Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

....Rhythm and Blues!

Or so our ex, and on Sunday, drummer for the gig loudly told me. Not for the first time. He was only helping us out as we're 'between drummers', more's the pity!

He also claimed that 'no real bass players have ever used those things' - to which I listed a few that had, he said no more on the matter. DIdn't even have a chance to drop in Macca, perhaps the most famous bassist in the world.

The guy is a tool, without a doubt - and I for one thought my '74 sounded amazing at the gig. He a guy that maintains a Precision is the only bass for R'nB. If I'm honest, I took the 4001 to the gig to wind him up!

Same day, another local bass player saw the Ric and offered me the chance to buy his Chinese copy. I declined in no uncertain terms. His response? 'My mate has got a real one as well, and he really likes it'! Good for him, I said - I prefer the real deal for numerous reasons.

Amazing how wrong some people can be with their perceptions with Rics!

I had a friend who was a student (briefly) at Berklee School of Music in Boston who showed up for his first day of Jazz ensemble with a Ric 4001. The professor literally kicked him out of the class saying "come back with a Fender". It was his only bass, and there was, of course, nothing in the rules specifying acceptable bass guitars, so he eventually prevailed, but the guy gave him stink-eye every time.

Has the professor never heard of Chris Brubeck?!

Iain,

Damn, what a tool!!! I've never gotten grief for using a Rickenbacker. Quite the opposite. When I switched to Spector for a short time, I never got a compliment on my tone. Oh, everyone loved the way the Spector looked and commented on how lovely it looked but not one compliment on tone. At our last gig, one of our vocalists, we have two, was outside taking a smoke when a customer walked outside to join him. I don't know what song it was but I played my 65 4001 almost exclusively. The customer said to him, "man, that Rickenbacker sounds amazing! There is no doubt what instrument he's playing!" "It looks old, do you know what year?" Our singer did not but he said knowing me, it was most likely mid 60's.

It's not the first nor the last compliment I've gotten on my tone. We are in between guitarists and during a rehearsal this past weekend, the guitarist between songs stated how much he loved the tone that I was putting out. In all fairness I was trying out a new Orange OB1-300 so I was screwing with the new head all day.

We play primarily rock but we've added some R&B type songs. I just play finger style and strike the strings at ot above the neck pup to take some of the brighness and treble tone away. Those that still think a Rickenbacker is a one trick pony has never heard what a Rickenbacker can do. Your drummers assertion that no real bass player plays a Rickenbacker is just plain ignorant. I probably would have countered with most drummers are apparently tone deaf neanderthals.

Sepp

Gilmourisgod wrote:The professor kicked him out of the class saying "come back with a Fender".

I would have said, "let's see a Fender do this!" and slammed some "Heart of the Sunrise" in his closed-minded face.

Great comments, guys - enjoyed reading those!

Sepp - you are spot about our ex, but sadly occasional, drummer. Been in average covers bands all his life, but thinks he could teach Buddy Rich how it should be done!

People who act like they know everything usually know next to nothing. If your audiences aren't complaining, neither should your dummer, I mean drummer. Sounds like he'd be the star of Straight Outta TalkBass if he thinks only a P Bass can do rhythm and blues.

I usually bring several basses to gigs including Jazz and P, but without a doubt I get comments every single time from people about the 4003. I mostly like that younger (<20 yr old) guys hang around the stage to get a closer look at it. As such I never let it out of my sight at break

I always wanted one but that was in the day when there was more artist exposue in the 70s. I don't know who's using them now to drive the interest?

ricosound wrote:I usually bring several basses to gigs including Jazz and P, but without a doubt I get comments every single time from people about the 4003. I mostly like that younger (<20 yr old) guys hang around the stage to get a closer look at it. As such I never let it out of my sight at break

I always wanted one but that was in the day when there was more artist exposue in the 70s. I don't know who's using them now to drive the interest?

Loads of new young bands.

While I like me some P bass, and like the sound of a J (just don't like the feel of the really thin necks at the nut), I don't think there is a sound the 4001 doesn't do adequately.

With just the neck PU and the tone rolled off, it's as thuddy as a P can get. Just the bridge PU and the tone wide open, no J bass is going to match that tone. And not that I use effects much, the Rick takes distortion better to my ears.

These tools remind me of a singer I use to play with, who judged a guitar/bass/amp on the way it looked rather than the way it sounded. After a spell of using the J bass I went back to using my Laredo (a far more stunning looking instrument) and he said "I'm so glad you're using that bass again. It looks so much cooler!" Funny thing was, one of the guitarists - who might have been having some extra-curricular activities with the singer, used to complain to me that the Laredo was too "bassy", and the J was "brighter". For what it's worth, the J (a fretless) wore Fender 9050 ML's, maybe the thuddiest flats ever made. Never understood that description of the tone difference between the two basses (the Laredo has always had RW's on it). The J never sounded "bright" to me.

I'd never tell a guitarist what guitar/rig to use. I don't know why people think they can tell bass players what gear is "acceptable"

It probably has to do with the (as Paul McCartney put it) "bass player being the fat guy at the back" mentality. Rickenbackers and Hofners are all I have ever played in bands, and I've never had anyone complain about sound. More times than not, I've had people come by after a set and tell me they didn't realize Ric or Hofners were that versatile of instruments.

woodyng wrote:Has the professor never heard of Chris Brubeck?!

+1! I played a 4001 in jazz band when I was in undergrad in the early '80's - get this - I traded a real '75 light ash 3-color sunburst J-bass (the model everybody copies and "reissues") plus $125 for it! Like a lot of J-basses from that era, the neck pickup died, you couldn't get replacements from Fender, and I had to install a pair of then-new DiMarzio Model J pickups.

Oh - and Fender 9050 flats have a mid grind to them. They used to be my favorite flatwound string until Fender quit making the CL 45-60-80-105 set and won't sell singles. Some of the thuddiest flats (without turning the tone knob down) are GHS Precision Flats. D'Addario Chromes start with top end zing that also fades to complete thud over time. La Bella are rather neutral, not too dark, even overtone spectrum, and Ernie Ball flats (not the "new cobalt" flats) have a little bit of growl also. But I digress....

You CAN'T use a Rickenbacker for.......mowing the lawn!!!!!!
Waxing your car
Getting Ashley Madison to delete your personal info.

Tone is truly in the fingers and technique. Sure the bass either has it or it doesn't, same for the amp, speakers, effects etc. Rickenbacker Basses are extremely versatile in vesitile hands.

I use my V63 to play Motown and classic rock and get compliments on the sound all the time. And if they mention a song it is usually one of the Motown/R&B tunes.