RICKENBACKER PORN

[King Tut]

On 17/04/2025 at 07:32, Pow_22 said:

So ive had a Ric itch for quite a while now and been looking at this particular one for some time:-

 

https://richtonemusic.co.uk/rickenbacker-4001-1978-autumn-glo-hard-case-2nd-hand/

 

It seems to have sold once and been returned a few months back (ive watched it for a while).  Obviously i have concerns it has been returned although it may just have not suited the buyer.  From what i can see there is a reasonable tail lift that i would absolutely want more pictures of before travelling to Sheffield to see it fully.  Love the colour and the 'mojo' but is there anything else obvious from the photos that i should ask for more in depth pics of before travelling to actually try the bass.  This will be (potentially) my first ric being mainly a J and P player so me knowledge here is very limited.  Cheers in advance..

 

 

That’s a lovely looking thing for sure but I’m totally with @WHUFC BASS I’d pick up one of the latest models. I’ve got a 77 4001 and and a 2016 4003 and apart from the mojo’d looks there’s no real reason I’d take the 77 out over the 2016. The vintage switch on the later models make them pretty versatile as well. I’m proper tempted by the walnut one on here tbh but must stay strong!

[ezbass]

18 minutes ago, King Tut said:

I’m proper tempted by the walnut one on here tbh but must stay strong!

That does look a cracker. Having had one of the newer 4003S models, albeit an all maple one, I can attest to sound and playability. The only reason I moved mine on was the the weight, I should’ve bought a walnut one at the time, which are much lighter, but I was lured by the Fireglo. I don’t think that @Pow_22 would be disappointed with a newer one.

[BlueMoon]

13 hours ago, prowla said:

So, they’ve released a new Treble pickup. 

I think the pickup is the same. The bezel is now on 2025 models direct from Rickenbacker in place of the classic chrome-effect pickup cover. 

[AMV001]

17 hours ago, prowla said:

So, they’ve released a new Treble pickup. 

Its a new surround/bezel rather than a pickup. The bridge cover that Ricophobics are so critical of (despite the fact that its simple to remove) is now history.

Edited April 19 by AMV001

[Skybone]

We're down in Yorkshire for a few days, so my lad & I nipped in to Richtone, there's the Autumnglo which is a '78, and there's a Mapleglo '79 as well. Both very nice.

 

Was in Guitar guitar in Glasgow last weekend, and they had some new 4003 basses in, had a shot on a really lovely looking Mapleglo, really didn't like it at all, the neck was way too skinny. Action seemed pretty good with the new bridge though.

[snorkie635]

2 hours ago, AMV001 said:

Its a new surround/bezel rather than a pickup. The bridge cover that Ricophobics are so critical of (despite the fact that its simple to remove) is now history.

How long before the coveted Ricks will only be the ones with the 'original' pickup covers. The musician-consumer is a strange beast. 😁

[rwillett]

2 minutes ago, Skybone said:

We're down in Yorkshire for a few days, so my lad & I nipped in to Richtone, there's the Autumnglo which is a '78, and there's a Mapleglo '79 as well. Both very nice.

 

Was in Guitar guitar in Glasgow last weekend, and they had some new 4003 basses in, had a shot on a really lovely looking Mapleglo, really didn't like it at all, the neck was way too skinny. Action seemed pretty good with the new bridge though.

 

I'm down in Chesterfield at my mums and was trying to get to Richtone in Sheffield, thankfully it closes at 17:00 and so my credit card is safe for a few more days.

[AMV001]

Schaller now providing replacement RIC machineheads to buy direct. Good luck finding gold or black bridges or pickup surrounds to match though...

 

https://schaller.info/en/bm-rickenbacker-style/1029

[Sambrook]

Just flicked through 22 pages (day off, bored), only 2 pics of the Cheyenne (or Laramie or some name like that). Laredo?

 

I mention this because I find the Rickenbacker too 'fussy' visually - blocks, binding, knobs/switches, pickup surrounds, massive scratch plate etc etc...

 

However, the Cheyenne/Laramie/Fort Worth model has the lovely Rickenbacker silhouette without all the clutter, just the essentials. Imho etc..

 

Is this model just less popular, or is there another reason...?

 

I await your comments/scorn with interest...

[ezbass]

17 minutes ago, Sambrook said:

Cheyenne/Laramie/Fort Worth model

 That made me smile.

[Skybone]

@Sambrook, the "L" is the "Laredo". IIRC, it had chrome hardware, where the Cheyenne (& Cheyenne II) had gold hardware.

 

For some reason, the 4004's just weren't as popular with the buyers as the "traditional" 4001 / 4003 models.

 

IIRC, unfortunately, they were discontinued a few years ago (can't recall when), presumably because of the lack of demand.

 

[prowla]

2 hours ago, Skybone said:

@Sambrook, the "L" is the "Laredo". IIRC, it had chrome hardware, where the Cheyenne (& Cheyenne II) had gold hardware.

 

For some reason, the 4004's just weren't as popular with the buyers as the "traditional" 4001 / 4003 models.

 

IIRC, unfortunately, they were discontinued a few years ago (can't recall when), presumably because of the lack of demand.

 

People complained the 4003 had sharp corners, an obtuse bridge, noisy pickups, and a selection of other gripes.

Rickenbacker produced the 4004 with rounded edges, a Schaller 3D bridge, humbuckers.

People complained it wasn't a 4003 and didn't buy it.

[tvickey]

On 19/04/2025 at 18:19, Skybone said:

Was in Guitar guitar in Glasgow last weekend, and they had some new 4003 basses in, had a shot on a really lovely looking Mapleglo, really didn't like it at all, the neck was way too skinny. Action seemed pretty good with the new bridge though.

 

By any chance was it this Mapleglo at GG in Glasgow? 

 

The neck thickness is one thing (I play a lot of Warwicks, and so don't mind thin), but the setup on this particular bass in the Glasgow shop was complete sh*t... look at the bridge saddle positions!  They wouldn't be in more of a straight line if you used a ruler.  Intonation was way off.  String heights were also way off (in my opinion).  

 

Why would GG hang such a poorly setup bass on the wall?

 

That said, it is a beautiful instrument.  Schaller machine heads and strap locks, single truss rod, new bridge system.  The knobs on the 2025 4003 (all of them?) are just a wee bit smaller than on my 2023 4003 (which has 1" x 0.6" knobs).

[msb]

That XC looks delicious.

[prowla]

53 minutes ago, tvickey said:

 

By any chance was it this Mapleglo at GG in Glasgow? 

 

The neck thickness is one thing (I play a lot of Warwicks, and so don't mind thin), but the setup on this particular bass in the Glasgow shop was complete sh*t... look at the bridge saddle positions!  They wouldn't be in more of a straight line if you used a ruler.  Intonation was way off.  String heights were also way off (in my opinion).  

 

Why would GG hang such a poorly setup bass on the wall?

 

That said, it is a beautiful instrument.  Schaller machine heads and strap locks, single truss rod, new bridge system.  The knobs on the 2025 4003 (all of them?) are just a wee bit smaller than on my 2023 4003 (which has 1" x 0.6" knobs).

 

It's the fabled "difficult to adjust" Ric bridge issue!

[rwillett]

1 hour ago, prowla said:

 

It's the fabled "difficult to adjust" Ric bridge issue!

 

I'm trying to work out if this is actually an issue or not. I know nothing about Rickenbackers apart from Macca and Lemmy played them. I keep hearing that the bridge is difficult but surely after all these years they must have fixed this problem? Or is it just a running joke that nobody does adjust them?

 

Thanks

Rob

[prowla]

9 hours ago, rwillett said:

 

I'm trying to work out if this is actually an issue or not. I know nothing about Rickenbackers apart from Macca and Lemmy played them. I keep hearing that the bridge is difficult but surely after all these years they must have fixed this problem? Or is it just a running joke that nobody does adjust them?

 

Thanks

Rob

 

Older Ric basses had a Tune-o-Matic style bridge sitting on a large tailpiece/baseplate which many didn't like.

It was recently replaced with a newer V2 model which is a different design and provides full adjustment; that's what's on the mapleglo one in @tvickey's post.

So my comment was a bit of a joke because that issue is resolved on that bass.

The bridge issue is a matter of opinion; it appeared in 1963 and persisted for 50 years, during which time Rickenbacker sold a lot of instruments.

Some people just complain that the Ric isn't a Fender, but if it was then it wouldn't be a Ric!

 

Back to the bridges...

The older ones were made with a curvature to match the fingerboard, so that never needed adjusting and there was just a screw at each end for the overall action.

The intonation is a little more finicky to adjust because: i. the trailing ends of the strings sit directly above the adjusters, making them difficult to access, ii. the bridge height adjustment sinks into the tailpiece and the curvature of the tailpiece casting can further block access, and iii. there is limited lengthwise travel in the saddles on a tune-o-matic, and it can be necessary to disassemble it and turn individial ones arround so the asymmetric "V" is orientated in the opposite direction.

 

Some folks also don't like the older Ric "hair-pin" truss-rods, but they're generally fine and virtually never need adjusting.

Plus there were two of them!

If you are an incessant tweaker then the important message is that they didn't work like Fender ones and you could damage the bass by assuming they did.

This led to them having a bit of a bad name as people would find out the hard way.

The instructions said not to use the truss-rod to shift the neck, but rather to flex the neck to position (by holding it over your knee and pressing against the 1st fret) (or you can use clamps on a workbench of you want to be more professional about it) and using the truss-rod adjustment to hold it in place.

Actually I've seen that recommended as a general approach for older instruments (even Fenders).

 

Rics have moved with the times and now they have the V2 bridge (I think it's based on a Schaller 3D, which was used on a couple of Ric models anyway) and they've shifted to a single dual-action truss-rod, so folks can adjust to their hearts content.

But there are a heck of a lot of older RIcs about, soldiering on, doing their job and generally they don't need tweaking: just get them set up once and keep buying the same strings.

So, it's not a running joke that nobody adjusts them; it's rather that they generally don't need a lot of adjusting.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited Friday at 23:51 by prowla