You could get that on a number of other fretless basses though. If anyone needs a jetglo 4001 FT let me know and I'll turn you onto the dealer.

The one I have now and my other one was ok as long as you don't look at the neck dots because the side dots are in line with where the frets would have been, there are just too many of them, I like them on third, fifth, seventh, etc.

I thought something was missing...

Those side dots on the earlier fretlesses are crazy, marking where nearly every fret would be. Very confusing at first. I too would prefer just a 3/5/7/etc markers or none at all.
I'm still thinking about BB fretless Bob. I just really want 24 frets and an ebony neck though, so I can throw some rounds on it and really let rip.

Andrew,
How about 24 fret positions and a phenolic fingerboard on a graphite neck?

Oh I thought you had also ordered one Andy, wrong? They do mark every fret all the way up, you get used to it but it can throw you when you play up high sometimes, that is when I might check the front dots. I thought the new ones were the same, I'll find out I guess soon enough.
Never mind the Zon Jeffrey I want the Sunn haha!