Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hey everyone! My name's Tim, I'm 14 years old, and I just got my first Rickenbacker for Christmas. I wanted one ever since I saw Geddy break out his Ric during "A Passage To Bangkok" at Jones Beach in 2007. So, after about a year and a half, my parents finally got me a Midnight Blue 4003 for Christmas. After I got my Ric, I've been wanting to get a nice rig to play it through. I only really have an Ibanez combo amp that my brother gave to me. I've been looking at some Ampeg models, but I just want to know what amp i should get if I want a growling tone like Geddy Lee's. Thanks all!

Hey Tim, congrats and welcome to the forum!

Are you looking for a a combo amp or do you want a head and cabinet(s)? Also, what's your budget for your amp?

Welcome to the forum Tim. I am sure the members here will be able to give you some sage advice to suit your budget.

Welcome Tim! I am jealous - your first Rick at 14! Way cool. I had to wait until I was 17 AND I had to buy it myself.

Tone is in the player's hands not the amp or the bass. Geddy used to play very hard, digging in with his fingernails and forcing some fret noise for emphasis. Some players add a little distortion to mimic the slap and buzz of the frets. Of course he did use distortion himself from time to time. Red Barchetta is a good example of that. The best way to start is to run the tones and volumes all the way up then back off on the neck pickup volume a bit. Pluck directly over the treble pickup and try to catch the strings on the ends of your nails as if they were picks. It won't be easy. It takes time to develop the control necessary to get the Geddy tone.

Nice to see Geddy is STILL influencing players to play a RIC!
Plays his Rick on ONE song....and that is the bass to get. Classic.

Welcome Tim!

Hello Tim ! Congrats on that killer bass ! As for a rig it would depend on how big you need it . I my self have 2 a little combo for smaller gigs and a 4x10 and larger amp for bigger gigs . I would recommend the Tech 21 Sansamp Bass Driver, Geddy himself uses them in his current rig and they have that grind . Check out their Bass Driver DI pedal

Welcome Tim!
+1 what Scott said about the Sansamp and if you can't afford one the Behringer BDI121 Is kind of the same (not as good on stage but seems to record well).
A small good quality amp will do the job. Try out the Fender Rumble 25 it is very simmilar to the old RAD/BXR 25 amp that they made years ago. I still use my RAD 25 for recording and as a stage amp.
Eden.

Welcome Tim, you are indeed lucky to have your fisrt Brand new Ric at 14, at your age I was playing Drums. I didn't get my first and only ric until many years later and a used one at that. Ric is still a Ric old or new. Geddy used to play through Trace Elliott amps. I personally love the SWR products especially the Super Red head, small combo BIG sound. If that's too much look at the workman series. Ampeg SVT are also great amps just ask Chris Squire. Good luck have fun and keep playing your Ric. How about some photos?

Our youngest member? Welcome Tim!

Stick around, there's a ton of info to learn here. I wish the internet and this forum were around when I bought my first Rick (at 15 yrs old) 27 years ago. A lot of the questions that I had about my Rick for years could have been answered in a just few days.

+1 on the Sansamp.

Welcome, Tim!

Welcome aboard, Tim. Hang on to that bass!!!!!!!

welcome, this is a great forum!!!

Hi Tim. I also got my first bass at 14, but nothing as nice as a 4003. As for amps, I go along with the suggestion for an Ampeg combo. Reasonable price, great tone, and about as durable as they come.

Thanks for the greeting everybody! I would personally rather get a head and cabinet over a combo amp, but either way getting a nice amp to get the full extent of sound out of my Ric is all that really matters to me right now. My budget is pretty much in between 400-600 dollars. I checked out that Sansamp Bass Driver and I have to say it seems to give a great tone. Maybe I'll look into getting one of those. I'll definitely look into different amp brands. Thanks for the help!