Thank you for NOT playing different basslines with each sound demonstrated! Nothing annoys me more than these guys fumbling around, showing off all the different things they can play, while changing settings. We need to hear the SAME thing played, over and over, to be able to hear the differences in tone accurately. Well done! Great demo!
Thank you for the support! I know the pain having experienced it with so many demos. All my demos use this format for that reason! Glad to be of service! T
I totally agree… Also the other thing that annoys me is if they show a Particular bass , and only play baselines from that artist i.e. Hoffner violin bass : only Beatles bass lines .
I did something verry stupid some year's ago. I traded my original 4001 -74 in super nice condition for a not so original -74 p-bass! Still hate myself for that.
I wish all instrument demos were like this. No crazy effects , no mad showmanship or gratuitous crap . Love it . If you're going to drop a ton of money on an instrument , you need to hear it's tones clearly and unmolested right ? I'm a guitar player and Rickenbacker 330 owner btw 👍
Thank you for watching and supporting the channel! I know exactly what you mean, and I’ve watched so many videos like you describe, so I really try to give a general feel of how an instrument will perform for most players, rather than what I do. Thank you again! T
I own one. I allways run it in stereo, usually in vintage mode and with two amps. It sounds absolutely monstrous. I play it everyday and everyday I'm absolutely blown away by the things we can do together! This bass is completely different from any other if you really put in the effort of getting to know it.
@@captainchunk4078 oops, haha! It's not hard to convert them to stereo if you really want to though. i actually rewired my rick so that it doesn't have rickosound anymore, but two mono jacks, one for each pickup. This way I cant run it in a traditional mono anymore, but once you get use to the stereo thing, therre's no going back anyway. I even rewired my Jazz bass to stereo, it sound sooooooooooooooooo much better it's crazy.
Yeah, finally a useful review that avoids the usual cliches about Rickenbacker Basses! Amazing Sound Samples! Finally you can hear how versatile a Ric can be. I really love mine (fireglo finish, too). Good work, man!
Thank you man! I can’t believe its versatility never gets mentioned if I’m honest. A Ric could easily replace a Jazz in most people’s arsenal, with a slightly different character.
I agree completely! So many people seem to think Rics can only do that super bright Chris Squire/Geddy Lee kind of tone, but they're actually capable of so much more than that. Paul McCartney, for one, sounded nothing like that when he played his Ric. Hell, even Chris Squire and Geddy Lee themselves didn't always go for that super bright sound with theirs, although they did most of the time.
Sell it ! Cars are worthless within 10 years . In 10 years time , it's possible you could sell a Ric bought today for what you paid , depending on how you looked after it.
@@shaunw9270 if you buy a used one it could probably even increase in value. Investing in guitars is actually quite a good way to protect your savings against inflation. At least that's what I tell my wife with each one bought.
@@gryzew That's what happened with the first two decent used guitars I bought . Later down the line I sold them at bargain prices and still made in one instance 390% profit !
I hugely appreciate you demoing the versatility that can be afforded by a Rick, rather than just showcasing the obvious clanky Prog Rock tone they’re so often solely associated with. They’re obviously capable of so much more. I have my first ever Rick arriving this week, and I’m incredibly excited for it 😊
Thanks so much for this review. I've owned the exact same model 4001 Fireglo for around 25 years and never even realized those quirky knobs around the bridge served as mutes. I assumed they were just part of the cumbersome bridge design, which I've since learned has earned some notoriety for being pretty crappy. The Rickie was the first bass I ever purchased. As a young, eager player I was drawn to its unique design and flashy chrome hardware, but for those who are considering purchasing this bass I'd like to say from years of personal experience that these Rickenbacker 4001s are very temperamental compared to other basses. The following are some of the unusual elements I had to contend contend with: 1) The glossy lacquer finish on the neck and fingerboard makes the experience of playing the bass less satisfying compared to the smooth, silky feel of a satin finish. Over the years--with some moderate gigging, recording and wear-and-tear--there are a few small areas on my bass where the lacquer has chipped off, which is a bummer, but I'm sure I can get it touched up at a luthier shop. 2) It's a very heavy, solidly built bass. Wielding it as a bludgeon you could probably punch a hole through a brick wall. After 2 or 3 hours of rehearsals and jamming, you'll definitely feel it. 3) Its design looks very cool, but its not so great on the ergonomics. I'm not a super aggressive player but I've come home from playing shows with the underside of my right forearm red and swollen from repeatedly mashing it against the upper edge where your forearm comes into most contact while playing. Other bass designs often have tapered edges in this area to make playing more comfortable, but not the 4001. I play mostly with my fingers and use a pick on occasion but never developed much of a slap technique. Feeling that 90 degree edge repeatedly biting into my forearm after prolonged playing sucked, but I'm tough and a firm believer of suffering for art. 4) The chrome cover bar over the bridge pickup looks flashy, but is apparently useless. This mysterious piece of hardware perplexed me in my early bass-playing years. Surely it served some tonal purpose? I would ask other bassists who were familiar with Ricks and most would shrug and tell me they just removed the cover because it got in their way. I balked at the idea so I never removed mine but that cover bar ended up causing me a lot of grief. I started experiencing issues when I noticed how badly my A-string would rattle and buzz against it if I hit that string too hard ("too hard" meaning if I struck open A string with moderate force). The cover bar wasn't allowing enough space for my strings to freely vibrate, so I found myself constantly fussing with adjusting the height of the pickups in hopes of giving the strings more room to breathe, but since it's a passive bass, the more I lowered them the muddier the tone became. It has been many years since I've fussed with it so I don't recall ever finding a way to raise the cover bar higher (I don't believe that's possible but I could be wrong). In those early years I grew so desperate I took it in to a guitar shop and paid around $100-$150 to have it "professionally" set-up, but whatever those guys did really didn't solve the problem for me. Trying to get my action and tone set to a playable level became a very frustrating balancing act between negotiating that cover bar that would cause my strings to rattle and buzz or those protruding metal studs on the pickups that would come into direct contact with the string if I adjusted it too high. Unfortunately, all those elements made the experience of playing that instrument feel much more restrictive compared to other premium quality basses in that price range. All that said, I still love its unique design but my overall sentiment about the 4001 is that it's a very fussy bass with a very unique tonal quality that can be a bit hit and miss depending on the kind of music you're playing. I still love my temperamental Ricky, but I consider it more of a specialty instrument to use as a special ingredient whenever I think a particular piece of music can benefit from its trebly mid-range growl.
I'm still not sold on the rickenbacker 4003 bass but you did a great job demonstrating the tones it has to offer. I've seen too many videos where the rickenbacker is set up in such a way that it seems like the bass only has that one growly tone and nothing else to offer, this video shows that the rickenbacker has much more to offer :)
Thank you so much for watching and the kind words! That’s what stunned me about it and I’m so glad I got to show all the possibilities of offers outside of that classic growly distorted tone! T
just a tid-bit of information: as of a couple of weeks ago, Rickenbacker has begun shipping ALL their 4 string basses with a new bridge/tailpiece combo. It’s much easier to use, so if you don’t mind grabbing a new one it’s very worth it. For those that already have a Ricky or are looking for a vintage one, Rickenbacker themselves are selling the bridge/tailpiece combo on their boutique site and they also have instructions on how to install the new pieces
Is that correct? Excellent news, thanks for the good word. That's a major, major step for Rickenbacker. I was considering adding another 4003 to the stable. The challenge may be, at least for awhile yet, finding one of these with the new bridge as stock. Although it may put the dealers with the old style bridge 4003's in a tougher position to clear out the old stock they have on their shelves. .Their 4003s/5 string was also a major move by them. I'm wondering if they may announce a new fretless model in the near future as well? Rickenbacker is aging some new ground here, and still keeping it made in the 🇺🇸
Montag Alexis i’m not sure about all the fretless business, but the new bridge is such a relief. I didn’t want to use the old bridge, but I didn’t want to use a Hipshot one either ( don’t wanna spend extra money )
Mauro Bellissimo you can find it on the Rickenbacker Boutique site ( if you go to the rickenbacker website, there’s a section at the top that says boutique, click on that ). You can also find it on their Instagram page
As much as I love my 4003, these basses are not meant for everyone. It’s a bass you’ll either love or hate. The bridge is probably one of the most tedious bridges I’ve ever had to work with but I know the newer 2020-2021 models are now shipping with a new bridge design that is way easier to setup. I only did two things to mine; I took the pickup cover off and installed a treble bezel and changed the neck pickup to a Nordstrand pickup since I always found the neck pickup weak. Other than that, I absolutely love my Rick and nothing will change my mind about it.
Excellent video, thanks! My first bass love was a '94 Ric 4003 that I bought new in 1994 and gigged and recorded with for 20 years. I love that tone and look so much. I still have that bass, in its case - I will never get rid of it. These days, I have moved on to a Sadowsky that better suits what I do. I will forever love the Ric look and tone, though. Great review, thanks.
Interesting... I'm tossing up between a Rick and a Sadowsky (also possibly a top end Ibanez).Why the Sadowsky? To me, ithe Sadowsky seems like it has more bottom end, and the Rick always sounds a bit trebley to me. It's hard to know.
As others have said great review! No one who loves/plays bass can honestly watch this video review and say they don't want a Rickenbacker! This is the exact Rick I would get. I am 53 and just began learning the banjo and bass 9 months ago (first music since I was a 6th-grader playing alto sax!). I am loving both and so into the fun of learning bass! I have a Squire 60's Vibe P and a Schecter Riot 4. I love both! As I tend to do with guns (I love shooting) I enjoy things that are a bit unique. I love the sound of the Rick! I am looking to buy a higher end bass and looking at this Rick, a USA Sadowski, USA Lakland, and a Suhr. As I research I just keep coming back to the Rick. Thanks for the demo and info my friend! Everyone's comments are helpful too so thank you all.
Thank you! Very consistent and thorough demonstration. I enjoyed it a lot and you always put the bass characteristics at front before any ego or technique . Nicely done, mate!
The Rick 4003 really is the everything bass. You can use it for jazz, funk, blues, pop, rock, metal, and everything inbetween. It's so versatile without compromising anything in terms of specialising tone.
@Tyler Spicer - Great video!!! One small error... lifting the treble tone control knob does not take the capacitor out of the circuit. It actually puts the capacitor in the circuit, to give you the vintage Rickenbacker Bass tone. Cheers
Glad I came across this video. My first ever GOOD bass guitar was a Rick 4001. Over my years as a hungry musician I had to sell a guitar to buy another new one, etc. I am just about to receive a brand new (2020) 4003 mono that I ordered 6 months ago. And btw, this Brit is apparently an excellent bass man. Good on ya', brotha'.
Thank you for a wonderful review. I was lucky enough to try out a 4003 at my local music store and had reservations about them from comments on the internet and their price. But I found out it was a blast to play and was gorgeous and was hooked. I put my money down on a Fireglo model that has been on back order since Feb 2019. I might get it by Christmas, lol. I could go online, but want to support my local music store here in Seattle, WA. All your reviews are great, thanks!
Thank you for the kind words and supporting the channel! They’re very cool basses, I’ve had different experiences with different individual basses and how they were set up by their owners, but ones that were setup well felt and played great! T
Thank u, Im a Swedish bass player who plays a midnight blue 4003 . I love it whit everything on full on. The best bass . I play Fender Jazz also for som gigs but this is the bass for rock n roll... thanks again..
Very well made demonstration! I’ve been playing an old Rickenbacker 4001 FG from ’74 for a few years now and I really love that bass. So much that I added a 2016 Rickenbacker 4003S FG a few weeks ago and that one is also a lovely bass. Thinking about putting Tomastik Flatwound Strings on it though.
hey mate just bought one of those squire jaguar basses from your review. i own fender guitars and bases and i was NOT disappointed heading down to squire for the first time... really good. thanks x
Just so you know, the Ric-O-Sound output jack is a stereo out jack. You need a stereo cable that splits into 2 mono outs. You don’t plug cables into both output jacks on the bass.
Important point, and Rick newbies miss this; they assume “running in stereo” means using both output jacks… but that’s not the case! For stereo (Ric-O-sound), you use only the Ric-O-Sound jack, with a stereo Y-cable or a splitter box.
I bought my 4001 new in ‘75. They are definitely a labor of love but well worth it. A Ric from the mid ‘70’s has the slimmest, fastest neck ever made but comes with a ton of problems, all fixable. I love my j and p basses but when I play a high profile gig it’s always my 4001.
My favorite bass tone at a live show so far was a Rickenbacker 4003, neck pickup, tone down, maybe with the mute, through a vintage reissue Ampeg SVTVR head and what looked like a modern 8x10 cab, maybe an SVT-810E. I think it was mic’d straight through the subwoofers in front of the stage. The subwoofers looked older, and I feel they had their own unique character as well. That makes the tone near impossible to replicate, but I loved it so much!!!
@@DiatonicVids your answer it's too much semplicistic, my ihmo. Mccartney had could afford any kind of different instrument in that period of time; He was very famous yet. Also Fender had delivered him a Fender jazz price-free; which He'd played in some song by White album and so over; BUT he has continued to play the Rick only for the entire 70s decade and He continues to record with the Rick today.
Only slight flaw with ricks is placement of toggle switch,if you play aggressively you will likely hit it,other than that about the most distinct and unique bass guitars ever
Great, proper review. As much as I like the sound of a Ric, it‘s a absolute pain in the ass when it comes to set up. The thing makes you ready for the nuthouse.
Must point out that McCartney and Squire played the 4001s model, not the 4001. The 4003 is an updated 4001 with the binding and triangle inlays. Looks great, but can be uncomfortable to play, due to the binding digging into your forearm(sharp edge). The recently released 4003s brings back the 4001s model of yesteryear. The body has curved edges making it noticeably more comfortable to play. It also has dot inlays.
You are so rite I have a 4001s and it sounds so much better than 4003 I call them square body rics and a lot of people don’t realize the pick ups are wired differently from the newer versions that’s why they sound so much different aside from their toaster pick ups and the horseshoe pick up which nobody mentions sound much different than the newer ricks the bridge pick up cover is actually magnetized to give it a special sound on the bridge which they stop doing in 1969 or 70 mine is magnetize and gives in a really sweet tone so there you have it in just a note Chris Squire did not play it 4003 but a 4001s with the toaster pick up and the horseshoe pick up and magnetized cover also the neck on the 4001 S is much narrower compared to the newer 4003 and the headstock is a little bigger to which fans out I feel the 4001s is ultimate ric have if you can find a 63/64 4001s the reissue s don’t have rite specs faithfully which is a shame comin from the u.s boo
I don't really understand why so many comment sections for videos about Rickenbackers focus on the price of a Rick. They aren't cheap but compared to other products on the market they seem about right considering what you get. Where I am, a Rick is a few hundred dollars more than an American Jazz or P bass. While they can be great instruments, the ones I've seen lately in my local shop have gaps by the neck pocket so big you could slide several plying cards between the body and the neck. Ricks are primarily hand-made in the US, using unique parts. Sure they a niche product but between what you get from other big names and the boutique market, I think they are priced well IMO.
Thank you for this post. I just bought a 4003 just yesterday this video really helped with getting familiar with my new Rick. I noticed you have a SUB bass in the background of the vid! I have one as well as a Ray 34 and a Stingray (I like Music Man!). I am not looking for my 4003 to sound like a Music Man... always wanted one and now I have it and it has it's own unique sound and feels great and plays easy... can't wait to gig with it!
I had one for years. I didn't like it for many reasons, but that's just me. Purchased a mid-sixties Fender after this - no comparison. Great review btw.
I threw my bridge out of the window when the mute pad height adjustment did not work anymore (basically muted G string completely). In addition, the bridge is complete crap anyhow with the arduous intonation adjustment. I'd recommend anyone buying this bass to get a replacement hipshot bridge at the same time. I also had to replace the saddle as the G-string was way off to the side of the fretboard. Pretty poor quality control. Sound-wise the bass is great and you demonstrated it here very nicely.
Much love for you mate. This is the demo of this instrument I've always wanted. Now I'm finally truly interested in checking one of these bad boys out one day.
Thank you my man! I think it’s so underrated in its versatility - however doesn’t stop me being abused by people who want Rics to be one trick ponies in the comments - though I’m not sure why?! 😂 I think these are great instruments that deserve to be used in a much broader range of contexts than their current perception allows! T
@@TylerSpicer Definitely agree. As long as it sounds good, who cares? And I think people would have a tough time saying just about any style can't sound good on a ric, which in my opinion has always sounded like a distant relative of the P bass. It's all about knowing how to dial in a tone for what you're playing, which should be easy enough on an instrument this tonally versatile.
Couch Potajoe Absolutely. Make it work with whatever you’ve got. It can definitely sound P like, but with more bass from the neck pickup being so close to the end of the neck. I also think it can sound a lot like a J. It’s really got access to the tones of both with its own signature. Hard to go wrong.
I have 2013 model and few things about this bass. First of all it is awesome but over prized. You can buy new around 2200 € and real prize should be at least 800€ less. I also took my bass to shop for couple modifications. Bridge was first thing to go. Even it looks cool but it is a mess. There is also SO MUCH varnish on the neck it is almost unreal. Also mine had 7 frets higher than others. So i payed about 1700€ for used Rick and it was hardly ever played so condition was awesome . After sanding frets and all that extra varnish off and bridge change it became WAY better to play and sound is better too. Rick is icon brand just like Harley Davidson or Triumph so that might be the explanation for over prizing. I wont sell mine for a million years even it had flaws and too high prize. Good video and nice playing dude /
Lovely sounding bass and I understand they fixed that bridge intonation issue in the latest models. I still think they're way overvalued tho. I saw a tour of the factory and almost everything is CMCd now, ... not that I have a problem with CMC machines but the basses are surely cheaper to make with this process.
Mate your doing a grrrreat job..ignore the down thumbs they havnt got the balls to put themselves out there like you do. You seem a really nice genuine lad. Keep on mate....bty got a ruby red 4003 after listening to your demo. Ferk the jealous low lifes. Keep on boy. Cheers.
Tempted to buy one of these but there are many aspects that even top bass players hate. The dual truss rod can be a nightmare. The bridges are truly awful. You have to virtually dismantle it or half ruin it to get intonation. Someone designed it and thought - this works. WHAT??! Geddy Lee dropped the Rick and went back to his Fender for the remaining thirty years of his career. Roger Glover toyed with it, went back to Fender. I love it, I want to buy it, but I know any repairs are generally above my ability. Luthiers hate them. Just look at Dave's World of Fun Stuff. He knows Geddy Lee's guitar tech Scully and he hates them. And many people on here think that you just pick this up and get the Geddy Lee sound. Noooo. He uses additional equipment to achieve his sound. You can make any bass sound like Geddy with the right amount of drive. I spite of all this - I still want one. :-)
The bridge is a pain to adjust, but at some point last year they changed the design and now they are just as easy as any Fender to adjust the bridge. As for the truss rods, on modern ones it's really the same as any other truss rod, just there's two of them. Earlier ones are the ones that you have to manually bend the neck and then tighten the truss rods to fit that.
Great job with the tone demonstration. I have one of these in midnight blue, and I was really surprised at the amount of different sounds I can get out of it. One thing I don't think you mentioned was that the neck on these is painted just like the body and headstock. Some people don't like it because it can feel a little more grippy. I personally haven't had an issue with it though.
That’s not exactly how the Rick-o-sound works…the one stereo cable goes into the Rick-o-sound jack and that cable splits into two mono cables which gives you one channel for each pickup. So to clarify again, if you’re using the Rick-o-sound jack, you are NOT also using the regular jack. You just use the Rick-o-sound jack, that gets split into two mono cables sending one pickup to two separate amps (or pedal board, whatever…)
Can’t stress this enough, because almost every reviewer - including this guy - gets it wrong. You never use BOTH JACKS at the same time! You get “stereo” sound by plugging a stereo cable into the Ric-O-Sound jack, not by plugging two cables into the two jacks at the same time. (If you do that, it’ll actually CANCEL the signal entirely from one of the pickups!).
Hey, that little riff you played over and over and over... do you know where I can find a tab for that? I'm a newbie and I'd like to have a riff to be able to experiment with when playing new instruments. Thank you for taking the time to do this review of the Rickenbacker 4003.
Thank you for NOT playing different basslines with each sound demonstrated! Nothing annoys me more than these guys fumbling around, showing off all the different things they can play, while changing settings. We need to hear the SAME thing played, over and over, to be able to hear the differences in tone accurately. Well done! Great demo!
Thank you for the support! I know the pain having experienced it with so many demos. All my demos use this format for that reason! Glad to be of service! T
TZGreg agreed,hit an a over and over
@@TylerSpicer I agree with the OP. I just discovered your videos a few days ago and this is one of the things that makes them so helpful. Thanks!
I totally agree… Also the other thing that annoys me is if they show a Particular bass , and only play baselines from that artist i.e. Hoffner violin bass : only Beatles bass lines .
Dude yes this comment right here. Agreed 💯
You can call me deaf, but that is literally the best bass tone I've ever heard.
That shows how good your ear is!
I did something verry stupid some year's ago. I traded my original 4001 -74 in super nice condition for a not so original -74 p-bass!
Still hate myself for that.
I wish all instrument demos were like this. No crazy effects , no mad showmanship or gratuitous crap . Love it . If you're going to drop a ton of money on an instrument , you need to hear it's tones clearly and unmolested right ? I'm a guitar player and Rickenbacker 330 owner btw 👍
Thank you for watching and supporting the channel! I know exactly what you mean, and I’ve watched so many videos like you describe, so I really try to give a general feel of how an instrument will perform for most players, rather than what I do. Thank you again! T
@Conor Winston I'm pleased to see I'm not alone Conor. I was half expecting at least one reply of "Ok Boomer" lol ! Pleasantly surprised .
I own one. I allways run it in stereo, usually in vintage mode and with two amps. It sounds absolutely monstrous. I play it everyday and everyday I'm absolutely blown away by the things we can do together! This bass is completely different from any other if you really put in the effort of getting to know it.
Very cool! I have no doubt it's an amazing companion! T
Why did I have to read this. I just got the 4003 non Rick O haha
@@captainchunk4078 oops, haha! It's not hard to convert them to stereo if you really want to though. i actually rewired my rick so that it doesn't have rickosound anymore, but two mono jacks, one for each pickup. This way I cant run it in a traditional mono anymore, but once you get use to the stereo thing, therre's no going back anyway. I even rewired my Jazz bass to stereo, it sound sooooooooooooooooo much better it's crazy.
I wish I had one. Very difficult to find a 4003 Fireglo here in Italy and it would be too expensive for me anyway
I plan on running mine into a bass speaker modded guitar amp on the bridge pup and my regular bass amp on the neck, is that something u have tried?
Yeah, finally a useful review that avoids the usual cliches about Rickenbacker Basses!
Amazing Sound Samples! Finally you can hear how versatile a Ric can be. I really love mine (fireglo finish, too). Good work, man!
Thank you man! I can’t believe its versatility never gets mentioned if I’m honest. A Ric could easily replace a Jazz in most people’s arsenal, with a slightly different character.
I agree completely! So many people seem to think Rics can only do that super bright Chris Squire/Geddy Lee kind of tone, but they're actually capable of so much more than that. Paul McCartney, for one, sounded nothing like that when he played his Ric. Hell, even Chris Squire and Geddy Lee themselves didn't always go for that super bright sound with theirs, although they did most of the time.
They are the best sounding bass around, but who has $2,500 to buy one
Sounds amazing. Now I just need to sell my car to afford one.
Sell it ! Cars are worthless within 10 years . In 10 years time , it's possible you could sell a Ric bought today for what you paid , depending on how you looked after it.
@@shaunw9270 if you buy a used one it could probably even increase in value. Investing in guitars is actually quite a good way to protect your savings against inflation. At least that's what I tell my wife with each one bought.
@@gryzew That's what happened with the first two decent used guitars I bought . Later down the line I sold them at bargain prices and still made in one instance 390% profit !
Why does everybody say that? Bought my 2020 Ric Fireglo 4003 new out the door for $1599.
@@gutbucket260 Because for many people ,that's a lot of money. My solution was a £1400 Rickenbacker and a £700 car .
I hugely appreciate you demoing the versatility that can be afforded by a Rick, rather than just showcasing the obvious clanky Prog Rock tone they’re so often solely associated with. They’re obviously capable of so much more. I have my first ever Rick arriving this week, and I’m incredibly excited for it 😊
Thanks so much for this review. I've owned the exact same model 4001 Fireglo for around 25 years and never even realized those quirky knobs around the bridge served as mutes. I assumed they were just part of the cumbersome bridge design, which I've since learned has earned some notoriety for being pretty crappy. The Rickie was the first bass I ever purchased. As a young, eager player I was drawn to its unique design and flashy chrome hardware, but for those who are considering purchasing this bass I'd like to say from years of personal experience that these Rickenbacker 4001s are very temperamental compared to other basses. The following are some of the unusual elements I had to contend contend with:
1) The glossy lacquer finish on the neck and fingerboard makes the experience of playing the bass less satisfying compared to the smooth, silky feel of a satin finish. Over the years--with some moderate gigging, recording and wear-and-tear--there are a few small areas on my bass where the lacquer has chipped off, which is a bummer, but I'm sure I can get it touched up at a luthier shop.
2) It's a very heavy, solidly built bass. Wielding it as a bludgeon you could probably punch a hole through a brick wall. After 2 or 3 hours of rehearsals and jamming, you'll definitely feel it.
3) Its design looks very cool, but its not so great on the ergonomics. I'm not a super aggressive player but I've come home from playing shows with the underside of my right forearm red and swollen from repeatedly mashing it against the upper edge where your forearm comes into most contact while playing. Other bass designs often have tapered edges in this area to make playing more comfortable, but not the 4001. I play mostly with my fingers and use a pick on occasion but never developed much of a slap technique. Feeling that 90 degree edge repeatedly biting into my forearm after prolonged playing sucked, but I'm tough and a firm believer of suffering for art.
4) The chrome cover bar over the bridge pickup looks flashy, but is apparently useless. This mysterious piece of hardware perplexed me in my early bass-playing years. Surely it served some tonal purpose? I would ask other bassists who were familiar with Ricks and most would shrug and tell me they just removed the cover because it got in their way. I balked at the idea so I never removed mine but that cover bar ended up causing me a lot of grief. I started experiencing issues when I noticed how badly my A-string would rattle and buzz against it if I hit that string too hard ("too hard" meaning if I struck open A string with moderate force). The cover bar wasn't allowing enough space for my strings to freely vibrate, so I found myself constantly fussing with adjusting the height of the pickups in hopes of giving the strings more room to breathe, but since it's a passive bass, the more I lowered them the muddier the tone became. It has been many years since I've fussed with it so I don't recall ever finding a way to raise the cover bar higher (I don't believe that's possible but I could be wrong). In those early years I grew so desperate I took it in to a guitar shop and paid around $100-$150 to have it "professionally" set-up, but whatever those guys did really didn't solve the problem for me. Trying to get my action and tone set to a playable level became a very frustrating balancing act between negotiating that cover bar that would cause my strings to rattle and buzz or those protruding metal studs on the pickups that would come into direct contact with the string if I adjusted it too high.
Unfortunately, all those elements made the experience of playing that instrument feel much more restrictive compared to other premium quality basses in that price range. All that said, I still love its unique design but my overall sentiment about the 4001 is that it's a very fussy bass with a very unique tonal quality that can be a bit hit and miss depending on the kind of music you're playing. I still love my temperamental Ricky, but I consider it more of a specialty instrument to use as a special ingredient whenever I think a particular piece of music can benefit from its trebly mid-range growl.
Great comments on an iconic bass!
another fact(fun): Jn Deacon also played this 4003 Rickenbacker bass during the making of their mv "killer Queen"
I'm still not sold on the rickenbacker 4003 bass but you did a great job demonstrating the tones it has to offer. I've seen too many videos where the rickenbacker is set up in such a way that it seems like the bass only has that one growly tone and nothing else to offer, this video shows that the rickenbacker has much more to offer :)
Thank you so much for watching and the kind words! That’s what stunned me about it and I’m so glad I got to show all the possibilities of offers outside of that classic growly distorted tone! T
With the mute ingaged it sounds so goddamn cool
Definitely! I think mutes are really undervalued! T
AGREED! How do you activate the mute on these???
I must agree with all of the positive feedback of other commenters. This tone demonstration is exceptional.
Thank you my man, it’s a massively appreciated! T
just a tid-bit of information:
as of a couple of weeks ago, Rickenbacker has begun shipping ALL their 4 string basses with a new bridge/tailpiece combo. It’s much easier to use, so if you don’t mind grabbing a new one it’s very worth it. For those that already have a Ricky or are looking for a vintage one, Rickenbacker themselves are selling the bridge/tailpiece combo on their boutique site and they also have instructions on how to install the new pieces
Is that correct? Excellent news, thanks for the good word. That's a major, major step for Rickenbacker. I was considering adding another 4003 to the stable. The challenge may be, at least for awhile yet, finding one of these with the new bridge as stock. Although it may put the dealers with the old style bridge 4003's in a tougher position to clear out the old stock they have on their shelves. .Their 4003s/5 string was also a major move by them. I'm wondering if they may announce a new fretless model in the near future as well? Rickenbacker is aging some new ground here, and still keeping it made in the 🇺🇸
Montag Alexis i’m not sure about all the fretless business, but the new bridge is such a relief. I didn’t want to use the old bridge, but I didn’t want to use a Hipshot one either ( don’t wanna spend extra money )
Thank you so much for that Info! :) I looked it up but I guess am too stupid to find the new bridge, do you have a link for me plz?
Mauro Bellissimo you can find it on the Rickenbacker Boutique site ( if you go to the rickenbacker website, there’s a section at the top that says boutique, click on that ). You can also find it on their Instagram page
Thanks for the heads up mate.👍 Cheers
This channel is so therapeutic to watch.
Haha! I never thought anyone would say that! Thank you! Appreciate you watching! T
As much as I love my 4003, these basses are not meant for everyone. It’s a bass you’ll either love or hate. The bridge is probably one of the most tedious bridges I’ve ever had to work with but I know the newer 2020-2021 models are now shipping with a new bridge design that is way easier to setup. I only did two things to mine; I took the pickup cover off and installed a treble bezel and changed the neck pickup to a Nordstrand pickup since I always found the neck pickup weak. Other than that, I absolutely love my Rick and nothing will change my mind about it.
I have a 4001 1976!I bought it new...and loved it from the get-go.
Excellent video, thanks! My first bass love was a '94 Ric 4003 that I bought new in 1994 and gigged and recorded with for 20 years. I love that tone and look so much. I still have that bass, in its case - I will never get rid of it. These days, I have moved on to a Sadowsky that better suits what I do. I will forever love the Ric look and tone, though. Great review, thanks.
Interesting... I'm tossing up between a Rick and a Sadowsky (also possibly a top end Ibanez).Why the Sadowsky? To me, ithe Sadowsky seems like it has more bottom end, and the Rick always sounds a bit trebley to me. It's hard to know.
As others have said great review! No one who loves/plays bass can honestly watch this video review and say they don't want a Rickenbacker! This is the exact Rick I would get. I am 53 and just began learning the banjo and bass 9 months ago (first music since I was a 6th-grader playing alto sax!). I am loving both and so into the fun of learning bass! I have a Squire 60's Vibe P and a Schecter Riot 4. I love both! As I tend to do with guns (I love shooting) I enjoy things that are a bit unique. I love the sound of the Rick! I am looking to buy a higher end bass and looking at this Rick, a USA Sadowski, USA Lakland, and a Suhr. As I research I just keep coming back to the Rick. Thanks for the demo and info my friend! Everyone's comments are helpful too so thank you all.
Thank you! Very consistent and thorough demonstration. I enjoyed it a lot and you always put the bass characteristics at front before any ego or technique . Nicely done, mate!
@@raulcheva you’re very kind! Glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for watching! T
Love the tone of this bass. Reminds me so much of Bruce Foxton's Jam basslines as well as early Pistols with Matlock on bass.
Cheers Tyler I think I'm in love. That Rickenbacker honky growl sounds AWESOME
The Rick 4003 really is the everything bass. You can use it for jazz, funk, blues, pop, rock, metal, and everything inbetween. It's so versatile without compromising anything in terms of specialising tone.
Probably one of the best reviews on a musical instrument I have ever seen. Brilliant, well done and thank you! Very thorough!
Wow, thanks! I really appreciate it. Thank you for watching! T
@Tyler Spicer - Great video!!! One small error... lifting the treble tone control knob does not take the capacitor out of the circuit. It actually puts the capacitor in the circuit, to give you the vintage Rickenbacker Bass tone. Cheers
Thank you! I’ve always thought fewer = brighter, but I am no Ric expert, so I will bow to your knowledge Sir! T
Glad I came across this video. My first ever GOOD bass guitar was a Rick 4001. Over my years as a hungry musician I had to sell a guitar to buy another new one, etc. I am just about to receive a brand new (2020) 4003 mono that I ordered 6 months ago. And btw, this Brit is apparently an excellent bass man. Good on ya', brotha'.
Thank you for a wonderful review. I was lucky enough to try out a 4003 at my local music store and had reservations about them from comments on the internet and their price. But I found out it was a blast to play and was gorgeous and was hooked. I put my money down on a Fireglo model that has been on back order since Feb 2019. I might get it by Christmas, lol. I could go online, but want to support my local music store here in Seattle, WA. All your reviews are great, thanks!
Thank you for the kind words and supporting the channel! They’re very cool basses, I’ve had different experiences with different individual basses and how they were set up by their owners, but ones that were setup well felt and played great! T
Thank u, Im a Swedish bass player who plays a midnight blue 4003 . I love it whit everything on full on. The best bass . I play Fender Jazz also for som gigs but this is the bass for rock n roll... thanks again..
The best Rick demo on the net. Thank you.
Thank you so much, I really appreciate the support! T
I agree! I have a 4001 already for 30 years and it's great that you show here how versatile it is!
Very well made demonstration! I’ve been playing an old Rickenbacker 4001 FG from ’74 for a few years now and I really love that bass. So much that I added a 2016 Rickenbacker 4003S FG a few weeks ago and that one is also a lovely bass. Thinking about putting Tomastik Flatwound Strings on it though.
Thank you for watching! They sound like some incredible basses. I'd love to hear one with flats! T
Glad you included tone using a pick (13:25 on), as I use a pick about 75% of the time.
Finances don’t allow so I’ve opted for a Chinese backer, but after this I’m more convinced that this is the one to have, thanks for this.
hey mate just bought one of those squire jaguar basses from your review. i own fender guitars and bases and i was NOT disappointed heading down to squire for the first time... really good. thanks x
No problem at all! Thank you for watching, and the support, I appreciate it. I love the Jag, enjoy it! T
Just so you know, the Ric-O-Sound output jack is a stereo out jack. You need a stereo cable that splits into 2 mono outs. You don’t plug cables into both output jacks on the bass.
Important point, and Rick newbies miss this; they assume “running in stereo” means using both output jacks… but that’s not the case! For stereo (Ric-O-sound), you use only the Ric-O-Sound jack, with a stereo Y-cable or a splitter box.
Iconic bass for rock & metal!
Definitely! 💪🏻 T
I bought my 4001 new in ‘75. They are definitely a labor of love but well worth it. A Ric from the mid ‘70’s has the slimmest, fastest neck ever made but comes with a ton of problems, all fixable. I love my j and p basses but when I play a high profile gig it’s always my 4001.
My favorite bass tone at a live show so far was a Rickenbacker 4003, neck pickup, tone down, maybe with the mute, through a vintage reissue Ampeg SVTVR head and what looked like a modern 8x10 cab, maybe an SVT-810E. I think it was mic’d straight through the subwoofers in front of the stage. The subwoofers looked older, and I feel they had their own unique character as well. That makes the tone near impossible to replicate, but I loved it so much!!!
For as much as the Rickenbacker costs, there should be no build problems at all.
They’re hand made too
They at least redesigned the bridge now. Seems to work great so far
Never played one but I like how they sound and love how they look.
I really enjoyed the video and found it very useful. Also you seem really friendly and captivating through the video. Thanks for the review!
A really helpful and informative demonstration. I have just taken delivery of a second hand 4003 and found the info most useful. Thank you.
There's a reason why Paul McCartney, Chris Squire and Geddy Lee used these basses!
Paul McCartney only used it because Rickenbacker sent him one for free.
@@DiatonicVids your answer it's too much semplicistic, my ihmo. Mccartney had could afford any kind of different instrument in that period of time; He was very famous yet. Also Fender had delivered him a Fender jazz price-free; which He'd played in some song by White album and so over; BUT he has continued to play the Rick only for the entire 70s decade and He continues to record with the Rick today.
@@DiatonicVids True - he sounded better when he used the Hofner anyway
DiatonicVids he used it for years because he liked it. He wouldn’t have used it on an album if he didn’t like it
Cigar Dave both sounded good. I believe he used the rick for the entire sg pepper album
Only slight flaw with ricks is placement of toggle switch,if you play aggressively you will likely hit it,other than that about the most distinct and unique bass guitars ever
Great, proper review.
As much as I like the sound of a Ric, it‘s a absolute pain in the ass when it comes to set up. The thing makes you ready for the nuthouse.
Good job Tyler, great review.
Great video overall: you clearly know what you're talking about. Awesome man, you just earned a new sub
I thought I was not in the market for a new bass, but this sounds incredible. Thanks for the great demo!
Just got a 4003 Fireglo. Love this bass. 4th Ric bass I've owned.
The best review of this bass, special thanks for very informative introduction !
Thank you for watching and supporting the channel, it’s much appreciated and I’m glad I could help! T
Some serious tone there Tyler. Great video and cheers mate.👍
Great demo! and nice playing, that Rickenbacker sounds huge
Finally a descent review. Sounds awesome, thank you!
Really thoughtful and great demonstration. Thank you!
I really appreciate the kind words! Thank you got watching! T
Must point out that McCartney and Squire played the 4001s model, not the 4001. The 4003 is an updated 4001 with the binding and triangle inlays. Looks great, but can be uncomfortable to play, due to the binding digging into your forearm(sharp edge). The recently released 4003s brings back the 4001s model of yesteryear. The body has curved edges making it noticeably more comfortable to play. It also has dot inlays.
You are so rite I have a 4001s and it sounds so much better than 4003 I call them square body rics and a lot of people don’t realize the pick ups are wired differently from the newer versions that’s why they sound so much different aside from their toaster pick ups and the horseshoe pick up which nobody mentions sound much different than the newer ricks the bridge pick up cover is actually magnetized to give it a special sound on the bridge which they stop doing in 1969 or 70 mine is magnetize and gives in a really sweet tone so there you have it in just a note Chris Squire did not play it 4003 but a 4001s with the toaster pick up and the horseshoe pick up and magnetized cover also the neck on the 4001 S is much narrower compared to the newer 4003 and the headstock is a little bigger to which fans out I feel the 4001s is ultimate ric have if you can find a 63/64 4001s the reissue s don’t have rite specs faithfully which is a shame comin from the u.s boo
Amazing Bass, I love it just the way it is. Sounds magical. Thank you so much for the review
No problem at all - it’s a special Bass with a special heritage! Thank you for the support! T
@@TylerSpicer No problem at all it's an honor
I don't really understand why so many comment sections for videos about Rickenbackers focus on the price of a Rick. They aren't cheap but compared to other products on the market they seem about right considering what you get. Where I am, a Rick is a few hundred dollars more than an American Jazz or P bass. While they can be great instruments, the ones I've seen lately in my local shop have gaps by the neck pocket so big you could slide several plying cards between the body and the neck. Ricks are primarily hand-made in the US, using unique parts. Sure they a niche product but between what you get from other big names and the boutique market, I think they are priced well IMO.
Thank you for all the work you did putting together this video !
A solid extensive review. Thx
Thank you for this post. I just bought a 4003 just yesterday this video really helped with getting familiar with my new Rick. I noticed you have a SUB bass in the background of the vid! I have one as well as a Ray 34 and a Stingray (I like Music Man!). I am not looking for my 4003 to sound like a Music Man... always wanted one and now I have it and it has it's own unique sound and feels great and plays easy... can't wait to gig with it!
Great demo! Thanks!
Nice video, friend! Very nice playing. The Ric Bass is an awesome instrument!
Great video! I really enjoy your videos. I love that you use the same bassline to showcase each tone. This video sold me on this bass. Thank you
Great demo video. Thank you. I picked one up used from Reverb and it's gorgeous!
Glad you like it! Really much more versatile than they're made out to be! T
My dream bass & colour. Thanks for the film.
No problem at all! Glad you liked it!
Great demo, Tyler! Sending gratitude from San Diego, California.
I had one for years. I didn't like it for many reasons, but that's just me. Purchased a mid-sixties Fender after this - no comparison. Great review btw.
Great great tone captured in this video.
I threw my bridge out of the window when the mute pad height adjustment did not work anymore (basically muted G string completely). In addition, the bridge is complete crap anyhow with the arduous intonation adjustment. I'd recommend anyone buying this bass to get a replacement hipshot bridge at the same time. I also had to replace the saddle as the G-string was way off to the side of the fretboard. Pretty poor quality control. Sound-wise the bass is great and you demonstrated it here very nicely.
Much love for you mate. This is the demo of this instrument I've always wanted. Now I'm finally truly interested in checking one of these bad boys out one day.
Thank you my man! I think it’s so underrated in its versatility - however doesn’t stop me being abused by people who want Rics to be one trick ponies in the comments - though I’m not sure why?! 😂 I think these are great instruments that deserve to be used in a much broader range of contexts than their current perception allows! T
@@TylerSpicer
Definitely agree. As long as it sounds good, who cares? And I think people would have a tough time saying just about any style can't sound good on a ric, which in my opinion has always sounded like a distant relative of the P bass. It's all about knowing how to dial in a tone for what you're playing, which should be easy enough on an instrument this tonally versatile.
Couch Potajoe Absolutely. Make it work with whatever you’ve got. It can definitely sound P like, but with more bass from the neck pickup being so close to the end of the neck. I also think it can sound a lot like a J. It’s really got access to the tones of both with its own signature. Hard to go wrong.
Great demonstration! Very well done!
Thank you! T
I have 2013 model and few things about this bass. First of all it is awesome but over prized. You can buy new around 2200 € and real prize should be at least 800€ less. I also took my bass to shop for couple modifications. Bridge was first thing to go. Even it looks cool but it is a mess. There is also SO MUCH varnish on the neck it is almost unreal. Also mine had 7 frets higher than others.
So i payed about 1700€ for used Rick and it was hardly ever played so condition was awesome . After sanding frets and all that extra varnish off and bridge change it became WAY better to play and sound is better too. Rick is icon brand just like Harley Davidson or Triumph so that might be the explanation for over prizing. I wont sell mine for a million years even it had flaws and too high prize. Good video and nice playing dude
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I love my Rickenbacker bass but I had to change out the bridge to a Hipshot one.
I did the same! Intonation and sustain both markedly improved. Looks less clunky too.
I also did that!
Lovely sounding bass and I understand they fixed that bridge intonation issue in the latest models. I still think they're way overvalued tho. I saw a tour of the factory and almost everything is CMCd now, ... not that I have a problem with CMC machines but the basses are surely cheaper to make with this process.
That's one beautiful and versatile bass.
THE Rickenbacker review.
Waving it about!
Excelent! Thanks for sharing!
Mate your doing a grrrreat job..ignore the down thumbs they havnt got the balls to put themselves out there like you do. You seem a really nice genuine lad. Keep on mate....bty got a ruby red 4003 after listening to your demo. Ferk the jealous low lifes. Keep on boy. Cheers.
Thank you for watching and the support! Really appreciate it! T
Great presentation Tyler.
I really appreciate the support! Thank you for tuning in! T
great review & demo....nice chops too!
Thank you kindly! Happy to help! T
Thanks for this, makes me want it even more
Tempted to buy one of these but there are many aspects that even top bass players hate. The dual truss rod can be a nightmare. The bridges are truly awful. You have to virtually dismantle it or half ruin it to get intonation. Someone designed it and thought - this works. WHAT??! Geddy Lee dropped the Rick and went back to his Fender for the remaining thirty years of his career. Roger Glover toyed with it, went back to Fender. I love it, I want to buy it, but I know any repairs are generally above my ability. Luthiers hate them. Just look at Dave's World of Fun Stuff. He knows Geddy Lee's guitar tech Scully and he hates them. And many people on here think that you just pick this up and get the Geddy Lee sound. Noooo. He uses additional equipment to achieve his sound. You can make any bass sound like Geddy with the right amount of drive. I spite of all this - I still want one. :-)
Totally agree 100%. I have wanted a 4003 for over 30 years...but the reasons you site are my feelings exactly.
The bridge is a pain to adjust, but at some point last year they changed the design and now they are just as easy as any Fender to adjust the bridge. As for the truss rods, on modern ones it's really the same as any other truss rod, just there's two of them. Earlier ones are the ones that you have to manually bend the neck and then tighten the truss rods to fit that.
@@thatmarchingarrow ^ this
Sad that most people don't know how much ricks have improved in the last few years.
Thanks for this, but I have to point out that Paul McCartney did NOT use a 4003. He used a Rickenbacker 4001S-LH.
Great content buddy. Thanks
Good work and keep it up friend.
Nice review and playing brotha! 🤘
Thank you brother! T
Great review and I'm now becoming a subsciber.
Thank you for watching and subscribing! T
Nice video and great bass! Thanks 🙌🏻✨
I just purchased one bless up
Enjoy it! T
My favorite wish bass, I wish I had a Rickenbacker.
Great demo. thank you!
My pleasure! Thank you for watching! T
Great job with the tone demonstration. I have one of these in midnight blue, and I was really surprised at the amount of different sounds I can get out of it. One thing I don't think you mentioned was that the neck on these is painted just like the body and headstock. Some people don't like it because it can feel a little more grippy. I personally haven't had an issue with it though.
Great review! Thank you
That’s not exactly how the Rick-o-sound works…the one stereo cable goes into the Rick-o-sound jack and that cable splits into two mono cables which gives you one channel for each pickup. So to clarify again, if you’re using the Rick-o-sound jack, you are NOT also using the regular jack. You just use the Rick-o-sound jack, that gets split into two mono cables sending one pickup to two separate amps (or pedal board, whatever…)
Can’t stress this enough, because almost every reviewer - including this guy - gets it wrong. You never use BOTH JACKS at the same time! You get “stereo” sound by plugging a stereo cable into the Ric-O-Sound jack, not by plugging two cables into the two jacks at the same time. (If you do that, it’ll actually CANCEL the signal entirely from one of the pickups!).
Great video, thank you.
Thank you for watching and the kind words! T
Hey, that little riff you played over and over and over... do you know where I can find a tab for that? I'm a newbie and I'd like to have a riff to be able to experiment with when playing new instruments. Thank you for taking the time to do this review of the Rickenbacker 4003.
Nice demo 👍👍
Great review, thanks..
Very useful, thank you!
Thank you for watching! T
Beautiful bass.
You are wrong about the Ricosound. You plug a stereo Jack into only the Rico socket to a splitter box and set the bass to both pups. Thanks.