Jump to content
Why become a member? ×

The Legoheads

Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    88

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Everything posted by The Legoheads

  1. The Legoheads
    1980 Rickenbacker 4003 Bass in Maple Glo with Original Hard Case I picked this guitar up in Vegas quite recently to add to my Rickenbacker stable. It was really an impulse buy and as I already have a 4003, it's really a luxury I can't afford to keep. If you're checking out this auction then chances are you know what you're looking at and so I'll save you all the rhetoric and manufacturers specs and get down to what you need to know. The description below is honest and detailed so that there are no hidden surprises for the buyer. This guitar is an original Rickenbacker 4003 built in November 1980 (serial TK 4501) and in good condition with no real issues. The neck is as straight as they come, action is perfect (for me) and fretwear is minimal compared to my much younger 2003 JetGlo model. However, you may have noticed the unusual mixture of black and chrome hardware. It would seem that someone, at some time in the guitar's history, has swapped out some of the original white and chrome items in favour of the rarer black hardware. I don't blame them; I used to own a Maple Glo 4003 with black HW and (in my humble opinion) they are better looking than their white/chrome HW counterparts. Items changed include: the Rickenbacker truss rod cover (white to black), the keywinds (chrome to black non-Ric), the pickguard (white to black), the strap buttons (chrome to black) and the binding on the body (white to black). The job with the binding isn't the best and whoever removed the original white binding managed to leave a thin slither of white underneath the black. This may or may not have been the intention. Also, the replacement pickguard is from a 4001 and slightly smaller than the 4003 pickguard. Being an early 4003, this bass would have originally had a "split" pickguard. There is a spare black "split" 4003 pickguard in the case but it has a crack in it. That's where the transformation ceased and the original chrome bridge and chrome pick-up surround are still in place. There is no problem with the guiar as it is and it looks and plays fine but if I were intending to keep it, I'd be tempted to complete the transformation from parts frequently available elsewhere on ebay and sell on the chrome items. There are no dings of any note although there is a minimal amount of buckle rash on the rear of the body which is only noticeable if you hold the guitar at just the right angle in the light. The fretboard has a few small imperfections including 2 small patches where the varnish has been breached (around 1cm long each). The neck is smooth and straight. The most important thing is that this guitar looks, feels and sounds like nothing else. Looking for £950. Located in Carterton (15 miles west of Oxford).
  2. The Legoheads
    I almost always have to sleep on it... I can practice all day long but I'll end up getting worse before I get better... However, come back to it the next day and it just sort of clicks.
  3. The Legoheads
    [quote name='kennyrodg' post='228789' date='Jun 28 2008, 11:38 PM']dumb question maybe but.......here goes how do use a wireless system if you got two or three pedals on the go :ph34r: edit, AREA,you're avatar rocks !![/quote] I run my pedal through the send/return on the amp and feed the reciever directly into the amp input. Alternatively, as the Samson Airline system receiver is the same size as a pedal you could just put in in-line at the start of the pedal chain... Only thing I'm never too sure about is whether I should be plugging the receiver into the passive or active input of my amp...?
  4. The Legoheads
    [quote name='phil_the_bassist' post='227154' date='Jun 26 2008, 10:20 AM']Hell yes! that was my plan...infact, I've got a clear credit card and a weeks vacation starting on the 3rd july so I might just do it! My one MAHOOOSIVE worry is getting the bass back in one piece and not smashed-to-funk by the baggage throwers...how do you get around this'un?[/quote] I took it as carry-on... although it exceeds the standard carry on size a lot of airlines will permit you to carry your precious instrument on to the plane and stow it in one of the crew lockers or a wardrobe rather than the overhead (as it won't fit). Just be nice and smile a lot and those stewards can be really helpful... You'll need to ask at check-in but it's best to say, "I normally just carry this on... is that okay...?". At worst you can do what they do with prams, where to keep hold of it until you get to the aircraft and then it's taken downstairs and placed in the hold by someone who gets paid a little more, thus bypassing the luggage monkeys... Best of luck mate... I hired a big gay Harley for a few days when I was out there... and found myself a new girlfriend... everyone's a winner On a tangent... Just watching the Editors at Galstonbury on TV... a 4003 and a 620... both in Jetglo... dribble...
  5. The Legoheads
    I always sit down in rehearsal... then when I stand for a gig it never feels quite right..
  6. The Legoheads
    Scale length is 34", string spacing between 10mm and 11mm at 12th, action is 2.75mm at 6th and 3.25 at 12th measured on low B. Hope this helps...
  7. The Legoheads
    No worries mate.. here it is... a Fishman MKAB
  8. The Legoheads
    Price reduced to £275 if that helps...?
  9. The Legoheads
    Last time I went to the US I bought a mint 1989 4003 Ric Bass from a guitar shop, Daddy's Junky Music in Manchester NH. After a bit of haggling I got the bass for $1400 (£700) instead of the $1600 it was up for. After getting home I decided that owning 2 Ric basses was an extravagance I couldn't afford and so I sold it on ebay for £1150, a profit of some £450 which more than payed for my airline ticket... Around 12 months ago you could get a new 4003 for $1400 but demand and subsequent shortage has pushed the new price up to $2200. There are a lot of people over here buying from US ebay which also pushes prices up and then you may well get stung for import duty. Get on a plane and take a holiday...
  10. The Legoheads
    Is there any way to ID the make of strings fitted to a bass...? I changed the strings on a secondhand Ric I bought but am not too sure about the new ones. It would be great if I could identify the strings previously fitted or at least narrow them down. The only distinguishing features of the old strings were red binding and brass ferrules. Any ideas...?
  11. The Legoheads
    Love them on my guitars (6 string) but not sure on my bass...
  12. The Legoheads
    Mine was a very old and battered Westone Quantum stick bass from the 80s that I got from our old bass player before he left the band. Being a Prince fan he had hand painted the body a gopping purple colour, the fretboard in white and drawn spider webs on the PU covers. I stripped it back and resprayed the body in Spectral Blue (the same colour as my car) and restored the fretboard back to it's original natural state. I replaced volume and tone knobs with matt black knurled items and sprayed the rest of the hardware in matt black. Didn't look half bad once I'd finished and it was certainly good enough to practice on. I keep it at the office now so that I can indulge when the urge takes me....
  13. The Legoheads
    Thanks for the reassurance Clarky... I just thought maybe I was a bit rubbish... I suppose there are quite a few "non-finger" legends out there but I wondered if it may be a useful skill to learn... Not that I need to make life any more difficult for myself... BTW... let that guy know you wanted his PU guard... hopefully he'll stop by the forum and get in touch...
  14. The Legoheads
    I have an embarrassing confession... Probably due to me playing 6 string for 20 years, when I took up bass around 5 years ago I carried on using a pick. There are occassions when I need to be more flexible in which case I use a thumb and forefinger to pluck the strings at a faster rate or to produce a softer sound. All my muting is done with my fretting hand. Obviously, I see the traditional fingers style used predominantly when I'm watching other bands and bass players and would really like to know what it is I'm missing out on. I have tried a few simple tunes using finger style but it doesn't seem to suit.... What am I missing and should I make an effort to learn to play proper...?
  15. The Legoheads
    [quote name='Clarky' post='223561' date='Jun 21 2008, 01:04 PM']Hey Mr Legoheads - I have the same bass minus the black pickup cover. Asa favour to this Forumite, I would really appreciate if you could ask your buyer if he wants the p/u cover - if not I would willingly buy it off him. Cheers Clarky[/quote] I delivered the bass today and asked the buyer to pop by the forum if he was interested in selling the PU cover...
  16. The Legoheads
    I wasn't super keen on the colour scheme when I bought it... but that black on maple has grown on me and in the photos it looks gorgeous... maybe the BIN price should have been higher...
  17. The Legoheads
    most of our set is pretty upbeat... Bet That You Look Good on the Dance Floor, Kasabian's Reason is Treason, Creepin Up The Backstairs (Fratellis), Can You Dig It, Monster, Sit Down, Laid, Had Enough, Hindu Times... Only slow ones are I Wanna Be Adored and Live Forever....
  18. The Legoheads
    I'm always bitching about our drummer and guitarist for one reason or another... Our drummer just lacks commitment and everything else in his life comes before the band. And he lacks imagination and a good ear when it comes to original material. We're trying to find a suitable replacement... Our guitarist in naturally talented but lacks any musical knowledge. This means that he's always trying to reinvent the wheel and being a bit bolshi he always wants it his way which make life hard for everyone else. When recording he always wants to lay his track down first and insists that's the way it's done despite never having been in another band, let alone recorded anything. The rest of us know better and after trying it his way to prove him wrong and why it doesn't work we end up doing it the right way. However, he forgets all to easy and next time the script is the same. In addition he's always trying to be clever when composing... sometimes different and unusual is good but sometimes keeping something simple sounds better... He's trying to be unpredictable but if you do it every time then that in itself becomes predictable... Artistic differences always cause problems and it's just a matter of chossing your battles and making compromise...
  19. The Legoheads
    Did you want a strap or a harness...? I use a big thick sheepskin padded El Dorado... [url="http://eldoradostraps.com/products.htm"]http://eldoradostraps.com/products.htm[/url] More than enough for a big heavy Rickenbacker
  20. The Legoheads
    [quote name='ahpook' post='223250' date='Jun 20 2008, 09:11 PM'][/quote] tell me about it...
  21. The Legoheads
    I sometimes have a problem with Stone Roses, I Wanna Be Adored... it's so repetitive that as soon as you think what you're doing it can all go belly up... I also hate playing those really simply basslines where you just follow the chords... no riffs.. I can never remember them as they are so indistinctive....
  22. The Legoheads
    [quote]I find that it's the transmitter battery (a meagre AAA) which is usually first to go.[/quote] Yeah... I use a power supply for my receiver base. Now wouldn't it be good if your amp had a 9V DC output to feed such things...? Do any manufacturers do that..?
  23. The Legoheads
    Got the Samson Airline Bass too... nothing to compare it with but it does what it says on the box so quite happy with it... Just make sure you keep track of the battery useage as it can be embarassing if it goes during a gig. I think it says they last quite a long time but I do no more that 2 gigs on one battery and then I put it in my "rehearsal only" box...
  24. The Legoheads
    Here's my old setup... loved it to bits and it never let me down. Alas, it got too much like hard work carting it to gigs and so I had to sell it on a few months back to a lovely lady from London. I hope she's taking good care of it... Now using a Hughes & Kettner BK300
  25. The Legoheads
    They say that imitation is the sincereist form of flattery but for some reason some Ric owners can get really arsey about fakes... which are really "copies" and not fakes... But then fakes are okay too as long as they are declared as such. I've always wanted a 4005 but they are so expensive (a lot of that due to collectors buying them up instead of player playing them - but that's a whole other discussion) and a few years back I started to build one from scratch using as many genuine parts as possible. Unfortunately, things ground to a halt and the half prepared maple body is sat languishing on a stand next to my other less expnsive Rics. I would love to find a good 4005 copy as I think they are such a beautiful bass... genuine or not...
×
×
  • Create New...