Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

This blew my mind, as I saw both of these performances live as a boy when The Ed Sullivan Show was on TV, but wasn't quite the RIC fanatic I am today:

When Roy Orbison did Oh Pretty Woman, his bassist thumb-picked a Mapleglo '63 4001 ('63 or so).

When CCR performed Fortunate Son, not only was there Fogerty's FG 325 w/B5 Bigsby, but a close look at Stu Cook's Precision shows a Rickenbacker Toaster Pickup at the neck position. That, my friends, I've never seen on a F****r before, speaking just for me.

(The DVD product was Ed Sullivan's Greatest Hits: Rock'n'Roll Forever) http://www.edsullivan.com

Garry

I haven't seen this but I did see Roy Orbison's bassist playing the RIC in some footage on PBS a few years ago.

IIRC Stu Cook said at the time that he put the RIC neck pickup in his Precision because it didn't have enough low end.

Yeah, I remember Stu Cook's P-Bass modification well. Though 32 years ago I did not own a bass guitar (let alone a Rick), I was a keen student of my favorite bands' bass guitars.
Actually, on the cover of one of CCR's albums Stu Cook can be seen playing a 4001.

Yeah the first couple of albums of theirs has Ric bass on it, or at least the first one because I still have it (well I had it anyway, can't seem to locate it, it's the one with "Suzy Q") and love the bass sound, very deep, much better than his later sound with the P bass.

I used to have a '72 Telecaster Bass and a '71 Jazz Bass with Hi Gains in the bridge position.

Nice observation Gary. I have never noted a toaster on a Fender bass before. Should this idea catch on, just imagine the demand for RIC toasters!