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rickenbacker 4003 ac


iamtheelvy

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2 hours ago, bubinga5 said:

In the big scheme of the bass world and all the steps forward from the best luthiers in the world. There still s**t. 

To be fair, it is a signature model for a player who made his name (to the extent that underground stoner bassists who play tuned down to C can make their name ) playing the old style 4001s. It was hardly going to be a massive design change in terms of ergonomics and features. It is a bass designed for a specific player who really likes the original classic design. It is no different than the numerous ‘signature’ Fender Jazz and Precision models which are barely any different from Fender’s normal line of Jazz and Precision models.

it is strange though that Rickenbacker have never ever bothered to try out an entirely new bass design. They pretty much found one bass design in the 1960s and have pretty much stuck it ever since, warts and all (and there are a lot of warts). 

Also, the green inlays are basically  kind of an in joke on the basis that Al Cisneros smokes a lot of weed. 

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I don't want to offend anyone who plays a Ricky, (but im probably going to).  The only reason I can think anyone plays one is because their musical heroes did and it has THAT tone on those records...I played a 4003 a few months ago and I just thought. HHmmm over £2000 for this heavy bass that the strings are rattling on the pointless pup cover when you dig in. Really uncomfortable instrument to play imo.. If someone made a bass now as Rickenbacker does without its heritage and songs that its been on. , im thinking knowone would pay much attention to it. Especially at the prices he or his son is asking. But they be riding that cash wave.  You can probably tell I dont like Rickenbacker's.

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49 minutes ago, bubinga5 said:

I don't want to offend anyone who plays a Ricky, (but im probably going to).  The only reason I can think anyone plays one is because their musical heroes did and it has THAT tone on those records...I played a 4003 a few months ago and I just thought. HHmmm over £2000 for this heavy bass that the strings are rattling on the pointless pup cover when you dig in. Really uncomfortable instrument to play imo.. If someone made a bass now as Rickenbacker does without its heritage and songs that its been on. , im thinking knowone would pay much attention to it. Especially at the prices he or his son is asking. But they be riding that cash wave.  You can probably tell I dont like Rickenbacker's.

I won’t argue with your points, but that tone is still that tone.

It is a classic design but not without its faults and tonal limitations. The Hofner Beatle type bass and Gibson EB3 are also classic designs that are really not going to achieve the  ‘suitable for any genre’  nature of Jazz and Precision designs. People don’t buy Rickenbackers, or Hofner Beatle basses and expect to be able to play them with the ease of say a Dingwall, Sadowsky or Spector or for them to deliver the same variety of tones.

People don’t really buy Rickenbackers if they want a bass that is going to need to cover number of different styles or tones. They just buy a Rickenbacker bass because they want it to sound like a Rickenbacker bass. They are always going to be marmite basses and the way that they company operates also makes them difficult to root for on forums such as this.

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I really wanted to like the Rickenbacker that I bought at the tail end of last year. They look amazing but after replacing the pickup cover with a bezel, fitting Hipshot Ultralites to help balance it better and so on I had to admit that it was a piece of stinky poo and got shot of it.

 

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13 hours ago, bubinga5 said:

I don't want to offend anyone who plays a Ricky, (but im probably going to).  The only reason I can think anyone plays one is because their musical heroes did and it has THAT tone on those records...I played a 4003 a few months ago and I just thought. HHmmm over £2000 for this heavy bass that the strings are rattling on the pointless pup cover when you dig in. Really uncomfortable instrument to play imo.. If someone made a bass now as Rickenbacker does without its heritage and songs that its been on. , im thinking knowone would pay much attention to it. Especially at the prices he or his son is asking. But they be riding that cash wave.  You can probably tell I dont like Rickenbacker's.

Couldn't disagree more. That's as far as I'm going on this! 😀

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11 hours ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

 

For those who don’t know, he is the bass player in Clutch. Dan could pretty much go out with any bass that he chooses, but he chooses Rickenbacker, because it works for him. [NOTE: He didn’t used to. He’s played various makes up to and including Earthrocker]. He’s dispensed with the horseshoe (obviously 😂), but man, the sound he gets out of that with his rig is IMMENSE. I am absolutely certain that the reason he plays one is not because his musical heroes did. 

 

Yeah, Over the last 25 years I've seen him play with all kinds of basses. He's always had an immense sound, but the Ric based set up just edges it, tone wise.

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11 hours ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

@thodrik might not argue, but I will.

I haven’t got the foggiest who Al Cisneros is, but the fact that he’s asked for these modifications AND they’ve listened (i.e. commissioned the LE) is a big step forward. To deviate from their ‘holy Ric bridge’ is a bit of a shocker given their previous stance on one of the major Ric issues. Don’t get me wrong, I’m no Ric fanboy, but they’ve been in the rut so long, this is actually progress. 

You may have tried one and not liked it and that’s absolutely you’re prerogative, but it’s not the same for a lot of others. I’ve mentioned this in other threads, but the one I let get away, in the state it was in when I traded it, it was a shocker. But, I didn’t know what I know now and it was completely salvageable with a decent set up (I was young and didn’t know about truss rod’s, let alone dual action ones - if only we had You Tube then). Since then I’ve always had at least one in the stable. They’re kind of like an unruly child. If you get to know how to get the best out of them and they do work. It’s probably not how it should be, but nothing is perfect in this world.

Returning to Al, whoever he is and whatever he smokes, I draw a further parallel. Dan Maines.

For those who don’t know, he is the bass player in Clutch. Dan could pretty much go out with any bass that he chooses, but he chooses Rickenbacker, because it works for him. [NOTE: He didn’t used to. He’s played various makes up to and including Earthrocker]. He’s dispensed with the horseshoe (obviously 😂), but man, the sound he gets out of that with his rig is IMMENSE. I am absolutely certain that the reason he plays one is not because his musical heroes did. He hasn’t got THAT tone anyway. 

As for not buying them if they had just been released today....people will buy anything. Just look at the for sale section.

Just for the hell of it, here’s Dan playing his Fireglo. Nice warm fuzzy Ric sound towards the end during Tim’s guitar solo.

More Ric warmth and fuzziness here....

 

Love me some Clutch. I think I have seen them 8 times now. I have seen Dan Maines play a P bass, Jazz, SG bass and a Rickenbacker. He always just gets a great tone. 

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  • 3 months later...

I think Dan fitted a set of Rickenbacker HB1's in his Rick. Those are the humbuckers from the 4004. Awesome pick-ups. I'm thinking of putting them in my 4003 as well. With coil taps so I can also switch back to a toaster sound.

 

Love that AC by the way, but I must admit I'm a bit of a fan.

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On 16/06/2019 at 00:06, bubinga5 said:

I don't want to offend anyone who plays a Ricky, (but im probably going to).  The only reason I can think anyone plays one is because their musical heroes did and it has THAT tone on those records...I played a 4003 a few months ago and I just thought. HHmmm over £2000 for this heavy bass that the strings are rattling on the pointless pup cover when you dig in. Really uncomfortable instrument to play imo.. If someone made a bass now as Rickenbacker does without its heritage and songs that its been on. , im thinking knowone would pay much attention to it. Especially at the prices he or his son is asking. But they be riding that cash wave.  You can probably tell I dont like Rickenbacker's.

But this is the point, it may not be comfortable for you, or sound good to you, or look good to you (or whatever), but not everyone is you. Why is that so hard for some people to understand? 

Both my Rics weigh 8 and a half pounds, so not heavy. For me, the least comfortable bass imaginable is a Jazz or a classic Status, and I know you like Jazzes, so I assume you find them comfortable. People are different, have different tastes and different requirements. 

And you’ve historically shown clips of people and said “I need this tone”, or words to that effect. How is that any different than someone hearing say Geddy or Chris and thinking “I want some of that”? Why is it ok with Marcus but not Geddy?

It’s perfectly acceptable that you don’t like a certain type of bass, be it a Ric or something else - I’ll happily go on record as saying I’ve never played a Fodera that I’ve thought anything of - but to assume that everyone else should feel the same, or that those who do like them are missing the point, is REALLY missing the point. 

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On 16/06/2019 at 01:02, thodrik said:

I won’t argue with your points, but that tone is still that tone.

It is a classic design but not without its faults and tonal limitations. The Hofner Beatle type bass and Gibson EB3 are also classic designs that are really not going to achieve the  ‘suitable for any genre’  nature of Jazz and Precision designs. People don’t buy Rickenbackers, or Hofner Beatle basses and expect to be able to play them with the ease of say a Dingwall, Sadowsky or Spector or for them to deliver the same variety of tones.

People don’t really buy Rickenbackers if they want a bass that is going to need to cover number of different styles or tones. They just buy a Rickenbacker bass because they want it to sound like a Rickenbacker bass. They are always going to be marmite basses and the way that they company operates also makes them difficult to root for on forums such as this.

FWIW John Hall has gone on record many times as saying there are things about the 4003 he’d change, but he wouldn’t want to deal with the backlash from the hardcore fans.

And of course there’s also the 4004, which addressed almost everything the haters hate (body contouring etc etc), but which nobody bought. 😉

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6 minutes ago, 4000 said:

 

And of course there’s also the 4004, which addressed almost everything the haters hate (body contouring etc etc), but which nobody bought. 😉

I did but I hated the sound - indistinct fuzzy and no definition. Traded for a 4003 about 6 years ago. Still have it.

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4 minutes ago, martthebass said:

I did but I hated the sound - indistinct fuzzy and no definition. Traded for a 4003 about 6 years ago. Still have it.

I bought one too. It was great, one of the best basses I’ve owned; not fuzzy or indistinct at all with my rig. Sounded huge. Why did I sell it? Because, ironically, I didn’t get on with the body contouring, which aggravated a nerve problem in my arm; something the bound models don’t. 

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58 minutes ago, 4000 said:

I bought one too. It was great, one of the best basses I’ve owned; not fuzzy or indistinct at all with my rig. Sounded huge. Why did I sell it? Because, ironically, I didn’t get on with the body contouring, which aggravated a nerve problem in my arm; something the bound models don’t. 

I can’t rule out the rig, but the 4003 sounded fine through the same set up. Apparently there was a pot/harness swap that would’ve sorted it but the I’m happy with the swap.

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50 minutes ago, martthebass said:

I can’t rule out the rig, but the 4003 sounded fine through the same set up. Apparently there was a pot/harness swap that would’ve sorted it but the I’m happy with the swap.

Oh they do sound different, no question about that. I found mine preferred certain rigs over others, but that’s also true of the 4001/4003.

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