The classic Rickenbaker clank (now with video)

[police squad]

When I posted about my 4003HW in a new bass day thread, there were many comments about the clank.

 

How do you Rick users get your clank. Both pickups, volume rolled back on one of them?

 

I'm curious, I like my bass, it sounds good but I've never really been a 2 pickup player. Always a P bass you see

 

TIA for your top tips

[Jasper]

I have good result with a overdrive with tone control/clean blend like the EBS Billy Ultimate. Or a Sansamp BDI or YYZ pedal. It really 'opens' it up. For example:

 

 

Edited July 14 by Jasper

[police squad]

ah so you have both pickups on

are they full up? wide open tone etc?

 

sounds good too, nice playing

Edited July 14 by police squad

[Skybone]

There is something weird going on when you have both volumes on full, I've always found it better to back the neck pickup volume back to about 75%. 

 

Definitely both tone knobs wide open though.

 

Then amp / pre-amp EQ to suit (plenty of mid though). I see @Jasper has his mid set around 75% (ish), treble a similar amount & bass around 60%. Sounding quite nice. 👍

[Jasper]

It's not my youtube movie, but get similar results with my 4003 + YYZ pedal

[Jonesy]

I got fairly clanky with........

 

Roto swing stainless steels

Sansamp BDDI (though I imagine any tubey pre will do)

Both pups max

Tone fully open

 

And then playing with fingers and quite a low action, but just over the fretboard and quite aggressively (ala John Entwistle) so I can whack the strings off the board.

 

I don't know what the HW bridges are like, but I have a few mm of the dreaded Ric tail lift nowadays. I can't be sure, but I put that down to the Roto's. I had them on it for 15+ years though and it's nothing that impacts playing.

Edited July 14 by Jonesy

[prowla]

Mid-cut on the amp.

If you want to sound like Geddy Lee, push the Treble Tone knob in (Modern).

If you want to sound like Chris Squire, pull the Treble Tone knob out (Vintage).

A touch of distortion is good.

If you want to lose the pickup Vol controls interaction, go for Rick-O-Sound and run them competely separate.

A low enough action to get a touch of fret buzz helps too.

 

 

 

Edited July 14 by prowla

[prowla]

30 minutes ago, Jonesy said:

I got fairly clanky with........

 

Roto swing stainless steels

Sansamp BDDI (though I imagine any tubey pre will do)

Both pups max

Tone fully open

 

And then playing with fingers and quite a low action, but just over the fretboard and quite aggressively (ala John Entwistle) so I can whack the strings off the board.

 

I don't know what the HW bridges are like, but I have a few mm of the dreaded Ric tail lift nowadays. I can't be sure, but I put that down to the Roto's. I had them on it for 15+ years though and it's nothing that impacts playing.

What gauge strings?
HW will typically have used real Ric bridges, unless told otherwise; now that they are discontinued, it'll probably be Allparts.

Some like the Hipshot bridges, but I've found an apt location for one of mine (and that's an Allparts on the Hondo, which now has strings and screws in the Treble pickup).

 

...

 

[Jonesy]

5 minutes ago, prowla said:

What gauge strings?

 

 

Mostly 45-105, so nothing outrageous.

 

Somewhere, a long time ago I thought I read something about Ric recommending low tension strings  (maybe even TI Jazz flats?) to avoid the tail lift. I could well be wrong, but that's probably what put the strings causing the tail lift I to my head 

[prowla]

1 hour ago, Jonesy said:

 

Mostly 45-105, so nothing outrageous.

 

Somewhere, a long time ago I thought I read something about Ric recommending low tension strings  (maybe even TI Jazz flats?) to avoid the tail lift. I could well be wrong, but that's probably what put the strings causing the tail lift I to my head 

I wouldn’t put 45’s onto a Ric. 

[Jonesy]

14 minutes ago, prowla said:

I wouldn’t put 45’s onto a Ric. 

 

What do your Ric's wear? There's nothing else wrong with mine apart from the few mm tail lift after using 45s for 15+ years.

 

Mine currently has the 43-100 TI Jazz flats, so I'm hoping the low tension doesn't do much more harm, or at least slows down any further damage.

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

I use my 4003 to record via the rick-o-sound output onto two tracks in logic so i can process each pickup separately, but with no variation in the performance. I use EB cobalt flats — the 40-60-70-95 set. It can be made to sound huge in the mix and I can fine-tune the amount of clank in the mix. I'm pleased I went for a 4003 rather than a 4003s - this technique has made the ric my favourite bass to record with, even if it has not dethroned my JMJ mustangs for gigs.

[prowla]

8 hours ago, Jonesy said:

 

What do your Ric's wear? There's nothing else wrong with mine apart from the few mm tail lift after using 45s for 15+ years.

 

Mine currently has the 43-100 TI Jazz flats, so I'm hoping the low tension doesn't do much more harm, or at least slows down any further damage.

I've settled on 40-60-80-100.

FYI, I also had a V2 bridge fitted to one of my Rics; it completely eliminates tail-lift, but the action wouldn't go low enough so I reverted back to the original V1.

[MrFingers]

On 14/07/2025 at 18:41, Skybone said:

There is something weird going on when you have both volumes on full

It's because frequency cancellation, a side-effect of two pickups in parallel². The closer the pickups are together, the stronger the effect. When that happens, the midrange gets reduced. Can be solved by not having both pickups at 100%.

 

(² like that glassy sound on a Stratocaster on positions 2 & 4)

[police squad]

Here's some videos

I think I'm there or there abouts

 

[AMV001]

On 14/07/2025 at 23:31, prowla said:

I wouldn’t put 45’s onto a Ric. 

Rick 4001 owner here since 1989. Always used 45-105 roundwounds. Tailpiece has maybe lifted a couple of mm but nothing of any concern whatsoever. No ill effects at all on the neck. In fact, I had it set up by the Bass Centre in 1990 and apart from the occasional slight intonation tweak I've never had to touch it.

[Skybone]

Another 45-105 stainless rounds user (D'Addario's). Absolutely no issues at all.

[Skybone]

@police squad, I do like the sound you're getting with both pickups.