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I don't really understand Rickenbackers


cloudburst
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[quote name='Big_Stu' timestamp='1342989940' post='1743604']


You could well be right, I thought it was another forum otherwise I wouldn't have repeated myself. :blush: IIRC there's a pink Rick in Madrid HRC attributed to Lemmy which I thought strange. I'll see if I can find a pic, I may be remembering the colour wrongly. Is Lemmy so corporate that he'd do a "signer"?? :o .
There are some 80's copies of Music UK on Ebay just now, unfortunately not that one. I used to like that mag.
[/quote]

I'd be interested to see that Ric. To be honest I think he's had quite a few of them; every time I think I've seen them all someone trots out a picture of a different one. Always nice to see another though. Given his well-documented hatred of the colour pink I find it odd he'd put his name to one, although I suppose that'd be one reason for getting rid!

Yeah, I thought that was a great mag too. I'll have to dig out my copy of that, it can't be far away. I think that was the first (relatively) in-depth interview with him I ever read. I think they also reviewed a couple of Rics in the same mag (bass & guitar), although that could be another issue.

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[quote name='bubinga5' timestamp='1342720189' post='1740001']
arent alot of Mcartneys recorded lines played on a jazz bass.. ? :ph34r:
[/quote]

No, though that would suit a lot of people to believe that. Like the rewriting of Rush's recorded history. A scant few were done on the Jazz, Though he used it a bit on Band On The Run.

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[quote name='NancyJohnson' timestamp='1342862677' post='1741922']
To be honest, all my playing life I wanted Geddy Lee's tone, only to discover many years ago that he used a Jazz on a lot of the early recordings. I get a similar tone out of my existing set up (Thunderbird/Sansamp), so I'm happy.
P
[/quote]

Again, the casual use of the phrase " a lot", which lends itself to rewriting hsitory to suit a current trend! :)


He used it mostly from Moving Pictures onwards. It didn't feature much before then - all Ric except for the first album, which was a Precision. He later butchered that to eb the teardrop bass. And to be honest, he sounds like Geddy no matter what he's playing.

Edited by overdriver
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[quote name='4000' timestamp='1343027778' post='1743827']
I'd be interested to see that Ric. To be honest I think he's had quite a few of them; every time I think I've seen them all someone trots out a picture of a different one. Always nice to see another though.[/quote]



Not my pic, but it is the same one. Not pink, but not one which I've seen him use either.

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I'd love Prakash John's heavily-modded Rick. He uses it throughout Alice Cooper's 1975 'Welcome To My Nightmare' concert. It's a fantastically overdriven tone with a phaser on some songs. He does a bit of a bass solo when Alice introduces the band near the end.

Here's a clip of him using it with Lou Reed - there were further modifications made to it by the time of the 'Nightmare' version.

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uc26EFI1_nw"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uc26EFI1_nw[/url]

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[quote name='Big_Stu' timestamp='1343043034' post='1744093']


Not my pic, but it is the same one. Not pink, but not one which I've seen him use either.
[/quote]

A Fireglo V63? No, I've never seen him use it either. I guess it could be a "stand here and have your picture taken with it" job (most likely), or maybe he did actually own it for a while but never really used it much (if at all). Nice info, ta. I used to have a '98 V63; nice bass. Kind of regret getting rid of that one.

Edited by 4000
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[quote name='Dave Vader' timestamp='1343043309' post='1744105']
I never realised how hard it is to find pictures of Lemmy's super-iconic ric, the "Born to Lose, Out to lunch" one. With the stars and the cross on it.
Or I can't use google properly anymore (If I could only own one bass, it would be that one) :)
[/quote]

You mean (sans stars)...........?

and

Edited by Big_Stu
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[quote name='Big_Stu' timestamp='1343082159' post='1745124']
You mean (sans stars)...........?

and

[/quote]

yeah, those were the only two pictures I could find of it as well. :P
Was hoping for one of those uber-geek sites with loads of pics of it from different angles and close ups. Oh well....

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Going back to one of the OP's original points re Macca's sound, as well as string choice etc didn't he make use of the foam mutes to get that 'thuddier' sound too? I've dabbled with them on mine but I prefer a 'clean' sound. They do make a big difference to the overall tone as you'd expect. The one gripe I do have about my ric is the colossal amount of paint on the necks. In humid sticky weather it can be hard getting a smooth fast transition up and down the neck. Mind you I probably have one of the worst fretting hand techniques in the history of bass playing :lol:

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[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1343125664' post='1745545']
Five pages and no mention of[url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Meros"] Dave Meros[/url]? :o For me, the ultimate Ric growl.
[/quote]

I think Meros's basses are heavily modded though, some Fender pickups etc. Great tone none the less.

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Bought a used Rick in the mid 70s, a 4001. Loved the sound, loved the shape and didn't even mind the fireglow finish. The neck however, was the baseball bat version and quite difficult to play, also, there was never enough play in the bridge to get the bottom E in tune. One of the truss rods broke and when I replaced it with a new one the fret board started separating from the neck and then someone nicked it. Oh well. The sound was stunning though. Through a roost 100w valve head and a pair of Vox T60s and fitted with wire wound strings and both pickups on, Wow! The treble hit you between the eyes and the bass rolled out of the cabinets, across the floor and up the wall at the back. I loved it. When the Roost broke I used a 200w GK head and the same cabinets but the sound had gone, it just sounded flat and lifeless. Mr Foxen you're right, a Rick and valves is the way to go. Only my opinion of course.

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I played my way through almost £4,500 and three Rics and couldn't get comfy with any of them. My first was a 4003FL, then a Firelgo Laredo and finally a mapleglo 4003. I pluck rather than pick and the big U over the pickup had to go to on the 4003s to get at the sweet spot over the bridge pickup. Even after that I was not getting that fuzzy feeling because of the gap around the pickup unit.
This is one of those basses that is so cooool that I really wish I could play it, but it wasn't to be. Lemmy made it look so easy as I drooled over Motorhead, but thats Lemmy.
I am tending towards trying again and going wth one of the bridge pickup surrounds which are available now.
But will this be a success ? Or another expensive crash and burn. Can anyone comment on these little gizmos ???

A Ric looks real cool, but you can't get away from the point in the first post and you might not want to acknowledge this but - there ain't a lot of people playing them anywhere. Warwick, Fender, Musicman and Ibanez are stealing the show.

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[quote name='bassman344' timestamp='1343505773' post='1751603']
A Ric looks real cool, but you can't get away from the point in the first post and you might not want to acknowledge this but - there ain't a lot of people playing them anywhere. Warwick, Fender, Musicman and Ibanez are stealing the show.
[/quote]

I'm a die-hard Rickie but I do agree with this. The last new record I can audibly hear a Ric (for me) was 'The Holy Bible' from the Manic Street Preachers in 1994 - besides my band's recent recording I'm on, I've not heard a real up-front Ric on an album since then!

However, I would say that basses on record - in general - have declined in tone since then anyway. But I like to hear a bass sound crisp and natural - and I can't think of a Ric tone since THB that's as big, or a bass tone in general for me as up front and uncluttered.

....and I should add, since I first bought it on the day of release, became my no.1. I couldn't believe an album like this in my lifetime - and it's not happened since. The lyrics alone are a masterpiece - and put the package together....I'm speechless.

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DC-9GA6RBMc[/media]

Edited by spongebob
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Like every other make out there, they vary quite a bit. Mine are both about 8.5lbs or so; maybe just under 9 at a push. I've never had or played one over 10 pounds, and on average they're about 9 (sometimes as low as 8), so not desperately heavy.

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Regarding Ric sound. Can I tentatively ask if Mani from the Stone Roses played a Ric during recording of the Second Coming album ?
For me it is one classic album from start to finish, no real favourites from the tracks as they are all good. But the sound is fantastic; smooth, soft and sublime.
Was just wondering if this was a Ric?
I have read that he has used Rics and also Fenders; but it doesn't say when he used them.
Anybody clarify this ?

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Well here's a turnip for the books. :)
As I mentioned earlier in this thread, the very first bass I ever played and learned a tune on was my step-dad's Ric over 25 years ago. He and my mum split up a year or two later and I probably only ever bumped into him 5 or 6 times over the years after that. Well, we recently got back in touch again through fb and....

Here is the bass in question... a 4001.
It will be 40 years old this Sept. Cost him £259 back in '72. It's completely original and all still going strong.



He's taking it 'round to mine this weekend coz he wants me to have a look at it as the E string can sometimes pop out of the nut. The last guy to have a look at the nut was a guy in a repair shop in London back in '72... a bloke by the name of Dan Armstrong. :D

Oh aye, and the other bit of news about it is, he confided in me tonight that he's decided to leave it to me in his will.... I had to tell someone. :blush:

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