leftyyorky

Sorry about the repeat! Bass players fingers on a touch screen😊

Has he not retired now and Ben taken over the running of the show? Or is that just to give him more time to trawl through the ads?😊 I'd not thought about the top of the ugly as sin pickup not being parallel to the strings to facilitate use as a thumbrest. On my 4003 i got rid of the stupid pickup cover/handrest thing and fitted a "cove" bezel from Tubeampology which fills the massive hole around the pickup and I can rest my thumb in the cove or on the pickup itself. That is not an option on this bass , but wouldnt be a problem to me as I wouldnt spend $2500 dollars on a bass that looks worse than some 300 quid copies, no matter how well it sounded or played! Re Dingwalls, angled frets dont look right either!😊

I'd not thought about the top of the ugly as sin pickup not being parallel to the strings to facilitate use as a thumbrest. On my 4003 i got rid of the stupid pickup cover/handrest thing and fitted a "cove" bezel from Tubeampology which fills the massive hole around the pickup and I can rest my thumb in the cove or on the pickup itself. That is not an option on this bass , but wouldnt be a problem to me as I wouldnt spend $2500 dollars on a bass that looks worse than some 300 quid copies, no matter how well it sounded or played! Re Dingwalls, angled frets dont look right either!😊

As far as I'm aware,5 strings and 8 strings made by Ric, and not conversions, were all based on the 4003s model, and so would have neither binding or triangle fret markers. On Rickresource forum, Ben Hall chimes in and explains that the pickup design is to do with magnet spacing at the B end. He also states that everyone who tried the bass thinks its fantastic in both playability and tone, and that theyve had hundreds of orders already (from dealers I assume) at a price tag of $2499! Personally, as a person who owns and likes a 4003 (pickup cover already gone, tubeampology bezel fitted, and the shitty bridge is next to go and be replaced with a hipshot) I think these basses look terrible, the pickup shape is atrocious , the schaller 3d bridge doesnt look as if it belongs, and the headstock doesnt look right. I still love mine though!😊😊

Greetings from a fellow South Yorkshireman, beautiful looking pair of basses, and if they sound/play half as good as they look (which from your post they obviously do) you've hit the jackpot! Where ìn South yorks are you? Wombwell, Barnsley myself.

Mine plays like a dream😁😁

As a bb1100s owner of 21 years, I think I would happily buy that unseen! Awesome bass☺

Plus 1 on the bb1100s, ive had a lefty one since 1996, paid £189 for it second hand, it is punching way above its weight and , active or passive its got it all. Wouldnt part with it for anything.

I see your point Bumnote, I remember reading that John Hall would not borrow money, ask for government help, or outsource (with the exception of such things as Schaller tuners etc) and indeed they are in quite an enviable position compared to Gibson and Fender, who , as you say are both supposed to be in serious debt. I just feel that there would be a market for a budget range to enable people to have a start on the ladder towards owning their dream instrument. On a personal note, I have never owned a Gibson or Fender, but I bought a Squier VM Jazz bass as I like the jazz neck, and for £240 it is punching way above its weight! As a result I would seriously consider a Fender jazz as a possible next purchase, although it would probably be a Japanese one as I see nothing but good reports about them I am not anti American guitars, I have a Rickenbacker and a Dean (albeit made in Korea or somewhere) its just that I personally dont feel that the USA has a monopoly on quality instruments, and I would dearly love RIC to widen their vision a little to allow more people in. As a footnote, back in 1976 as a spotty 18 year old I was going to put myself into debt to buy a Rickenbacker 4001, Sheffield branch of Carlsboro Sound Centre ordered in one of only 2 that were coming to the UK. It was £520! When it arrived it had a right handed neck with upside down headstock and looked terrible, so despite charging about 35% more, it wasnt even a true lefty. As a result I bought an Ibanez copy(£180) and owned that for over 20 years. Had a budget Rickenbacker been available I would have bought it.

Muse "Hysteria" and Yes "Sound Chaser " are 2 great examples of the use of open strings. The great John Entwistle used them a lot especially when soloing. IIRC "40" by U2 has the bass played by The Edge and not Adam Clayton, certainly on "Live at Red Rocks" anyway. 😊

Hi, you mentioned Yamaha bb basses, I can certainly vouch for them. I have a 1980s bb1100s that I bought for £180 20 years ago. It can be played active (monster!) or passive and is the best value for money bass I've ever come across. If you could find one of tjose you would not be disappointed, imho it is far superior to any jazz or precision in an affordable price range. Anyway, thats my little bit of input, so good luck, and enjoy the world of the low frequencies!😊

"And the man that you once loved, is bald and fat, and seldom in, he's working late as usual, You're interest has waned , you feel the strain, the bedsprings snap, On the occasions he lies upon you, close your eyes and think of nothing but Private Hell"

Anyone who pays anything near those prices should be certified!!😐

There seems to be a lot of hate for Ricks, ok there not everyones cup of tea (I personally cant stand precisions, especially the "wonderful" 1951 or whatever it is that Sting plays, saw him live, the bass had as much personality as a paper cup!) and yet I love my Jazz and its only a Squier! I have a 2000 Rickenbacker 4003 lefty and to me its awesome. I dont have a problem with the body shape/ergonomics , but I played an Ibanez faker for about 18 years. My point is , in my opinion, my Rick is very versatile, loads of all frequencies, bags of sustain, great neck and frets, and when played in stereo really comes alive. I do however have one criticism, a hand assembled bass, made in the good old US of A (irony) has right handed pots wired in reverse which I find disgusting , especially at the price range they are in. I've never tried a Spector though, maybe I should! Btw the irony about the USA is that I cant understand the big patriotism stuff, lots of great instruments are made in other countries,Japan, Germany, Korea, and even Indonesia (my Squier) so I dont think the USA has a monopoly on good instruments, and I wish Rickenbacker corporation would take there blinkers off and go down the Fender/ Gibson route and produce more affordable instruments by outsourcing.

Avon EB0 copy (flipped righty) it was my first bass at 16 years old, purchased from a catalogue. Didnt know much about them but looking back it was just a boomy pile of tat. Worst bass ever played- because of the cost and the endearing love some have for them, i would have to say the Hofner violin bass, looks cheap, feels cheap, sounds cheap, but certainly isnt cheap. Then again ive never understood all the adoration for Mr Mcartney's "tone" because to me he didnt have any from either the Hofner or the Rickenbacker. Maybe my hearing is not too good and I'm missing something. One more thing to add, maybe I'm just lucky but I have a 2000 Rickenbacker 4003 lefty which is an absolute joy to play with a great neck and oodles of tone throughout the spectrum. I know we cant all like the same things and indeed it would be a very boring forum if we did, but I love my Rickenbacker ??? Ps I also love my £250 Squier VM Jazz which I would put up against a Fender anyday!?

Dave is hilarious, though not sure if I'd take my Rick to him for a set up! With regard to basses, I've got a 1980s Yamaha bb1100s, I love it, a Dean edge 5, I love it, a Squire VM Jazz, I love it, but I've also got a Rickenbacker 4003 and to me ,its the best of the lot, I like the look, build quality is far superior to the others, (ok it cost more)it produces a sound that only the active Yamaha can get anywhere near. I do agree though that the tailpiece/ bridge is not good, but then again I dont like the bbot on Fenders. A Fender Geddy Lee model has a badass iirc. Although Geddy has been using a Jazz for 30 plus years, it seems ironic that he seems to be getting a Rickenbacker sound by using Sansamps etc. That sound is certainly not a run of the mill jazz sound. It wouldnt do to for us all to like the same, but not liking something personally doesnt mean it is $#1t😊😊

Hi Dangoose, the side dots are actually on the top where they should be and if I remember correctly they were on top of a brand new 4001 I nearly bought in 1976!

Sorry for not replying earlier, thanks for liking the R**k, the story with the position markers is that lefty 4001 basses had a completely upside down (right handed)neck. Sometime during 4003 production the nice people in Santa Ana decided that lefties shouldnt have to pay a lot of money for an ugly bass that looked like an afterthought, but they didnt go all the way and it would appear that they used right handed fretboards, hencè the upside down triangles. Mine is a 2000 model year and at some later date they deigned to actually make it truly left handed, although the volume and tone potentiometers are right handed audio taper pots wired left handed (anticlockwise) so they are basically full on after less than a quarter turn and nothing much after that. I am currently in the process of getting in touch with an old friend to wire them clockwise! As much as I love the instrument I find the attitude towards left handers a bit poor.

[quote name='dangoose' timestamp='1502752148' post='3353335'] this a nice R**k One thing, my OCD is flaring up! Are the block inlay triangles on the fretboard upside down compared to a righty R**k? [/quote]

Welcome to the forum, I too have an old bb1100s and as others have said, its a tone monster! Worth nothing but I wouldnt part with it for anything.Enjoy your resurgence!

Yamaha bb1100s from the 80s, which I've owned for 20 years, worth nothing but a great , versatile, powerful bass with lots of great memories attached. Also my 2000 Rickenbacker 4003 mapleglo which I was pursuaded into buying last year by my lovely wife! That was the culmination of a 40 year dream.

John Entwistle, My Generation 😊😊

I know a man called Wayne Kerr !

To answer the question correctly, the first "non chart" music I ever heard was Led Zeppelin II in 1970 as a 12 year old and JPJ just had an effect on me and made me want to be a bass player. In the immediate aftermath I quickly discovered Cream, Free, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Rush (saw there 1st ever Uk gig 40 years ago today at Sheffield City Hall, in fact a guitarist friend's tribute band Bravado are playing that exact setlist in the City Hall Ballroom tonight!) All in all the period was a great indoctrination into the wonders of the lower frequencies and it never goes away 😊

John..............................................Paul.............................................................Jones 😊😊😊