Rickenbacker 4003s Reissue Review
Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2015 5:53 pm
I have no idea what makes for a good review, but here goes. I'll post a separate write up when I plug the bass in.
4003s Reissue First Impressions
I ordered the reissue 4003s the day after Rickenbacker announced it. As luck would have it
the two basses they showed at winter NAMM 2015 were shipped to dealers and my dealer got
the first FireGlo bass. I was the first one to place the order, so I am the happy recipient
of the the fireglo 4003s reissue.
The bass arrived yesterday and after letting it sit overnight to acclimatize, I cracked
open the case this morning. I have not yet plugged in the bass.
Initial Inspection:
There are two notable things, which I'll touch on later, but nothing dealbreaking. The bass was
clearly well cared for by Rickenbacker and by Chris at Pick Of The Ricks (PoTR). Inside the
case are the bass, the usual Rickenbacker case candy along with the bridge cover and original
strings that came with the bass. A couple of extra pieces of bubble wrap were in the case to
prevent the bass from moving during shipment. The case is in new condition, with no scratches,
or other issues.
Set Up:
At my request Chris set the bass up with a new set of TI Jazz Flats. The setup is exactly as
requested, with the action as low as possible. The bass was just below concert pitch when it
arrived and after tuning it, it still has low action and is easy to play. As someone who
has a chronic tendonitis issue and is developing some finger joint arthritis a good, low
action setup is crucial.
Finish:
The finish, as mentioned before is FireGlo. It's a great color and looks great on this bass.
The reds are red and the translucent areas really highlight the maple underneath. I can't
say if this is better or worse than other fireglo finishes, but it looks great to me. There
is however, one small finish flaw. On the edge of the upper horn there is what looks like
a finish drip that never got cleaned up. This isn't noticeable, except at close inspection.
I doesn't bother me, but I am including it for accuracy and compeleteness. I didn't find
any other finish issues.
Hardware:
The hardware, for example, the bridge, pickup surround, etc are all problem free and also
completely clean when I recieved the bass. The only notable issue is that the bridge pickup
is a little slanted. this is very unlikely to cause any issues in terms of sound. This also
doesn't bother me much, but I'm including it for the same reasons as mentioned above.
Weight and Balance:
I don't have any way to weigh the bass, but it seems lighter than other Rick basses I've
owned, aside from the 4000L, wich was very lightweight. It weighs more than my 2003 Fender
Highway 1 P Bass, so I'd say it's not too heavy. From the balance perspective, there's a
tiny bit of a neck dive, but very, very slight. This is not different from other Ricks
I've owned. I'll add here that the bass sounds good and seems quite resonant when not
plugged in.
Neck:
The fit and finish of the neck is very well done. The finish is clean, with no blemishes
or other issues. The fret ends are clean, with no burrs. The neck width seems to be
pretty much standard for Rickenbacker 400x basses. I can't quite describe the fingerboard.
The wood looks like it has some sort of pattern or something in it. It looks quite distinctive
to my eye. Much different than my 2004 620/6. I think it looks good and adds another dimension
to the overall look of the bass. The neck is on the chunky side, but not clubby. I'm coming
from usually playing shorties or my P which has a J neck, so almost anything will seem
chunky to me.
Overall Impressions:
The bass lives up to all of my expectations. Classic look and classic sound.
The first set of pictures can be found here:
http://imgur.com/a/GRt0Q
4003s Reissue First Impressions
I ordered the reissue 4003s the day after Rickenbacker announced it. As luck would have it
the two basses they showed at winter NAMM 2015 were shipped to dealers and my dealer got
the first FireGlo bass. I was the first one to place the order, so I am the happy recipient
of the the fireglo 4003s reissue.
The bass arrived yesterday and after letting it sit overnight to acclimatize, I cracked
open the case this morning. I have not yet plugged in the bass.
Initial Inspection:
There are two notable things, which I'll touch on later, but nothing dealbreaking. The bass was
clearly well cared for by Rickenbacker and by Chris at Pick Of The Ricks (PoTR). Inside the
case are the bass, the usual Rickenbacker case candy along with the bridge cover and original
strings that came with the bass. A couple of extra pieces of bubble wrap were in the case to
prevent the bass from moving during shipment. The case is in new condition, with no scratches,
or other issues.
Set Up:
At my request Chris set the bass up with a new set of TI Jazz Flats. The setup is exactly as
requested, with the action as low as possible. The bass was just below concert pitch when it
arrived and after tuning it, it still has low action and is easy to play. As someone who
has a chronic tendonitis issue and is developing some finger joint arthritis a good, low
action setup is crucial.
Finish:
The finish, as mentioned before is FireGlo. It's a great color and looks great on this bass.
The reds are red and the translucent areas really highlight the maple underneath. I can't
say if this is better or worse than other fireglo finishes, but it looks great to me. There
is however, one small finish flaw. On the edge of the upper horn there is what looks like
a finish drip that never got cleaned up. This isn't noticeable, except at close inspection.
I doesn't bother me, but I am including it for accuracy and compeleteness. I didn't find
any other finish issues.
Hardware:
The hardware, for example, the bridge, pickup surround, etc are all problem free and also
completely clean when I recieved the bass. The only notable issue is that the bridge pickup
is a little slanted. this is very unlikely to cause any issues in terms of sound. This also
doesn't bother me much, but I'm including it for the same reasons as mentioned above.
Weight and Balance:
I don't have any way to weigh the bass, but it seems lighter than other Rick basses I've
owned, aside from the 4000L, wich was very lightweight. It weighs more than my 2003 Fender
Highway 1 P Bass, so I'd say it's not too heavy. From the balance perspective, there's a
tiny bit of a neck dive, but very, very slight. This is not different from other Ricks
I've owned. I'll add here that the bass sounds good and seems quite resonant when not
plugged in.
Neck:
The fit and finish of the neck is very well done. The finish is clean, with no blemishes
or other issues. The fret ends are clean, with no burrs. The neck width seems to be
pretty much standard for Rickenbacker 400x basses. I can't quite describe the fingerboard.
The wood looks like it has some sort of pattern or something in it. It looks quite distinctive
to my eye. Much different than my 2004 620/6. I think it looks good and adds another dimension
to the overall look of the bass. The neck is on the chunky side, but not clubby. I'm coming
from usually playing shorties or my P which has a J neck, so almost anything will seem
chunky to me.
Overall Impressions:
The bass lives up to all of my expectations. Classic look and classic sound.
The first set of pictures can be found here:
http://imgur.com/a/GRt0Q
I was thinking that since these instruments were at NAMM, they would have been perfect.
What was the last Rick bass you had?
.