Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

A personal question, to be sure.....
A while back I shot a group portrait of my current bass arsenal just in case anybody breaks into my house (in which case, before they touch one I hope they also take a really good look at the portrait of my buffalo rifle arsenal). Yesterday, in response to an e-mail, I dug up an mp3 - unplanned, but it just so happened that it has short sound clips of all of them, in the same order that they sit in the photo. Strange coincidence, but true. While I certainly see nothing wrong with owning a whole bunch of your favorite brand of basses, there is also something nice about mixing it up a bit.

Whatcha got? How does the sound differ and what types of stuff do you use the various ones for?

Here are mine, left to right:
- Fretless Kala U-bass with rubber strings - 20" scale
- My old fretless Frankenstein Gibson with ancient Guild tape-wounds - 31" scale
- My Rickenbacker 2030 with the home-made body (half-rounds in the clip, but usually wears flats these days) - 33" scale
- A mint 1969 Hagstrom 8-string (TI Jazz Flats on all eight) - 30.5" scale
- Pedulla Buzz fretless, J-J active Bartolini pickups, black round-wounds - 34" scale
- Hofner V-63 fretless Beatle, Flats (chromes, if I remember) - 30" scale - I haven't used this one very much for recording, but it's pretty easy to play.
- Hofner V-63 fretted with TI Jazz Flats, 30" scale.

Short sound clips are here and in the same order.
http://webpages.charter.net/tbradshaw/M ... amples.mp3

Fairly mixed, I'd say. I'm not much of a bass player though, as you can hear on "This Old Coat." Here's what I have:

• S. L. Mossman "Tennessee Flattop" acoustic guitar that is used for blues and ragtime finger style playing. This has been my gigging guitar ever since I bought it new in 1977.
• Yamaha flattop acoustic, that I keep at the Academy for teaching
• Wildwood Troubador open back banjo for claw hammer style playing,
• Johnson (Chinese?) Telecaster knock-off does double duty for stage and teaching. It's actually a pretty decent guitar.
• A no name early 20th C. catalog fiddle that has a really sweet, and loud tone. I've been gigging with it for over 25 years now.
• A second no-name early 20th C. catalog fiddle that I keep as a spare and to take camping with me.
• Mid 1930s round neck Dobro® that came to me through the family, used for bottle neck playing,
• Aria Pro-II bass
• Vega tear-drop mandolin, used when I was playing in the Euphoria String Band
• And of course my beloved 360/12 string Rick

That's about it as far as stringed instruments go.
JimK

Bedsides my Rics, I have the following mixed bag:
Electric - three Strats, a Tele, & a Collings 290
Acoustic - a J-45 Rosewood, & a Seagull S6+ Folk.
Incoming - a Huss & Dalton Custom OM (hope to have it within the next 30 days)

I have a homemade dulcimer, a beautiful Greek bouzouki, and a tremoloa (think slide zither ) that I horse around with on a slow day. My only "real" bass is a Mexican p bass, although my Danelectro baritone can double. My sole acoustic is a Martin D-16. My other electrics are my Parker Fly, a '58 Duo Sonic that Paul built, Epi Sheraton, an SG Custom project that I'm working on, and a Squier Mini-Strat that's getting a new body. Yeah I'm pretty spoiled and I have a lot of fun.

Two Rics: 1997 and 360/12V64
Three Fenders: '62 AVRI Strat, '63 MIM Tele RI and '07 Standard MIM Jazz Bass

That's IT!

1974 ric 4000 strung with maxima flats/deer antler nut/refretted/hipshot aluminum bridge
2004 ric 4004 CII strung with DR sunbeams/deer antler nut/rewired VVT
korean danelectro hodad strung w/dano rw strings
frankenjazz bass strung w/DR sunbeams rewired w/SD hot jazz pups,bone nut
chinese yamaha rbx250f fretless w/fender nylon tapewounds/LOLLAR p bass pup
Alesis QS6.1 synth
as you can see mostly fretted 4 strings,but with a lot of tonal differences that probably no one else notices but other bass players....
my best "hot rick" sound comes from the frankenjazz,it is just exceedingly crisp 'n'crunchy,and full. the dano puts out deep bass with a twang like nothing else,my 4000 is my favorite for my smooth pop band sound,and the cii is probably the go-to bass for most applications. i can get jaco,chris,geddy,and other tones out of it,and it is just a joy to play. the yamaha is the newest,and listening back to band practice recordings,i can tell i need to work on my fretless technique,which is still in its infancy,but it is a great sounding bass when i manage to get it right!
the synth is just for when i want to noodle. i tried guitars,but just prefer a keyboard for trying out ideas. (couple of years of piano lessons probably had something to do with it)

Hmm, not too mixed these days:
8 Ricks:
1 4001, 4 4003s (one is a fretless), a 4004Cii and 2 console steels.

A Gibson Mastertone banjo

In the "old" days I had several keyboards, Roland JX-3P, Rhodes Piano, and a Korg something or other. I'm looking to get another synth before too long and probably a decent drum kit...

My current "bag":

Brice violin bass(LH)
Casio keyboard
Casio keyboard
Danelectro Longhorn bass copperburst
Danelectro Longhorn bass blueburst
Davison Hollowbody bass(LH)
Dean Pace electric upright bass
Douglas EB-2 bass
Douglas Pisces bass(LH)
Eastwood EEB-1 bass(LH)
Epiphone AJ-1 acoustic guitar
Epiphone EB-O bass(LH)
Epiphone Flying V bass
Epiphone Rivoli bass
Epiphone SG Jr. guitar
Fender BG-31 Bass
Fender Jazz Bass(LH)white
Fender Jazz Bass(LH)electron blue
Fender Jazz Bass(LH)sunburst
Fender Jazz Bass FSR(LH)sonic blue
Fender P-Bass Special(LH)
Fender mandolin
Fender Stratocaster(LH)
First Act drum kit
Galveston clear acrylic bass(LH)
Gibson EB-2 bass(Stereo)
Gold Tone banjo(LH)
Gretsch Synchromatic BassVI 6-string bass(LH)
Hamer B12S 12-string bass
Hammertone electric mando-guitar
Hiwatt Theremin
Hofner 500/1 V63 reissue Beatle Bass(LH)
Ibanez ASB140 bass
Ibanez GSR200L bass(LH)
Ibanez Jazz Bass(LH)
Jay Turser Telecaster guitar(LH)
Jerry Jones Longhorn Bass
Jerry Jones Longhorn BassVI 6-string bass
Jerry Jones Master electric sitar
Kona acoustic bass guitar
Peavey Millennium BXP bass(LH)
Phantom "Nigel Special" bass(LH)
Phantom BW Teardrop Hollowbody Bass
Rickenbacker 340 guitar(LH)
Rickenbacker 4001CS bass(LH)
Rickenbacker 4001S bass(LH)
Rickenbacker 4003 bass(LH)
Saint Blues King Blues Bass(LH)
Schecter Model T(LH)
Squier P-Bass Special(LH)sunburst
Squier P-Bass Special(LH)ant. sunburst
Steinberger L2 bass(Previously Owned by Dee Murray)
SX Jazz Bass(LH)
SX Jazz Bass-Fretless(LH)
SX P-Bass(LH)
SX P-Bass short-scale(LH)
SX P/J-Bass(LH)
SX Scorpion Bass(LH)
Yamaha BB300L(LH)
Yamaha BB614L bass(LH)
Yamaha electronic drums

OK Ronn, you win...

Ronn! Yowsa!! Quite the "bag".

No basses (yet) for me:
Strato-Parts caster (1976)
Gibson LP Gold Top Deluxe (1969)
Godin LG_P90 Ste Cat Montreal Jazz Fest special edition (2005)
Godin Exit 22 (2004)
Rickenbacker 350V63
Rickenbacker 360/6WB
Rickenbacker 620/6
Rickenbacker 660/12
Riviera LP copy (1967)
Stewart DC Hollowbody (1972)
Takamine G30 acoustic (1984)

In fabrication and due anytime:
Dingwall Custom I (2010-2011)

Now I know why I don't have a lefty bass; Ronn has 'em all.

cool,Ronn! (theremin envy!!) (ok and maybe that CS,too....oh wait,its a bass-ackward one,off the hook,nevermind)

cjj wrote:Hmm, not too mixed these days:
8 Ricks:
1 4001, 4 4003s (one is a fretless), a 4004Cii and 2 console steels.

A Gibson Mastertone banjo

In the "old" days I had several keyboards, Roland JX-3P, Rhodes Piano, and a Korg something or other. I'm looking to get another synth before too long and probably a decent drum kit...

Oh, I forgot these since I haven't played them in years:
Bach Stradivarius Model 50B Bass Trombone
Getzen 300 Series Bass Trumpet

Hmmm, seems I must have a thing for bass, huh?

Gibson
Fender
Harmony
Eko
Hofner
Rickenbacker
Danelectro

Thinning things out, but...

Hondo Revival H935 for the more jazzy soundtracks with mini-humbuckers. really warm

Yamaha 912 is my workhorse guitar. If nothing else fits or I am noodling around, I reach for this guitar. the compound radius neck is a joy to play. this guitar keeps me from ever having/wanting to buy a fender.

Epiphone EJ-200 for most of my acoustic needs, especially live with that big jumbo sound.

Washburn dreadnought for more noodle time, super flat neck.

A Marlboro Miles catalog guitar that is, legend has it, pieced together with rejected martin parts for the body. more sentimental than anything.

Gibson Sonex and Harmony Bobkat that never get play time, and will soon be gone...

and the best for last:

Rickenbacker 481 for when *** needs to be kicked.

Rickenbacker 660/12 to heal what ails me.

@Jimk I wish you were out in California. Having a fiddle and guitars around a campfire sounds like a blast! I need new friends.