4 Strings

Rickenbacker basses. Funny ole things, air of mystery about them. Never been brave enough to own one, don't want to die before I do. Can someone help me with a couple of 'what's the difference' questions, please? Am I right - a 4003 is the luxury version, with the 'stereo' output (which is really an output for each pup), the nice neck and body binding, cool shark's teeth fret markers and 'normal' single coil pups with a removable ashtray on the bridge pup? And the 4001 the simpler version with a single output, no binding, plain ole dots and the weird neck pup with two magnetic strips, each with its own coil to buck the hum, making it look like a toaster, and the bizarre bridge pup where the magnetic field is created by a horseshoe magnet which goes under and over the strings, almost joining at the top? If you take off the ashtray from a 4003 do you not see a similar pup to the neck pup, just with a huge chrome surround? Is the huge chrome surround to make it look like the horseshoe? And is the bizarre horseshoe pup a throwback to their lap guitar making days? Aren't you stuck with the top part of the horseshoe and so always have part of the strings covered over? If the 4001 and 4003 have such different pups, surely they would sound totally different, and so which one has the 'Rick' sound, the odd 4001? That lovely glowy sound that Macca got from his would be flats and the humbucking front pup of a 4001, and that church organy 'Rick' sound typical of Chris Squire is rounds with both ups on a 4001? The clank of Bruce Foxton is from Rotos on the back pup? Any help would be greatly appreciated

I believe the dead spot to occur on basses with necks made from a single piece of wood (like a Fender) and can be reduced/expunged by a laminated, or sandwich neck where the different size and often type of wood resonate differently cancelling out any major resonance.

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1348160301' post='1810235'] Yep, the XL range were great sounding cabs. I had the 210 & 115 paired together, worked really well, very nice set-up. [/quote] Yep, only improved when I added a PRO1800 monster. Those days of humping heavy gear around are now gone. I have to say I miss the ridiculous lows from the 1x18 rattling my fillings but I don't miss it as much as I'm happy not to have to move it.

150 is noted in the ads but there seems to be plenty of them for sale. Could be 75 shops with a couple each. 150 is about 10 minutes output from the factory isn't it?

Haven't read all the posts but I'm wondering if the OP is running his GB amp into the same speakers as his desk system. I have an STM900 too and while 'warm' may apply, 'wooly' doesn't (sounds like a winter garment!). I wondered if there was more colouration from the cab than the amp.

I regularly used a Hartke 2.5XL, its a 2x10 with a little 5". Deep cabinet in terms of sound and size with a a generous port. Sounds great and can handle some real power. I had a similar initial disappointment as the OP when I played my nice new BF cabs. Seemed to lose all tone and left with a bland sound, until I discovered the 'bland sound' was actually the sound of a bass guitar, not a Hartke cab. Took me a little while to get used to it but now, having played through the Hartke again at home and despite the initial impressiveness of the sound its relative muddiness and boom has made me realise the difference even more and what a one way ticket it is to the BF. And that was without trying to get it downstairs to the car!

BF Compact + Midget T here, although the opportunities to use them together in anger can be counted on one hand. When I have its been blistering, very sweet.

What was the problem with the Platinums?

[quote name='DaveFry' timestamp='1348134563' post='1809695'] ( Retired piano player learning bass here ; ) I guess it is one of those things that get easier the more you do it . One handy trick is to imagine " louder " ( in your head , that is ) , and to make that imagination so compelling that the fingers have to follow ; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_7DgCrziI8 [/quote] Thanks for this, fascinating stuff, encouraging too, can't help but be influenced by it. (Loved the piano lick by someone who doesn't practice them!)

If you'd like a new Precision, is there a better example? Isn't this something you have to buy? Anything to sell? Overtime? Bank? Dad got any money? The bigger question is whether you wait for the feeling to pass or go for it. (I just waited a similar time for a Pre-EB 'Ray, of course it went. The bass. I'm now stuck with a feeling of regret which I'm worried will not!)

This is an excellent question. Working at the moment so can't read all the responses until later but dying to say that learning to play what I imagine has made me a much better player. Loads of little fills, grace notes etc I hear and, at some stage, decided to actually play that. Doesn't always happen first time but a little determination and I find a way, hence improving. This also applies to doing covers, I hear a little something from, say Bernard Edwards, a detail perhaps which thrills and set about trying to achieve it, never as easy as it sounds. Many of the Youtube vids don't seem to get to a lot of these levels of detail (thejamersonhook chap excepted), but I think its all in the detail and if your hear detail in your head for your own playing, I'd encourage anyone to spend a bit of time learning to translate into finger action. It never gets easy but does get less hard.

Or, indeed, GB! Its great to have found a tone to which you keep returning, clearly it works very well for you. Quite envious as I think I'm still looking to reach that position, probably defining by things I don't like rather than do.

Newtone Factory [attachment=118861:Newtone.gif] Here's an interesting thread from another list [url="http://www.tdpri.com/forum/bad-dog-cafe/297040-what-companies-really-make-their-own-strings.html"]http://www.tdpri.com...wn-strings.html[/url] includes this (tried to remove the media content but leave the link and failed, I'm afraid): "Who actually manufactures strings?" [url="http://professorstring.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=28&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=15"]http://professorstring.com/phpbb/vie...r=asc&start=15[/url] 1. Professor String - USA - (proof: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbizZatTilU[/media]) 2. Thomastik-Infeld - Austria - (proof: [url="http://www.thomastik-infeld.com/global/images/company/folder/fo_tg01.jpg"]http://www.thomastik-infeld.com/glob...er/fo_tg01.jpg[/url]) 3. D'Addario - USA - (proof: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiohQI1Zcuc&feature=related[/media]) 4. LaBella/E.O. Mari - USA - (proof: [url="http://www.labella.com/factory.html"]http://www.labella.com/factory.html[/url]) 5. Rotosound - UK - (proof: James How with John Entwistle in the factory [url="http://www.rotosound.com/Portrait_f5.jpg"]http://www.rotosound...Portrait_f5.jpg[/url]) 6. Pyramid - Germany - (proof: Listed as a Birkmaier winding equipment client.) 7. Gibson - USA - (proof: Second-oldest guitar string maker in the USA [url="http://www.gibson.com/press/strings/GSOE.html"]http://www.gibson.co...rings/GSOE.html[/url]) 8. Ernie Ball - USA - (proof: New string making facility announced in 2006[url="http://www.usajobs.org/viewarticle.jsp?articleuid=11132035939851027493607"]http://www.usajobs.org/viewarticle.j...39851027493607[/url]) 9. GHS - USA - (proof: [url="http://www.ghsstrings.com/support_faq.php"]http://www.ghsstring...support_faq.php[/url]) 10. Yamaha - Japan - (proof: YMMI Indonesia factory tour in January 2008 Guitarist Magazine) 11. Fender - USA/Mexico - (proof: [url="http://picasaweb.google.com/meridianmusicguitars/FenderFactoryTour2006"]http://picasaweb.google.com/meridian...actoryTour2006[/url]) 12. Dunlop - USA - (proof: TBA) 13. Peavey - USA - (proof: Mapes client list at [url="http://www.mapeswire.com/specialtywire.html"]http://www.mapeswire...cialtywire.html[/url]) 14. D'Aquisto - USA - (proof: Mapes site at [url="http://www.mapeswire.com/specialtywire.html"]http://www.mapeswire...cialtywire.html[/url]) 15. Black Diamond - USA - (proof: Mapes site at [url="http://www.mapeswire.com/specialtywire.html"]http://www.mapeswire...cialtywire.html[/url]) 16. Vinci - USA - (proof: Mapes site at [url="http://www.mapeswire.com/specialtywire.html"]http://www.mapeswire...cialtywire.html[/url]) 17. Elixir - USA - (proof: The Gore Corporation has string winding equipment made by a division of Engineered Machine Products) 18. S.I.T. - USA - (proof: Company history of Bob and Virgil and a factory in Ohio) 19. Newtone Strings - UK - (proof: [url="http://www.newtonestrings.com/mechanics.htm"]http://www.newtonest...m/mechanics.htm[/url]) 20. Cleartone - USA - (proof: Facility in Los Angeles) 21. Martin - USA - (proof: Factory photo [url="http://www.guitarspecialist.com/images/martintour/martintour009.JPG"]http://www.guitarspecialist.com/imag...tintour009.JPG[/url] and a quote by Chris Martin IV 22. Dean Markley (manufacturing facility in Kalamazoo, Michigan) 23. DR Strings, (facility in Emerson, NJ) 24. Curt Mangan, (facility in Cortez, Colorado) 25. Wyres Strings, (tentative listing, some vidence they're made in Canada at website) I think essential Tension has done better than that old publicity shot of John Entwistle. Even Peavey have bought a couple of machines! Amazing so many are sold each day with half a million from D'Addario alone.

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1348070614' post='1808869'] Rotosound factory: [/quote] Men!

[quote name='RichF' timestamp='1348006912' post='1808170'] one of my guilty pleasures is buying dead cheap 4 and 5 string sets of Legacy. I actually really really like them, keep trying others but keep coming back. Suspected they were Rotosound nickels, now I know. [/quote] I've used Legacies and found them to be absolutely fine and great value. Picato strings are a similar price, made in UK too.

Interesting (to me, anyway, having just bought one), why the change of mind?

I really think the Streamliner/BF combination is near-on perfect. Depends what you want from it etc, I seem to be playing mostly soul and funk at the moment and having a rather a crush on Bernard Edwards' playing and for this even my imagination can't conjure a better combination. Especially when I'm loading up. Surely a combo thus equipped is on the drawing board?

Aren't 'the no funds' comments to prevent someone saying 'if you like it so much, buy it'?

As someone mentioned, Ernie Ball was primarily a string manufacturer, surprised they no longer do that. Interestingly so was Squier, for Fender, before Fender bought them and made a different use of the name.

[quote name='brensabre79' timestamp='1341648329' post='1722183'] Tried out my balanced Newtones at a gig. Feel wise the balance is perfect, but the volume of the strings isn't quite balanced, which defeats the object of this entirely as I ended up playing the D and G harder. As the higher strings seem quieter - I'm adjusting pickups before tonights gig to compensate. Also, this may be due to using the studio grade strings which certainly do have a strong fundamental (where's all the harmonics?) - I have the Live set in the same ready to go on but will try one more time with these first... To be fair to Newtone though, these strings are meant for recording. I'll lay down some tracks tomorrow and see how they fare. [/quote] More please. Just ordered a set of the Platinums, hoping for a warmer sound, more depth and less squeak. I was really after halfrounds but thought I'd give these a try. Not looking forward to a lightweight sound on the 'G'. Is it still the case?

[quote name='johnthebassist' timestamp='1347954923' post='1806979'] Oh yeah, I've gotta agree - the list prices are pretty eye-watering, especially for the custom stuff! [/quote] If you don't mind waiting you can get a handbuilt Jaydee for a third of the money. Go and watch it being built too.

[quote name='BassTractor' timestamp='1347731116' post='1804442'] Huh? Isn't that tautological or at the very least pleonastic? [/quote] Bad boy!

[quote name='dc2009' timestamp='1347926488' post='1806861'] I also think that the Warwick marketing is poor. It's all a matter of taste, but when they hand signature models to blokes I've barely/never heard of, it doesn't exactly impress me, especially when I then get spammed loads with a bass I don't particularly like! Even the old custom models that Warwick bring up photos of to advertise I tend to think are a lot less attractive than some I have seen in my years of trawling through the site. I know it's a question of taste, but I swear their marketing guys don't quite pick them as well as other brands can (thinking Sandberg here). [/quote] Perhaps Warwick would be unimpressed with your knowledge of bass players and if you sign up to their marketing FB page, guess what, they'll send you marketing stuff, even if they don't know what specific basses you like you've told them you like Warwicks. You make an interesting point about s/h prices, people describe Ricks as 'love or hate them', maybe Warwicks are even more so, some love them enough to pay eye-watering prices for new but not enough others do to maintain their s/h value, passing at hugely reduced prices. I'm one of the latter, I certainly see them as clearly beautifully, carefully designed and made basses but I'm always disappointed when I see a bass player I like using one! Why?

So certified wood makes for a pretty bass and you'll need to pay a little more to be responsible. Fair enough to me.

Is a difference in tone actually intended, or is one just a better, if a little more costly, engineering solution?