@@bamthwackerson39 Chris Squires Rick was smaller in size and weight cause he had covered it in a floral pattern in the 1960s, when the fashion was passe he had it sanded off by a professional and the guy took off another layer of the original finish, yielding a lighter and smaller overall body. Mightve contributed to Chris' distinct tone a bit
I've played almost everything out there and came back full circle to Rickenbackers. They are noisy, lose definition in notes higher up the neck, and can shred your arm w/ the binding, but DAMNNNN they just work and inspire me. I love mine.
After gigging and recording with the beloved P-bass for 40 years, I bought a new Fireglo 4003 in 2009. It’s been my go-to bass since then. That sound 👍🏼‼️
Can't wait for the Rick vs Harley Benton comparison video. A legendary icon vs it's superior in quality/price copy. It's gonna get weird. Especially for Rick worshipers.
@Regents Park Music Sounds like you got a dud and are now whining on every RU-vid video to make yourself feel better. Duds happen, doesn't mean other people can't enjoy their Rick's, doesn't mean every Rick is bad, some people have had good experiences, some bad, your totalitarian view is childish.
@Rio Grande I didn't realise that I had a little shadow stalking me around. I'm not sure that flattered is my initial reaction, but as long as you stay at a safe distance, it should be fine. 😁👍
@Regents Park Music Oh, don't be so full of yourself, I just cruise the bass section of RU-vid from time to time, lo and behold you're on every video spreading your laments, ;)
@Rio Grande It's good that I'm probably not the only one you're stalking... Oops, I mean following in RU-vid. Don't put all your eggs in one basket my grandfather always said. Don't worry, I have absolutely no intention of involving the police. You sound pretty harmless. Speaking of the Police... Is "Every Breath You Take" a song you often listed to? That's cool if you do. It's a good song. Just please don't listen to 'Goodbye Horses' by Q Lazzuras when you're focused on me. That is absolute nightmare fuel. Especially if you have well in your basement and a dog named Precious. 😁👍
The thing I have always loved about Ricks is the ‘stringiness’ of their sound. Yes, you can get it from other basses, but with the Rick’s, it is there, built in, that you have to work to get rid of it. It gives a quality of ‘loudness’ in a mix, without actually being louder.
it's somewhat possible to 'loosely' recreate the [vintage] Rikky sound by adding another . 047µf capacitor, depending on the actual pickup(s), of course. Another point - I was advised by a serious Rikky 4001 owner years ago that you should NEVER mess with the truss rod - apparently the rod in the 4001 wasn't really up to scratch. The 4003 has 2 rods - I wouldn't go near them. Just advisin' and finally - I LOVE my new Harley Benton RB-R14; not an actual Rikky but still AWESOME!.
You had to clamp the 4001 body down while you flexed the neck in the direction you wanted it to go while adjusting the truss rod. Lots of horror stories about popped fingerboards from bowed up truss rods. New models are so much easier to adjust. And all the ones I've had never needed much adjustment after they were set. I run flatwounds on my Rics. @@daveroche6522
Nice review! (Small but important thing: It is Ricken-back-er, which sounds like "your back", not sounding like Bach the composers. This is actually a thing in the history of the company, where they intentionally changed it from Rickenbacher to Rickenbacker, and the pronunciation to not sound too German around the WWII years.)
After 40 years of wanting one, I’ve now justified it. Through AFFIRM, I could have the bass now and pay for it over two years, a month at a time. I looked at the math and “justified” it: “I can afford those payments!” Voila! I have my dream bass!
I have a love/hate with mine. Mine is near 11lbs. It’s an awkward shape. Not a huge fan of loose the string tension is. It’s not good with RF interference. But it’s beautiful, sounds absolutely unique, and I feel bad ass when I play it. This video wants me to get pick it up and play it. Thanks Patrick!
Same here. I own a 4003s and the pickup buzz is irritating. On the other hand, I own a Spector Euro, a Music Man Stingray 4HH, and an American p-bass, and my Ric is so distinct. Nothing sounds like a Ric. That’s probably why I’ve kept mine and contemplated getting another (one for flats and one for rounds).
I own a 2014 4003 (you actually showcased it in your Show Me What You Bass series), i tell anyone with them is you either love it or hate it and i absolutely love Rickenbacker basses! It has been my go to bass since buying it
I have one, and I do like it. But I actually play my Js and Ps more often. My all time favorite is the early 50s P-bass (with the single coil). I like 'em all...
I have a Rick 4003S that I bought about a year ago (it was the only one in stock at the time) and is still the main bass I use for recording with college and for my own stuff, such a fantastic-sounding bass and definitely one of the best I’ve ever played
I first heard The Who when I was about 13 in the late 60's. From that time on, have been a fan of that Rickenbacker "presence". When I started playing bass in 1978, I was able to get a Fender Telecaster, first year issue. I put round wounds on it and it came close - very close.
I'm 5' 6" with normal sized hands, and my Rick 4003 was perfect. Loved it. That was my #1 gigging bass for years and in several genres from country to pop to dance to rock. If you haven't tried one, you should definitely give it a go. Cheap? No way, there are no budget versions (except knock offs), but it's right there with Fender as far as prices go when it comes to top tier (e.g. Ultra) prices.
Having purchased a 4003 10 years ago I love it. The one thing I will say is they don’t all sound like that. Make sure you go to the store, pick it up, plug it in and listen. I tried 2. The first one was a fireglow that I wanted. The action was not right, it sounded flat. I put that back on the rack and picked up the jet glow. My search was over.
I’ve been playing guitar over 40 years now, and only have dabbled in playing the bass but if I ever broke down and purchased a bass guitar, it would definitely be a Rickenbacker! Not only do they look cool but they sound great!
R-bass... one of the most distinctive tones in the bass world. History of 20th century music would probably be some different if Rick basses would not exist.
Mine is a 86 or 89, I have check again. Last year I took it to a Joe Glaser in Nashville to get it refret job done to it. I already changed out the bridge for a Hipshot, for the adjustment screws on the original was rusted over. I had them put Stainless Steel frets as the replacement and not have the finish not be put back on the fretboard, so it bare wood now. It plays like a dream and I love the tone it put out. Glad to see you a fan boy of Rick Basses.
From the first moment I started listening to Rush, I fell in love with the tone of Rickenbacker basses.🎸 For me, the tone is so well balanced that you can't reproduce it with any other bass/effect or gear. I absolutely love this bass, but of course it's priceless for a student like me, but definitely one of my biggest DREAMS would be to OWN SUCH a BASS! 🤯 Great video, Patrick! 💯🔥
Absolutely! Man, that Ricky on Moving Pictures and Signals and live on Exit Stage Left! He ran his Ricky in stereo! Even A Farwell to Kings, Hemispheres and Permanent Waves sounded fantastic!
SAVE! SAVE! SAVE! I bought my 1st 1974 Rickenbacker 4001 when I was 17, in 1986. I paid 675.00 for it. Even though I've used her as my main bass, she still looks beautiful. I take care of her. The only thing I replaced was the bridge. I used a Badass 1, just like Geddy's. I now use a 4003 also. I replaced the bridge with a badass 1 and I purchased a horseshoe pickup and a toaster neck pickup brand new from Rickenbacker. Believe it or not, you'll pay less buying new pickups from Rickenbacker. NEVER purchase used. People want more money for used pickups. Ricky is the cheapest. I used those C-63 style pickups on my 4003. It sounds fantastic in the vintage position. I also run my basses in stereo. It's beautiful!
@@dez1989 damn lucky you! For me, a real dream would come true EVER to own a Rickenbacker and you even have several! In the past they we're surely cheaper, but I'm still in my early 20s and therefore I have unfortunately never knew that time. As a student, you cant just spend all the money on such stuff... *cry* :D
@An1k1 Give it a little time. My 1st I just found in a town a few miles away from where I lived. Through the years I've made friends with at least 1 Ric. When they got an itchy trigger finger to get a newer one (I know... WHY?), I was there with 1300.00 to buy one that a friend was selling for a new one. I did all the upkeep on his Ricky so I knew that bass inside out. I tried talking him out of it but his mind was made up. Since then I was fortunate enough to come across a 1980 Rickenbacker 4080 bass and 12 string. It was ravaged. There was nothing left to it but the wooden skeleton. Sometimes I have even questioned if what I purchased was a smart move or the most moronic purchase of my life. After 6 years I'm about 75% complete. I purchased everything new from Rickenbacker. I decided not to purchase an old "R" 12 string mount and went for the Rickenbacker trapeze 12 string mount. I even found 2 black Rickenbacker truss rod covers. So everything is Rickenbacker on it. It's taken years to hunt down or "make" all the parts while trying to keep it looking the way it was meant to be. I wanted Geddy Lee's black Rickenbacker double neck but I was unwilling to install humbuckers on the 12 string side. So I installed normal Ric hi output single coils. It will sound glorious being a 12 string. The bass side has a Badass bass bridge and stock 4003 pickups with all original vintage wiring to get that beautiful grind and clank! I mainly have to finish the frets and the necks. Then I can take it out and play it! It isn't going to be worth what a 100% original 4080 is worth. I don't care. I want to play mine, not stare at it while it hangs in some case! They are made to be played! Just keep that fire lit. You'll be surprised one day when things line up. I'm NOT rich. I network. I repair instruments. I help people out. And at times people remember and help me out. Always be honest with people. Don't screw anyone over. If you help them, give more than expected. Be kind. The blessings that you give away sometimes come back to bless you. God bless you my friend.
I just picked up my first Rick, a 2016 4003 in midnight blue, left hand. Absolutely love it! It was a bit like finding a unicorn since Rickenbacker isn't making any lefties until maybe next year, then they'll have a 2-3 year back-log. Doubtful if any lefties will be made in blue. I have a feeling that my bass will go up in value $500 every month Rickenbacker doesn't make any more new ones.
Great review! You are very articulate and your description is spot on in my opinion. I've owned 2 - 4001's, 2 - 4003's and a 1975 4080 mapleglo double neck. And my last, a mapleglo 4003s, which I converted to fretless was stolen out of my van in the bar parking lot after rehearsal one fateful night 27 years ago. It's been 27 years since I've owned another one so I just ordered a new mapleglo 4003. I'm excited to run it in stereo through my two CL50s Ashly preamps into my Acoustic B300C and Marshall 100w solid state combo. As a side note, every single one that I owned had the tail end of the bridge come away from the body to some degree or another, especially my 71' Burgundy 4001which needed a new bridge. Anywho, awesome review and quite accurate as well. 👍
The 4003 bass is one of those instruments I would have liked to own but the cost was always way too high. Also I think the best way to use the Rickosound feature is probably to route the neck pickup to a clean bass amp and the bridge pickup to a pedal board and maybe a guitar amp so you can blend that clean bassy signal from the neck pickup with the driven/effects laden highs of the bridge pickup. In that way I can see it being good for some of those 'Royal Blood' tones.
I don't have as much G.A.S as I used to. I've bought and sold a ton of gear over the last five years, and it's really disabused me of the notion that a new piece of gear is going to make me happier. However... I really, really, really want a Rickenbacker.
I picked mine up for a steal in the early 00s for $700 shipped. The owner bought it in 97, didn't like it and it sat in storage for years. It's been my primary bass ever since.
Hi Patrick. I had a 4003s about 4 years ago. Purchased it NEW for $1300. It was GREAT. Had to sell it cause I wasn't working at the time. I just bought another one on 3/27/24 from Sweetwater for $1950. I will not let this one go. I am fortunate to have about 12 other basses but nothing sounds like a Ric. Great review. Another bass to ask Sweetwater to check out is a Warwick Thumb Bolt on. I bought one of those from Sweetwater also. Best wishes in all that you do. Peace.
"American Made" by a German who fled to Sweden and designed lap steel guitars, which featured a great bridge horse pickup, it evolved into the signature bass design whilst in America, which is now made by CNC machines and using parts outsourced to China and costing an arm and a leg
He careful mate. The Rick worshipers are easily triggered. Once that happens, they start moaning about how good it's tone is and that a few famous bass players used them. Once you point out It's many flaws, they throw a tantrum, then disappear to their subterranean safe spaces to listen to Geddy Lee play a Fender Jazz on YYZ (which they swear was a Rick).
Got my first 4001 in 1981, a 4003 in the early 2000's and last year got a walnut 4003s. It was the old bridges for sure that may have an issue. It's also actually pronounced "backer" like your back...
Love my 2017 4003S that I bought used in 2018. It has the old style bridge and I have been thinking about changing it to the new style. Nice to hear you liked it. Haven't heard much about it so far. The bridge alone costs as much as a Harley Benton bass.
Rickenbacker’s are special and they definitely change the way you play. If you can get the scratch together I highly recommend them. They hold their value across all periods of time. I really enjoy the mid 90’s 4003’s with slightly larger horns. I can’t think of a cooler looking production model.
I've got a 4003 jetglo glossy ,love it ! To use the RIC -O - Sound you need a stereo cable that you put into a splinter box or a stereo cable that splits into two outputs . I really want a 4003S in maple glo too. They are hard to get and expensive though.
Yes! Patrick makes the rookie mistake of thinking you use both outputs simultaneously for stereo (Rick-o-sound), a false assumption I can understand people making. But no, you only use the one output.
It’s definitely the old bridges, pre-2019, that people complain about. The old bridge design was absolutely terrible. Adjusting the intonation was a nightmare and you couldn’t adjust string height individually.
I love my Ric 4003 Ruby Red. BUT, what some fanboys can call 'quirky' are just design flaws... 1. The neck profile - I did adapt to it well, and can jump back and forth to other fender type necks, but it's very very different... Wider on fret 1 but keeps similar width, doesn't taper across the neck, so it's very easy to play on higher frets... very flat profile, feels closer to a shredding guitar than a bass designed 60+ years ago... 2. Dual truss rod... seriously? so that they can be wrongly adjusted and the neck twists? 3. barnishing the fretboard and paint all over the neck... so that the wood moisture is trapped and the neck shape changes, needing a recrown? 3. Bridge... mine came with the hipshot and I'm very happy with it, but c'mon, the tail lifts I've seen in previous basses are ridiculous... 4. The bridge pickup bezel going so high up that the screws can scratch your picking hand... 5. the output of the neck pickup is unmatched to the bridge, like a reverse jazz pickup issue... mine got changed for a Nordenbocker and NOW it's perfect. onto the positives, yes, it's one of the coolest instruments, it is comfortable and sounds amazing. I love mine, my main live axe and better on distortion and fuzz than clean stuff... BUT be careful and try or do your research before buying - I still have mine and planning to keep it but you need to be very aware of the design flaws and see if that's still for you... and take it to a good luthier/technician to assess!
Glad you got to finally make a Rick video! Apart from all the names you mentioned in the video, I always associate it with Jesse from Death From Above 1979 (despite him using it on only the first record and also not being his technically lol). Wanted one ever since, but yeah that price tag hurts.
The 4003 will forever be the coolest looking bass in my eyes. Wanted one since I saw Haruhara Haruko wielding it like a club in FLCL. Yup. An anime character made me want this bass.
Even though I knew of the bass before I saw FLCL as a young teenager years ago on midnight Adult Swim viewings, Raharu is also why a blue Rickenbacker 4001/4003 is also my dream bass =]
Talking alternatives: I wonder why nobody seems to have mentioned the Peavey T-40! Also nothing for smaller hands/people, but a similar pickup placement, response and controls, so it can produce similar sounds. The look is less classic and less special, but also iconic. And you can get one for around 1000 bucks. Then there's the Guild B-302, also with a similar pickup setup and a very unique look, even more very retro-futuristic. But they're pretty rare. And finally, I'd also recommend checking Burns basses. Completely different setup, but they seem to produce similar sounds, and they also look like out of this world. But in the end, I love the vibe of Rickenbacker basses! They work for classic Rock and Metal, but also for Beat, and of course you can always "break the rules" and get something completely different out of them, like you have shown, at least in parts. The pickup placement is one of my favorites and allows for some incredible and versatile sounds! And no other bass is as iconic and special at the same time.
Im a big Rickenbacker user too and I love it. But there are some pros and cons you missed. Pro: 100% accessible high register neck area. Con 1: Most Rick basses have a weak E string (weak attack) Con 2: Uses non standard string gauges. Con 3: Very difficult to palm mute with stock bridge (old and new), switch to Hipshot if u wanna palm mute. Great video!
I know it's an iconic instrument, but it's one of those that just doesn't feel right in my hands. Definitely a quality instrument, though. Music Go Round by me has three of them currently and I keep having the "Well... I could at least own one" but generally talk myself out of it. :)
Same. Nothing ever felt right about them - I don't like the neck profile, or the tones and all the horror stories about the bridge being a pain in the ass to adjust. Cool video however and Patrick is honest about them and playing is stout as always.
The U neck profile feels fantastic but it's rather thick and gets very uncomfortable around thread 1-3, when you have smaller hands. Also it suffers from head-dive. But it is the best sounding bass i've ever played. You need to dial some settings on your amp tho, otherwise it lacks bass, but when you adjust it correctly the tone is crystal clear, almost godly.
Yep it is a rather "worshipped" bass but...if you do that teardown of the instrument you can't help but to wonder "why is this thing even worshipped?" Crappy bridge and saddles, odd neck profile, trussrods annoying to adjust, that pickup cover you will find yourself removing soon after the purchase, also is a kinda heavy bass and even then it still has neck dive, et cetera.
@@D14V0R05 As with the same "iconic" Thunderbird, EB-3 or even the Stingray: Love the look, like the sound but the handling of the Rick is just not for me.
If you want to have a smile, play the bass part for Long Distance Runaround by Yes. It is the Rick in all its glory. It is my favourite song to play on my 4003.
To be clear: for stereo, you do NOT use both outputs. You plug a stereo-tipped cable into ONLY the Rick-o-Sound output, then go into a splitter box (or else use a Y cable) to route the two pickups to two different signal chains/amps. For regular/mono, use just the Standard output. Common misunderstanding.
Here’s my weird thoughts on the look of the Rick: when they are positioned vertically, like on a stand or hanger, I think they look quite strange, maybe even ugly. But take that same instrument and view it in a horizontal position, like when it’s being played, and it is a thing of absolute beauty! I have taken images of the 4003 and just stared at it, and occasionally rotated it 90 degrees, and it seems to transform. Anyway, I am a huge fan and I hope one day to buy one. They’re certainly not cheap…
You are going to need a stereo cable that plugs into a splitter to use the “Ric O Sound. Do a search and you’ll find the gear. Some of the old design bridges were known to lift in addition to being difficult to intonate. The new bridge has solved those problems.
I’m a 4001 player. Correct you need a stereo cable/plug into the Ric O Sound jack to separate the pickup signals, not one cable into each jack. But in the video the plug is in the Ric O Sound jack when he demonstrates the pickup selector switch. Maybe the 4003 is configured differently than the 4001. Plugging each pickup into a separate amp is fun and supports using effects on one pickup while leaving the other clean. I’m currently running the Ric O Sound out to a Warwick LWA1000 which splits the stereo signal internally, one to each channel, giving me separate preamp controls for each pickup. Sounds great but doesn’t allow for a separate effects signal chain for each pickup.
5:45 They say “replace the bridge” about the ***4001*** models as they are prone to lifting off the body over time. This was apparently due to inadequate strength of the materials and inherent weakness in the design of that bridge as when tensioning the strings, it would cause the bridge to lift from the body over time. The 4003 bridge was redesigned (in part) to mitigate that problem, so no need to replace it on the 4003.
I own a 1981 4003 purchased new for $750.00. There are four differences in mine as there is no push-pull switch in the knob for "vintage mode," my knobs have silver inserts defining their function, the white body cover for the knobs, switch & neck pick-up is two-pieces and the bridge has just two setscrews for setting string heights rather than two setscrews for each string; the newer bridge is definitely an improvement! I gotta say your comment about hand size made me go, huh? I'm 5'-7" and at the time of purchase was also looking at the Precision bass as well as those of other makers that were popular at the time; Kramer, Peavey, Washburn and Gibson. I found of all those, only the Ric felt comfortable in my hands. This then makes me wonder about hand dimension. When I stretch may left hand, from tip of pinky to tip of thumb is 8-inches. Not sure what this dimension is for other famous bassists? At least it wasn't something ever mentioned in the tour guides of the bands I saw live.😂
I have that model, new about 04. Don't know much about Ric O Sound, but I hear it's another set up. I keep her in her original case and need to revisit her.
10” is quite a round radius, not at all flat. Many modern fenders are about 9.5” so about the same. Also it’s a slightly shorter scale than a normal long scale Fender, so potentially easier for those with smaller hands to play.
Rickenbacker started shipping out the 4003 with the updated bridge in 2020, I have a 2015 in Jetglo that came stock with the old bridge & a 2020 in Mapleglo that came stock with the new bridge. 😊 Good move on Rickenbackers part as people were buying the 4003 and swapping out the stock bridge for the Hipshot replacement, the replacement bridge is not a quick drop in and requires some routing from what I have heard from what I have heard so I am leaving my 2015 stock, as I'm not having an issue with the bridge 😊
You probably spotted the problem I had with mine - the body cut into my arm, and it went to sleep while I was playing it! I traded mine for a Gibson G-3. So tell me - How does it compare to the Harley?
Meh... try one before buying, do not make your choice by watching some demos and reviews. You have to experience it, it's so quirky and specific that it would either fit your playing style perfectly or be an expensive piece of junk.
Just want to point out, you don’t use both outputs for Rick’O’Sound! You use a stereo cable TRS in the Rick’O’Sound jack and plug the 2 mono TS cables into each amp. The pickup selector becomes an A/Y/B switch
