The Coolest Basses in The World? Rickenbacker 4003s Walnut Basses
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- Опубліковано 17 сер 2017
- What is the coolest bass in the world? And does it have a stereo output so you can sound like Royal Blood to the mighty Lemmy!?
Rickenbacker 4003 - goo.gl/g632se
Rickenbacker 4003s - goo.gl/az4Apw
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I love how this bass fits in with any style. It looks metal af with cliff and lemmy, it looks like something cutting edge with geddy, it looks funky as hell with rick James, and the honeyburst would look at place in any southern rock, country, or jam band. Debate its sound all you want but it's the coolest bass ever. Too iconic for a budget version to make sense for the brand imo
I agree, the Rick 4001 and 4003 basses are very unique sound and looking, from all other basses
I wouldnt call the S a "budget version" at all. I mean, it's only about 300£ cheaper. And lets face it, if you're spending 2000+ on a bass, 300 more or less isnt that big a deal. I'd say its a more "modern" take on the classic. The rounded edges make it abit more comfortable, and very few players still use the stereo/rick o sound option anyway. I personally use it on my 4003 FG, but getting a 4003SW now aswell. I'd love the option to have binding on the neck, and maybe the inlays, but it doesn't make that much of a difference to me really.
As an owner of a '78 4001 here's the good and bad for me:
GOOD
1) They resale very well; often you'll get what you paid for and sometimes even more.
2) Regardless of what people say, these basses do not lack low end it's just that people tend to want to sound like Squire or Lee. Turn up the bass in your signal or on your amp if you're gonna go for the bright distorted tone please.
3) The tone is very unique. You will not have a problem being heard in a mix.
4) The neck profile on my bass feels nice, not too fat not too skinny.
5) The look is highly distinctive. You can't mistake a Rickenbacker for any other bass.
BAD
1) The tuners on the late '70s 4001's suck ass. The newer basses have better tuners. I replaced mine with Hipshot Ultralites w/ a Drop D tuner.
2) The tone is very unique. The .0047 cap in the treble pickup circuit can limit your tonal options. If you have a 4001 bass, I highly recommend you have the push/pull switch installed to give you access to the modern and vintage tones.
3) This one is still a problem even on the modern 4003, the damn bridge. I understand it has the traditional look, but the bridge sucks ass. This is the worst part of the bass, bar none. My 4001 now has a Hipshot replacement bridge.
4) Although the resale value is high, it is a double edge sword. The basses are often very expensive and it makes access to these basses for younger people very difficult. I personally feel like Rickenbacker basses aren't worth the current $2000+ price tag, if anything they should be priced the same as a standard USA Fender. I'm in the camp that believes Rickenbacker needs to have a budget line like Fender has with Squier.
5) The truss rod system on the old 4001 basses is reliable as hell. As long as you keep the tension the same when you change strings, the neck will never move! However, in the event that you have to adjust the truss rod, be prepared for a total nightmare. The newer 4003's are easier to adjust because they use a modern truss rod system, but they're also not quite as stable as the old system. Pick your poison I guess.
FINAL NOTES
I'm sure I missed some points on this topic but I wanted to keep it brief. The 4001/4003 is a great bass, but ultimately it falls short because of it's pricing. In all honesty, the only regret I have is that I bought a 4001 instead of a 4004. The 4004 in my opinion is Rickenbacker's best line of basses to date. Yeah they don't have the classic look, but they're just overall better in my opinion.
The 4003 fixed the lack of low end. You can get the vintage sound by pulling the bridge volume knob (honestly I never use it). I had a 4004L...VERY hot humbucker, but the neck turned me off...would not settle and was too thin-I like a baseball bat...and I found it didn't have the character of my 4003. Cheers.
I paid less than $1400 for my new 4001.
$2000+? I've seen them go new for $1600 for the 4003 and $1500 for the 4003S.
You'll never believe it but I bought my 78 Rick 4001s in 78 but it had been used for three months and returned to the guitar shop.
They were selling It On consignment and I picked it up for$300! Yes I said $300.
Your pros and cons about the 78 series are spot-on. I replace the nut with a brass one put in Schaller tuners, and then a badass Bridge. Also got rid of those damn plastic knobs and put in some nice heavy duty Chrome ones.
I also wired a tiny micro switch to play with the capacitors on that treble pickup. I did that back in 1980 not really understanding what I was doing but I ended up with three cool sounds.
Stock one, one with the pickups wide open and no capacitor at all, and finally one sort of in between the two.
And you're absolutely right about the neck adjustment the dual truss Rod's are a f****** nightmare.
Did the hipshot bridge make a difference in tone?
I own a Rickenbacker 4001 bass my self and I can't get over how much I love the Ricky's harmonize each other
Bit of Rush and Motorhead at the start. Much appreciated!!!!!!!!!
Hey guys, There were a couple things you missed on the ric-o-sound. You were correct in using a stereo cable, but that's where it ends. Unless that ABY box has a stereo input, you were only listening to the bridge pickup the entire time. (that... and the pickup selector as only on the bridge pickup).
Easy mistake, but worth pointing out.
correct you need a stereo jack to two mono leads one for each pickup and as you said the toggle switch in the middle.
Looked to me like that's what they had .... stereo to twin mono lead. On second look, maybe not.
Even if they had the correct cable, they ended up leaving the toggle switch set to bridge pickup mode, which would negate the stereo effect.
Came here to say that. Y’all noticed too. I have an old Magnitone guitar that only has stereo output, I had to build me a stereo- mono mono box for it. It’s awesome I run the bridge to the Marshall and neck to the fender. Good stuff.
I generally don't hear much sound difference between different bases, but these sound so much better than others tested on this channel to date.
Richard Huckle that's because they are the EXACT same base, one has more dressing to match the general 4001 thing, the other, with no binding and dots, to match the UK import RM1999 model that Chris Squire and Paul McCartney famously used.
To both of you....It's Bass and Basses for the musical instrument. A base is either a military installment or the bottom of something, bases being the plural.
Duke Albert Also they both have the binding, neither are fretless, but yes one is without the inlay dots on the frets instead it has "diamond" inlays.
Duke Albert He's saying they sound different than any other bass played/tested on the channel to this point.
Draven Alexander
The S doesn’t have binding
My fav Beatles record is Rubber Soul since 65 til now , mainly cause Paul had a new deep sound due to his new Rickenbaker . I remember how we all were impressed and talking about it . Paul then began to play his most famous great bass lines which put the bass at front in pop music .
I love Rickenbackers. For the type of music I play, nothing compares to the tone they naturally have.
Anybody else reject ace of spades without distortion?
Huw Griffin I didn't
yea absolutely...
Huw Griffin yes i did
Yes, without a doubt....
And Spirit of the radio with a pick :( Although to get that tone with fingers requires them to be made out of pure rock, and long fingernails lol
The Rickis are just so stunning in person. Not sure about the price-to-quality ratio. But they're more eye-catching today than they ever were since most basses look identical nowadays.
There worth every penny trust me.
You're not really using the Ric-o-sound right. It looks like you're just sending the bridge pickup to both amps.
Guys you are a an absolute JOY to watch ! great sounding basses !!!!!
That intro was amazing
Most excellent opening jam, fellows. I don't play a note, so I can't comment how impressive or skillful you guys are, but I do know that it's very pleasing to the ear.
Good job by Anderton's to draw together some really wonderful musicians to flog their wares.
This has to be the coolest intro jam I've seen you guys do
great stuff guys! Awesome fun review. LOVE Rickenbacker
Burton, Lee, Lemmy, Deacon, Entwhistle, Lynott; this is *the* bass guitar!
Trekkie 135 i never saw lynott use one? Also youre missing a certain Paul McCartney ;)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Rickenbacker_players
Trekkie 135 Don't Forget Roger Waters and Chris Squire! Also Paul McCartney!!
Chris Squire!!
Hmmm..using Wikipedia is not always the best source. Just because a player picked up a Rickenbacker at some point does not make him a true Rickenbacker player.
Burton - switched to an ESP
Lee - switched to a Jazz
Lemmy - true Ric
Deacon - I think of a Stingray or Precision
Entwistle - that funky looking Thunderbird
Lynott - black Precision with the mirror pickguard
Great video ! I have 4003 & a new 4003s. With proper EQ and string choice a much more versatile bass than you would think. Love the necks and the way they play.
Wow, great playing! Beautiful basses!
Love it guys, great jam, cheers!
Awesome jamout on the end of this demonstration!!! Nate, your slappin' is SWEET!!!!!
No mention of the great Bruce Foxton? local lad from down the road in Woking was in a little known band called The Jam, some of you may have heard of them.
His guitarist was quite well known for playing Ric guitars as well.
melvoid01
Took the words out my mouth, when I think ric I always picture Brucy baby doing is little jump, closely followed by Lems silhouette, mic over head with a Ric up to 11.
Excellent overview. Thanks
I've got a Rick 4001... since 1974... still a masterpiece!!
I guess it's been Rickenbacker design since forever, but it really grinds my gears that a neck-through body has a set-neck type heel.
Don't get why Rickenbacker price their guitars so high. Sure they're made in America but their customer service and quality are dubious at best.
branding
Curtain Poles coz they make a very small number of guitars per year
Because people pay it. Same reason that new green Slash sig is not far off £7k. Some daft bugger will part with that much money for it.
They look cool and sound unique.
There's a lot of answers here but I think the main one is that American workers get paid way more than Chinese, Indonesian, Korean and Mexican workers.
Reviews by musicians who actually know how to play the instrument is something else! Thank you, Andertons. Truly.
Great playing 😊
great playing lads!
This video is So Much Fun - Thank you !
Got a new Walnut 4003. Gorgeous bit of kit. Sounds awesome. Pull up the tone pot for the old bass cut 70's sound if that's your thing.
"S" stands for Standard, not Special. Hence the basic nature of it.
I thought it was slim
It’s Special, because they were made specially for shipment to Rose Morris for sales in Europe.
I'm a repairman and luthier, going on 50 years now. Yup- I'm old. At 68, I'm still doing it. And, I'm still playing bass professionally.
I've been working on every guitar and bass that you can possibly imagine, for almost all of that half- Century. I'll never forget Greg Lake's answer to a fan who asked him why he didn't play Rickenbackers. His answer was, if I remember correctly, "They're wildly inconsistent." I have found much to dislike about Rickenbacker basses. In my view, the dual truss rods, along with the ridiculously bad bridge design, along with the slightly, but noticeable shorter scale, from a Fender bass, and the weird 'tubby' tone...were deal breakers for me. That said, they have always been very well made basses, just not my thing. Recently, a repair client brought me two fairly recent 4001S models, and his 1974 4001. The 'S' basses, both have the push pull pot, and sound so much better than the 1974 bass. There's something many Rickenbacker bass enthusiasts might not know. The older standard 4001 and 4003 basses have larger bodies, and the wings are mounted slightly different, in addition,the headstocks changed, as well. The 'S' models have a slightly pitched back headstock, the '74 has a 'scooped down' one.
There are even variations of all those dimensions, including different body thicknesses!
If your looking for one- the new ones are much better instruments, in my opinion.
A plank of rotten wood with a rusty string stretched across it would play & sound better than a Rick.
Good video gentlemen! I own 2 4003s and huge Motorhead fan. Thanks!
Amazing jam session!
It took a while to warm up to my 4003. Once I did I was hooked. If you use the rickosound it is increadible. That really opens up tons of possibilities.
FINALLY! I've been waiting for this for so long. How long ago did you guys post this on instagram?
You guys are great! Love my '76 4001. When I first got it (new), I used the Ric-O-Sound to split between my Fender Bassman amp and a BIG Leslie. What a fantastic sound! The only thing I missed was the push-pull switch, but since I re-wound my pickups anyway it sounded the way I like it. More vintage, like a '60s bass. Excellent review, as always.
Absolute fail on how to use Rickosound. Stereo cable to two mono cables should've been used. Neck pickup ends up going to one amp, bridge pickup to the other. All you guys did was plug a stereo cable into an a/b box, which meant you only got bridge pickup and then were relying on the AB box to switch between sounds. Thus negating the whole idea of Rickosound.
Exactly, only one pickup signal was being split. They plugged a TRS cable into a TS ABY
even if the pickup selector switch had been in the center, which it wasn't, they'd have only gotten one signal, not two
I dont understand why they use a splitter doesnt make sense, they can do that with any bass, the point of the ricosound is to be a splitter sending one pickup to one amp the other pickup to another amp. So many cool things you can actually do with rick o sound, at the least you can change your blend in the mixdown by recording both DI'ed so maybe you want more neck in the chorus and more bridge in the outro or something can do it in the mix rather then while tracking!
i actualy just found that the hard way couse i have the 4003 walnut and i got the same splitter has showed on the video and it doesnt work and yeah this way i only split the bridge pick up and it got me into thinking it was something wrong with bass and then i found out this spliiter input is mono
Fred Muggs Nope it has only a mono input
I posted before reading, guess I just added to the point.
I use a 1980 4001.
Paid £900 for it in 2001.
The ONLY bass I play now.
Beautuful and easy to play.
Growls like a monster. 😊
The best sounding Ricce’s so far!
Brilliant!
Because they sound like J Basses lol
Wow great jam guys that was awesome 👍👍👍
1:12 yeah guys! Best jam of the spirit of radio EVER! cool
Remember when new Rics were like £1700 about, I dunno, 18 months ago! Jees. Cool basses. Good demo. Current UK pricing is insane.
Can't believe how Good.. ääh Fantastic These guys playin
In the early seventies I ran my 4001 stereo into two SVT heads/cabs with twin 15"s for the bass pickup and eight 10"s for the treble. Anything above two on the volume knobs would register as a local seismic event! (And yes, their stereo demo is incorrect.)
To be honest if I could have a new bass I'd love to have a Rickenbacker, they sound awesome and a lot of my favourites and biggest influences played them, Macca, Geddy Lee, Cliff Burton, Lemmy
I always wanted a Rickenbacker 4003 bass and when finally got the chance I bought a 1998 4003 S5!! I used it for a couple of years in a covers band but the more I used it the more I started noticing the design shortcomings like the heavy weight. Also the bridge pickup bezel was uncomfortable for me to rest my thumb! However, the only reason of why I kept playing that bass for years before selling it was its unique sound!!!!
The story I was told was that the bridge pickup initially had a massive horse shoe magnet that looped over the top of the strings, hence the cover. When Rickenbacker updated the bridge pickup without the horseshoe magnet they left the cover there.
Yaaaaaaasss, yall did it!
Do acoustic basses next
Thanks for that very nice video about that Bass. I am currently thinking about to buy a Rickenbacher, so that helped me a lot to make up my mind.
Just another question: The second lick played in the video is from the Band 'Rush', right? Could some here give me a hint from which song it came from?
Thanks, and keep on rockin'
Yes!!!! So happy that you've finally gotten around to Rics. I have two including a 4003w which is my undisputed #1 bass. Chris Squire used to use the Ric-O-Sound feature to split the signal into two different bass amps with effects only going through the treble side so it didn't muddy the sound of the bass side
The Rick O sound split amp sound sold me, thats where I'm heading!
more money in the yeah jar from me
You're not actually using the Ric-O-Sound jack correctly, for two reasons.
1. Your pickup selector is set to bridge only
2. The ABY you plugged into is using TS jacks, so you're only splitting the bridge pickup signal to two amps.
thank you for explaining the way to activate the mute. I couldnt figure out why it got stuck
Does anyone listening this realize these two guys have absolutely no idea how Ric-O-Sound works? One pickup goes into one channel and the other pickup goes into the other channel, that's it, the pickups themselves are not split up. I do agree though, take that bridge pickup cover as fast as you can.
Scott pilgrim
MR PILGRIM!!!
Yoooooo that intro medly of dualing rics was soooo cool
Dude i'm only a little bit in and im loving the beginning jam a lot.
Ricks sound so good
A Dream Bass to own!!...Very Cool to do gigs AND recording with!!..gives. Jazz Basses a run fo’ Da’ 💰💵💨🍃✨🎶🎸👍🏾🤘🏾🤣
My dream bass.
The bridge pickup cover is homage to the original horseshoe pickup. That pickup had 2 horseshoe magnets surrounding the coil and the strings creating the magnetic field. So when they change to high gain pickups they put the chrome plated plastic cover on to keep the look.
I think they messed up the Ric-O-Sound. They just took the sound of the bridge pick-up and split that (The switch is down all the time), instead of using a correct box and use both pick-ups to go into an amp each. Too bad. Love Ricks though!
Intro was awesome. Can't help think you guys need to do bass vs bass Scott Pilgrim inspired solo face off.
I just bought a 2014 Coy 4003 to add to my Ricky collection. I believe the S stands for "sanded", in reference to the rounded edge of the body, like Macca's 64 4001 which he sanded down to expose the natural wood finish.
Liking the Spirit Of Radio riff near the beginning - it was on a 4001 though, but hey, who's asking? Rickie's are absolutely gorgeous - I'd love to own one (big Ged fan and always wanted a black an white scratch) but bills to pay etc, never managed to own one - great vid though - nice to see the Rickie being championed, underrated in a lot of circles but IMHO one of the best series of basses ever made. Class axe.
"Chris Squire" of Yes man, say no More !!! Lol : )
Rickenbackers don’t really fit my style of music but I do like there sound and they’re one of the coolest looking basses there is
Let's be honest, guys; Clean and with the amps at like 3 is not how you play Motorhead. ;P
Bass amps are not like guitar amps. You can push the master volume to 7 and will be cleaner than a JC120. Bass speakers also have tweeters and don’t lend themselves well to distortion either.
My favorite bass guitar
Rickenbacker yeah!!!
You British guys talk funny ...KIDDING I LOVE THE VIDEOS...THANKS FOR THE INFO AND JAMS
I've got the 4003 and there is nothing lacking in the build. Maybe the bridge could be improved, maybe they could put in a bone nut or a Warwick adjustable nut but other than that they are solidly built neck throughs. The tone is unique and it's a ballsy rock and prog rock killer tone with the option to use the 4001 vintage tone. That tone can be enormous if you take advantage of the Ric o Sound which, unfortunately is NOT demonstrated in this video. The Ric O Sound sends each pickup to a separate amp and/or effects chain which is achieved by plugging a stereo jack in the Ric O Sound stereo output and sending that to two mono jacks, each of which goes to a different amp and/or effects chain. You guys split ONE pickup into two amps and while that is an option it is a lesser option than channeling each pickup and controlling the tone on each. I don't know but I can imagine you can split the pickups and then using Google the ABY split each pickup into two more amps but then you are dealing with FOUR amps! A bit unwieldy!So, how about an erratum video demonstrating how Ric O Sound should really be used?
Cliff Burton's bass wasn't a stock Ric. It had a Gibson EB style mudbucker pickup in the neck position and a jazz bass pickup in the bridge position
Ive always love the look. But dont understand the Love/Hate relationship with these basses. Id love to own one some day.
I heard that the metal covers on the old style Fenders are to help shield the single coil pickups from EMI. I'm not sure how effective they actually were. But maybe that's what they're trying to do here too as well as add an aesthetic element. But who knows!
I have three (3) 4003s Rickenbacker basses. $2000 is too much for these, people say? Wrong. $2000 is a steal for something of this quality. I don't regret buying any of mine.
The factory isn't in LA though! It's in Santa Ana! But Minor detail- great video :)
Very enjoyable :-)! But you do not use the Rick-O-Sound in stereo! With that you can lead the front pick-up over one system and the rear or middle pick-up over another.
And if you want you can put effects on the middle and use the neck PU for deep bass . I'm not a friend of that, but I use the stereo feature sometimes for recording.
Hi guys, love your chit chat. I've heard that it's very awkward to set the intonation on a Rickenbacker bad is this correct?
WOW !
(That's one to pair with an Orange OB1-300 watt Combo amp !)
great guys !
“It’s the Ace of Bass!” 😂
Really awesome design and sound. I’ll probably pick this over a Sound Gear by Ibanez
This channel should do a review on Wal basses.
(Just saying).
Angel Zavala yessssssss
Fuck yes!
Great Intro.
Volkswagenman3 totally awesome intro! Probably one of the best intros to an instrument video in a long long time.
A beast that gets more hate than it deserves, though I will admit the price is still unreasonable.
Rickenbacker videos and threads always bring out the blowhard haters, lol! Their hatred keeps me warm while I play my Ric in the air conditioning.
I've loved the sound of these old Rick's ever since I heard a beautifully ugly candy apple red version at a local watering hole in the mid 1970's. Great sound but butt ugly.
@@robjobse8860 Agree with you mate!
Great instrument but for me, they look ugly as fuck!
I don't hate anyone who likes them, beauty is in the eye of the beholder bro!
It's not the worst bass I've played. Just the worst I've had to adjust. Hello Rickenbacker? Tail lift? Intonation? String height? No excuse on earth for that effing bridge to exist. And at this price point? When I bought in '76, all I went by was I saw it hanging on Pauls neck on the Wings Over America tour. Only later did I learn he only used it because it was free. Mine cost $2,150 when converted to 2019 dollars. Insane.
there's a design flaw that, if the timber's cut in an unsympathetic way, can lead to neck curvature centred on the ma-hoosive rout under the neck pickup, out of reach of the truss rods to correct it. leads to unplayably high action. my '74 4001 needed major surgery to correct it.
so if you love the shape & the tone, look for a 70s ibanez replica with a bolt-on neck. better instrument.
@@duncan-rmi
Or you can get one of the modern Rics which have solved the vast majority of the problems people have with them. They even changed the bridge.
Love 'Ricks'!!!
Always loved the look of the Ricky. Big Geddy fan and I think he sounded best with a Rick. He didn't however, so plays Fender Jazz these days, after dabbling with Wal, Steinberger etc....
The S models would have been the ones Sir Paul and Lemmy would have seen in the store back in the 60s and 70s. Also about the cover if you look at older ricks you will see the cover is split in the middle (looks almost like a horse shoe) and it was the magnet for the pick up. Current ones just have it for looks and can be thrown in the bin along with the bridge muting system.
The reason , I believe , these bridges were made was the simple fact most of players then did it with picks , and it was in purpose to rest you hand at different locations along the strings. Later , the picks were left for fingers play , and the bridges were obsolete.
These guys are very pleasant...
Mine didn’t come with the foam mutes in bridge and I bought it New last month. Hmmmmm. Love the sound.
They now come with the new v2 bridge, no mute but great string adjustment & the bridge plate shouldn't bend up like the original bridges, useless!
Geez that opening jam lol
I do love me a nice Ricky bass but sorry chaps, a little bit of research on the Ric-o-sound to understand how to use it, before you shot the video, may have been prudent...
I hate you guys. You do such fantastic and comprehensive reviews that want almost ever single bass you ever review
Another noticeable difference that was not mentioned is the 4003S body has rounded sides whereas the 4003 body is flat making the S model a bit more comfortable to play when resting your arm.
Spirit of Radio!!!