Delberthot Posted September 26, 2018 Share Posted September 26, 2018 Even I didn't see this coming - there I was minding my own business on holiday in Scarborough and I walk past the Guitar Gallery on Bar Street and see not one or 2 but 3 brand new 4003 basses in the window. I hurredly walk past pretending I didn't notice them but the damage is already done. For the next 4 days those Rickenbackers are on my mind until it gets too much. Once I get home I am online checking out the prices and who has what. I already know what I want and luckily a few online stores have them. About 10 years ago I was in Glasgow and bought a new 4003 in midnite blue. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen but a week or so into ownership I noticed that it had the dreaded running paint. The paint under the lacquer actually ran over the binding causing it to go pale blue. I took it back to the shop and was told that it would need to be returned to Rickenbacker but they didn't have any more in stock by that point so I got a full refund. So mind made up I bought this bass on Saturday, it was waiting for me when I got home tonight and took it straight to the rehearsal. I absolutely love it so far. I keep finding myself trying to place my hand where the pickup cover is but I can't work out if it is because that is where I would find playing most comfortable or just because I can't play there because of the pickup cover. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skybone Posted September 27, 2018 Share Posted September 27, 2018 (edited) Congrats on the new acquisition, only ever so slightly jealous! Try moving your anchor point to the neck pickup, and "play from the hip". Edited September 27, 2018 by Skybone 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visog Posted September 27, 2018 Share Posted September 27, 2018 Clanktastic... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martthebass Posted September 27, 2018 Share Posted September 27, 2018 Got a 2010 in this very same colour Delb. Fortunately it doesn't suffer from the dreaded paint bleed. Stick the bezel on and you're sorted! Very nice bass mate. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delberthot Posted September 27, 2018 Author Share Posted September 27, 2018 I've decided to go for the tube ampology bezel. It is expensive for what is a piece of chromed plastic but I haven't seen anything else suitable. Back in the day I had one of the pickguardian ones which were pretty basic. This one seems to be designed a lot better. It actually has a really incredible slap sound which I am surprised at. I'm going to persevere with the factory strings and if I don't get on with them then I'll put my old favourite D'addario EXL160 string on. I've checked and know that they will be lower tension than they are on my Sterling due to the slightly shorter scale. For all I know Rickenbacker could be using D'addario to make their strings as I believe that they have used several string companies over the years And the next time someone asks "what's the best bass for genre of music A or B" well consider that I will be playing this in a wedding/function band covering everything from ceilidh to rock, pop, funk , disco and whatever is the flavour of the week chart single. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted September 27, 2018 Share Posted September 27, 2018 I got mine from this site http://www.rickysounds.co.uk/Bezels.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jus Lukin Posted September 27, 2018 Share Posted September 27, 2018 (edited) - Edited March 1, 2022 by Jus Lukin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delberthot Posted September 27, 2018 Author Share Posted September 27, 2018 4 minutes ago, Jus Lukin said: Awesome, and looks great in front of that 8x10, too! It's easy to join in ganging up on Rics round here, but I love mine, and play it in a couple of general function bands and soul/pop bands, along with a blues rock outfit. The bezel is good, too- it's not perfect, as there is a little give in the plastic which means some of the sharp edges can still get you if you catch it wrong, but it basically does the job it says, and looks cool with it. Enjoy! Actually last night was the first time that I have used an 8x10" in a rehearsal studio and still been able to hear myself when the whole band were playing. It normally descends into mush so I'm liking the fact that it can cut through Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmo Valdemar Posted September 27, 2018 Share Posted September 27, 2018 Beautiful. Now peel off that sticker! 🤣 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martthebass Posted September 28, 2018 Share Posted September 28, 2018 19 hours ago, Cosmo Valdemar said: Beautiful. Now peel off that sticker! 🤣 Yes Delb, you have to do that or you are officially a pillock ;-) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delberthot Posted September 28, 2018 Author Share Posted September 28, 2018 Which one? there are 3 if look closely - I take it you mean the "made in the USA y'all" one? 😋 Bezel arrived today. I don't have time to fit it now but I'll get it on tomorrow. I nearly forgot but when I initially plugged it in it sounded a bit thin and bassless so I thought I'd pull out the control to activate/defeat the vintage thingummy and it turned out that it was already out so I pushed it back in and instant bass and warmth. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonse Posted September 28, 2018 Share Posted September 28, 2018 Shipping makes these expensive, but you've bought the Rick so you may as well go the whole hog. I love mine. https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F262323944240 Welcome back to the club! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delberthot Posted September 30, 2018 Author Share Posted September 30, 2018 Well it looks like it will be going back but hopefully just to be exchanged. I took the pickup cover off to fit the bezel and noticed that the pickup has been fitted to the base at an angle so sits completely squint. One I had the cover off I noticed a couple of areas of chrome on the surround that were slightly bubbled during the chroming process Not an issue as such but one of the screws holding the truss rod cover was only screwed half way in. I did take all of the screws off to make sure there were no surprises underneath I had a look at the back of the neck and from the area right behind the nut to about the 5th fret there is a section about 1cm across that looks like the paint has rippled. I'm wondering if the bass has been laid down before the paint completely hardened(?) Not impressed on a bass with an RRP of £2350 and not impressed that not only did it pass through the Rickenbacker QC but also the store that I bought it from didn't notice any of this. The bass had been out of the packaging as the case had dirty marks on it when I got it which came off easily so someone had looked at it prior to me buying it. I still want a 4003 but not this one. I've emailed the shop to see about exchanging it for another. I will make sure that they check it thoroughly before sending it out to me, assuming that their website is accurate and they still have another one. It's a shame as this one was set up perfectly right out of the case which would have been a first for me 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonse Posted September 30, 2018 Share Posted September 30, 2018 ^ sounds like classic Rickenbacker QC 😅 I tried 12 (new and used) before getting mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted October 1, 2018 Share Posted October 1, 2018 The whole bridge pickup assembly on mine is off centre and the pickup is squint inside that. I’m afraid the Ric QC isn’t so much poor as non existent. I hope you get a better one next time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martthebass Posted October 1, 2018 Share Posted October 1, 2018 That's a shame Delb, hope you get sorted. IMHO you still need to be careful with the solid paint finishes, I know it's a few years back (problems with the UV cat process?), but even in 2010-2012 RIC were having problems with paint lifting off especially around the bridge area. Even the slightest paint issue on a new bass and I'd be sending it back for replacement. As Jonse said, 'classic Rickenbacker QC'.....so when you get a good one hang on to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4000 Posted October 2, 2018 Share Posted October 2, 2018 On 01/10/2018 at 08:31, martthebass said: IMHO you still need to be careful with the solid paint finishes, I know it's a few years back (problems with the UV cat process?), but even in 2010-2012 RIC were having problems with paint lifting off especially around the bridge area. Even the slightest paint issue on a new bass and I'd be sending it back for replacement. Still happening. It put me off buying a British Racing Green one a while back, which was a dreadful shame. If I'd been offered a discount when I pointed it out I might have reconsidered, but I wasn't. It seems to be caused by pressure from the bridge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martthebass Posted October 2, 2018 Share Posted October 2, 2018 1 minute ago, 4000 said: Still happening. It put me off buying a British Racing Green one a while back, which was a dreadful shame. If I'd been offered a discount when I pointed it out I might have reconsidered, but I wasn't. It seems to be caused by pressure from the bridge. As you say that's a shame. There's a fair bit on the interweb on this problem (or they used to be); the bridge was a common place for the problem and Rickenbacker blamed roughness on the underside of the bridge but I don't think they managed to sort the problem this way. From what I saw it looked as if the paint had not adhered to the wood and basically de-laminated. It was particularly prevalent on Jetglo and I think Midnight Blue (I was very careful to check my mid blue 4003 and, touch wood, it's been fine) and seemed to be in batches which led those affected to conclude issues with the paint curing process. Also no problem with clear coated (fireglo, mapleglo) so looked to be an issue with the base colour coat. Somebody might come along who knows more about this than me and can correct any errors I've spouted above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmo Valdemar Posted October 2, 2018 Share Posted October 2, 2018 (edited) On 30/09/2018 at 23:54, Delberthot said: I took the pickup cover off to fit the bezel and noticed that the pickup has been fitted to the base at an angle so sits completely squint. This seems to be normal for Ricks I'm afraid. All of mine have had crooked pickups to varying degrees. Rickenbacker's standard response is that the pickup is supposed to be hidden under the cover, so it doesn't matter. Edited October 2, 2018 by Cosmo Valdemar 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martthebass Posted October 2, 2018 Share Posted October 2, 2018 3 minutes ago, Cosmo Valdemar said: This seems to be normal for Ricks I'm afraid. All of mine have had crooked pickups to varying degrees. Rickenbacker's standard response is that the pickup is supposed to be hidden under the cover, so it doesn't matter. Lazy response from RIC. I must have got lucky, mine was nice and straight and the bezel went on without problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmo Valdemar Posted October 2, 2018 Share Posted October 2, 2018 4 minutes ago, martthebass said: Lazy response from RIC. It is. They seem to take massive umbrage at anybody daring to alter their instruments in any way, even removing the pickup cover. It's almost as if they deliberately fit the pickup askew to punish those that do 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman20 Posted October 2, 2018 Share Posted October 2, 2018 Sounds like their typical QC which is a shame. I'm glad you've noticed it asap. I've just sent back a Gibson guitar and I have to say it's the same with Gibson; hold onto a good one when you get it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonse Posted October 2, 2018 Share Posted October 2, 2018 3 hours ago, Cosmo Valdemar said: It is. They seem to take massive umbrage at anybody daring to alter their instruments in any way, even removing the pickup cover. It's almost as if they deliberately fit the pickup askew to punish those that do Mines skewiff, I thought it was a feature like on a stratocaster 😂 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spongebob Posted October 2, 2018 Share Posted October 2, 2018 This is one of the reasons I gave up with them in the end - 9 years ago, a new 4003 was around £1250 if shopping around. The fact they're now close to £2500 is just obscene. I've had many a run-in with the QC of Rics, even worse it's the same bass since about 1960! Just avoid posting any issue over on Rickresource. You'll get denial, blame, and ultimately, flaming torches! 😁 Hope you get it sorted soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Coffee Posted October 2, 2018 Share Posted October 2, 2018 I find these basses gorgeous to look at but i cant get on with them. I owned a 4003FL, a 4004 laredo and a 4003 mapleglo. The FL had a dodgy pickup, the laredo had a truss rod issue and by the time i got the other 4003 mapleglo I was scunnered. Would love to nibble the RIC again but dont have £2,000 to drop on one when half of that would buy me a quality bass of another make. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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