Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I was gigging last night, and decided to use my 4004L (not the first time).

Played it through my new Mark Bass 121P combo as well! What a great combination.

What really surprised me, was it's the first time anybody has actually noticed my Ric! I had a couple of people approach me at different times to ask about it - what sort of Ric bass it was!

The second guy even said it was the most 'badass' bass he'd ever seen or heard! Praise indeed.

Funniest thing was the look on the sound guy's face when I came in with the amp. As soon as I cranked it up, he couldn't believe his ears. I think he thought I'd turned up with a practice amp!!

It's funny how I've gigged my 4003's loads of times, and I've never had any reaction.

Maybe it's just people here.....can't recognise quality gear when they see it!

* raises glass *

I think the 4001/4003 has been so huge, it's hard for any other Rick bass to crawl out from under that shadow. I hated 4004's for a long time and then one day got one on a whim and loved it. Sadly I'm selling it now (or trying to) but only because as great as it is, it's no 4002. That thing has been a champ in the studio lately.

4004,hb-1's,and markbass -a very powerful combination,indeed. i am just continually amazed at the sounds i get from my setup. of course the other basses sound good through that amp too,but the cii just kicks it so well.....i had a bass player tell me the other day that my mg cii was the most beautiful bass he had ever seen...another guy saw both my cii and the 4000 and didn't give the cii a 2nd look......jdog,you already have the hb-1's in a better (my opinion) configuration (i.e.,closer to the bridge) with your 4002,so i can see why the cii,gorgeous as it is would be superflous....

*cough* 4006... Rickenbacker, build the 4006... *cough*

You know, I just got my first 4004 last night, and I was more impressed than I thought I'd be. Right out of the case, it looks better in person than in photos (it's a mid blue Laredo), and plugged in it sounded pretty much right to me. The neck feels fairly different from a 4001/4003 neck; as others have said it's wider and maybe a bit flatter. It reminds me a little of the '51 P reissue neck I have on another bass, at least in terms of string spacing.

I'll have more to report after I get it into band rehearsal this weekend, but I am really impressed so far.

Yeah, I can't really say a whole lot about my 4004Cii. I played a bit when I got it, enough to decide I really wanted to modify it for stacked V/T V/T knobs and add Ric-O-Sound. I started the mods and then a whole bunch of other stuff came up and I haven't gotten back to it to finish it.

The tone was definitely different than the 4001/4003, but good. I'm just too used to setting up my rig based on the 4001/4003 type tone & volume with each pickup going to a different preamp. I suppose I should have played with it more, but the mods are half the fun anyway...

spongebob wrote:
Maybe it's just people here.....can't recognise quality gear when they see it!

I mean people in my area! I just realised how that might come across!!

My 4004 Cii is getting a good deal of play time.

It's my Sunday Morning player for sure, the HB's are so nice & quiet. I like her just as she is.
I've other choices for the V/T option, although I can see where it would make a nice option.

Being it's a Blueburst, it gets a LOT of attention. EVERYONE notices this bad boy. Even the old folks seem to like it.
It even matched the hair color of one or our elderly members!

For our last show, I used my 4004Cii BBR exclusively. That was a first for me, my 4001/4003 have been the #1 players for over 20 years. I'm doing one more show with just the 4004 this weekend. It also gets a lot of attention due to the beautiful finish.

jakeox wrote:You know, I just got my first 4004 last night, and I was more impressed than I thought I'd be. Right out of the case, it looks better in person than in photos (it's a mid blue Laredo), and plugged in it sounded pretty much right to me. The neck feels fairly different from a 4001/4003 neck; as others have said it's wider and maybe a bit flatter. It reminds me a little of the '51 P reissue neck I have on another bass, at least in terms of string spacing.

I'll have more to report after I get it into band rehearsal this weekend, but I am really impressed so far.

Is that the one that sold on ebay around a week ago for about $900 Jake? If so, you're the BIN king!

rickaddict wrote:Is that the one that sold on ebay around a week ago for about $900 Jake? If so, you're the BIN king!

That's the one -- wasn't even a BIN, just an auction with an awkward ending time (around dinnertime on a Saturday). I tossed in a speculative bid near the end and got lucky. Constant vigilance!

I really like my Larado. It seems like the 4004 is the Rickenbacker everyone likes to "mod" a bit.

fretless wrote:* raises glass *

I raise my glass along with you! I love the 4004 basses!

CJ, you will like the stacked V\T V\T mod and how it adds to a great bass.