Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Question.... If anyone could add in their opinion here it would greatly be appreciated.

With that new tone option on the new 4003s, when activated does it sound like the 4001V63s.

Well, I put off joining the forum long enough, but since two of the three Rickenbacker that I purchased in the past year were a 4003BBR and a 4001V63, I'll introduce myself here and say that, while I love the sound of all Rics, the V63, in my opinion, has a warmer tone with more low end "growl" and more overtones than the 4003. I could just be my particular setup, as the V63 bridge pickup is hotter due to being set closer to the strings, or it could be the strings themselves. I prefer the V63 but will use the 4003 for harder edge stuff. For the record, I'm a guitarist that writes and records all original music, but I love bass as well and have always been a fan of the Beatles, Rush and anything with Chris Squire. The V63 was as close as I could get to his sound without spending the now ridiculous amounts being asked for the 4001CS. So "Howdy" to all of you Rickenbacker fans that have been providing me great information and entertainment for the past three months and Thanks, Tony C. for your valuable advice as well!

Can't say I've played a 4003 with the tone option, but I would say probably not.

The reissue horseshoe (at least on the ones I've played/owned) is if anything arguably ballsier than the highgain, certainly as ballsey, and the V63 doesn't normally have a cap, so I wouldn't have thought putting the cap in (which is effectively what the tone option does if my understanding is correct) would make it more similar so much as less similar. A capped highgain is likely to sound less like an uncapped horseshoe than an uncapped highgain does, if you get my drift. So a normal 4003 may sound more similar to a V63 than a capped one.

Also I tend to feel the toaster is a fair part of the voice of a V63, assuming you're using both pickups (or just the front one ).

Welcome to the forum Jim.

The cap or vintage tone only lets the higher frequencies pass to the output from the treble pickup. If you like the V63 but want the vintage switch option you can do so with about $15 to $20 worth of parts from RIC. I have always preferred the look of the V63.

Thanks, Ken... You may be hearing my name for the first time but I've been a forum addict for months...Ever since my quest for the V63.

Well in that case...

Sweet! That looks identical to mine, which is a '98. I've had her for about a month and can't put her down, she sounds so good, even unplugged. I almost bought the one offered at bass emporium last week but a little thing called my mortgage keeps me in reality check.

...Wait a minute...

Isn't the horseshoe on the V63 a high gain with unmagnetized shoes on it for decoration?

Nope. The highgain has a big magnet under the polepieces, and the horseshoe has magnetized alnico slug polepieces. The RI horseshoe is the loudest, gnarliest pickup I've ever heard. That might be why all four of my Ricks have them!

No, the V63/C64 pickups have 4 large alinico poles where the high gain has non-magnetic poles atop a horizontally mounted composite magnet. The coil windings are also different. The sound of VRI horseshoe pickups is different from from the high gains also the V63 pickup is hotter than the C64 pickup.

>>>The RI horseshoe is the loudest, gnarliest pickup I've ever heard.<<<

Just for the record, the new ones - since the introduction of the C series - are not wound as hot as the ones on the V63 and CS basses.
I bought a whole V63 just to get the pickups for my 4003S! I thought about just playing the V63, but the S feels better to me. Great bass. But it STILL doesn't sound as good as my CS for some reason.
The V63 now has a scatterwound toaster and earlier (80s) high gain treble pup and TI flats for a real McCartney & Wings tone.

Tom said: "Just for the record, the new ones - since the introduction of the C series - are not wound as hot as the ones on the V63 and CS basses."

Thanks for the info, Tom... I didn't know that.

While we are on this, what are the coil winding resistance differences of the 5 different pickups?

How I understand them:
Old HS = 6.8k
C-series reissue HS = 7.8k
V-series reissue HS = ????
Early high gain = ????
Present high gian = 11.9k

And while I'm asking, what is the difference in the early (??k) and present (11.9k) high gain neck pups?

I really like my V63, the horeshoe is very loud and punchy. But I prefer the tonal balance of my 4003's.