Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hello there everyone - i was just starting this thread to quench a bit of curiosity of mine, and perhaps even a few others. For a good while now, I have wondered what the earliest 4000 basses were like, especially the mahogany-necked examples. On the lowest level I have always been visually attracted to the contrast of the flashy appointments on the seemingly "butch" platform, and on a somewhat higher level, they look like they might be neat to play. For those who have played them or own/have owned them, how do/did they feel? What was the neck profile like back then? And how do they sound when you are in the same room as one?

The only feel information I have gathered from reading was that they are heavy (a quality i tend to like, oddly enough) and neck heavy. The only sonic information i have comes from Jim Reeves and the Blue Boys records (though I'm not sure whether the ric or the precision bass was the one to go on tape) and Geddy Lee's description of the early-60s ones (moved on to maple by then) as being "ballsy" haha.

It’s been about four years since I last played one, but I recall the one I played having a really thin (front to back) neck. They are indeed heavy. I’ve never plugged one in.

Very interesting stuff! I would have never expected a thin neck. Thank you for sharing your exprience.