I was planning to debut it at a band practice last Thursday, but when a guitarist buddy phoned on Wednesday with a last-minute gig I jumped at the chance to "field test" the new Rick.
This was a small club so I travelled light, using a Markbass S450 head and a Bag End S-15D cab (for bigger gigs I add a Euphonics Audio VL 2x10 to the BE 15").
The guitarist/singer on the gig (a Rick fan and a decent bassist himself) has a vast repertoire that can range from Johnny Rivers to the Blasters to Tom Waits. Keeps you on your toes. He also does a fair number of Willie Dixon tunes and lots of Howlin' Wolf. When I pulled out the Rick, he smiled and started playing riffs from various "Rick" tunes -- "Smoke On The Water" and "Roundabout" of course, then a little "Is She Really Going Out With Him" followed by Wings' "Rock Show." I followed along and we both shared a few laughs at this very impromptu sound check.
On the gig, the 4001 really surprised me with its versatility (put me down as a big fan of the "cap mod). And at around 9 1/4 lbs, it hung quite comfortably on a Comfort Strap. On most of the rock stuff, I basically played everything wide open, dialling the bridge pickup in and out in small increments as needed. On the blues tunes, I was surprised at how good the neck pickup sounded on its own -- a fairly quick bloom and decay that worked well. Overall, I found the bass to be very touch sensitive: With a moderate attack I got a thick, meaty tone that sat well in the mix. And when I really hammered the strings, I got that glorious Rick clank without losing any of the thick lows -- up and down the neck.
As the night wore on, I tweaked the amp here and there (the 4001 really liked it when I pushed the 100hZ setting on the low mid section). I had brought along my usual #1, a 4-string Ray, but it didn't get out of the bag until the last set when I realized I was getting a seriously sore right wrist (some kind of wristband and/or an adjustment in my playing style will definitely be necessary for my next gig).
At the end of the night, everyone in the band offered unsolicited praise for the Rick. The drummer just shook his head and said, "Amazing. Just amazing. I don't care what you bring for a back-up but that better be your new number one for this gig!" The guitarist, who does a fair bit of producer/engineer work, remarked, "When I stood out front and listened to the blend of the bass and drums, my first thought was that you could record this exactly as it is, with a dead flat EQ."
The following night I took it to a rehearsal with a different band (power trio) and got similar praise.
So, I guess the only question for me now is, "What will my next Rick be?", for I most certainly will be adding a second and stringing one with flats and one with rounds. After reading quite a few threads here, I'm inclined to think it might be a 4004, but I'm open to suggestions....
