Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

So, how does the neck on a 2030 compare to that of a 4003?

I was wondering how those pickups sound too?

The 2030 neck is bolt on ... and it is more tapered ... more like a jazz bass neck ...

The 2030 has a really nice neck ... but a klunky body ...

There are 2 kinds of 2030 pickups ... single coil and humbuckers ... I'm not sure when they switched over ... I have owned 3 2030 basses ... 2 from 1986 and one from 1993 ... the 86 ones had single coils ... The 86 pickups are a little more mid range focused than the 4003 pickups ... the humbuckers are hotter and thicker than the 86 pickups ...

the 2030 bass is a nice bass ...

JMHO, but if the 4004 neck wasn't your cup o' tea, you'll like the 2030 even less.

The 4004 neck is wider than 4003 ... the 2030 is narrower than the 4003 ...

My 4004 measured the exact same as my 4003: 2 1/8" wide at the 12th fret. I've never owned a 2030 but I measured one in a shop within the past year since it felt noticeably wider to me. That one measured 2 1/4" wide at the 12th fret, same as a Fender. And I just looked at my 1993 brochure, it says a 2020 or 2060 is 2 1/4" wide at the 12th fret.

my 1986 2030 is 1 1/2" at the nut and 2 1/4" at the 20th fret ...

my 2001 4003 is 1 5/8" at the nut and 2 1/4" at the 20th fret ...

my 1993 4004L is 1 11/16" at the nut and 2 7/16" at the 20th fret ...

But the 4004 has nicer wood...


uh huhuhuh I said wood.

Wow, intersting discussion folks. Thanks to everyone who's chimed in on this.

Dave's right, I didn't like the neck on my 4004c but still love my 4003. I've been watching for a 3000 or 2000 series bass, but I wouldn't want either if the necks on them are wider or thicker than a 4003. Jeff's measurements put a 2030 right in a range I'd be interested in.

While the wood on a 4004 is usually very beautiful, I'm more drawn to vintage basses without flamed or burled maple. Just a matter of taste, that's all.

I just went to the RIC factory site. It showed that both the 4003 and the 4004s (both models) have the same specs for neck width at the nut and 12th fret. What about string spacing at the bridge? I seem to recall when the 4004 first came out that I picked one up and the neck width near the body was wider and so was the string spacing at the bridge, closer to a Fender. I'm not sure about the nut though, it has been a few years. Maybe somone can refresh my memory, when the 4004s first came out did they have maple fingerboards as do the 650 guitars?

I don't know about 2000 series basses(thought they were the successor to the 3001) but when I put a new RIC 4003 nut on my 3001, I had to narrow it by 1/16" as I've had to do on all three of my 3000's. My 3000's have the slimmest, fastest playing necks I've ever felt although the one I converted to a 5-string was slightly thicker front to back. As a side note, J.H. saw the pics of my modded 3000's on the board and thought they were "very interesting and creative".

the specs on the Ric web site are sometimes off by 1/16" or so ... I trust my own measurements ...

Dane ... I like what you did with your 3000 basses ... you put some style into the 3000 body ... that is the major down side to a 2000/3000 bass ... it is not as pretty as a 4000 series bass ...

I know. That and I got tired of looking at three basses that, although functionally different, all looked about the same. The 3000/5 is the only one that retains it's original shape. The upcoming 10 string project will require a body and neck built from scratch though, unless I can get ahold of just the body from a 3000 that I can modify and add a wider neck to.

My '86 2030 is 1 1/2 at the nut, 2 1/4 at the 12th fret, and 2 7/16 at the 20th fret.

My '89 2030 is 1 5/8 at the nut, 2 1/4 at the 12th fret, and 2 1/2 at the 20th fret.

Apparently the only thing consistent is that they are not consistent. Could this be attributed to certain hand operations at the factory? At what point did RIC start using CNC controls? I know they moved to their current location in the mid to late eighties. My guess is that's when newer techniques were established, but just a guess.