Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hello all
I'm new here (and french )

I have a Rick 4003 '08 Lefty after a HUGE hesitation against a MM stingray 5 (or sterling) . Now then I liked both sound (but a little bit more the MM ) but the Rick was at the time was in stock and easy to get (and it's true she looks very sexy).
Got it , was very happy at first but quickly remarqued a very very poor quality finish (for it's price around 2000$)... my 500$ guitar doesn't buzz on me because of it's weaked conception at least ! Even stock when it arrived I saw bit of cardboard under the little triangles that rattle otherwise :/ . Anyway I though meh doesn't matter I'll make a better one later or at the worst get a Hipshot one (way way beyond the original one just in conception quality) .
The wood is fine so is the varnish so that was very cool . But what the heck is this treble cover ?? Plastic ???? Cheap rotten plastic chromed ?? The knobs for the volume / tone are all useless ... they're on/off buttons . They don't do anything until the last 5% of it's movement where it is either all or nothing . And really there's already no treble with everything full so why diminish it again to make it worst .
Tried several strings but really the ricks are the best for this bass . I sort of didn't hate the sound but didn't really love it either but made the big mistake of thinking i'll learn to love it ... I was very wrong
I've developed a form of hate for it I fear :s the only way to make it sound nice is to put heavy distortion (like Muse etc ) ...

Now went to the shop on day they had a stingray on display and I asked the seller who was very nice to make a small demo of it (being a right handed bass I'm already not that good on a lefty )
And really he was playing it nicely (although he doesn't play bass often he's more guitar)

So basically what can I do , what do you advise me to do ? I can't sell the thing being a lefty It will take decades before I find somebody to sell it to .
I thought of putting pickups that will fit more my taste and the electronics too . But I don't know I feel like i'm profaning something

By the way I have a 1x15" Tecamp cab and a ABM 500 Evo ii Ashdown amplifier .

Thank you in advance

Like most passive instruments the tone pots have a limited effect and are in fact like on/off switches. I always remove the plastic pickup cover so do not care if it is metal. A real chrome cover would just ad weight. My favorite strings for the 4003 are GHS boomers you might try those. Ultimately the 4003 is a unique instrument with it's own beautiful voice. I think the more time you spend with it the more you will like it.

you should have no trouble selling a left hand 4003 on ebay,as they are rare enough. as rick said,this is a unique bass,both in terms of its signature tone and it's playability,and it's not for everyone....

Indeed . I too remove the cover so I don't care but it's just the fact it's just anoying on a 2000$ shovel

I totaly agree the Rick is special , very unique . Well that's my problem with it the more I play it the more I hate the sound (a year now with it) . I hate the sound of the 60-70's I can't explain it much It sounds old, in some ways dirty .

Thanks for the passive active information I didn't know that at all

Welcome to the forum, Jonathan. If you are unhappy with your Rick for whatever reason(s), I'm sure you would do well with selling it on ebay. As Woody says you should have no trouble selling as left handed 4003, especially if you are in Europe, where they are few and far between as well as very desirable.

So why keep and complain about something that's really not to your taste?

Thank you very much
Well I don't know the only way to get a sound that matches my taste Is to go wild with the amp equalizer If i leave it flat it's just awfull .
Something that I find remarquable is that even by changing the pickups you still a definite Rick sound

Je ne vois aucune nécessité de modifier les. Il suffit de le vendre.

Ben en France je ne sais pas j'ai déja essayé de vendre une pelle (bien plus modeste) même a 50% du prix neuf en état neuf ca ne part pas et si c'est pour me retrouvé 2 ans sans pelle avant d'avoir une sterling ...
trans:
Well in France I tried selling a much more modest guitar earlier and even at 50% retail price for a nearly non used guitar it never got sold also I'm not very keen on being wqithout anything for 2 years before a shop has a lefty sterling

Welcome to the forum Jonathan,

It's too bad that you don't like your bass. Perhaps you should offer it for sale. We have a member a who specializes in buying and selling left handed instruments.

What part of France do you reside in? Do you play in a band in France? I would love to hear a clip of you playing your Rickenbacker if you do play in a band. I love the sound of a 4003 they provide the ultimate in flexibility of tone in my humble opinion. What style of music do you play and what other basses do you own?

Hi thank you for the grettings

I live not very far from paris in the north west area of ile-de-france .

unfortunaly I don't play in a band I don't know a lot of people and also don't really like people much (although i am a teacher lol). I'm no where near a good player unfortunaly .
I play a bit of everything exept Jazz , Funk . And i'm a perfectionist unfortunaly so I never record myself or make it hear to anyone until it's near perfect and that never happens so that's it .

Firstly, most left handed guitars/basses (Rickenbackers included) have right handed logarithmic tone control pots fitted which is why the tone controls do nothing for 95% and everything in the last 5%.

Secondly, don't worry about struggling to sell it. I'll buy it from you without even seeing it. Email me [email protected] if you really want to sell it.

Thanks for the reply
Well iv'e just discovered that the neck pickup poles are offset by 3-4mm to the string and so does the bridge pickup but by about 2mm will that affect my tone ?

It would be great if you could post pictures of your bass.

kiramdear wrote:It would be great if you could post pictures of your bass.

It would be better still if he sold it to me!

Why not both? I'm very curious.