I had a gorgeous 78 4001 that was lovely to play. It suffered from a mild lack of beef in the low end which was shame. Had another V63 that was a lot thumpier (esp with flats) but the neck was never happy.
I really like Rics but have yet to find the right one. The thing I found about them was that they make you play in a very different way. It's the subtly shorter scale length and the narrow/parallel feel to the neck which is so unusual. Someday I want to bring the right late 70s or early 80s jetglo 4001 into the fold or even a later V63.
Also, always played mine with a pick. They're just utterly cool instruments in my book.