Faking The Rick Sound

[cytania]

I'm not after a Rickenfaker but I'd like a bass that can get that classic Rickenbacker sound (indeed from what I read not all the lookalikies soundalike).

Someone here mentioned Ibanez Jetking yet a Harmony Central reviewer says they don't sound like Ricks.

Any suggestions then for neck-thru maple with single coils. Nothing over a grand price-wise or I might as well shell out on the real thing (but could I gig with it?). Ta.

[cytania]

Well since I posted that post I've been round a few shops. I've tried out a 'Rockinbetter' and a genuine Rickenbacker.

Visually the Rockinbetter makes you go 'ooh, a Rick', you then check the price and wonder if the store owner is aware of the mistake. Perhaps it's been there a long, long time as the 'fire-glow' paint job looks very window faded. Then you notice a Chinese checker's sticker and the cheeky Rockinbetter logo. Darn!

I suspect this may be something by Indie as the store I saw it in had a whole load of new Indie guitars of a similar quality (sorta decent, sorta wrong). As an actual bass it wasn't bad but the neck was utterly wrong. Neck profile was a squarish club, sorta thing I found latter on a Chinese made Burns Bison bass. In my hands it was soon tiring and encouraged unmusical buzzes from the start.

This week I finally got to handle a real Rick, Cardiff Guitars have a lovely natural one. First thing I noticed over the fake was the lacquer. Not just a mean Fender gloss, the neck lacquer was deep, glassy even. Immediately could see how it would alter the tone just because it made my fingers respond differently. On the down side I found the big Rick guard totally off-putting for fingerstyle (sure you can remove it, but...). I'd tried a maple necked Ibanez ATK a few weeks before but the Rickenbacker is so different fret and curvature wise, a whole different world.

I've always found that 'only a real Rick, plays like a Rick' adage totally pompous and too a degree it is. What Rick fans are trying to say is that Rickenbackers are built so differently that no standard factory is properly set-up to make anything remotely similar. Rickenbacker's product is sort of old fashioned, all that spraying and cutting back, it's something no faker wants to bother with. A home hobbyist could produce something close but only at a great investment of money and man-hours.

[Alastair]

I know it's not the answer youre looking for but Jazz basses do a perfectly good rick impression IMHO.

[SJA]

speaking of the Ibanez ATK, isn't the neck coil right where a Rick bridge pickup would be, hence in single coil mode it might get near to the sound- although being active it'll be more bass+treble than the dry passive mid bite.

[Guest MoJo]

[quote name='Alastair' post='253159' date='Aug 2 2008, 09:50 AM']I know it's not the answer youre looking for but Jazz basses do a perfectly good rick impression IMHO.[/quote]

Listening to Geddy Lee's awful live tone now and comparing it with the sound of his Rick on the Exit Stage Left tour, I'd tend to disagree. Youtube user Fingersmoran gets a modern Geddy-like tone using his Jazz and Hartke amp as demonstrated here [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MkF_IIFiZk"]Transient Attack - Fingersmoran[/url] but compare it to [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhk8HBkaLGI&feature=related"]this[/url] and you'll see it sounds nothing like a real Rick....oooooh I lurve the sound of a Rick

[Doctor J]

Had a 4003 for many years, sold it a couple of years ago. I've played a lot of basses and there is nothing else I have played that could capture that sound. You can get a bit close with a J but not close enough. Having said that, to me there is a big difference between the 4001 and 4003, the 4003 has a bit more growl to it, I definitely prefer the 4003 sound.

Edited August 3, 2008 by Doctor J