Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I'm watching Top 50 Albums of 2005 on MTV2 (Europe), and it's now the 4th band in a row to have a 4003! And none of them so far is Franz Ferdinand... In about 10 minutes I've seen FOUR Ric basses - 3 Jetglo's (one with a black guard) and one Fireglo.

It must be Ric Bass Day on MTV2!

(Or was 2005 "Year of the Ric"? in that case I might have to switch back to Fender Precisions... I like being special! )

That's funny - someone on the Fender Forum claimed that he never saw Rics on MTV.

It's only recently that I've seen Rics ANYWHERE other than in old Rush and Yes album booklets . . . they seem to be getting quite popular, though I must say that many times, I feel that it's just a Ric for the distinctive "photo-shoot" attention-grabbing qualities of the bass in a music video rather than a reflection of what is actually on the recording. I know the bassist for Franz Ferdinand does indeed play Rics (and occasionally a Jazz), but many other bands shown with Rics have quite non-distinctive bass sounds . . . maybe that's just the ****** mixing jobs that lots of bands get today . . . but seriously, like, remember "Heya" by Outkast? The video had one of the Andres playing a Ric, yet the bass sound on that track, I'm certain, is either a P-bass through effects or a synth. It's the looks, I swear.

Back in the 80's I used to keep a list of videos that had a Rick bass in them. I only recall a couple, but I agree with Bobcat...it seemed they used the Rick for its photogenic qualities, since most of the bassists were known for using fenders. One of the videos was a Hall-n-Oates, and Van Halen's "Panama" had a checkerboard 400X model briefly in it. I wonder if the MTV bassists chose to use the Rick in the video, or if the director wanted it used for some visual reason.

Rics are riding a wave of popularity I think.

About time they did.

John Taylor played a jetglo in Duran Duran's first video. Girls on Film I think it was.

"Planet Earth" was the first single and featured JT's Ric.

That was it.