Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/msg/1027148407.html

he offered this about half a year ago, but i guess he had no takers. as a predominantly fretless player, i was interested until i actually played a couple 4003FLs (at pick of the ricks in NJ) - they're strictly novelty instruments IMO. neverthess, here it is just in case anybody's interested - i am willing to assist with evaluation and/or logistics.

Thanks for posting Pete,

I never should have sold mine.

I'd love to see a PIC of your pedulla buzz FL....

I've been curious about them for a while now....your thoughts on it?

jacolyte wrote: they're strictly novelty instruments IMO.

Wow, you have got to be joking. As thick-skinned as people need to be regarding other people's opinion's, I still take some offense to that. My 4003FL is the best instrument I own and I have played more than a handful of fretless basses in my time. I definitely prefer its woody, upright sound to the more nasal Jaco sound lots of people go for. I hope that's not what you meant by novelty?

There is also the possibility that you played one with rounds on it... which I think sounds awful.

I'd like 1-2 more 4003FLs so I can do various things to them, like try other pickup configurations. Mine's 2x Toaster; I have been curious about a 2x humbucker. However I'm not in a position to buy right now and I haven't heard great things about the necks of the older c. 2000 4003s.

Joshua,

I've become used to folks not liking their FL's.

I've benefited a few times actually!

If they aren't setup right, they can be difficult to coax out a classic fretless sound out of them. I was amazed at how much better my 4003FL AFG sounded after it had a PROPER setup. The lower those strings were, the better the sound I was able to get out of them. I personally love my RIC FL and would love another myself, but for some reason, they aren't taken seriously by many fretless players. To each his own.

Also, seems a lot of fretless players like having a pickup closer to the bridge. I'd LOVE to see RIC make a 4004FL with a 3 pickup combo. Talk about different pickup experiments! I'd start out with a Lemmy configuration, 3 HB's and go from there. Put an Ebony neck on it.............ooh, gives me shivers....If ever I can find a 4004 project, that's my idea....4004 FL Ebony neck, 3 pickup combo....

I think a fretless 4004 with the neck pickup in it's current location against the neck but with the bridge pickup closer to the bridge like those around '03- '04 would be ideal.

I think I like the pickup placement on my 4003FL exactly how it is. Now, if I had a second bass and could choose any configuration, I would probably go with the two pickups closest to the bridge on a Lemmy. A pickup right on the neck doesn't usually sound as good to me--but then again, I can't knock it because I haven't tried it in a 4004 before.

I have played lots of fretless basses and the majority of them sounded thin and sad compared to my 4003FL... I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Why aren't these being posted in the for sale section?

ben_brown wrote:Why aren't these being posted in the for sale section?

when i posted, that section wasn't appearing on the main page for me (it's not just me; a friend of mine who also reads RR saw the same thing). i see it's back now, at least for the time being. if a moderator wishes to move this entire thread there, that would be fine with me.

ajish4 wrote:I'd love to see a PIC of your pedulla buzz FL....
I've been curious about them for a while now....your thoughts on it?

all i have on hand at the moment is a family portrait: http://p3t3.net/images/P6081753.JPG

as far as my feelings about it - i posted a review of it at HC (also as "jacolyte"): http://reviews.harmony-central.com/revi ... tring/10/1.
the short version is: it's one of the 3 best basses i've ever played; i'd sell all my others to pay the rent if i had to, but this one comes out on the street with me if i ever end up homeless.

p.s. the other two "best basses" were a ken smith burner and an F bass; i didn't buy them because i couldn't afford them at the time.

cassius987 wrote:

jacolyte wrote: they're strictly novelty instruments IMO.

Wow, you have got to be joking. As thick-skinned as people need to be regarding other people's opinion's, I still take some offense to that.

<...>

joshua,

nothing personal. as you can guess from my alias, "jacolyte," yeah, i am a fan of that sort of jaco - gary willis - tom kennedy tone. i'm sure we would all agree that tone is subjective; to my ear, the 4003FLs i played sounded weak and hollow. i will say this, though: the two specimens i played sounded quite different even from each other - maybe yours sounds different still! we all know how variable ricks can be; a gorgeous one and a ****** one can come off the line one after the other.

what also bothered me was the fingerboard inlays in the "in-between-frets" positions. i very much had the sense that this was a fretted bass with the frets left out, rather than an instrument designed to be a fretless. it felt like an afterthought, and it turned me off.

again, it's just my opinion - don't take it personally. i'm glad you've found happiness with your 4003FL, and i hope one day to hear what you can do with it. 8-)

cheers,

jacolyte wrote:

ben_brown wrote:Why aren't these being posted in the for sale section?

when i posted, that section wasn't appearing on the main page for me (it's not just me; a friend of mine who also reads RR saw the same thing). i see it's back now, at least for the time being. if a moderator wishes to move this entire thread there, that would be fine with me.

i think i've figured it out. when you're not logged in, the "Rickenbacker Marketplace" section doesn't appear on the main page. (i was browsing the site before logging in, and logged in only when i was ready to post, so i didn't notice this before.)

i don't know if this is intentional (a bad idea) or unintentional (bad PHP code). moderator?

jacolyte wrote:

jacolyte wrote:

ben_brown wrote:Why aren't these being posted in the for sale section?

when i posted, that section wasn't appearing on the main page for me (it's not just me; a friend of mine who also reads RR saw the same thing). i see it's back now, at least for the time being. if a moderator wishes to move this entire thread there, that would be fine with me.

i think i've figured it out. when you're not logged in, the "Rickenbacker Marketplace" section doesn't appear on the main page. (i was browsing the site before logging in, and logged in only when i was ready to post, so i didn't notice this before.)

i don't know if this is intentional (a bad idea) or unintentional (bad PHP code). moderator?

It is intentional, prying eyes and all that!

Fingerboard inlay? As far as I know, no inlays on a true FL... dots all the way.

I haven't ever been able to set up a Ric FL to my liking. Never able to get the saddles low enough.

jacolyte wrote:i'm sure we would all agree that tone is subjective; to my ear, the 4003FLs i played sounded weak and hollow. i will say this, though: the two specimens i played sounded quite different even from each other - maybe yours sounds different still! we all know how variable ricks can be; a gorgeous one and a ****** one can come off the line one after the other.

Weird. Mine sounds the furthest from "weak and hollow". That's actually what I would use to describe most OTHER fretless basses relative to my 4003FL. Like you say, Rics can vary a lot, so that may be part of it, but in addition I feel that the right setup is necessary to get a 4003FL to sound like it should. To describe mine: a true electric upright sound richly infused with overtones. That's how I would put it.

what also bothered me was the fingerboard inlays in the "in-between-frets" positions. i very much had the sense that this was a fretted bass with the frets left out, rather than an instrument designed to be a fretless. it felt like an afterthought, and it turned me off.

I'm not sure if RIC really put a lot of thought into the 4003FL relative to the 4003, as you say, since the primary difference comes in the fingerboard. If anything they seem to select better woods for the fingerboards on FLs... I've never seen bubinga this striking on a fretted bass. Also, you may not have played one of the basses with side dots in the right positions (in line with the frets). I don't know when they started putting them in line with the frets but it was recent. Also, I don't look at the inlay dots at all--I don't need them. But I agree, without the side dots in the proper alignment, it's kind of silly unless you have 100% perfect pitch. Generally I don't look anyways but you do need those reference points now and then, esp. to get a good starting point, or for big leaps up or down the neck when soloing.

again, it's just my opinion - don't take it personally. i'm glad you've found happiness with your 4003FL, and i hope one day to hear what you can do with it.

I can arrange that. I am mastering a demo tape for my jazz band right now (I gave the job to my buddy who flaked on it... now it's fallen to me). My 4003FL is the only bass on all 6 hours of material and I think it sounds pretty fantastic.

joshua

daveman wrote:Fingerboard inlay? As far as I know, no inlays on a true FL... dots all the way.

dot inlays. (not all inlays are triangles...)

incidentally, i have photos of the 4003FLs i played at POTR in NJ, if anybody's interested. i don't know whether he still has them, but i don't guess they sell too quickly, and it's only been a few months since i played them. i have no affiliation with the shop.