Jools4001 Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 [quote name='Billy Apple' timestamp='1349293616' post='1824460'] Has anyone AB'd a Ric and a Roc? I'd be interested in what Ric aficionados have to say. [/quote] Yes, I have...well, sort of. I haven't played them directly back to back but I spent about an hour with a Roc in Wunjo with a view to getting a relatively inexpensive backup bass for my '73 Ric. My Ric is a very good one and (apart from when I used to be in a band where fretless was a better vibe) I've used it as my main bass for a very long time, so even though I didn't have it with me when I tried the Roc I think that I know enough about what Rics are like by now. So the Roc. I was quite impressed with it. The Ric is only 1 1/4" thick and the Roc body is a lot chunkier, the Roc is also substantially heavier and the neck also has a much chunkier feel to it than my particular Ric. Having said that, it's not a baseball bat and I found it to be pretty comfortable, I could live with it although I prefer the more slender neck of the real Ric. The difference in scale length didn't worry me, although I regularly skip between the 33 1/4" scale length on the Ric and 34" scale length basses. Some of the metalwork on the Roc looked a bit shonky, particularly the pickup cover, but since that would be the first thing to get taken off that's not a problem. The Roc bridge doesn't look like the Ric bridge, but since the Ric bridge is the work of the devil that's not a problem either. In fact the Roc bridge looked a lot more functional and easier to adjust. Tonewise, the Roc sounded pretty good, in fact very good for a bass in this price range, but it didn't sound anything like a Ric. Maybe there was just a hint of Ric on some settings (soloed bridge pickup) but in general the Roc didn't have the mids, the top end or complex harmonics of the Ric. I was very tempted to buy it but decided to think it over a bit and ultimately decided that if the Roc didn't sound like a Ric then I might as well get something with a completely different vibe as my backup bass and went with an Epi T-Bird Pro IV instead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrismuzz Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 [quote name='Meddle' timestamp='1349642097' post='1828689'] "I'm actually kinda a big deal". [/quote] My apartment smells of rich mahogany Had some guy come up to me once and say something like "You've got a great Markbass amp there mate, why are you playing a Peavey through it?" My response was, "Because it sounds like this" and battered the hell out of the E string. "Oh right"... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BetaFunk Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 [quote name='Chris2112' timestamp='1349633948' post='1828533'] No he didn't, what a load of bollocks. He probably made a quick exit, stage left, after he spotted some judgemental mouth breather looking at him with a look of disgust on his face. The kind of repellent, arrogant fool who likes to hang round guitar shops on a Saturday afternoon. [/quote] Priceless..................Thanks!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
12stringbassist Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 (edited) They are not a bad bass, all in all. I've sat down with two recently and had some time on them, after some resistance to the very idea of them. They do look very much like the real thing, but to be honest, it doesn't sound much like the real thing. If you don't want to lash out the cash for a real Ric, but want to look like you have one, this may be the thing for you. I'd rather buy a Retrovibe - different pickups, but a fantastic bass for the money (I have their 5 string and it's great). With modifications, it could be made into a much better bass, but it's not far up from the price of this and a couple of mods to the price of a decent S/H Ric. I have to chip in on the John Hall thing, very briefly. I asked on the Ric forum about how to fix the paint bleed into the binding on a Midnight Blue bass. My bass was a brand new one, imported via a guy in Glasgow and so it was outside its warranty zone, which I fully accepted and mentioned when I asked the question. He took all sorts of pops at me. I said the finish flaw was unforgivable in a bass of its cost and said I'd like to be able to stand next to him and hand him the bass at a trade show and see what he thought of it. Mistake. He took that as a near threat / verbal assault. He then did all sorts of weird things to get my address. Eventually he asked me for it directly and I never heard from him again. Edited November 12, 2012 by 12stringbassist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artisan Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 [quote name='Chris2112' timestamp='1349633948' post='1828533'] No he didn't, what a load of bollocks. He probably made a quick exit, stage left, after he spotted some judgemental mouth breather looking at him with a look of disgust on his face. The kind of repellent, arrogant fool who likes to hang round guitar shops on a Saturday afternoon. [/quote] LOL, well said that man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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