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RICKENBACKER PORN


matski

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Well, I decided to scratch the itch again and picked up a lovely 4003S today. I've changed the Truss Rod cover for a black one and a black pickguard is hopefully arriving tomorrow so I can change that too. I love Mapleglo Rics but find the white plastic makes them look a bit anaemic. 
 

This one has a lovely chunky neck and I'm loving the new style bridges too. The lack of bevelled edge on the body is really comfortable too. 
 

PS: sorry it didn't work out for you @Clarky   I've been there many times myself sadly. 

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On 06/12/2021 at 14:47, martthebass said:

Try FB Market place (the Bass Guitar one...) also, mine sold in 20 minutes on there.  They are fetching top dollar at the moment 😉

Update:  my 4003 didn't sell on eBay (very few watchers) and has had no interest on FB market place (despite handy discount), so I am going to give it some more time and try to get used to the bass.

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Considering a black 'plate for the other 4003, but put off because the other one already has one (and matching TRC).

 

Would love to find somewhere that does custom 'plates & TRC's at reasonable prices. Know of a few places, but they're either expensive or not quite what I'm after. RickySounds only do black, white or gold.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Just got my nice new 4003CB WG Rick bass., stunning. Nice contrast with my old 4001. It's a new Custom Build 4003 with checker binding, toaster pup & Walnutglo finish. with high gloss fretboard.  Great new style bridge & single twin action truss rod. Love em both.

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  • 1 month later...
2 minutes ago, Bassman Sam said:

Nice one Clarky   mine is prettier though.  I hope you got it for a good price. 

Well I got it for the lowest price I could find available in the UK. Whether that qualifies as a "good" price is a different matter!

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2 hours ago, Richard R said:

Slightly off topic - anyone here played the 5 string 4003S/5 ? Have decided 5 strings suit me, but do like a Rick.

 

I play mine at every gig with https://www.lemonrock.com/junkyarddogs. We're not nearly as busy these days as my other band (https://www.lemonrock.com/damoandthedynamites) or as we were pre-Covid, but we still average two gigs a month.

 

I bought the bass for a number of reasons - extensively documented elsewhere on Basschat if you're interested - but always with the intention of using it with this band. We're a 3-piece without a recognised lead guitarist, so I'm alternating between filling out the sound with my bassline and playing 'lead bass' on a number of songs. The Rick does both jobs perfectly, especially when paired with a Sansamp BDDI. Other fuzzy pedals are available. The 4003.s5 is on the heavy side, like all Rics IME, but I play with a twin-shoulder strap which distributes the weight nicely. A younger me probably wouldn't have noticed the weight.

 

Any 4-string Rick would fit the description in the last paragraph. I have the 4003.s5 because in this band I need to play a 5-string bass on perhaps a third of the songs. Switching between 4-string and 5-string basses within a set was leading to too many cockups ("No you fool, you come in on the C, not the G!") so if I wanted a Rick at all then it had to be a 5-string Rick, and there's only one such bass out there.

 

The styling is (IMHO) a very nice update of the classic Rick design, and I've had a couple of those too. Body edges are more comfortable, the pickup arrangement is WAY more user-friendly than the 60s/70s basses, and the stealth black finish looks great just as soon as you ditch the appalling cheapo cheapo white p/g and trc and replace them with after-market parts in black.

 

The neck is classic Rick too, and one I find easy to play. I've had mine for nearly two years now, storing it in a very dry atmosphere, and I'm just starting to get a bit of fret-sprout which I'll be dealing with next week. Like most Ricks it responds very well to being played with a pick (something I do on maybe half a dozen songs at a 3-hour gig), and on a boomy floor or stage it sounds better with the Low rolled off than most of my other high-end basses.

 

I'm known for being an advocate of flats, but it would never occur to me to fit them to my Rick. The original-fitment rounds are just fine.

 

As to the Low B itself, I'm a huge fan of 35" scale 5-string basses and my two favourites are both Mike Lulls, partly for that reason. I've always found 34" scale Low Bs to be frankly rather flobbadob and under-whelming, although I know that plenty of Basschatters believe that neck construction is far more important than scale length in determining this. And of course the 4003.s5 is a mere 33.25" so must be utterly hopeless? Actually no, it compares just fine with various 34" scale 5-strings I've had in the past, as also with the Status Streamline sitting by my right elbow as I type. I still prefer the Lulls for the Low B, but I have no problem with the Rick's Low B at gigs.

 

 

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Thanks @Happy Jack 👍

I did a search on the forum to see if there was a NBD review or such but couldn't find one, so thanks for a very comprehensive, and favourable, review. Good to hear the low B works on a Rick. I have only owned 35" basses, so 33¼" might actually be easier.

I'm not in the immediate market for a new bass - I still have to learn to play the ones I have properly- but there are a couple for retail sale within easy driving distance so I will check them out when I have a bit of spare time.

Thanks again

 

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I've had a go on @Happy Jack's 5-er and it did one thing the same as the one I had: the normal 4 strings were clang,clang,clang,clang, and the B was "thud".

Not sure if it needed a new set of strings.

Otherwise, it was like a Ric with an extra string bolted on and a wider neck for it.

Who knows - I might pick up another at some point; there was one going on FB for £1200 for a while and I was almost tempted.

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