Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

This may have been dicussed a couple of years ago, but to get a current idea: those of you who own the DCM 75th Anniversary 4003s, do you play out with them? What are your thoughts on used vs. keeping them mint?

I bought mine from Jeff T here, and as many of you may know, it has some finish checking, which pretty much takes away the mint aspect right off the bat. It also had some fret buzz, so I installed DR coated round strings and raised the action to my liking (almost as far as possible on the E side).

Sacrelidge is that the strings are Peacock blue, but they look really hot on the DCM. But better yet, it sounds fantastic. As my only fretted bass, I'm just going to have to use this one and try to keep it as clean as possible.

Thoughts?

Mine are mint and they will stay that way.

Mine saw it's first gig the day after I received it. I play it, but I'm very careful with it, just like I am with all my Ricks. It looks and sounds too nice to not see or hear it.

I am trying to keep mine as perfect as possible but still play it as often as I can.

Kept mint for now. never played.

I would play mine, but I don't care for it much. I had to buy a noise gate for it, so that kind of turned me off of it. I don't mind the neck and I like the solid color more than I thought I would, but I prefer my other two basses. I play it once every few months at church (the only place I play...) to keep it from staying exclusively in the closet.

Mine has less than 20 mins playing time on it, I've just finished correcting a massive neck bow that occurred after I moved her north to Seattle.

Still has the original factory strings, but prefer my 4003-S and 96 4003.

thx1955 wrote:...but prefer my 4003-S and 96 4003.

That's because it's not FG.

jps wrote:

thx1955 wrote:...but prefer my 4003-S and 96 4003.

That's because it's not FG.

My 4003-S isn't Fireglo either, but she still plays wonderfully, I just tried a nice set of light DR strings on her and the sound is amazing !!!

thx1955 wrote:

jps wrote:

thx1955 wrote:...but prefer my 4003-S and 96 4003.

That's because it's not FG.

My 4003-S isn't Fireglo either, but she still plays wonderfully, I just tried a nice set of light DR strings on her and the sound is amazing !!!

Is this really the same Jim Glen we knew and loved?

Every now and then mine makes an appearance

jps wrote:... My 4003-S isn't Fireglo either ...

Is this really the same Jim Glen we knew and loved?

So the love affair with Fireglo has faded a bit, eh?

Fireglo is, always will be the only Ric colour I'd buy, this one was bought for me as a present !!!

Good as she is I'm still hoping to swap her for a Fireglo v63 ...

Only reason she's not at Paul's getting Fireglo'd is cos someone here liked the Red / Black combination

I finally removed the PUP cover and gigged with mine two weeks ago for the first time at an outdoor venue. Been reluctant to take it into into a smoke-filled room, but outdoors was the perfect setting.....DCM really looks fine in the natural sunlight.

Played like butter, although I continue to have volume issues with the E string (been this way since I got it). I've adjusted poles on the pups, adjusted the bridge and the neck and used new strings and thought all was well. But outside at high volume (everyone was in the PA but me) I really noticed a differnce between the E volume and mostly the A...but others as well. More adustments coming.

beacon wrote:Been reluctant to take it into into a smoke-filled room...

Fortunately, that is no longer an issue here in Ohio!