Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Im not a bass player but my brother is so Im gonna ask what all of you will think is a very stupid question,so please forgive me, remember Im a guitar player I know nothing about basses at all.My brother just got a new Ric bass it's a 4003 (I think),and to me it looks just like the Ric 4001,what is the differance between the two basses???
Thanks,
Paul

the 4003 is just a updated version of a 4001.

pretty much the same except duel truss rods, slightly thicker neck and a few other small things

The 4001 and the 4003 both have a dual truss rod system. The 4003 has he updated dual truss rod system which is stronger and and unlike the 4001, the dual truss rod system of the 4003 is adjusted like truss rods in other guitars.
The other main difference is that the 4001 has a strip of shedua (dark wood that looks like walnut)that goes through the middle of whole neck thru body construction. The 4003 does not have the shedua strip.

The 4003 is the successor to the discontinued 4001. Production on the 4001 stopped around 1980. The biggest difference between them is the neck slab. The 70's era 4001 has a 3 piece neck (plus the headstock wings), two maple laminates with a walnut stripe down the center. The current 4003 also has 3 pieces but two of the piece are not visible on an assembled bass. The neck of all 4003's appears to be one piece. Early 4003's used the same truss rods as found in the 4001 but n 1984 RIC changed to the new truss rods which greatly improved the strength of the neck. Over the years the 4003 continued to evolve. Improved (hotter) pickups were added, the headstock, which was scaled down in the 70's returned to it's 1960's proportions. There were also subtle changes to the body shape. The horns returned to their more slender and defined 1960's contours. On early 4003's, the truss rod adjusting nuts were relocated to the body-end of the neck. These instruments are easy to spot because they have two-piece pickguards. Around '86 the adjusting nuts returned to their traditional spot under the truss rod cover and the one-piece pickguard became standard again. There are also a few structural differences that most people would not notice but they are not significant enough for this discussion. Though they look the same as the earlier basses, the current 4003's are greatly evolved and are technically superior to the vintage 4000 series basses.

Not all 4001 basses are the same ... 1st you have the 60's models ... these are very sought after ... the 60's 4001 had a very slim neck ... they had had weaker pickups and a bass cut capaciter and even with modern pickups installed they sounded brighter ... then there are the 70's 4001 basses ... the neck got stronger and thicker and the walnut stripe was added and the pickups were changed from horseshoe and toaster to high gain ... the 4001 bass had dual truss rods but they work differently ... if adjusted improperly they would pop off the fret board ... also the 60's and 70's 4001 basses were designed for low tension flat wound strings ... putting on a set of rotosound strings would stress the neck beyond its design specs.

The 4003 basses were introduced around 1980 ... the first model had a 2 piece pickguard and there is the current model that has been made from 1986 to present. The 4003 has a modern neck and modern truss rod system that can take any type of strings ... also the high gain pickups were wound hotter ... the 4001 had high gains wound to about 8.5 k ohms and the current pickups are wound to 11 k ohms ... also the bass cut capaciter was eliminated ...

The modern reissue 4001 basses ... 4001v63 and 4001 c64 are really 4003S basses that are made to look like the old basses ... the horeshoe pickups are wound hotter like the modern high gain pickups ... and the necks can take any type of strings and the truss rod adjustments won't pop off the fret board ...

For what I do the 4003 is the bass of choice ...

The really nice thing about both the earlier 4000 series and the modern 4003's is throughout the evolution of the improved production technique and methods the classic lines and style have been preserved. Even if you look back to the 50's model 4000 you can instantly see the classic lines.

This is the 1957 4000

Picture courtesy of Rickenbacker

I'd be interested in knowing how the body shape and look were dervived. A fantastic design that's stood up for 50+ years.

Amen for that .... !!!!!!

the only way to see which model you like is to Buy Both-let the creditors decide!