Cairobill

It is a well known fact that rickenbackers can be a) dreadful or b ) spectacular on a seemingly random basis. A while back I went to Denmark street to spend a chunk of advance on a new bass. I lined up 10 4003s and rejected them all. They felt bad, looked cheap and sounded worse. Wind on to the present day and I've just recorded the majority of an album with my stock 1978 4001 that is simply an utterly perfect bass. My point is that any dork knows that quality is variable BUT that doesn't mean that all Rickenbacker basses are useless pieces of junk and their owners are deluded fools. Clearly, when they are good they can be very special basses or they wouldn't be so popular. It's not just a case of brand snobbery. Its very simple, if you want to own a rickenbacker, try before you buy. This anti rickenbacker pogrom is irritating and comes across to me as the inverse of weird rick fanboys (or for that matter sterling ball lapdogs) who praise their adopted brand without question and attack those who criticise it. Really, it's not news to anyone that rickenbacker quality control is inconsistent. It just does not mean that all rickenbacker basses are sh*t. Far from it. [quote name='Mr. Foxen' timestamp='1334709085' post='1620216'] That irrational bit is the problem with things. It means that stuff can drop in quality for no return. The main issue is not recognising the lack of quality because brand snobbery masks it. The massively competitive higher low end is what has driven the Squiers to being really very good instruments, pretty comparable to heyday Fenders. Pricing things high just for the sake of it and addressing competition via means outside of the market just shows contempt for your customers. Like that guy selling bags of pebbles for tone on your hifi. [/quote]

My one experience with the Miller sig (MIJ) bass was a let down. It felt rough and sounded thin and weedy. It could have been that particular bass but it lost against the lakland J, Lak DJ and US Fender. A disappointment. The MIA 75RI however, is an amazing j bass and I wish I had never sold mine. Anyone got a light one with no neck dive for sale? Nick

I've got a 33 inch adamovic on order. I'm hoping that a shorter scale will allow for a mellower sounding and feeling high c. On my six strings in the past I have found the high c's to be a bit squawky at 34inch scale. I tried a 32inch bass the other day and the high c sounded great, felt great too...

But some is utterly, utterly sheatt http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-kajkjGKuk

This is slap that works for me. not all slap is slop http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJ9xHHWAyos http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxKBnR_8LIM

Slap does my nut when it's played as quavers. That 'chugging' effect so beloved of many is anti-groove. A groove is syncopation and interlocking musical elements with pride of place given to SPACE. When people chug quavers (not naming names), it's a drum rudiment and is largely awful.

Glad to hear you sorted your Bryant Floyd... We should start a Bryant CLUB...just kidding. I love the soloist. I had a similar experience. First taking away a large flatback out on approval then deciding on the solo bass. Beautiful things!

I gather c strings work better on a slightly smaller scale, say 33inches. I can't remember the physics that explains it though. In my experience high c strings on 34inch scale can be a tad weedy at times. I will be able to compare the effects of the different scales when my new high c fiver arrives. It's a 33inch scale beast fom Adamovic. Nick

Youth had a fearsome sound. I didn't know it was a Rick. That makes me happy

The thought of random, loud slapping is extremely depressing and keeps me from going to things like this. I live in London too...

classy

I've been thinking about this recently. I've had a massive clearout of basses I thought I would never part with (my Bravewood J for example). The key thing that has made me focus on one electric (my Rickenbacker) is recording an album with my band. We decided to track very quickly with the same gear to give the album a single, unified character and it really worked. So I'm now down to a double bass and a Rickenbacker which is an unusual situation for me. I just felt I didn;t need the other basses. It reminds me of when I was in a touring band back in the mid nineties. I was not so worried about the bass itself etc (it was a stingray so it sounded like a Ray and felt chunky and was slightly heavy ha ha) but I was obsessed with getting a good tone with what I had i.e. the bass and an SVT rig and the bass not breaking from all the abuse. I had a J bass as a backup but I never played it. Throughout the entire period (a couple of years) I never even thought about buying basses. The bass was a tool, not a fetish object. Fast forward 15 yrs and here I am with more means at my disposal and a very semi pro attitude to music and I'm going through basses like water so I've decided to boil it down to a single electirc and a DB. Of course, I do have an ADAMOVIC on order...aha ha ha ha... But that's another story...aha ha ha

PS that's going by their website. You should phone ahead if you go...

Just a heads up. There is a slightly beaten up Burgundyglo 1978 Ric 4001 (listed as a 4003 for some reason) on sale in the Gallery at £1350. http://www.thebassgallery.com/product_details.cfm?ID=2196&type=Bass%20Guitar If it's anything like mine (a 1978 BG) it could be a truly great bass. My one is light, v well balanced and with an amazing skinny neck. If you can get to London give it a go. cheers Nick

I love the sound of the Jam in this era. Three piece at its best. Huge bass and edgy guitar. I play my 4001 with flats but go for the same size in the mix... [quote name='woodster909' timestamp='1330289647' post='1555344'] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whSYTSXm8wo[/media] [/quote]

It looks mashed up and heavily tweaked. Local look see would be worth it if the neck and body are original.

Very smooth transaction...Enjoy the guitar Alan! Nick