Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Since I'm new here I wanted to give you my brief Rickenbacker backround.

I started plaing bass around 1975 when in Junior High School I was the tall guy in Orchestra and someone had to play the bass.I continued playing in high school and saved up enough money that in 1979 I bought a brand new jetglo 4001 and a Sunn Concert Bass amp(still have the head). Man they sounded great together.

I tell you, that Rick was so beautiful that I didn't even like to play it. Mostly I polished it and put it away.When I got into a serious band however, that quickly changed.

I had a problem with the bridge. I was breaking strings all the time. At the time I was taking lessons from Ken Smith and he modified the bridge, putting a badass II bridge in it's place.
In fact I had met Mike Mills bass player from REM after that when we were on tour in Athens, GA. He asked me what I had done. I think he did the same thing shortly after.

Anyway, my band didn't like the sound of the Rick and encouraged me to switch to Fender. I bought a jazz bass and had to sell my Rick to get it. Big mistake. That thing never stayed in tune. The neck had to always be snapped into place. Nothing like a neck though instrument.

Here we are almost 25 years later, I have the means to get a Rick and seeing all these great reviews on the 4001v63 has me all juiced.I just bought one on ebay(hopefully it's not a scam) and I can be a Rickenbacker user once again.

Just wanted to post the link of the Rick I bought

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2550849503&category=4713&rd=1

Pretty sweet v63. Good luck w/it and welcome to the board.

Welcome Marc, nice Ric! I sold my first one too, a 77 I bought brand new, a Mapleglo, I came around again in 1990 when I bought an early 80's 4001FL, and gradually switched to all Rics, it's an addiction you know. but unlike most of them it is a positive one. Try some flatwounds on it, they sound great with the new flatwounds, such as Thomastic-Infields (sp?) or Pyramids.

Oh yeah, I had a Sunn 2000S head and two cabs at one time. Huh?

Welcome to the board Marc. I take it the 4001v63 Sea Green you alluded to in the other thread was not available?

Welcome Marc,
My story looks a lot like yours. I began playing bass in 1976 (I was 17), after 3 years of playing guitar. Chris Squire, John Entwistle, Geddy Lee, are the main responsible guys for that deadly switch
I got my first RIC in July 1977, it was a new 4001 JetGlo (built in January 1977), and the month after I got a Sunn Concert Bass w/215 cab. Unfortunately I don't have it anymore.
Then I changed basses many times, but always went back to Rickenbacker...
All the best,
JL

To SeaGreen: The 4001v63 SeaGreen was offered to me by Mike Parks whom I'm sure you all know. He has it listed in his ad as NFS but I asked him innocently about any v63 bass and he said he would part with it for $2995. I had actually begun consumating the deal when the ebay one came thru.

Why did we all buy Sunn equipment as well? I thought I bought it because Entwhistle used it.Did Chris Squire or Geddy Lee use Sunn as well?

Anyway, I later upgraded the regular Sunn Cabinet to the SPL. I think it had a 12" and an 18".I took this monster cabinet and faced it out of my room in the attic where I lived. What I then did was take a fender bassman 100 watt head run it thru a big muff and then into the 12". My regular Sunn Head went thru an echo device, then into the 18". I would hook up my wireless and walk outside booming this thing. it was pretty monsterous. Did alot for real estate value in the neighborhood too .

Bottom line was, the only way to make that happen was with the rickosound input and a special cord I had made my Norm's music in Brooklyn.Ahhh, the good old days...

I actually had the head after I had sold the cabinets. I bought a Marshall Major head and the two Sunns, which had two 15" JBL D140's in each one because it was the biggest and loudest amp I could find at the time.
Also I think entwhistle had a little to do with it also, I always wanted one of those Sunn Coliseum heads. I bought the Sunn head for a song, it was lying around in a rehearsal hall my band was renting at the time (mid 70's) Another thing I wish I had held onto. They were 200 watt tube heads, I have since read that they were 120 watts, but I'm pretty sure mine said 200 WRMS. out put on it, 6550's are 50 watt tubes. And it had 4 like the Marshall.

I have a huge nostalgia about these years. I wish I still had this Sunn. I kept the whole rig for about 2 years, then I sold the head and replaced it with a Marshall Lead 100.
Yes, that's because of Chris Squire and Geddy Lee I bought a Sunn...
All the best,
JL

Yea I sold my Sunn Colliseum outfit also, Head + 2 cabs w/1- 18" each. I stacked my Traynor Mark III on top so the amp was taller than me. Those 18's really had an authorative sound,,it kinda sounded like a "tuned basketball" with that little thump behind each note. Well balanced sound. I still listen to the old garage tapes of that amp and wonder why I got rid of it. Oh hell, I'm getting too old to lug it around is why I got rid of it.

Among all those contemporary brands and models, many times I tried to figure out what would be equivalent to these old Sunns. I never could have an accurate opinion about that.
The latest Sunn amps (now called Fender Bassman 300 & 1200) are very good, but they have no more to do with the Concert Bass or Coliseum Bass models... Maybe GK would be closer ? Even there, I'm not sure at all...
All the best,
JL

To put things in perspective, if they were that great they would still be around.

I suppose you're right,Bob. Besides, I really like my Ampeg that I have now. 62lbs in one package is much easier to handle, especially after the gig.