The classic Rickenbaker clank

[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 7 hours ago 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 7 hours ago 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 1 hour ago 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 55 minutes ago 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