After lusting after a Ric 4001/4003 for many years I finally bought a new Amber Fireglow (2007 special colour) 4003, last year. As I almost always play fingerstyle, first thing I did was to take the pick up cover off, as so many people do. Now that isn't as straight forward as you would imagine either!!! Next thing was to fit a thumb rest and I was in business. Initial impressions were slight disappointment! This is an expensive guitar and apart from fantastic looks, I wasn't sure where the value for money was coming from! However after just a few days playing I realised that this was going to be a life long love affair. I have 6 other basses (Gibson Victory, Gibson SG both short and long scale, Fender P, Goodfellow fretless, Guild DeArmond Starfire) and in terms of sound and playability, the Ric is always my first choice. When I upgraded from Ashdown amp and cabs to Ampeg, the Ric REALLY came into its own. The tonal range is just amazing and the Ric/Ampeg combination gives me everything I could ever wish for sound wise. As others have said, best to play a Ric before buying, if you can. But don't just play it for 5 minutes, it takes a few hours of playing before you realise what a fantastic guitar it is - even so there will be those that just don't get on with them.