It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Subscribe to our Patreon, and get image uploads with no ads on the site!
I’m looking for advice on buy my first Rick bass. Should I wait for the next round of new basses with the redesigned 4003 bridge?
Will this mean I’ll be waiting into 2021 before U.K dealers get any new stock , given Ricks distribution policy.
Is the bridge/tail lift such a big issue, should I go with current models with the original bridge design. Rick are selling the new designed bridge separately and say they are a direct replacement for the older bridges albeit you need to drill new screw holes.
Base theme by DesignModo & ported to Powered by Vanilla by Chris Ireland, modified by the "theFB" team.
Comments
My inclination would be to purchase an instrument sooner rather than later. There is no knowing how far the Pound will fall against the US Dollar.
The tailpiece lift on my mid/late Seventies 4001 has not changed in several years of ownership.
The new prices have gone bonkers and it won’t be long before used prices start to go up as well.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
I have come across a number of newer Rick basses (and guitars) that have just been totally underwhelming, all the more so when you look at the price tag. I've had a couple of them in recording sessions, one where we also had a Vorg by Pearl 4003 copy from the 70s, and the Vorg was just infinitely better - much nicer to play, much better sound plugged in. Interestingly, the two original Ricks have both been bought and sold second hand a number of times locally - I guess people think that they would really like one, get one and then when the honeymoon is over realise that the particular one they have is just not doing it for them.
That said, there are some nice ones out there too, it might take a while to find one, I suspect that when someone does find one, they hold on to it.
Rickenbacker make a big deal about their all-American craftsmanship etc. but they still manage to put out more than their fair share of absolute dogs
The two Rick basses were both quite heavy and dead sounding/feeling, they played alright but didn't play or sound like instruments that cost over 2 grand new.
For example a 360 with a huge filled gap along the side of the neck joint that would have made a CBS Fender look precise. What was bizarre is that they'd done it in Mapleglo... if it had been Jetglo it would have been invisible. Also a Roger McGuinn with the neck fitted at the wrong angle so the bridge had to be almost down on the baseplate and was noticeably lower than the neck - very odd to play.
Sometimes it's just final assembly and QC - I came across a 4003 not long ago where the nut had been sanded at such an angle on the bottom that the G string was buzzing on the first fret and the E was about 1/16" too high... how that got out past a simple play check I do not know. But a new nut fixed it.
That said I've never played any copy as good as a good original.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
So what would you expect to pay for a used 4003 or 4003S in standard colour(but not midnight blue), in good nick?
I've never had any problem with the intonation on mine either. It's not the easiest thing to set I agree - you need to raise the bridge far enough to get at the screws, then lower it again, and repeat multiple times if you didn't get it right, which is a faff - but once set it's never needed adjusting again.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
I had to get Ruby as at the time there were no Jetglo or Mapleglo ones anywhere and the lead times were comical
I’ve been meaning to hack a sub-assembly inside a tailpiece; that’s really what RIC have done with the new assembly, where the chrome top is really just a cover over the bare metal screwed in tailpiece and doesn’t hold the strings.
The strings run through the holes in the original tailpiece first, then through this. It's made from a piece of the trim strip from the sides of a Peavey bass combo speaker grille .
Also note the hilarious 'precision' of the original body rout!
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein