The Rickenbacker is an odd bass, but I bought mine when I was 19 years old (in 1997), just finished school and found a black 4003 from 1996 that a musicstore wanted to get rid off it because they thought it would never sell. So they gave it to me for around 1000 dollars (in then-german D-Mark) off. I loved Kyuss at the time, and Scott Reeder with his Rickenbacker was a huge influence back then. And what can I say? I loved it from the first moment on, and I still use it almost excusively to this day. Everyone who knows me as a musician pictures me with the Rickenbacker. It was even drawn on our wedding invitation. Every scratch on it is a part of my musical history, and I will never ever give my Rickenbacker away. It is THE bass for me.
@@phcoene As far as I know these days he plays his own signature Warwick Katana. If you want a affordable bass, go for the Ibaenz ATK300 that he played, but I'm personally not a huge fan. The Rickenbacker 4001 and 4003 are definitely the Go To bass when in search for the kyuss-like sound. But yeah, quite pricey. There is a Jackson ripoff of a Rickenbacker which sounds quite similar, but I don't like the overall look of it. Hope it helps.
Geddy played a Jazz bass on Tom Sawyer! Come on guys. Moving pictures was Jazz on Tom Sawyer, Limelight, Witch hunt, Vital signs, YYZ. Ricky was only on Barchetta, the Camera Eye and the bass solo punch ins on YYZ. Oh and Chris always used both pickups or just neck pickup because he thought the bridge pickup was too weak. Cliff also wasn’t using guitar amps it was his Sunn amp with the gain at slightly before the point of breakup with his Morley power wah boost taking them into total distortion. It’s a common misconception that he predominantly used a fuzz wah due to Morley releasing tribute fuzz wahs when in reality Cliff himself mentioned the wah boost multiple times and the fuzz wah 0 times l.
@@NotThatOneThisOne you can tell the difference because his Jazz bass tracks are generally less distorted and have more of a scooped punch then the distorted rick on the camera eye for example.
re: cliff burton question. after a little googling (to refresh my memory) cliff stated, in a letter to a fan, there's a gibson eb pick up in the bass position, a seymour duncan stacked jazz pick up in the treble position, and a seymour duncan stacked strat in the bridge - as in; it was placed in front of the saddles!
Yup. Also became quite unreliable after a time, which led him to the Aria. Which Bass? did a two or 3 part rig rundown some years ago, here on the UA-cam. Good stuff in his breakdown.
I’m a fusion jazz Drummer/bassist, prefer a Pbass, but played a Rick 4003 for the first time the other day… I get it, they are on a league of their own.👍🏾
It was the video for In The Meantime that solidified my NEED for a black Rickenbacker when I was a kid. I don't play them much anymore, but I'll always keep the 4001C64JG I was playing the night I met my wife :D
Chris’ bass was a RM1999 (the English import of the 4001). It did not come stock with Rick o Sound. He added it himself, and ran the bridge pup through a guitar amp.
Not sure if you guys know this, but in an interview Chris Squire said that he help the pick in such a way that his thumb would also skim the string, this was to allowed a very small harmonic on every note!
I recently sold my beloved Rick for all of the reasons mentioned in this video. It had been my dream bass ever since I started playing, and I adored playing it, but my GOD is it a pain in the arse. My time owning a Rickenbacker made me appreciate the no-nonsense simplicity of the P-Bass even more. Coolest looking, coolest sounding bass of all time, but when you're as lazy as me it truly becomes more effort than it's worth, especially considering I'm always tweaking with my basses to get them set up just right. With the P-Bass it's a 10 minute job, with the Rick it feels like performing heart surgery
I bought my '79 4001 used in 1986. It has a Badass II bridge, which to me, is essential. It also has Seymour Duncan Rick pickups. I've compared to stock pickups, and I just don't see the point. A couple of years after getting it, I got a fully two-channel amp (SVT) and borrowed a friend's Rick-O-Sound kit. Loved it, having the ability to EQ the two pickups differently (plus effects), and built my own stereo rig and have rewired a few of my other basses.
I'm sure others will mention it... because we're nerds :), but regarding Geddy's bass on Tom Sawyer for the recording... Quote from an interview with Geddy: "I still love their sound. But they were tools back then, and I was having problems on Moving Pictures getting the sound I wanted out of one of my Rickenbackers - it was for Tom Sawyer, actually - so I pulled out a Jazz bass that I'd bought and never used. And a light bulb went off, so I ended up using it for a couple of songs: Tom Sawyer and Vital Signs. Rush were always looking to stretch our sound. I was the same. Until I went back to Fender on Counterparts I was dabbling with Wal basses, Steinberger basses, the headless ones, though that went when my mullet went!"
@@dukealbert7017 it didn't sound like the studio recording, but I'll take your word for it. Knowing Rush fans, you probably can tell me the day the promo was made and what Geddy had for breakfast.
I’m going to need a video on why the Danelectro Longhorn CRUSHES everything since it’s my only bass and I desperately need external validation on my purchase decisions.
Depends one which one. The original Long Horn was lightweight, the new ones are heavier. i have played my friends new one and he hates it for being too heavy but i love it. Has a really nice sound with those very powerful lipstick shaped pickups
Personally, I LOVE anything by Danelectro, (I've owned dozens) and I regret not keeping one of the longhorns that have passed through my hands over the years... Maybe the next one? PS: I really like its 30" short scale; it's all I can play now that I've got old. :/
@@PaisleyPatchouli I’ve got a black Danelectro Hodad guitar too. Its really light and sort of cheap feeling but I like how different the pickups sound compared to my main guitar. It’s so twangy, hollow and weird.
Lemme actually used thunderbird pickups in his rickenbackers, Cliff had an EBO pickup in the neck, a redish seymour duncan jaz pickup in the treble position and another pickup in the bridge itself, i think where the mute originally would be. The "bridge" pickup (the one in literally in the bridge) was used to capture the intens high frequenties and together with that Morley fuzz wah it created that massive sound.
For the older 4001 capacitor thin sound from the bridge/treble pup: the easy way to get around that cap is just solder a wire across it, and ‘the path of least resistance’ will naturally bypass it and you’ll have the full bass response and a bit more volume. This really improved my January ‘74 4001 (had since ‘83). Hipshot bridge was also a good improvement and wished I’d done that years ago.
I have a May 1973 Rick 4001, which I bought in June 1973. It has all of the features mentioned, except the inlays are not full-width. A killer bass, despite the annoying features. The neck is exceptionally stable and never needs adjustment.
on Roundabout, Chris Squire said in his interviews that he doubled the bass line on a Gibson acoustic guitar. Then used the thumb on his picking hand to create a harmonic to attempt recreating that sound live on the Ric
I have a 2023 in fireglow, waited 30 years to get one , now my hands down my favorite instrument I own! By the way single two way truss rod , more adjustable bridge and the neck profile….. killer!
hey guys, I got mine back in 1996 in black. Bought it on my 3rd trip to Florida and love it ever since. Love the sound, love how it feels when you play it. Love at 1st sight.
You touched on this briefly, but a lot of Lemmy's tone was in his amp settings. He used a Marshall Super Bass. Cameron Webb, one of his later producers, told a story about his first time working with him. Cameron had a Marshall Super Bass set up and he dialed in what he thought was a good rock tone. Lemmy comes in and is like "That's not my tone." And he dials the bass and treble all the way back and cranks the midrange.
In the early days he used to crank the presence, middle and treble and turn the bass off. I have interviews where he states this and I also met him twice. 😉It was only later that he started turning the treble off.
I got my Rickenbacker 4003S back in the summer of 2020 and is still my absolute favourite bass that I have as well as the main bass that I use with my band (we actually have a show coming up in a week and a half), I got into them because of guys like Paul McCartney, Geddy Lee, Cliff Burton, Lemmy, Chris Squire and Roger Waters (who used one on the first Floyd album, his tone on Interstellar Overdrive, Arnold Layne and See Emily Play is great) and I still love them, you just can’t beat the punch of a Rick, man
Sadly, the 1977 2001 was the first bass I owned and bought new at a Samash music store. in the USA in 1978. It was stolen 4 years ago. And it was everything you guys talked about. I had a love-hate relationship with it. I bought it because I loved Chris Squires sound and Yes back then. I cut my bass teeth on that thing. It's great in the studio, hard to control in a live situation, feels like butter to play it. I took that bridge cover off. Yeah I miss it. A bit.
IT IS the best bass line of the 90s. Love this song and everything around it. The bassline was a mystery to me for many years. Thanks for resolving this mystery and clearing the haze around the legendary Rickenbacker. Great video!!
Squires bass line in roundabout is the song. Howe is just playing a few harmonics and its that bass riff and tone (along with brufords drumming) that make it groove. Listen to the verse in roundabout without that bass (and obviously the vocals) and most people wouldn't even know its roundabout. You cant say that about too many songs... Leave out the bass and can you still recogize the song. On the flip side, you could just play the bass riff and everyone would know its roundabout. For me, Squires riff and tone fit the song perfectly. I cant imagine it any other way. This was the early 70s, squire was brilliaant and true pioneer. Listen to his bass solo on YesSongs from 1973... In fact, listen to any of the songs on YesSongs and you'll hear him changing pickups, using foot pedals for all sorts of effects. He also knew where and when to use the effects to enhance the song without getting in the way. At his peak and for that period in time squire was pure brilliance.
@@RobertGraziose I would say squire/ Howe made the bass and guitar equal and approached their compositions more like classical composers. Unlike most of the other guitar players like a page, Clapton, etc, Howe was a Chet Atkins and classical finger picker which required him to play both the bass line and the melody. Squire was the perfect fit. Howe could leave the structured bass lines to squire while Howe was playing triads and jazzy type licks. Chet Atkins and jazz is all over Close to the Edge, only Howe didn't need to use his thumb to provide a bass line. Also, because of squires style, Howe didn't need to turn up the distortion and play endless bar chords and power chords. Squire used his Rick with all sorts of effects to add the grit and punch.
I'm a Jazz Bass person, that makes my sound, but nothing has the presence of a Rick. And it's so stylish that it doesn't need any colour added to it to grab your attention
Cliff had an extra pickup wired in his rick Also it was the Morley Power Boost Wah which is just a boost which would overdrive his Mesa Boogie D180 amplifiers. He would also use a Ibanez TS9 tube screamer as a boost and a Boss CS2 compressor. The reason he switched over to the Aria bases was because the custom routing he had done to the rick adding extra pickup weakened it to the poont it was going to break... So most of the sound is from an overdriven tube preamp..
I don't think the structural issue was due to the extra pickup. My understanding is that Cliff took the foam mute out of the tailpiece and just stuck the third pickup in the mute cavity. That pickup supposedly did, however, cause problems with hum to the point that the studio engineer had to remove it during the recording of Kill 'Em All. Rather, I think the issue was all the routing done at the base of the neck to accommodate the massive Mudbucker pickup he had installed there. Extra routing in that area can cause forward neck pitch, which may be why Cliff ultimately put the bass aside, saying in an interview, "the Ricky needs work".
I have a 2023 Maple Glo 4003 Ric, and it is a unique beast, to be sure. The newer bridge and now single truss rod are definite improvements over older models. Extremely well-made, especially the workmanship, and the neck-thru body is a beautiful thing. The action was high from the factory, though, and one of the bridge saddles needed to be re-tapped. I was able to fix both myself (required a truss rod adjustment, which surprised me on a brand new Ric), and I removed that silly bridge pickup cover and replaced it with some nice third party flush hardware. Overall, I prefer my 2023 Sire V10dx jazz bass overall for the much brighter tone you can get out of it, and range of tone it has. But truly, nothing sounds quite like a Ric.
@@IanMartinAllisonRight on, I picked up a '76 4001 stereo with the ohsc for $450 US off Ebay back in 1998, it will never leave me(because I could never afford to replace it now)
Played Precisions and Jazz basses for years….even got a Stingray. Took the plunge on a 97 Natural 4003 a few months ago…. Wow….just, wow. It has all the tones I love (and Scott hates). Wish I’d bought one years ago.
I have a 2005 made JetGlo 4003, which don't have the push-pull capacitor in the treble volume pot, and has the circuit inside the guitar instead. It makes the bridge pickup really hot. I usually play blended or neck with flats/tapewound any way
To me, the coolest bass ever conceived. By the way, Chris Squire mixed his Rickenbacker with a guitar that belonged to Steve Howe on Roundabout, so it's not a fully pure bass sound what we hear on that track.
Love it when you guys do Rickenbacker videos. The new 4003 models 2022 and up now have a thinner neck and single truss rod. The V2 bridge with individual string saddles is also included. The dual truss rods were very problematic as you noted. Part science, part art to adjust them properly. The bass cut capacitor on the treble (bridge) pickup can be bypassed with the tone knob for it using a push/pull potentiometer, giving the vintage/modern tone choices. Finally. I kept the treble pickup bezel because cosmetics though annoying at times. Old Ricky's the bezel was part of the shielding of the original horseshoe pickup, now it's just plastic. Cheers guys!
The Vintage/Modern push-pull pot was an addition in the (more recent, 2000's onwards) 4003 models; it wasn't on the 4001. Back in time I put a little micro-switch on mine to do it, but subsequently a push-pull pot has made it onto it (all it comprises is two wires to short out the series cap when you pull the knob out.) The original Ric Treble pickup had a pair of magnets which wrapped around the pickup, hence the horseshoe; it came from the original frying pan design. The cover now is just for aesthetics. Incidentally, the Bass "Toaster" pickup is actually a 6-pole gutar one. I'm not sure you can say any particular year's Rics have a thinner or thicker neck; they've tended to vary per-instrument, but RIC did bring in CNC machines to try and standardise them a bit.
Love it. Ricks are definitely my favorite bass and guitars. I have commitment issues though so I could never just use one bass and one guitar but Ricks will always be my #1 especially as far as wooden guitars go.
All I want for xmas this year is a vid of the boys playing the whole spacehog song with those basses and those lovely tones. If I'm ever recording something appropriate for it I'm going to remember to double track a P and Ric. Unbelievably good stuff boys/.
When I was a kid, I was trying to get Cliff's sound (on a lawnmowing/power washing/fence painting budget) out of a Squire Pbass.. I ended up buying a Boss overdrive pedal and an Ibanez weeping demon wah, and while it wasn't exactly Cliff, it was in the ballpark and kinda led me to my own sound.
I had two 4001's in the seventies. My first, blue one, was stolen🙁 Luckily insurance replaced it with a maple glo. I never got either of them to intonate properly. And I never really got that Chris Squire sound, despite running Ric-O-Sound into a Marshall head. I ended up exchanging it for a brand new MM Stingray. A couple of years ago I found an unused Japanese Fernandes RB-80PM. A copy of the McCartney Ric, from the early eighties. Toaster in the neck position. Dot inlays. I plugged it into my Kemper. And there it was, that elusive angry bass growl😎 I exchanged the bridge for a Hipshot drop-in. It improves on almost every aspect of the original Ric bridge. Even though it's a beautiful piece of hardware, it doesn’t look quite as cool. But I’m a player, not a spectator😉 I also plan to add a high pass cap but I’m considering a switchable solution. In my copious free time. Re: Chris Squire’s sound. I read that he used the stereo out primarily to apply separate compression and amp to each pick up. Heavy fast attack/release compression (to make the bass frequencies distort) and a guitar amp on the bridge pup. And he still had a solid, deep, bass sound from the neck pup. Mix to taste. Besides mr Squire double tracked the bass part on the original version of Roundabout with guitar, one octave higher. So it’s bas(s)icaly an eight string bass part 𝄢
Cliff had a Gibson pickup in the neck, A Jazz bass pickup in the treble position and a strat pickup somewhere in the bridge! Heavy mods for the time! Love his tone
I agree with you, but didn't you do a video a while back where you guys said that you hated the Rick? I absolutely love mine, it's a 73 that I purchased in 78. and still have. I gigged with it from the time I purchased it through the 80's and early 90's. BTW, I love your channel and Ian is a welcome addition!
The thing is, I don't understand why Ric stopped using the proper HORSESHOE MAGNET treble pickup??? The Horseshoe was the original pickup that old uncle Adolph invented for the frying pan, and it is indeed the most unique pickup ever made for guitar/bass/whatever; because the strings actually run THROUGH the magnetic field, as there are two horseshoe magnets bracketing the strings, with the pickup bobbin sitting inside, with the strings running over the top. These were mostly used by Ric in their ubiquitous LAPSTEEL guitars, but were also used on 50s Ric hollowbodies, and also the first basses. I heard a story that Paul McCartney's treble pickup crapped out sometime in the Wings era, and that when he received it back from Ric's repair shop, it was equipped with the pickup, like yours, which just has the goofy big metallic cover, which looks like the old horseshoe pickup, but is actually a regular design, with the magnet now on the bottom of the bobbin, and from what I hear, doesn't sound anything like the original. I've personally never had a chance to A/B these, but apparently Ric stopped making the original style, which goes all the way back to the frying pan. There's a whole side story about these horseshoe magnet pickups concerning the guitarist extraordinaire, Ry Cooder, and his Coodercasters, in which he installed a similar type pickup, from a lapsteel guitar, which surrounded the strings with magnetic field, and was unequalled when it came to slide guitar. I personally built myself a 'Coodercaster' Tele, using an old 1950s original Rickenbacker horseshoe magnet pickup, with a Teisco Goldfoil pickup at the neck, and also a 27" Fender Tele Baritone neck. It's my Tele on Steroids, which I keep tuned down to B. The 1950s Rickenbacker horseshoe magnet pickup sounds amazing, and I often fantasize building myself a bass with one of them, just to hear what the difference is. I've still never got an explanation as to why they stopped using the horseshoe magnet pickups, but I've heard that they were much more expensive to make, and also that they may have been a bit fragile, (Yes, Fragile!) ;) perhaps illustrated by McCartney's requiring repair, and ultimately replacement. I also heard somewhere that he was never totally satisfied with the replacement, 'new style' Ric treble pickup, and I've always wanted to compare them and hear the difference for myself. Question: is your treble pickup cover made of solid metal, or is it chrome plated plastic? I've heard they made both, but not definitively. Imagine this: the metal 'cover' of the original version of that pickup is not just a 'cover', it is actually the magnet (actually there are a pair of the chromed horseshoe magnets, placed end to end, and with the bobbin screwed down underneath with the strings running over top. It's a killer design, and there's nothing else quite like it. The Valco/Supro lapsteel pickup that Cooder first used was similar, but had the magnets at the sides, with a conductive piece of steel running over the top to surround the strings with magnetic field.) Sorry for the extended post, but I get worked up when I see these Ric pickups being discussed. (The only place you can get original horseshoe magnet pickups is to take them off an old Ric lapsteel guitar. The upside is that there still millions of them around, they are not particularly rare, and you can find them pretty cheap, especially if they're in beat up condition. You just need the pickup to be perfect...) Sometimes you might need to get the magnets re-Gaussed, but that's not a big deal. I had Lindy do mine; I can't remember how much is was, but under $50 IIRC...
My 4001 & 4003 have Badass II bridges put on by the same luthier that put on Geddy’s and that is the super upgrade. Sustain, low action, and finally a correct intonation on a Rick. Nowadays you can get a bolt on high mass bridge from a couple of manufacturers so no permanent modifications required. Try it for next a next level Rick!
I have a '78 4001 that I've had since '97. I modded it with the Bartolini mute cavity pickup. They sold it in the 90s-00s. It's super bright on its own but when you add it and the neck pickup and skip the treble pickup it gives the Rick an amazing slap sound.
Cliff used a Gibson EB 'mudbucker' humbucker in the neck position and a Seymour Duncan Stacked Jazz Bass pickup in the bridge to achieve his unique tone. There was also a guitar pickup added under the bridge for that lead tone he was famous for. And we cannot forget the hands. Hands make the tone as much as electronics do.
Royston is so underrated. All of the Spacehog albums had killer bass lines. It's also worth noting that since this is an episode on tone, part of Royston's tone comes from picking by the bridge...
If you have two ears and try a couple of variations of two volume knobs you will understand that rolling back neck pickup is no brainer. I am doing this for 34 years since when I had bought my Ric 4001 and almost all Ric players I know and don't know (but read in online bass groups) knows about this 'secret' trick :)
Why Mike Mills' bass run during the pre-chorus of "Radio Free Europe" isn't a go-to bass line for all Rickenbacker bass demos is a mystery I will never understand. Love the old ambered MapleGlo's from the 60s / 70s. So fun watching dueling bassists. Great job guys.
Cliffs MOST POPULAR bass rig since he experimented a lot was as follows: His custom rick (gibson eb-0 neck pickup, jazz bridge pickup, strat guitar pickup under the bridge), mesa boogie bass amps. Pedals: Ibanez TS9, Boss CS2 sustainer, Morley PWB, Big muff pi.
I never understood the "you can't palm mute on a rick". Of course I take the treble pickup cover off, but I never had a problem palm muting just next to the bridge. I have been playing a rick for the past 10 years so maybe im just used to it
Yes to Space Hog! Yes to the painful, sharp top edge on a Rick! And a hell yes to staying in the middle switch position and going infinitely variable with the volume & tone pots!!!
I’ve still got the 1998 Mapleglo 5-string 4003-S5 I ordered from the bleedin’ factory! I rocked everything from nipples to knees with that thing. Only stopped playing it as much when I started writing and recording on my own. The bridge is a gorgeous, narcissistic NIGHTMARE because it’s very difficult to intonate. It’s beautiful and useless. Everything is in the way of everything else. God help you if that floating saddle falls over. And to top it all off, because the 5-string was an absolute afterthought-literally a 4-string neck/body with a slightly longer headstock and 5 strings crammed into it-the B-string adjustment does not have the physical range of motion to hit a B at open and at 12. Mine’s maxed and it still needs a few millimeters more. It’s JUUUUUST almost possibly there. But hey! There is NO other bass to have when you want some sweet, sweet chain-link fence in your tone. It’s the GOAT of rattlin’ about. 🕺🏼🤘🏼
Chris Squire's primary white Rick was lighter than a factory one since it had been stripped and repainted several times. Also when his bass was serviced by Rickenbacker it was discovered that the treble pickup was not connected to the wire circuit. So it's likely that for some time what was being heard live and in some recordings was the bass pickup in stereo and not both pickups separated. Instruments truly are a magical sum of their parts there may never be a Rick that sounds like Chris Squires, even his signature models aren't quite the same as the original. Also it should be noted that there was 2-3 other Ricks one of which was an 8 string and they were used on Fragile and CTTE. The rotosounds he used also added to the sound.
Another detail about Squire - he planed about a 1/4 inch / 5mm off the back of the body (he had painted it and covered it in stickers and bascially said "f**k it" and shaved the back) making the body thinner and more resonant. Unlike Scott, I *love* Squire's tone. I had a Rick for many years just so I could do all that Yes material.
Here I’m, super happy owner of a Rick 4001 Jetglo from 1976 but I’d love to have that gorgeous checkered binding and toaster pick-up . Rick’s sound is so iconic and distinctive that you got to love it on some tracks and hate it on some others😂
Cliff used a lot of pedals aside from the obvious Morley Fuzz-Wah, Tubescreamer, & occasional EHX Big Muff, they were mainly experimentals that were either stolen, or only used like, 3 times. Here's a list of Cliff's reported pedals, not certain though: Boss DM-2 Delay Boss CS-2 Compression Sustainer MXR M143 Limiter MXR M134 Stereo Chorus EHX Bassballs Envelope Filter Washburn A-AD9 Analog Delay
I love how whenever it comes down to McCartney’s tone it’s always “meh I don’t know” and they move on but his ric tone was pretty nuanced from his Beatles Ric era through the height of his solo career
Ricks are fabulous basses... so fabulous I have four! There are indeed some things that are annoying at first but they are easily rectifiable and make for a better instrument. First, chuck the bridge and install a Hipshot replacement. Same footprint, same screw holes. 100% reversible. Gets rid of the foam mute and "teeth" and adds individually adjustable saddles, so you can tweak intonation, height and string spacing. Now you can palm mute! And I do! As a bonus you get better tone and more sustain. A solid brass or aluminum (you choice) beats a weak die cast zinc one. This is their weakest link IMO. Next, pitch that treble pickup cover. It's right over a sweet spot. I tried getting on with it, but it just gets in the way. Replace it with a "treble bezel" that fills in the gaps and adds a thumbrest if you'd like one. now you can pick or pluck right over the pickup and get some awesome tones. Can't do much about the truss rods, but newer models only have 1. Body binding bothers you? The 4003s ("s" for standard) has none. Also has dot neck markers and one output jack, which is fine if you're not using Rick O Sound. Pickups and controls are identical. Newer Ricks also have a push/pull switch on the treble tone, to engage a fuller, more modern sound, or pull out to engage the "vintage tone" with the capacitor in it for more bite, growl and snarl. While the Toaster pickup has nice tone, the newer higher output pickups have more "oomph." I noticed how quiet Scott's got when playing the neck pickup. I woudn't do it to a vintage instrument but on my 2014 4003s I replaced the neck pickup with a Nordstrand "Nordenbocker" pickup, which is the same tone but more output. Oh and I gig the snot out of my Ricks. Even my limited edition 2016 4003 Noir (1 of 25). Scott, if the tone on "Roundabout" isn't up your alley, try "Heart Of The Sunrise" or "Yours Is No Disgrace" Cliff Burton got his distinctive tone by using a Gibson "mudbucker" pickup in the neck position and a Fender Jazz pickup in the bridge position; look close at some pics. I've also heard he removed the foam mute and put a Strat pickup in the cavity. Other favorite Rick users Roger Glover, Bruce Foxton, Phil Lynott (for a short time), Pete Quaife, Ben Orr, Mike Mills, Steve DiGiorgio, John Deacon, Maurice Gibb, Randy Meisner, Mike Rutherford, and a whole lot more. Fun video!
FWIW the original bridges were aluminium, they only changed to zinc in mid ‘73. And I would never change the toasters for anything, the toasters are the key to the best tone IMO. I like them way more than high gains or any of the replacements. Plus some of the toasters (like the one on my Azure) are pretty loud! Horses for courses.
I have a 76 mapleglo and totally agree on all the gripes about Rickenbacker basses in this video. I mitigated some by replacing the bridge with one that LOOKS correct from a distance but is actually functional. I also removed the cover over the bridge pickup and found an aftermarket device that fills the cavern below (looking much better) and also adds a small thumb rest. From stage you can't tell I did either thing but they improve playability quite a bit. Now if I could fix the edge that is always trying to cut me... Sometimes the Rick is the right thing for a song, it just has vibe for days, but my Kubicki is still my go to for covering almost any sound. Hands down the most ergonomic bass I have and most flexible tone wise.
The fact that Royston can play that line while singing an unrelated rhythm is impressive. By the way, I think he throws in an open D string in the 12th fret riff.
The whole trick to the truss rod is don’t use it to move the neck. Manually push the neck to where it needs to be then tighten the truss rod(s) to hold it. The issues are caused when you try to use the truss rod to torque the neck. I had a 4001 I bought in 1978 and now I have a 4003 I bought about 20 years ago. Always feels like going home when I play it.
Lemmy did in fact primarily use the neck pickup, but modified with bartolini or Gibson thunderbird humbuckers through a cranked marshall. The sound is mostly the marshall.
That's cliff's updated rickenbacker! He installed a gibson mudbucker (sidewinder) in the neck, a stacked seymour duncan jazz in the bridge and an additional seymour duncan strat pickup under the bridge, where the mute is supposed to go, this last one could be ativated with a push-pull switch
Cygnus X-1 Book 1. That intro made me and my friends all buy Rickies. Plus you can hear Geddy just crushing the attack. I had a beautiful 1980 walnut 4001 back when that was the sound I wanted to emulate, not to mention the Squire sound. Sadly as much as the bass has an iconic sound and look, it’s a dang finicky bass that for me just never delivered on what I wanted it to be. p basses every day now for me.
8:03 - Paul didn't use Rick as much? In The Beatles, he used it all the way from 1965 to 1970 in the studio, apart from some white album tracks that he played on Jazz and in 1969 in Get Back documentary his Rick had issues with the nut not holding the strings, but that got fixed by the time they were recording Abbey Road. He then used Rick extensively through most of the next decade with Wings, both live and in studio, switching to Yamaha BB-1200 around 1979 or so.
In The Meantime - one of my favorite 90's tunes AND bands! STP and Space Hog were in heavy rotation in my house back then! Ton's of great bass lines from both!
Yeah that is the best 90s bass line period. I remember my kids playing it on their ipods and thought, crap, thats a great sound and had to ask them who it was playing....... Still sounds good today, like a timeless rush classic
Mine is a 5 string and it just sits perfectly in the mix. It just stands out and cuts through. You cannot put words on it to describe the sound. I always turn both pickups all the way up and back one of them off by a click. Both pickups wide open sounds horrible, but when you back one pickup off by the slightest bit, it fixes it.
Interesting video! I must say at the end you've mentioned the other bass videos saying other basses crush everything. I have a Fender P Bass, a Fender Jazz Bass, a Stingray..and this week I gave in, bought and now have a Schecter Model-T Session Bass which I'm loving to play early on. I'll admit, the Rickenbacker Bass is intriguing. A bassist who you didn't mention who plays a Rickenbacker is R&B legend, Leon Slyvers III; not a household name, but he should be. Sylvers is known for rockin a Rickenbacker with flat strings in the 1970s and 80s, at a time when Fender basses ruled the genre. He got start with The Sylvers, influenced by Motown great James Jamerson. Sylvers later wrote and played songs on Sound of Los Angeles Records or Solar Records. Music Producer Dick Griffey hired Sylvers to be his in-house producer for the label, teaming up with Lakeside, Shalamar and Dynasty, a time when R&B was desperately trying to differentiate its sound from Disco; slowing down the tempo. Check out some of Sylvers superior bass lines including: Boogie Fever (Sylvers Double Platinum hit, more than 2,000,000 records sold), And the Beat Goes On (Whispers), I've Just Begun To Love You (Dynasty), Make That Move, Take That to the Bank (Shalamar) to name a few. Sylvers predates Marcus Miller's vibe and he later mentored Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, legends of my hometown's "Minneapolis Sound!" Sylvers' precision really elevates the Rickenbacker bass's sound. He's still very active in music today! With that being said, the price tag is exorbitant for someone like me who doesn't earn the big bucks of a bassist in a big-time band. I've checked around, seeing you can get a new one for around $2,000 (On the Low end) to more than $20,000 for a Chris Squier 4001 CS Model. Yes, there are also some nice deals out there for a used Rickenbacker in "mint" or "excellent" condition. Maybe someday I'll "Make That Move" (Great bass line from a Shalamar hit song), "Take That to the Bank" and buy one. 😉Thank you for sharing this video! 🤩👍🏾🎶🎸♬
2 Things.... First I just bought a Rickenbacker 4003s in Mapleglo. LOVE IT !! However it does hum a little. I was thinking about installing Joe Barton replacement pickups. I hear they are dead Quit. Any alteration will change the sound at least a little. What do you think ? Second ... Ian please feature more celebrity basses. Loved when you did that a few years back.
I agree! Rickenbacker crushes everything! When I'm playing my 4003! Also, the Fender Jazz crushes everything when I'm playing that bass! And my P-Bass crushes everything when I'm playing that. Do we see a trend here?
I love my 78 Ricky (Olric). I tend to mix the two pickups, rolling either of the volumes down a little depending on the tone required by the song. But I do normally roll the neck pick up tone down just to fatten up the overall sound. In the studio I use a Tech 21 DUg Pinnick pedal which I can either add some fuzz, or just for compression. My favorite bass player Paul Gray (the Damned, Eddie and the Hot Rods) uses one of these pedals for recording and was kind enough to share his settings with me and yeah, the Ricky rocks using them. 🤘
Cliff Burton had a Gibson sg bass pickup put in the neck pickup and a guitar pickup I believe placed under the bridge. He used Morley wah fuzz and electro harmonix big muff as primary pedals
I bought a '73 Fireglo Rick 4001S aged 17 in 1973. Gorgeous bass - it was a few months old and cost me £230. Big Chris Squire fan. Scott I'm arranging an intervention because if you don't like Squire's tone you are in serious need of help! 🤣
At last! Beautiful basses. 😉 And the best-sounding bass you’ve ever had on. 😁 A few things; the problem was not with the rods rods themselves, it was people trying to use the rods to adjust the neck as per other basses. Thats not how you do it, you need to slacken the nuts off, move the neck by hand to where you want it and then tighten the nuts to hold the neck in position. It was incorrect procedure that screwed those necks. Lemmy didn’t use the bridge pickup, he used both but on his original bass replaced the neck pickup with a Thunderbird pickup and then later used Bartolinis, prior to the signature bass. However he turned the bass control on his Marshalls completely off as you’ve said. Chris Squire changed his playing position to taste (for me his best sounds were usually playing nearer the neck). IME you can really hear the toaster in Chris’s sound. Check out his Starlicks video. As others have said, Tom Sawyer is the Jazz, although I saw them on tour at that time and he played the Rick live. And yes, the 4001CS didn’t have the cap (I’ve had 2 FWIW). My current main basses are 2 x ‘72s, one pre skunk in Fireglo, one skunk but in Azure, which is really rare for the period. And they have indeed crushed everything; Fenders, Wals, Alembics, Warwicks, Jaydees, you name it. I blend the volumes to taste all the time. I also find it funny that people find Rics uncomfortable, because for me the most uncomfortable bass ever is a Jazz. I actually can’t physically play them because they set off dreadful nerve pain in my arm. And yet the binding on Rics never bothered me at all. Grateful to you for doing this though guys!
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
The Rickenbacker Bass does indeed crush everything in my eyes. My weapon of choice 100% of the time!
The Rickenbacker is an odd bass, but I bought mine when I was 19 years old (in 1997), just finished school and found a black 4003 from 1996 that a musicstore wanted to get rid off it because they thought it would never sell. So they gave it to me for around 1000 dollars (in then-german D-Mark) off. I loved Kyuss at the time, and Scott Reeder with his Rickenbacker was a huge influence back then. And what can I say? I loved it from the first moment on, and I still use it almost excusively to this day. Everyone who knows me as a musician pictures me with the Rickenbacker. It was even drawn on our wedding invitation. Every scratch on it is a part of my musical history, and I will never ever give my Rickenbacker away. It is THE bass for me.
I'm thinking of buying a bass that Scott played with. Love kyuss. He also played an ibanez atk. Any recommendations?
Also have 4003 from '96, also purchased in '97. Jet Black as well. Greetings on behalf of our production twins.
@@phcoene As far as I know these days he plays his own signature Warwick Katana. If you want a affordable bass, go for the Ibaenz ATK300 that he played, but I'm personally not a huge fan. The Rickenbacker 4001 and 4003 are definitely the Go To bass when in search for the kyuss-like sound. But yeah, quite pricey. There is a Jackson ripoff of a Rickenbacker which sounds quite similar, but I don't like the overall look of it. Hope it helps.
Dude awesome!! If I ever get married I better either have a stingray or a Thumb bass in my hands on the invitation
Geddy played a Jazz bass on Tom Sawyer! Come on guys. Moving pictures was Jazz on Tom Sawyer, Limelight, Witch hunt, Vital signs, YYZ. Ricky was only on Barchetta, the Camera Eye and the bass solo punch ins on YYZ. Oh and Chris always used both pickups or just neck pickup because he thought the bridge pickup was too weak.
Cliff also wasn’t using guitar amps it was his Sunn amp with the gain at slightly before the point of breakup with his Morley power wah boost taking them into total distortion. It’s a common misconception that he predominantly used a fuzz wah due to Morley releasing tribute fuzz wahs when in reality Cliff himself mentioned the wah boost multiple times and the fuzz wah 0 times l.
100% my friend!
Definitely the Jazz bass on Tom Sawyer
@@NotThatOneThisOne you can tell the difference because his Jazz bass tracks are generally less distorted and have more of a scooped punch then the distorted rick on the camera eye for example.
this
Lets also not forget there's Jazz bass on the Permanent Waves album too, 3 of the songs are Jazz and 3 are the Ric.
re: cliff burton question. after a little googling (to refresh my memory) cliff stated, in a letter to a fan, there's a gibson eb pick up in the bass position, a seymour duncan stacked jazz pick up in the treble position, and a seymour duncan stacked strat in the bridge - as in; it was placed in front of the saddles!
It was where the mute sits in the bridge of my memory serves correct.
Yup. Also became quite unreliable after a time, which led him to the Aria. Which Bass? did a two or 3 part rig rundown some years ago, here on the UA-cam. Good stuff in his breakdown.
I’m a fusion jazz Drummer/bassist, prefer a Pbass, but played a Rick 4003 for the first time the other day… I get it, they are on a league of their own.👍🏾
Opening with Space Hog = instantly hooked.
Such an underrated bassline. I was always very fascinated how Royston Langdon could play that while he sang.
Well, that answered my question before I asked. Thanks
I'm willing to accept Scott's opinion on the Roundabout bass tone, as long as he's willing to accept that he's wrong
This 100%
THANK YOU!!!! Chris Squire Supremacy!!!! ✊🏽
Absolutely!!!!
So wrong
Yes, the Ricky crushes all! I removed the pickup cover from my 4003, fitted a bezel and put low tension flats on. Sounds, looks and plays amazing!
👍👍👍
It was the video for In The Meantime that solidified my NEED for a black Rickenbacker when I was a kid. I don't play them much anymore, but I'll always keep the 4001C64JG I was playing the night I met my wife :D
“In the Meantime”! Great song.
At this point Scott and Ian crush everything! You guys are my favorite UA-camrs ever!
Chris’ bass was a RM1999 (the English import of the 4001). It did not come stock with Rick o Sound. He added it himself, and ran the bridge pup through a guitar amp.
yep this is a big miss in this video, I've read it everywhere for years, yet they didn't mention it.
Not sure if you guys know this, but in an interview Chris Squire said that he help the pick in such a way that his thumb would also skim the string, this was to allowed a very small harmonic on every note!
Yes! BUT he only used it occasionally. Most notably on Siberian Khatru.
Far too much import given to this, it's a technique he hardly used and you can clearly hear when he did as the note squeals.
I recently sold my beloved Rick for all of the reasons mentioned in this video. It had been my dream bass ever since I started playing, and I adored playing it, but my GOD is it a pain in the arse. My time owning a Rickenbacker made me appreciate the no-nonsense simplicity of the P-Bass even more. Coolest looking, coolest sounding bass of all time, but when you're as lazy as me it truly becomes more effort than it's worth, especially considering I'm always tweaking with my basses to get them set up just right. With the P-Bass it's a 10 minute job, with the Rick it feels like performing heart surgery
I’ve never understood why people say this. I own a newer 4003 and it’s not much more work than a p bass other than an extra rod to adjust in the neck.
I bought my '79 4001 used in 1986. It has a Badass II bridge, which to me, is essential. It also has Seymour Duncan Rick pickups. I've compared to stock pickups, and I just don't see the point. A couple of years after getting it, I got a fully two-channel amp (SVT) and borrowed a friend's Rick-O-Sound kit. Loved it, having the ability to EQ the two pickups differently (plus effects), and built my own stereo rig and have rewired a few of my other basses.
Bruce Foxton’s sound on “In the City” is classic Rickenbacker tone.
It's an Ibanez copy, it's even pictured on the rear of the album cover
I'm sure others will mention it... because we're nerds :), but regarding Geddy's bass on Tom Sawyer for the recording... Quote from an interview with Geddy:
"I still love their sound. But they were tools back then, and I was having problems on Moving Pictures getting the sound I wanted out of one of my Rickenbackers - it was for Tom Sawyer, actually - so I pulled out a Jazz bass that I'd bought and never used. And a light bulb went off, so I ended up using it for a couple of songs: Tom Sawyer and Vital Signs. Rush were always looking to stretch our sound. I was the same. Until I went back to Fender on Counterparts I was dabbling with Wal basses, Steinberger basses, the headless ones, though that went when my mullet went!"
But in the live clip he's playing a Rick. So it's not like Scott and Ian are spreading misinformation.
@@rome8180 that wasn’t live clip…it was a promo video with the studio JAZZ BASS cut.
@@dukealbert7017 Exactly, you're listening to a jazz bass while watching him play a Rick.
@@dukealbert7017 it didn't sound like the studio recording, but I'll take your word for it. Knowing Rush fans, you probably can tell me the day the promo was made and what Geddy had for breakfast.
@@dukealbert7017 thank you for putting "JAZZ BASS" in all caps though. I couldn't have possibly understood your point otherwise. Very necessary.
I have a 1974 4001 fireglow and I love it. Raunchiest bass tone of any bass I've played. Thanks for making this video, now I wanna jam some Spacehog!
I’m going to need a video on why the Danelectro Longhorn CRUSHES everything since it’s my only bass and I desperately need external validation on my purchase decisions.
Depends one which one. The original Long Horn was lightweight, the new ones are heavier. i have played my friends new one and he hates it for being too heavy but i love it. Has a really nice sound with those very powerful lipstick shaped pickups
Victoria de Angelis is reason.
Personally, I LOVE anything by Danelectro, (I've owned dozens) and I regret not keeping one of the longhorns that have passed through my hands over the years... Maybe the next one?
PS: I really like its 30" short scale; it's all I can play now that I've got old. :/
@@PaisleyPatchouli I’ve got a black Danelectro Hodad guitar too. Its really light and sort of cheap feeling but I like how different the pickups sound compared to my main guitar. It’s so twangy, hollow and weird.
Love my Longhorn, but I pine for a Burgundy 4001 or 4003
Lemme actually used thunderbird pickups in his rickenbackers, Cliff had an EBO pickup in the neck, a redish seymour duncan jaz pickup in the treble position and another pickup in the bridge itself, i think where the mute originally would be.
The "bridge" pickup (the one in literally in the bridge) was used to capture the intens high frequenties and together with that Morley fuzz wah it created that massive sound.
For the older 4001 capacitor thin sound from the bridge/treble pup: the easy way to get around that cap is just solder a wire across it, and ‘the path of least resistance’ will naturally bypass it and you’ll have the full bass response and a bit more volume.
This really improved my January ‘74 4001 (had since ‘83). Hipshot bridge was also a good improvement and wished I’d done that years ago.
Roundabout is a classic!! how can anyone not love that sound Chris got?!
I have a May 1973 Rick 4001, which I bought in June 1973. It has all of the features mentioned, except the inlays are not full-width. A killer bass, despite the annoying features. The neck is exceptionally stable and never needs adjustment.
on Roundabout, Chris Squire said in his interviews that he doubled the bass line on a Gibson acoustic guitar. Then used the thumb on his picking hand to create a harmonic to attempt recreating that sound live on the Ric
I have a 2023 in fireglow, waited 30 years to get one , now my hands down my favorite instrument I own! By the way single two way truss rod , more adjustable bridge and the neck profile….. killer!
Concur I got one from Andy Baxter 2004 model too
hey guys, I got mine back in 1996 in black. Bought it on my 3rd trip to Florida and love it ever since. Love the sound, love how it feels when you play it. Love at 1st sight.
🧡🧡🧡
You touched on this briefly, but a lot of Lemmy's tone was in his amp settings. He used a Marshall Super Bass. Cameron Webb, one of his later producers, told a story about his first time working with him. Cameron had a Marshall Super Bass set up and he dialed in what he thought was a good rock tone. Lemmy comes in and is like "That's not my tone." And he dials the bass and treble all the way back and cranks the midrange.
In the early days he used to crank the presence, middle and treble and turn the bass off. I have interviews where he states this and I also met him twice. 😉It was only later that he started turning the treble off.
I got my Rickenbacker 4003S back in the summer of 2020 and is still my absolute favourite bass that I have as well as the main bass that I use with my band (we actually have a show coming up in a week and a half), I got into them because of guys like Paul McCartney, Geddy Lee, Cliff Burton, Lemmy, Chris Squire and Roger Waters (who used one on the first Floyd album, his tone on Interstellar Overdrive, Arnold Layne and See Emily Play is great) and I still love them, you just can’t beat the punch of a Rick, man
The roundabout bass sound is the pinnacle of Rick bass tones! Instantly hooks you in!
Sadly, the 1977 2001 was the first bass I owned and bought new at a Samash music store. in the USA in 1978. It was stolen 4 years ago. And it was everything you guys talked about. I had a love-hate relationship with it. I bought it because I loved Chris Squires sound and Yes back then. I cut my bass teeth on that thing. It's great in the studio, hard to control in a live situation, feels like butter to play it. I took that bridge cover off. Yeah I miss it. A bit.
13:00 Thank you so much Ian. This tiny secret changed everything for me
IT IS the best bass line of the 90s. Love this song and everything around it. The bassline was a mystery to me for many years. Thanks for resolving this mystery and clearing the haze around the legendary Rickenbacker. Great video!!
That is my exact Rick. 1973 4001 mapleglo, exact same features, all original except for one tuner. It’s an absolute dream.
Squires bass line in roundabout is the song. Howe is just playing a few harmonics and its that bass riff and tone (along with brufords drumming) that make it groove. Listen to the verse in roundabout without that bass (and obviously the vocals) and most people wouldn't even know its roundabout. You cant say that about too many songs... Leave out the bass and can you still recogize the song. On the flip side, you could just play the bass riff and everyone would know its roundabout. For me, Squires riff and tone fit the song perfectly. I cant imagine it any other way. This was the early 70s, squire was brilliaant and true pioneer. Listen to his bass solo on YesSongs from 1973... In fact, listen to any of the songs on YesSongs and you'll hear him changing pickups, using foot pedals for all sorts of effects. He also knew where and when to use the effects to enhance the song without getting in the way. At his peak and for that period in time squire was pure brilliance.
Squire turned the bass into a lead instrument.
@@RobertGraziose I would say squire/ Howe made the bass and guitar equal and approached their compositions more like classical composers. Unlike most of the other guitar players like a page, Clapton, etc, Howe was a Chet Atkins and classical finger picker which required him to play both the bass line and the melody. Squire was the perfect fit. Howe could leave the structured bass lines to squire while Howe was playing triads and jazzy type licks. Chet Atkins and jazz is all over Close to the Edge, only Howe didn't need to use his thumb to provide a bass line. Also, because of squires style, Howe didn't need to turn up the distortion and play endless bar chords and power chords. Squire used his Rick with all sorts of effects to add the grit and punch.
I'm a Jazz Bass person, that makes my sound, but nothing has the presence of a Rick. And it's so stylish that it doesn't need any colour added to it to grab your attention
Cliff had an extra pickup wired in his rick
Also it was the Morley Power Boost Wah which is just a boost which would overdrive his Mesa Boogie D180 amplifiers.
He would also use a Ibanez TS9 tube screamer as a boost and a Boss CS2 compressor.
The reason he switched over to the Aria bases was because the custom routing he had done to the rick adding extra pickup weakened it to the poont it was going to break...
So most of the sound is from an overdriven tube preamp..
I don't think the structural issue was due to the extra pickup. My understanding is that Cliff took the foam mute out of the tailpiece and just stuck the third pickup in the mute cavity. That pickup supposedly did, however, cause problems with hum to the point that the studio engineer had to remove it during the recording of Kill 'Em All.
Rather, I think the issue was all the routing done at the base of the neck to accommodate the massive Mudbucker pickup he had installed there. Extra routing in that area can cause forward neck pitch, which may be why Cliff ultimately put the bass aside, saying in an interview, "the Ricky needs work".
I have a 2023 Maple Glo 4003 Ric, and it is a unique beast, to be sure. The newer bridge and now single truss rod are definite improvements over older models. Extremely well-made, especially the workmanship, and the neck-thru body is a beautiful thing. The action was high from the factory, though, and one of the bridge saddles needed to be re-tapped. I was able to fix both myself (required a truss rod adjustment, which surprised me on a brand new Ric), and I removed that silly bridge pickup cover and replaced it with some nice third party flush hardware. Overall, I prefer my 2023 Sire V10dx jazz bass overall for the much brighter tone you can get out of it, and range of tone it has. But truly, nothing sounds quite like a Ric.
👍👍👍
Devine bought a Ric!!!! 😮😮😮😮 dude congrats Scott!!!! A dream bass for me! So happy for you Devine!
I have a 90s 4001v63 that I love!
@@IanMartinAllisonRight on, I picked up a '76 4001 stereo with the ohsc for $450 US off Ebay back in 1998, it will never leave me(because I could never afford to replace it now)
@@IanMartinAllisonoh man! Would you prefer a 4001 or 4003? I’ve been looking at them is a 4001 superior?
@@jasondorsey7110omfg😮!! Did they not know what they had??
Played Precisions and Jazz basses for years….even got a Stingray.
Took the plunge on a 97 Natural 4003 a few months ago….
Wow….just, wow. It has all the tones I love (and Scott hates).
Wish I’d bought one years ago.
I have a 2005 made JetGlo 4003, which don't have the push-pull capacitor in the treble volume pot, and has the circuit inside the guitar instead. It makes the bridge pickup really hot. I usually play blended or neck with flats/tapewound any way
To me, the coolest bass ever conceived.
By the way, Chris Squire mixed his Rickenbacker with a guitar that belonged to Steve Howe on Roundabout, so it's not a fully pure bass sound what we hear on that track.
I have a 2016 4003SW and just adore it.
Love it when you guys do Rickenbacker videos. The new 4003 models 2022 and up now have a thinner neck and single truss rod. The V2 bridge with individual string saddles is also included. The dual truss rods were very problematic as you noted. Part science, part art to adjust them properly.
The bass cut capacitor on the treble (bridge) pickup can be bypassed with the tone knob for it using a push/pull potentiometer, giving the vintage/modern tone choices.
Finally. I kept the treble pickup bezel because cosmetics though annoying at times. Old Ricky's the bezel was part of the shielding of the original horseshoe pickup, now it's just plastic.
Cheers guys!
The Vintage/Modern push-pull pot was an addition in the (more recent, 2000's onwards) 4003 models; it wasn't on the 4001. Back in time I put a little micro-switch on mine to do it, but subsequently a push-pull pot has made it onto it (all it comprises is two wires to short out the series cap when you pull the knob out.)
The original Ric Treble pickup had a pair of magnets which wrapped around the pickup, hence the horseshoe; it came from the original frying pan design. The cover now is just for aesthetics.
Incidentally, the Bass "Toaster" pickup is actually a 6-pole gutar one.
I'm not sure you can say any particular year's Rics have a thinner or thicker neck; they've tended to vary per-instrument, but RIC did bring in CNC machines to try and standardise them a bit.
Thanks for sharing
Love it. Ricks are definitely my favorite bass and guitars. I have commitment issues though so I could never just use one bass and one guitar but Ricks will always be my #1 especially as far as wooden guitars go.
Agreed with the Spacehog line- fantastic riff
Anyone who criticizes Chris Squire's tone loses massive amounts of respect
the tone trick is what i am doing for years with my 4003. Yes, its works here too and its the best way to get the ideal Rick sound
All I want for xmas this year is a vid of the boys playing the whole spacehog song with those basses and those lovely tones. If I'm ever recording something appropriate for it I'm going to remember to double track a P and Ric. Unbelievably good stuff boys/.
When I was a kid, I was trying to get Cliff's sound (on a lawnmowing/power washing/fence painting budget) out of a Squire Pbass.. I ended up buying a Boss overdrive pedal and an Ibanez weeping demon wah, and while it wasn't exactly Cliff, it was in the ballpark and kinda led me to my own sound.
I had two 4001's in the seventies.
My first, blue one, was stolen🙁
Luckily insurance replaced it with a maple glo.
I never got either of them to intonate properly.
And I never really got that Chris Squire sound,
despite running Ric-O-Sound into a Marshall head.
I ended up exchanging it for a brand new MM Stingray.
A couple of years ago I found an unused Japanese Fernandes RB-80PM.
A copy of the McCartney Ric, from the early eighties.
Toaster in the neck position. Dot inlays.
I plugged it into my Kemper.
And there it was, that elusive angry bass growl😎
I exchanged the bridge for a Hipshot drop-in.
It improves on almost every aspect of the original Ric bridge.
Even though it's a beautiful piece of hardware, it doesn’t look quite as cool.
But I’m a player, not a spectator😉
I also plan to add a high pass cap but I’m considering a switchable solution.
In my copious free time.
Re: Chris Squire’s sound.
I read that he used the stereo out primarily to apply
separate compression and amp to each pick up.
Heavy fast attack/release compression
(to make the bass frequencies distort)
and a guitar amp on the bridge pup.
And he still had a solid, deep, bass sound from the neck pup.
Mix to taste.
Besides mr Squire double tracked the bass part
on the original version of Roundabout with guitar,
one octave higher.
So it’s bas(s)icaly an eight string bass part 𝄢
i just bought a Rickenbacker last sunday after i wanted one for so long and THIS VIDEO SHOWS UP
get out of my head
Cliff had a Gibson pickup in the neck, A Jazz bass pickup in the treble position and a strat pickup somewhere in the bridge! Heavy mods for the time! Love his tone
"Somewhere" being where the foam mute normally sits. That pick-up was activated by pulling a push-pull knob that replased one of the standard pots.
*replaced 😁
I agree with you, but didn't you do a video a while back where you guys said that you hated the Rick? I absolutely love mine, it's a 73 that I purchased in 78. and still have. I gigged with it from the time I purchased it through the 80's and early 90's. BTW, I love your channel and Ian is a welcome addition!
Royston Langdon predominantly used the stereo jack, and when he wasn’t plugged into that, the switch was on the bridge, and he played it with flats.
The thing is, I don't understand why Ric stopped using the proper HORSESHOE MAGNET treble pickup??? The Horseshoe was the original pickup that old uncle Adolph invented for the frying pan, and it is indeed the most unique pickup ever made for guitar/bass/whatever; because the strings actually run THROUGH the magnetic field, as there are two horseshoe magnets bracketing the strings, with the pickup bobbin sitting inside, with the strings running over the top. These were mostly used by Ric in their ubiquitous LAPSTEEL guitars, but were also used on 50s Ric hollowbodies, and also the first basses. I heard a story that Paul McCartney's treble pickup crapped out sometime in the Wings era, and that when he received it back from Ric's repair shop, it was equipped with the pickup, like yours, which just has the goofy big metallic cover, which looks like the old horseshoe pickup, but is actually a regular design, with the magnet now on the bottom of the bobbin, and from what I hear, doesn't sound anything like the original. I've personally never had a chance to A/B these, but apparently Ric stopped making the original style, which goes all the way back to the frying pan.
There's a whole side story about these horseshoe magnet pickups concerning the guitarist extraordinaire, Ry Cooder, and his Coodercasters, in which he installed a similar type pickup, from a lapsteel guitar, which surrounded the strings with magnetic field, and was unequalled when it came to slide guitar. I personally built myself a 'Coodercaster' Tele, using an old 1950s original Rickenbacker horseshoe magnet pickup, with a Teisco Goldfoil pickup at the neck, and also a 27" Fender Tele Baritone neck. It's my Tele on Steroids, which I keep tuned down to B. The 1950s Rickenbacker horseshoe magnet pickup sounds amazing, and I often fantasize building myself a bass with one of them, just to hear what the difference is. I've still never got an explanation as to why they stopped using the horseshoe magnet pickups, but I've heard that they were much more expensive to make, and also that they may have been a bit fragile, (Yes, Fragile!) ;) perhaps illustrated by McCartney's requiring repair, and ultimately replacement. I also heard somewhere that he was never totally satisfied with the replacement, 'new style' Ric treble pickup, and I've always wanted to compare them and hear the difference for myself. Question: is your treble pickup cover made of solid metal, or is it chrome plated plastic? I've heard they made both, but not definitively. Imagine this: the metal 'cover' of the original version of that pickup is not just a 'cover', it is actually the magnet (actually there are a pair of the chromed horseshoe magnets, placed end to end, and with the bobbin screwed down underneath with the strings running over top. It's a killer design, and there's nothing else quite like it. The Valco/Supro lapsteel pickup that Cooder first used was similar, but had the magnets at the sides, with a conductive piece of steel running over the top to surround the strings with magnetic field.)
Sorry for the extended post, but I get worked up when I see these Ric pickups being discussed. (The only place you can get original horseshoe magnet pickups is to take them off an old Ric lapsteel guitar. The upside is that there still millions of them around, they are not particularly rare, and you can find them pretty cheap, especially if they're in beat up condition. You just need the pickup to be perfect...) Sometimes you might need to get the magnets re-Gaussed, but that's not a big deal. I had Lindy do mine; I can't remember how much is was, but under $50 IIRC...
Cliff also had a mudbucker in the neck and hid a pickup in the bridge. Plus, yeah, wah, distortion, and a load of awesomeness.
It was a Jazz bass pickup. 🤢
My 4001 & 4003 have Badass II bridges put on by the same luthier that put on Geddy’s and that is the super upgrade. Sustain, low action, and finally a correct intonation on a Rick. Nowadays you can get a bolt on high mass bridge from a couple of manufacturers so no permanent modifications required. Try it for next a next level Rick!
I have a '78 4001 that I've had since '97. I modded it with the Bartolini mute cavity pickup. They sold it in the 90s-00s. It's super bright on its own but when you add it and the neck pickup and skip the treble pickup it gives the Rick an amazing slap sound.
Cliff used a Gibson EB 'mudbucker' humbucker in the neck position and a Seymour Duncan Stacked Jazz Bass pickup in the bridge to achieve his unique tone. There was also a guitar pickup added under the bridge for that lead tone he was famous for. And we cannot forget the hands. Hands make the tone as much as electronics do.
Royston is so underrated. All of the Spacehog albums had killer bass lines. It's also worth noting that since this is an episode on tone, part of Royston's tone comes from picking by the bridge...
Yep, he said he picked by the bridge and cranked the bass on his amp to compensate IIRC.
If you have two ears and try a couple of variations of two volume knobs you will understand that rolling back neck pickup is no brainer. I am doing this for 34 years since when I had bought my Ric 4001 and almost all Ric players I know and don't know (but read in online bass groups) knows about this 'secret' trick :)
The first time I saw a Rickenbacker bass was in Spacehog’s music video back in 1995. Love at first sight! Great video, guys
Why Mike Mills' bass run during the pre-chorus of "Radio Free Europe" isn't a go-to bass line for all Rickenbacker bass demos is a mystery I will never understand. Love the old ambered MapleGlo's from the 60s / 70s. So fun watching dueling bassists. Great job guys.
Cliffs MOST POPULAR bass rig since he experimented a lot was as follows: His custom rick (gibson eb-0 neck pickup, jazz bridge pickup, strat guitar pickup under the bridge), mesa boogie bass amps. Pedals: Ibanez TS9, Boss CS2 sustainer, Morley PWB, Big muff pi.
There wasn’t a big muff but everything else is right. The Ampegs used on lightning was the key to his 84’ tone.
I never understood the "you can't palm mute on a rick". Of course I take the treble pickup cover off, but I never had a problem palm muting just next to the bridge. I have been playing a rick for the past 10 years so maybe im just used to it
Yes to Space Hog! Yes to the painful, sharp top edge on a Rick! And a hell yes to staying in the middle switch position and going infinitely variable with the volume & tone pots!!!
I’ve still got the 1998 Mapleglo 5-string 4003-S5 I ordered from the bleedin’ factory! I rocked everything from nipples to knees with that thing. Only stopped playing it as much when I started writing and recording on my own. The bridge is a gorgeous, narcissistic NIGHTMARE because it’s very difficult to intonate. It’s beautiful and useless. Everything is in the way of everything else. God help you if that floating saddle falls over. And to top it all off, because the 5-string was an absolute afterthought-literally a 4-string neck/body with a slightly longer headstock and 5 strings crammed into it-the B-string adjustment does not have the physical range of motion to hit a B at open and at 12. Mine’s maxed and it still needs a few millimeters more. It’s JUUUUUST almost possibly there.
But hey! There is NO other bass to have when you want some sweet, sweet chain-link fence in your tone. It’s the GOAT of rattlin’ about. 🕺🏼🤘🏼
Chris Squire's primary white Rick was lighter than a factory one since it had been stripped and repainted several times. Also when his bass was serviced by Rickenbacker it was discovered that the treble pickup was not connected to the wire circuit. So it's likely that for some time what was being heard live and in some recordings was the bass pickup in stereo and not both pickups separated. Instruments truly are a magical sum of their parts there may never be a Rick that sounds like Chris Squires, even his signature models aren't quite the same as the original. Also it should be noted that there was 2-3 other Ricks one of which was an 8 string and they were used on Fragile and CTTE. The rotosounds he used also added to the sound.
Another detail about Squire - he planed about a 1/4 inch / 5mm off the back of the body (he had painted it and covered it in stickers and bascially said "f**k it" and shaved the back) making the body thinner and more resonant. Unlike Scott, I *love* Squire's tone. I had a Rick for many years just so I could do all that Yes material.
Here I’m, super happy owner of a Rick 4001 Jetglo from 1976 but I’d love to have that gorgeous checkered binding and toaster pick-up . Rick’s sound is so iconic and distinctive that you got to love it on some tracks and hate it on some others😂
Even as a non-musician I have to say a really good and entertaining video that makes you want to learn an instrument
Cliff used a lot of pedals aside from the obvious Morley Fuzz-Wah, Tubescreamer, & occasional EHX Big Muff, they were mainly experimentals that were either stolen, or only used like, 3 times.
Here's a list of Cliff's reported pedals, not certain though:
Boss DM-2 Delay
Boss CS-2 Compression Sustainer
MXR M143 Limiter
MXR M134 Stereo Chorus
EHX Bassballs Envelope Filter
Washburn A-AD9 Analog Delay
I love how whenever it comes down to McCartney’s tone it’s always “meh I don’t know” and they move on but his ric tone was pretty nuanced from his Beatles Ric era through the height of his solo career
Ricks are fabulous basses... so fabulous I have four! There are indeed some things that are annoying at first but they are easily rectifiable and make for a better instrument. First, chuck the bridge and install a Hipshot replacement. Same footprint, same screw holes. 100% reversible. Gets rid of the foam mute and "teeth" and adds individually adjustable saddles, so you can tweak intonation, height and string spacing. Now you can palm mute! And I do! As a bonus you get better tone and more sustain. A solid brass or aluminum (you choice) beats a weak die cast zinc one. This is their weakest link IMO.
Next, pitch that treble pickup cover. It's right over a sweet spot. I tried getting on with it, but it just gets in the way. Replace it with a "treble bezel" that fills in the gaps and adds a thumbrest if you'd like one. now you can pick or pluck right over the pickup and get some awesome tones.
Can't do much about the truss rods, but newer models only have 1.
Body binding bothers you? The 4003s ("s" for standard) has none. Also has dot neck markers and one output jack, which is fine if you're not using Rick O Sound. Pickups and controls are identical.
Newer Ricks also have a push/pull switch on the treble tone, to engage a fuller, more modern sound, or pull out to engage the "vintage tone" with the capacitor in it for more bite, growl and snarl. While the Toaster pickup has nice tone, the newer higher output pickups have more "oomph." I noticed how quiet Scott's got when playing the neck pickup. I woudn't do it to a vintage instrument but on my 2014 4003s I replaced the neck pickup with a Nordstrand "Nordenbocker" pickup, which is the same tone but more output.
Oh and I gig the snot out of my Ricks. Even my limited edition 2016 4003 Noir (1 of 25).
Scott, if the tone on "Roundabout" isn't up your alley, try "Heart Of The Sunrise" or "Yours Is No Disgrace"
Cliff Burton got his distinctive tone by using a Gibson "mudbucker" pickup in the neck position and a Fender Jazz pickup in the bridge position; look close at some pics. I've also heard he removed the foam mute and put a Strat pickup in the cavity.
Other favorite Rick users Roger Glover, Bruce Foxton, Phil Lynott (for a short time), Pete Quaife, Ben Orr, Mike Mills, Steve DiGiorgio, John Deacon, Maurice Gibb, Randy Meisner, Mike Rutherford, and a whole lot more.
Fun video!
FWIW the original bridges were aluminium, they only changed to zinc in mid ‘73. And I would never change the toasters for anything, the toasters are the key to the best tone IMO. I like them way more than high gains or any of the replacements. Plus some of the toasters (like the one on my Azure) are pretty loud! Horses for courses.
Superb guys. Cheers.❤
I have a 76 mapleglo and totally agree on all the gripes about Rickenbacker basses in this video. I mitigated some by replacing the bridge with one that LOOKS correct from a distance but is actually functional. I also removed the cover over the bridge pickup and found an aftermarket device that fills the cavern below (looking much better) and also adds a small thumb rest. From stage you can't tell I did either thing but they improve playability quite a bit. Now if I could fix the edge that is always trying to cut me... Sometimes the Rick is the right thing for a song, it just has vibe for days, but my Kubicki is still my go to for covering almost any sound. Hands down the most ergonomic bass I have and most flexible tone wise.
The fact that Royston can play that line while singing an unrelated rhythm is impressive.
By the way, I think he throws in an open D string in the 12th fret riff.
Love my 4003S. I got that over the 4003 just because it doesn't have the edge with the binding. It's a great rock and a great funk bass!
I have a 4003W with the binding…just to get the Rick-o-sound…but I also have red lashes on my arm after about 20 minutes of playing.
Ian and Scott crushes everything....... and WhosThatGuy has a crush on Ians and Scott's bass collection!
FINALLY YOU GUYS MADE THE ULTIMATE BASS VIDEO TO END ALL BASS VIDEOS!!!!!!! RICK FOR LIIIIIIIFE!!!!!!!!! 🙌🙌
I'm the original owner of an '80 Jetglo 4001 I bought in high school. Love my Ric!
The whole trick to the truss rod is don’t use it to move the neck. Manually push the neck to where it needs to be then tighten the truss rod(s) to hold it. The issues are caused when you try to use the truss rod to torque the neck. I had a 4001 I bought in 1978 and now I have a 4003 I bought about 20 years ago. Always feels like going home when I play it.
exactly how I do my setup, much better method
Lemmy did in fact primarily use the neck pickup, but modified with bartolini or Gibson thunderbird humbuckers through a cranked marshall. The sound is mostly the marshall.
That's cliff's updated rickenbacker! He installed a gibson mudbucker (sidewinder) in the neck, a stacked seymour duncan jazz in the bridge and an additional seymour duncan strat pickup under the bridge, where the mute is supposed to go, this last one could be ativated with a push-pull switch
Cygnus X-1 Book 1. That intro made me and my friends all buy Rickies. Plus you can hear Geddy just crushing the attack. I had a beautiful 1980 walnut 4001 back when that was the sound I wanted to emulate, not to mention the Squire sound. Sadly as much as the bass has an iconic sound and look, it’s a dang finicky bass that for me just never delivered on what I wanted it to be. p basses every day now for me.
8:03 - Paul didn't use Rick as much? In The Beatles, he used it all the way from 1965 to 1970 in the studio, apart from some white album tracks that he played on Jazz and in 1969 in Get Back documentary his Rick had issues with the nut not holding the strings, but that got fixed by the time they were recording Abbey Road. He then used Rick extensively through most of the next decade with Wings, both live and in studio, switching to Yamaha BB-1200 around 1979 or so.
Believe that he also used flats which changes the tone significantly.
In The Meantime - one of my favorite 90's tunes AND bands! STP and Space Hog were in heavy rotation in my house back then! Ton's of great bass lines from both!
Hah, I had to give a thumbs up as soon as I heard the intro. That song takes me back..
Yeah that is the best 90s bass line period. I remember my kids playing it on their ipods and thought, crap, thats a great sound and had to ask them who it was playing....... Still sounds good today, like a timeless rush classic
Mine is a 5 string and it just sits perfectly in the mix. It just stands out and cuts through.
You cannot put words on it to describe the sound.
I always turn both pickups all the way up and back one of them off by a click.
Both pickups wide open sounds horrible, but when you back one pickup off by the slightest bit, it fixes it.
now we need a video: Why the Thunderbird crushes everything, please :)
Interesting video! I must say at the end you've mentioned the other bass videos saying other basses crush everything. I have a Fender P Bass, a Fender Jazz Bass, a Stingray..and this week I gave in, bought and now have a Schecter Model-T Session Bass which I'm loving to play early on. I'll admit, the Rickenbacker Bass is intriguing. A bassist who you didn't mention who plays a Rickenbacker is R&B legend, Leon Slyvers III; not a household name, but he should be. Sylvers is known for rockin a Rickenbacker with flat strings in the 1970s and 80s, at a time when Fender basses ruled the genre. He got start with The Sylvers, influenced by Motown great James Jamerson. Sylvers later wrote and played songs on Sound of Los Angeles Records or Solar Records. Music Producer Dick Griffey hired Sylvers to be his in-house producer for the label, teaming up with Lakeside, Shalamar and Dynasty, a time when R&B was desperately trying to differentiate its sound from Disco; slowing down the tempo. Check out some of Sylvers superior bass lines including: Boogie Fever (Sylvers Double Platinum hit, more than 2,000,000 records sold), And the Beat Goes On (Whispers), I've Just Begun To Love You (Dynasty), Make That Move, Take That to the Bank (Shalamar) to name a few. Sylvers predates Marcus Miller's vibe and he later mentored Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, legends of my hometown's "Minneapolis Sound!" Sylvers' precision really elevates the Rickenbacker bass's sound. He's still very active in music today! With that being said, the price tag is exorbitant for someone like me who doesn't earn the big bucks of a bassist in a big-time band. I've checked around, seeing you can get a new one for around $2,000 (On the Low end) to more than $20,000 for a Chris Squier 4001 CS Model. Yes, there are also some nice deals out there for a used Rickenbacker in "mint" or "excellent" condition. Maybe someday I'll "Make That Move" (Great bass line from a Shalamar hit song), "Take That to the Bank" and buy one. 😉Thank you for sharing this video! 🤩👍🏾🎶🎸♬
I still jam that spacehog tune. Epic groove. And it just makes you feel good
2 Things.... First I just bought a Rickenbacker 4003s in Mapleglo. LOVE IT !! However it does hum a little.
I was thinking about installing Joe Barton replacement pickups. I hear they are dead Quit. Any alteration will change the sound at least a little. What do you think ?
Second ... Ian please feature more celebrity basses. Loved when you did that a few years back.
I agree! Rickenbacker crushes everything! When I'm playing my 4003!
Also, the Fender Jazz crushes everything when I'm playing that bass!
And my P-Bass crushes everything when I'm playing that.
Do we see a trend here?
I love my 78 Ricky (Olric). I tend to mix the two pickups, rolling either of the volumes down a little depending on the tone required by the song. But I do normally roll the neck pick up tone down just to fatten up the overall sound. In the studio I use a Tech 21 DUg Pinnick pedal which I can either add some fuzz, or just for compression. My favorite bass player Paul Gray (the Damned, Eddie and the Hot Rods) uses one of these pedals for recording and was kind enough to share his settings with me and yeah, the Ricky rocks using them. 🤘
This series of videos is so good. I wish there was a series for different instruments with similar focus.
Cliff Burton had a Gibson sg bass pickup put in the neck pickup and a guitar pickup I believe placed under the bridge. He used Morley wah fuzz and electro harmonix big muff as primary pedals
I’ve never seen that video of Cliff. Oh my god!!! New respect!!
I bought a '73 Fireglo Rick 4001S aged 17 in 1973. Gorgeous bass - it was a few months old and cost me £230. Big Chris Squire fan. Scott I'm arranging an intervention because if you don't like Squire's tone you are in serious need of help! 🤣
At last! Beautiful basses. 😉 And the best-sounding bass you’ve ever had on. 😁 A few things; the problem was not with the rods rods themselves, it was people trying to use the rods to adjust the neck as per other basses. Thats not how you do it, you need to slacken the nuts off, move the neck by hand to where you want it and then tighten the nuts to hold the neck in position. It was incorrect procedure that screwed those necks. Lemmy didn’t use the bridge pickup, he used both but on his original bass replaced the neck pickup with a Thunderbird pickup and then later used Bartolinis, prior to the signature bass. However he turned the bass control on his Marshalls completely off as you’ve said. Chris Squire changed his playing position to taste (for me his best sounds were usually playing nearer the neck). IME you can really hear the toaster in Chris’s sound. Check out his Starlicks video. As others have said, Tom Sawyer is the Jazz, although I saw them on tour at that time and he played the Rick live. And yes, the 4001CS didn’t have the cap (I’ve had 2 FWIW). My current main basses are 2 x ‘72s, one pre skunk in Fireglo, one skunk but in Azure, which is really rare for the period. And they have indeed crushed everything; Fenders, Wals, Alembics, Warwicks, Jaydees, you name it. I blend the volumes to taste all the time. I also find it funny that people find Rics uncomfortable, because for me the most uncomfortable bass ever is a Jazz. I actually can’t physically play them because they set off dreadful nerve pain in my arm. And yet the binding on Rics never bothered me at all. Grateful to you for doing this though guys!