Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I am curious to know what folks on the forum have to say regarding the right strings for a 4005. I have always stuck with the same light gauge that came on my bass from the factory. I understand that the neck of a 4005 is not designed to support a heavier gauge. Right now I'm simply wishing that I could get a somewhat less high end sound than I am with a .90 (E) gauge. What are my options? Thanks

Welcome David!

Jeffrey Scott will definitely pop in on this one... he has .95 Chromes on a '67 and he loves the tone enough to gig it, often.

D'Addario flatwound SUPER SOFT chromes. Part #ECB80

Perfect for a 4005

Doest thou have a pic or two to share with your 4005 brethren?

I've got Pyramids. I wanted to go with something lighter (though the Pyramids sounds fab), but it appears a rambunctious adjustment at some point has me in danger of the fret board separating, and I was told not to change the tension.

4005 to see the doctor soon!

The "right" string is the string that is right for you. I know that sounds trite but the string should fit your style and taste. BTW welcome to the forum!

Chromes here, but I think i'll try those D'Addarios next, Chris.

Mine came with D'Addario rounds, which it handles nicely if you are interested in rounds. I have not tried it with flats yet. Anybody compared the two - rounds and flats - on a 4005? I like flats on a number of other basses.

Answered my own question. I just remembered I had a set of Thomastik Jazz Flats out in the studio. Put them on my 4005. It sounds *much* better with those than the D'Addario rounds. I may even pull my 4005 off the market and check it out for awhile with the TIs.

Thanks for starting this post to get me thinking about this, David.

welcome david! I had used various types and guages of strings over the decades on my '67 4005WB, all with great sounds. Over the past few years I have been using a custom light set of D'Addario Chromes 40-55-75-95. i but the Super Soft set and rreplace the .060 D string with a single .055, which provides a better balance to the strings tensionwise. I can get quite a variety of sounds with that set. If you want a deeper tone, use just the neck pickup.

Did someone say I gig with it?

Nah Jeff... I said you gig it often!

I"ve used both the Super Soft Chrome (with the .55 mod) and the TI Jazz....You can't go wrong with either set.....the TI's are more expensive but they do last a long time.

But what about a good roundwound set?

Okay, maybe the 4005 wasn't meant for such, but what if you wanted to attempt a clangy Squire-type thing?

Dear Members of the Forum,
Thank you so much for all of your very useful suggestions! I can see that I have quite a few options here. I have been reading this forum quite regularly for the last few months, and I'm very pleased to have been welcomed so warmly. As for a pic of my bass, I fear that I do not own a digital camera, but I will see if I can find someone who does. Thank you again for all of your help!

That's okay David, tell us about it! What year? What finish?

Let me guess - '67 Fireglo?

To be honest, I am not exactly certain of the year of my bass. In 1983, I had my 4001 stolen from my car. A friend, whose band we often opened for and who owned a guitar shop in my hometown of Portland, OR, heard what happened and told me that he had a friend who worked in the paint shop at Rickenbacker. He said that his friend had told him that they had some really beautiful hollow body basses they were looking to sell. The price my friend quoted me was so low that I said, "great, I'll buy one." The bass arrived and I loved it. Based on what I've read, and please correct me if I'm wrong, they stopped making the 4005 in 1980. If this is true, then mine was sitting around for a few years before I bought it. It is an AZ. I figure that it must be a 1979 or a 1980 but I am not sure. If the serial number is the number on the metal jack plate, mine is 2454. Is that the serial number, or something else? Can this tell me definitively what year it is? You now know how uninformed I am on such matters. I look forward to learning from you fellows on this board who clearly know quite a lot more. Thanks again for all the great feedback!