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My '74 Rick 4000.

Cabal

By Cabal,
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Cabal Apprentice

Cabal

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Thought people might be interested to see a pic of my '74 Rick 4000.

All original and still in good nick after 35 years. I've owned it myself since about '85. Its been around the world, its played on albums, and its been ignored in favour of a sequencer for years on end, to my shame.

Years ago i took it to a rehearsal on my motorbike in a gigbag strapped to my back, until the strap snapped one day. Luckily there was nothing behind me to run over it, but it was left with machine heads hanging off, splintered wood and dents to the body. Satisfactorily patched up by JayDee in Birmingham though. You'd never tell. :-)

Its short on bottom end to say the least, but played through an old valve amp (Hiwatt in my case) it'll give you the dirtiest "Lemmy" sound on the planet, at least the way i play it.

In a house fire i'd save this before my wife and dog. Not really, but it'd be a close call. :-)

What do we think of it? Never for sale, but out of curiosity (as they say) what do we reckon its worth?

Cheers, Jake M.

[attachment=13887:Rickenba...24_09_08.jpg]

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neepheid Grand Master

neepheid

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[quote name='Jake_M' post='290905' date='Sep 24 2008, 03:06 PM']Thought people might be interested to see a pic of my '74 Rick 4000.

I've owned it myself since about '85. Its been around the world, its played on albums, and its been ignored in favour of a sequencer for years on end, to my shame.

Years ago i took it to rehearsals on my motorbike in a gigbag strapped to my back, until the strap snapped one day. Luckily there was nothing behind me to run over it, but it was left with machine heads hanging off, splintered wood and dents to the body. Satisfactorily patched up by JayDee in Birmingham though. Just part of its "character" now. :-)

Its short on bottom end to say the least, but played through an old valve amp (Hiwatt in my case) it'll give you the dirtiest "Lemmy" sound on the planet, at least the way i play it.

In a house fire i'd save this before my wife and dog. Not really, but it'd be a close call. :-)

What do we think of it? Never for sale, but what do we reckon its worth?

Cheers, Jake M.[/quote]

Less than before you mentioned the accident :)

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4000 Veteran

4000

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I've got a 73 4000 and although it could be argued they're light on bottom end, personally I feel that's what the bass control on your amp's for. :)

Seriously, my 4000 has never been found lacking in anything I need. It does indeed sound as near to Lemmy as any Ric I've ever played (which is [i]loads[/i]); it's sooooo aggressive, and yet with a quick tweak of a tone control can be made to sound quite sweet. Extremely versatile, can slap to your hearts content on it, it cuts through anything; great bass. All my other Rics sound restrained in comparison.

In terms of worth I'd have said around £750 before you mentioned the accident. Unfortunately they're not very popular which hinders their value. However to all those who want a great Ric for minimum expenditure, go and get one!

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Cabal Apprentice

Cabal

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[quote name='4000' post='291134' date='Sep 24 2008, 06:39 PM']In terms of worth I'd have said around £750 before you mentioned the accident. Unfortunately they're not very popular which hinders their value. However to all those who want a great Ric for minimum expenditure, go and get one![/quote]

To be honest, i only mentioned the accident for the sake of a good anecdote. It was as good as new after JayDee finished with it. Still in excellent condition overall for a 35 year old instrument, hardly a mark on it. Its all just part of its "character" now. :-)

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4000

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[quote name='Jake_M' post='291278' date='Sep 24 2008, 09:38 PM']To be honest, i only mentioned the accident for the sake of a good anecdote. It was as good as new after JayDee finished with it. Still in excellent condition overall for a 35 year old instrument, hardly a mark on it. Its all just part of its "character" now. :-)[/quote]

[i]We[/i] know what they're worth. That's all that really matters. :)

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Cabal Apprentice

Cabal

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[quote name='4000' post='291343' date='Sep 24 2008, 11:05 PM'][i]We[/i] know what they're worth. That's all that really matters. :)[/quote]

Nice one. I notice we've got a few favourite players in common, like Burnel, Entwistle, Foxton, Lemmy, Wobble. Thought i was the only one to notice Lee Gorman at the time. Didn't even know a bass could be played that fast back then. :-)

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bassplace Apprentice

bassplace

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[quote name='Jake_M' post='291371' date='Sep 24 2008, 06:58 PM']Nice one. I notice we've got a few favourite players in common, like Burnel, Entwistle, Foxton, Lemmy, Wobble. Thought i was the only to notice Lee Gorman at the time. Didn't even know a bass could be played that fast back then. :-)[/quote]

Interesting timing on this thread. I just got back my repaired '75 4000 last Saturday. Years of sitting idle in a case with Roto Swing bass on took it's toll on the neck. That and the fact that I had it routed for a neck pickup at one time, (only to be removed). Anyway, the set neck was pulling forward and needed to be reset. So it was a major repair. This was my 1st bass... probably got it in about '79 so I was will to pay. It is gorgeous now, main difference from new is no finish on the fretboard, at least not like it used to be, and Hipshot tuners. I will post a pic as soon as I take one.

At times I also think it's a bit lacking in the low end. Depends what you compare it to. I'm sure I'll get plenty when I crank it up. In reference to Leigh Gorman, my 2nd bass is a Wal ProIIe. When I got it the low end blew me away and I switched to it almost entirely. Now I have both, plus a Jazz (type), making it easier to match the bass to the musical style. It's all good.

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4000 Veteran

4000

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Nice to see some guys with real taste on this board. :) Nice to see some more guys who've noticed Leigh out there too. Hey Nik, you getting this? Jake, yeah, you're right, Leigh was getting a shift on on some of those old tunes. Great lines too.

I'd love a ProII, but all my attempts to get one seem to be stymied; they always appear when I've got no money and disappear when I have (which admittedly isn't that often). With regards to the 4000, as I say, I just crank the bass at the amp, although I'm not really a big bottom type of guy anyway (well, at least in this respect :huh: ) as you can probably tell by most of the guys I like. I guess every 4000 probably varies somewhat too.

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Cabal Apprentice

Cabal

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If anyone's interested in having a listen to the old girl in action, go to [url="http://www.myspace.com/sweartogether"]http://www.myspace.com/sweartogether[/url] and listen to New Age/Wild Beauty. Hopefully it's loud enough in the mix to give a good idea. I'm going through a Hiwatt 100 head. The other tracks were played on a Precision.

Cheers,

Jake M

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Cabal Apprentice

Cabal

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[quote name='EBS_freak' post='346551' date='Dec 5 2008, 03:53 PM']Get this to the Porn section![/quote]
I was new to Basschat when i first posted this thread. I didn't even realise there was a "gear porn" section at the time. However, i did subsequently realise the heinous nature of the crime i'd unintentionally committed, and as a consequence i can now barely endure the terrible burden of shame. :)

Mods, by all means move this thread to the correct forum...

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Cabal Apprentice

Cabal

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[quote name='Mickeyboro' post='346638' date='Dec 5 2008, 04:58 PM']Wish you'd shown me this when we met, mate - I might have nicked it, dog permitting!

I'm not normally a Rick man but this might be an exception... :huh:

M[/quote]
My dog's trained to viciously attack anyone who comes within ten feet of my bass collection, including me unfortunately. :)

Seriously though mate, if ever you're around this way again, drop in...

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bassplace Apprentice

bassplace

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I took my recently refurbed 75 4000 to practice yesterday. Wow, I'd forgotten what it sounded like loud. I think I need to lower the pickup the signal was so strong. And what an agressive almost distorted sound. I could barely calm the beast down. It cut through like a knife. Promise to gets pics up soon as I can.

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Cabal Apprentice

Cabal

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[quote name='bassplace' post='349185' date='Dec 8 2008, 10:47 PM']I took my recently refurbed 75 4000 to practice yesterday. Wow, I'd forgotten what it sounded like loud. I think I need to lower the pickup the signal was so strong. And what an agressive almost distorted sound. I could barely calm the beast down. It cut through like a knife. Promise to gets pics up soon as I can.[/quote]
Cool. Actually, now you mention it mine's a bit on the quiet side, so i should maybe raise the pickup somewhat. I reckon it could do with a bit of a refurb too after 35 years. It's on my list. :)

Looking forward to seeing some pics, not many of them around anymore. What colour is it?

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bassplace Apprentice

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[quote name='Cabal' post='349231' date='Dec 8 2008, 07:02 PM']Cool. Actually, now you mention it mine's a bit on the quiet side, so i should maybe raise the pickup somewhat. I reckon it could do with a bit of a refurb too after 35 years. It's on my list. :)

Looking forward to seeing some pics, not many of them around anymore. What colour is it?[/quote]

I don't know what the "official" colour is/was. It's sort of a trans-cherry red. It is a complete refinish but, best I can tell, it's a perfect match.

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bassplace Apprentice

bassplace

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[quote name='bassplace' post='350340' date='Dec 9 2008, 07:41 PM']I don't know what the "official" colour is/was. It's sort of a trans-cherry red. It is a complete refinish but, best I can tell, it's a perfect match.[/quote]

Finally. I'm not great at this and it's a cloudy day so not enough natural light. But here goes...

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4000 Veteran

4000

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[quote name='Cabal' post='349231' date='Dec 9 2008, 12:02 AM']Cool. Actually, now you mention it mine's a bit on the quiet side, so i should maybe raise the pickup somewhat. I reckon it could do with a bit of a refurb too after 35 years. It's on my list. :)[/quote]

The pickup on mine was very high, and mine was a bit of a beast.

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