NBD: My first ever Rickenbacker

[SurroundedByManatees]

42 minutes ago, prowla said:

On that front, I have an EBS Microbass 3; it is an absolutely excellent piece of kit.

Its only downfall is the "distortion" channel; if it had two identical ones it would be perfect (they do a Stanley Clarke acoustic bass version, but it doesn't have the tuner).

Apparently the Microbass is the pre- section of their Reidmar amps, so I have one of those to try.

The last jam I did I took along a Trace Elliot amp and played it through a large cab; it sounded rather good with just the pre-shape button pressed.

The EBS MB3 is a fantastic piece of kit indeed, it makes everything sound better for me, and spices up "thin" sounding basses in a satisfying way. I use it a lot as a headphone amp too. I use the drive channel for some subtle grit, sounds decent to my ears.

[prowla]

1 hour ago, SurroundedByManatees said:

The EBS MB3 is a fantastic piece of kit indeed, it makes everything sound better for me, and spices up "thin" sounding basses in a satisfying way. I use it a lot as a headphone amp too. I use the drive channel for some subtle grit, sounds decent to my ears.

It also functions as a hub on my pedalboard, as it has an FX loop.

I run that to a GigRig switcher which switches/bypasses various other pedals.

 

[Pow_22]

Todays light reading threw up this old post which has peaked my interes:-

 

Check and see if you have a .0047 capacitor in-line with the bridge pickup. Most 4001/4003 Rickenbacker basses do.

To fatten the sound of (pre-2011) 4003s this capacitor needs to be removed or bypassed I'm led to believe.
It acts as a hi-pass filter on the bridge pickup cutting off the lower frequencies.

Apparently the latest 4003s have a push-pull setup on one of the knobs to engage and disengage this capacitor, giving what they call "Classic" (ie. trebly) and "Modern" (ie. full) sounds.

This capacitor is missing from my own 4001 (it was gone when I bought it second hand 20 years ago) and it sounds awesome! Somewhat "fuller" than my Fender in fact.

[Skybone]

I had a pre-Vintage Circuit 4003 from 2005, and that sounded pretty full.

 

It's the VC that takes the guts out of the sound. 

 

According to the Paul D. Boyer book:

"From the beginning of the Rickenbacker bass design, a 0.0047uF capacitor was wired into the circuit to cut bass response from the treble pickup, giving it a brighter sound. Simply replacing the capacitor with a piece of wire was the quick and easy fix. In 1984, RIC responded to customer preferences and jettisoned the capacitor, giving the 4003 a more ballsy sound right out of the box" 

 

"Starting in early 2006, RIC restored the 0.0047uF bass cut capacitor to the circuitry. But a push/pull switch offers the option to activate it" (p64)

[Pow_22]

1 hour ago, Skybone said:

I had a pre-Vintage Circuit 4003 from 2005, and that sounded pretty full.

 

It's the VC that takes the guts out of the sound. 

 

According to the Paul D. Boyer book:

"From the beginning of the Rickenbacker bass design, a 0.0047uF capacitor was wired into the circuit to cut bass response from the treble pickup, giving it a brighter sound. Simply replacing the capacitor with a piece of wire was the quick and easy fix. In 1984, RIC responded to customer preferences and jettisoned the capacitor, giving the 4003 a more ballsy sound right out of the box" 

 

"Starting in early 2006, RIC restored the 0.0047uF bass cut capacitor to the circuitry. But a push/pull switch offers the option to activate it" (p64)

Ill have to check mine tonight. Mine is a 1998 4003 model

[prowla]

3 hours ago, Pow_22 said:

Todays light reading threw up this old post which has peaked my interes:-

 

Check and see if you have a .0047 capacitor in-line with the bridge pickup. Most 4001/4003 Rickenbacker basses do.

To fatten the sound of (pre-2011) 4003s this capacitor needs to be removed or bypassed I'm led to believe.
It acts as a hi-pass filter on the bridge pickup cutting off the lower frequencies.

Apparently the latest 4003s have a push-pull setup on one of the knobs to engage and disengage this capacitor, giving what they call "Classic" (ie. trebly) and "Modern" (ie. full) sounds.

This capacitor is missing from my own 4001 (it was gone when I bought it second hand 20 years ago) and it sounds awesome! Somewhat "fuller" than my Fender in fact.

The Vintage/Modern switch is a clever mod; it just engages a short across the cap when in normal position and disengages it when pulled. 
An easy retro-fit and invisible from outside. 

[Pow_22]

So this is my current wiring. Looks like the cap is already removed? Just the two caps in there

Edited Thursday at 16:07 by Pow_22

[prowla]

4 hours ago, Pow_22 said:

So this is my current wiring. Looks like the cap is already removed? Just the two caps in there

Yup - it would be where that orange wire runs from the switch to the bottom-right (in the picture) pot, between the green sleeves to the two tone caps. 
So, you’re not going to get the Chris Squire sound. 

[Norris]

It's quite easy to fit a vintage tone switch if you can use a soldering iron. Mine didn't have one either.

 

https://www.rickysounds.co.uk/product/vintage-tone-selector-kit/

[Skybone]

There's also the question about which socket you're using.

 

If you're wearing the bass, the front one should be the "Ric-o-Sound", the rear one should be the one to use. Ric-o-Sound is a stereo socket, and splits the signal if you're using a stereo jack.

 

Just a thought...

[prowla]

2 minutes ago, Skybone said:

There's also the question about which socket you're using.

 

If you're wearing the bass, the front one should be the "Ric-o-Sound", the rear one should be the one to use. Ric-o-Sound is a stereo socket, and splits the signal if you're using a stereo jack.

 

Just a thought...

If you plug a mono jack into the Rick-O-Sound socket you should only get the Treble pickup, as it's the Tip connection of the TRS.

For diagnostics you can pull it part-way out to get the Bass pickup, which is on the Ring connector.

And, of course (for all bar one guitar model), you only plug into one at a time: the Normal (mono) socket has a switch which connects the Bass pickup to the Tip too, so you may get no sound at all if you try to use both outputs at the same time.

[luckman67]

Congrats on your new bass I hope you, have many happy years with it they are great basses. I had a 1992 Fireglo 4003 for £650 which I slightly modified, totally gutted when I had to let it go instant regret. Fast forward to this February I too had a Ric itch but I honestly couldn't justify the prices secondhand, so I looked for a good copy of the 4001/4003.

 

I found a 1990 Greco RB-85 for roughly what I paid for the 4003. The strap buttons & the control knobs from my 4003, are now on the Greco.

 

[prowla]

11 hours ago, luckman67 said:

Congrats on your new bass I hope you, have many happy years with it they are great basses. I had a 1992 Fireglo 4003 for £650 which I slightly modified, totally gutted when I had to let it go instant regret. Fast forward to this February I too had a Ric itch but I honestly couldn't justify the prices secondhand, so I looked for a good copy of the 4001/4003.

 

I found a 1990 Greco RB-85 for roughly what I paid for the 4003. The strap buttons & the control knobs from my 4003, are now on the Greco.

 

I'd keep the original Greco TRC on it; it's more authentic that way.

Anybody who knows Rics will spot it's a faker and anybody who doesn't won't know or care about the brand anyway.

[luckman67]

2 hours ago, prowla said:

I'd keep the original Greco TRC on it; it's more authentic that way.

Anybody who knows Rics will spot it's a faker and anybody who doesn't won't know or care about the brand anyway.

Unfortunately when it came from Japan it already had the Ric TRC installed. The biggest annoyance is that the action on the Greco is better, than I could get on the Ric & apparently now Rickenbacker only have one trussrod in the necks now. 

[ped]

2 hours ago, prowla said:

I'd keep the original Greco TRC on it; it's more authentic that way.

Anybody who knows Rics will spot it's a faker and anybody who doesn't won't know or care about the brand anyway.

See also: BMW ‘M’ badges lol

[Maude]

3 hours ago, prowla said:

I'd keep the original Greco TRC on it; it's more authentic that way.

Anybody who knows Rics will spot it's a faker and anybody who doesn't won't know or care about the brand anyway.

My Aria came with a Rickenbastard TRC. I have a spare Rickenbacker one but I don't want that either. I really want the original Aria one but can I find one? 

Annoyingly the previous owner had swapped and said he had it somewhere (in the middle of a house move) and would forward it on. I've since messaged but nothing. 

[luckman67]

33 minutes ago, Maude said:

My Aria came with a Rickenbastard TRC. I have a spare Rickenbacker one but I don't want that either. I really want the original Aria one but can I find one? 

Annoyingly the previous owner had swapped and said he had it somewhere (in the middle of a house move) and would forward it on. I've since messaged but nothing. 

Greatest excuse of all, no way of proving them wrong or right.

[prowla]

1 hour ago, Maude said:

My Aria came with a Rickenbastard TRC. I have a spare Rickenbacker one but I don't want that either. I really want the original Aria one but can I find one? 

Annoyingly the previous owner had swapped and said he had it somewhere (in the middle of a house move) and would forward it on. I've since messaged but nothing. 

On the one hand you could get an Aria replica one made, but on the other how do you know it was an Aria?

[prowla]

2 hours ago, luckman67 said:

Unfortunately when it came from Japan it already had the Ric TRC installed. The biggest annoyance is that the action on the Greco is better, than I could get on the Ric & apparently now Rickenbacker only have one trussrod in the necks now. 

Is a single truss-rod relevant?

[luckman67]

33 minutes ago, prowla said:

Is a single truss-rod relevant?

No, one of the main points  of distinguishing "real" Ric basses from the copies, was the fact that genuine 4001/4003 basses had 2 truss rods. Where as a lot of the clones only had 1 trussrod so just taking of the TRC, gave you a good indication what the bass really was. 

[Maude]

1 hour ago, prowla said:

On the one hand you could get an Aria replica one made, but on the other how do you know it was an Aria?

Because the previous owner took the Aria one off 😁. 

But I know what you mean. I've considered a 'Matsumoku' one in the Rickenbacker style but that's wrong as well. I've got no reason not to believe it wasn't badged as an Aria originally. 

[luckman67]

The Greco & Fernandes  Ric clones have, their name in the Rickenbacker style script. The one annoying thing that the clones do as good as the real 4001 & 4003 basses, is the dreaded tail lift.

[prowla]

25 minutes ago, Maude said:

Because the previous owner took the Aria one off 😁. 

But I know what you mean. I've considered a 'Matsumoku' one in the Rickenbacker style but that's wrong as well. I've got no reason not to believe it wasn't badged as an Aria originally. 

Sorry for persisting, but Aria was one of several brands produced at the Matsumoku factory and without the original, sellers often choose the most advantageous brand to go with when offering on the item without specific bonafides. 
It’s especially prevalent with Grecos. 

[prowla]

56 minutes ago, luckman67 said:

No, one of the main points  of distinguishing "real" Ric basses from the copies, was the fact that genuine 4001/4003 basses had 2 truss rods. Where as a lot of the clones only had 1 trussrod so just taking of the TRC, gave you a good indication what the bass really was. 

I can see that’s a faker from the one photo, without taking the TRC off. 
The faker truss-rods had different adjusters, so having two wasn’t necessarily the tell anyway. 

[Maude]

6 minutes ago, prowla said:

Sorry for persisting, but Aria was one of several brands produced at the Matsumoku factory and without the original, sellers often choose the most advantageous brand to go with when offering on the item without specific bonafides. 
It’s especially prevalent with Grecos. 

 

Yes, I realise all of that. But you'll be the first to admit you'd rather see a genuine TRC on a faker rather than a Rickenbacker one. As it is definitely a Matsumoku build and all the information I have is that it was in originally branded Aria, and I have a Rickenbacker and Rickenbastard TRC to hand, what TRC would you opt for? There's a only one of those four that it could possibly left the factory with, or would you choose a different brand name that Matsumoku built for completely randomly. 

Leaving it off is not a an option either for aesthetic reasons. 

 

I completely understand that a brand name on most Japanese fakers is irrelevant as all you can be sure of, once the TRC is gone, is which factory made it but I've gotta to pick something.