Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Maybe this should be posted for guitarists and bassists, but I'm a bass player so it's here under Rickenbacker basses. I was wondering if anyone has had trouble getting a gig because you play a Rickenbacker. I'm in a band now and hope it lasts a long time..But over the year's when I was looking for a band ,after my old one broke up, I did a few auditions. Now I'm glad I didn't make them because those bands sucked anyway.. but a couple I played for didn't like the fact I played a Rickenbacker 4001. I played the material well and it sounded good. I didn't always use the classic Rick-growl even. No-it was not the boomy "fender sound." it was better or different. One time I was even asked if I considered playing a Fender Precision bass..I said, "NO! SORRY!" My first love is and will always be a Rickenbacker bass. I now play a Warwick Fortress 5-string too, and now have a Fender Jazz bass that I don't play much anymore and when I do I try to make it sound like a Rickenbacker.....

I play a 4003. I was recording with my band once and the engineer remarked "ugh, a Rickenbacker". Too bad, that's my bass and he had to make do.

There's lots of bands, engineers, etc., that for some reason don't like the Rick, and IMO, you don't want to play for bands like that anyway. You play what you play, period. It's one thing if you want to play many basses to get different sounds and tones, but if you're like me you play the Rick for a reason, and that reason is the sound. I define my sound with my Rick, and if there's a band that don't like it then I'm outta there. It may limit my options, but that's ok, I'll keep plugging away until I find the right situation.

My $.02

The reason that engineers don't usually like Ricks is that over a period of time, they will usually do tons of recording sessions, usually with a bass player using a Fender. They get used to the EQ, set up and sound of a Fender thru the monitiors as they are going about their business. It becomes like autopilot for them in a way. Then when someone shows up with a Rick, it sounds different, and they can't go thru their usual "recipe" for getting the bass track. Change is difficult for all of us and Engineers as a group are human too.

Squirebass, yeah, I guess I came across pretty strong there. Your words ring true, engineers are human too. In my experience, the engineer was able to set up the bass track fairly quickly, he just complained a lot while doing it. We all kind of laughed it off, he was kind of grumpy as our recording session was pretty early one Sunday morning.

I think if you want to be different as a player you find tones that are not the "industry standard" and a Rickenbacker guitar or a 4001, 4003 ect. is a great instrument to do that with. I feel the 4000 series basses are ,by nature, temperamental. I always tweak and eq it to find the right tone or a different tone. It's best that way though, and I think it's true when people come across a sound that's not "standard" they are caught by surprise. Some people love it. I've got compliments too. They don't always hear a different sound..The same went for the guitarist in my old band he played a Rick 330...I agree with 6025 though if the band or people don't like the Rickenbacker then they are not worth working with..They wouldn't want to be told that they can't play that Fender or Ibanez, or Gibson, they would say "I'm out of here" too...

I've been a bassplayer for 35 yrs now, and owned
and played a Ric 4001 for 32 of them. Never once have I ever heard a negative comment about any of my Ric basses. It's always the contrary. People that i'm meeting for the first time are always complimenting me on my Ric basses, "Wow, it's a Rickenbacker, man I love them". I can't begin to tell you how many times i've heard that line throughout the years.
I've always found them to to be very versatile instruments. I've played them in R&R bands, Blues bands, New Country bands and top 40 bands and i've never had a problem getting a sound to fit the style of music.
I have, and do own other makes of vintage basses (no, none of the dime a dozen Fender's). They only come out for a very specific need, which is rarely.
My experience with sound engineers (recording and live) is they also love the growl of a 4001, which is a nice change from the boredom of a J or P bass that they usually have to deal with.
Remember, your instrument is just a tool to create your sound. The job is always easier done when working with the proper tools!

Rickenbackers Rule and I love them!! To me I think they are one of the most innovative and original instruments ever designed. I think they are a fresh alternative to the vast array of cookie cutter model guitars & basses out there....And I think all those engineers and musicians, if they prefer other instruments over them, know that deep down in their hearts somewhere..

Yeah, I love them too!!! I was just relating an experience that I had... It wasn't exactly the Sgt. Pepper sessions or anything where I met this particular engineer...

I also have a lot of good experiences with the rick bass. I own a few ricky basses and have done several recording sessions and loads of gigs on them and have always have had great comments on the sound of the instrument. When recording I mostly have used the 4003. In my experience the newer models (4003) sound more balanced
and at easy in studio environments than the old 4001
basses (specially those seventies models)
but maybe I never found the right one. They always seemed a bit harsh sounding in the studio.
I have recently bought a 3001 bass '74 that sounds superb in the studio. Almost active, lots of lows and mids and great punch! I also own a 4005 mid seventies that is very warm sounding.
The bridge pickup is really thin sounding which seems to be the problem with a lot of the older ricks but with the proper blending great sounds can be attained.

As a studio player, I find I get one of two responses: They either love them or hate them. Go figure. However, when I show them that I can get virtually ANY bass sound out of a 4001, the negative comments usually turn to 'Wow. I never realized how versatile they really are!!' In honesty, I have yet to find a sound an engineer or producer was looking for that I couldn't get out of a Rick- be it fretless, 8-string- whatever. (Once they get over their prejudices that is!!) I tend to get the 'O, it's Geddy Lee, or Chris Squire' treatment at first.

Keep on keepin' on!! (and stick to your guns!!)

Perhaps i'm biased but the the 4001 has the most distinctive sound of any bass that has ever been made.
The style and sound I used in my last band was very bright and aggresive, something akin to Yes meets the Stranglers. In that case the sound suited the music and the band, and as long as the same is true for you then forget the engineer, its
your band and your music that matters.

Back when I played in bands, most of the engineers I encountered didn't mind ricks one way or the other. Truth is, my old 4001 didn't sound that great in the studio, I got a thicker sound out of my old 4003s. Now that I have a new 4003, I would probably get as good results as I had gotten with the 4003s, since their tones are very similar.

I got the best results using just the bridge pickup straight into the board and eq'ing that to get the sound I wanted (or just miking an amp). I got clearer notes that way.

I know this is a rick forum, but, speaking of Jazz basses, my question is.. why? Why, when you can get a G&L L2000 with the jazz neck option - that gives you a jazz bass but with a zillion times better quality and sound .

LS