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[quote name='Crazykiwi' post='1307101' date='Jul 17 2011, 09:22 PM']Dude, he played a Jaydee on that album - even though the cover shows a Status. [/quote] Yup, he did indeed.

[quote name='Clarky' post='1304076' date='Jul 14 2011, 10:14 PM']As they will be re-fins whatever colour you choose, it makes no difference whether you go original colour or not IMHO. Forget that they were both oly white and go for whatever colours you like best. I vote for sonic blue & seafoam green:)[/quote] Fixed.

[quote name='RhysP' post='1303577' date='Jul 14 2011, 02:33 PM']4001's were designed to be used with flat wounds, 4003's with round wounds. Having said that I used rounds on my 4001's with no noticeable problems.[/quote] Just to clarify, they were designed to be used with pretty low-tension flatwounds (think more towards TIs), not stuff like 50 gauge Roto/Fender flats. Just in case....

Some of the older 4001 basses don't take too well to heavier gauge roundwounds but you won't really know until you get it. Either way make sure the rods are adjusted correctly. If in doubt get a 4003 or a 4001V63 or C Series.

[quote name='urb' post='1299891' date='Jul 11 2011, 01:39 PM']That looks gorgeous as does Russ' new one - good to see some new posts here - I've seen a few new Seis in the works - the one below looks stunning in the flesh: Wouldn't mind one of these myself Tho still loving my single cut and Jazz - amazing basses that get better and better with age! M[/quote] Wow Mike, that is awesome!

[quote name='ziggydolphinboy' post='1298447' date='Jul 9 2011, 06:48 PM']Absolutely stunning. awesome and beutiful... seriously considering getting a custom jazz. i finally aquired a 5 string sei so now i have a 6,5,and 4. sei basses rule.[/quote] Ah, Zig, you got her! Hope you're liking her as much as I did. I'm really, really missing her to be honest; take good care! You know those you shouldn't have let go?

[quote name='Beedster' post='1300190' date='Jul 11 2011, 07:11 PM']I reckon if Jeremy Clarkson played bass, he'd acknowledge the many superior qualities of the Yamaha, but he'd own a Ric [/quote] I reckon you're probably right! I sense an opening for a tv prog entitled Top Bassgear.....all we need are 3 Basschatters. One tall and curmudgeonly, one with flowery shirts and a liking for beer, and one like a hamster. Any takers?

[quote name='Al Heeley' post='1300084' date='Jul 11 2011, 04:46 PM'][Cough]Fender - designed while Mr Hall was still in nappies, generally unchanged over the last 60 years but still designed well from the start. Simple, functional, effective. There are plenty of 'fans' that would like to see design improvements implemented in the Rickenbacker range of basses and guitars, but they get ostracised by the purists and fanatics so soon lose their standing in the Ric community They later get picked up by the EBBM community who are equally fanatical about their instruments.[/quote] The thing is, design is, or should be, holistic. A Ric is a Ric because of every part of it, including its idiosyncrasies. Same goes for Gretsch. You wouldn't want to stick a Floyd Rose on a Gretsch, even if it did work better, because it doesn't belong. Some of my favourite cars are '60s cars; AC Cobra, Mustang, E-Type. I love '50s American cars too, chrome, wings and all. Again, you could argue there are plenty of modern cars that outperform them. But I'd sooner have an AC Cobra, '60s Mustang or E-Type than any modern supercar I can think of. Why? Because they are what they are. I've never had issues with Ric paint other than on the notorious CSs. I've never had truss rod issues except where they've been adjusted by someone who doesn't know how to adjust them. I've never had tail lift. I don't have a problem with the bridge or binding. I've never had any other issues beyond what you'd expect from any other make. So for me they work fine exactly as they are. If they generally don't work for someone, I can only suggest they try to find something else that does, or mod accordingly.

Ah, Mahogany Rush. I was a big fan of Frank Marino back in the day.

[quote name='hairyhaw' post='1299963' date='Jul 11 2011, 02:58 PM']The gubbins up at the picking end of a 4003 has always been a pain in the arse, but you kind of learn to compensate. Yes, it is pretty poorly designed, but bear in mind it was designed almost half a century ago - and the demand is still there for that design so there is no reason for them to change. They've been doing the 4004 for donkeys - it seems to eliminate most of the above problems with regard to tail lift, pickup design etc but I don't think they shift anywhere near the same amount of units as 4003's.[/quote] This is true. John Hall himself has said that there are things he'd change about the 4003 but the fans won't have it, and as a member of RRF for many years I'd say he's probably right. Thing is, some of the idiosyncracies contribute to the whole package. A 4004 falls between 2 stools for me.

[quote name='Beedster' post='1299048' date='Jul 10 2011, 03:53 PM']Funny old world isn't it; my story's the opposite of the OP's. I started playing bass in the late '70s and for the majority of the time since had never wanted to go near a Ric, in fact I only played one for the first time two years ago. Since buying a new 4001 c'64 a few weeks back I've fallen completely out of love with my Precisions and feel an affinity with the newbie that I doubt I've felt with a new bass before. I've found the following: 1. It has a huge range of tones, from fat dub at the neck to in your face clank at the bridge. It is in fact the rather unanticipated solution to the question I posted here [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=125993&hl="]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=125993&hl=[/url] 2. It is the most comfortable bass to play I own by far. It sits perfectly and the bridge cover is in exactly the right place for me. The lack of contour makes no difference to my style of playing. 3. The build quality is equal to, if not better then, any bass I've owned. 4. I love playing it. OK, I've owned it for just under a month from new so things could still go wrong, and it might just be a brief affair as opposed to a full-on relationship, but I'm optimistic. I'll post a full report here [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=140696&hl="]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=140696&hl=[/url] once I've gigged it a few times C[/quote] Glad to hear that it seems to have worked out ok! I'll look forward to a full report.

[quote name='Blademan_98' post='1298289' date='Jul 9 2011, 03:53 PM']I was looking into getting a 4003......... I still love the shape etc but am a little perturbed by the lack of Ric fans jumping in and telling us they are great! [/quote] They're great! I can't argue with the above experiences if that's what people have had. However I'm on my 11th/12th Rick (I can never remember) and I've had less problems with them than any other make bar Alembic (not one problem with them!). I've had far more problems with Status (1 twisted neck, 3 x dodgy electronics), Fender (neck needed replacing from new), Wal (twisted neck) etc, & even some of my boutiques. Only had one 4003 though; a 4003s8 (I had no tuning problems with mine BTW). Never had tail lift but I use 40-95 strings. I also favour '72 4001 or earlier basses which have the aluminium tailpiece which doesn't generally suffer from it (and I have a straight neck and very low action which helps a bit). The only issues I have had were on an old 21 fretter where I couldn't get the action low enough and on my old '72 where a fairly well-known guitar builder (well, someone who worked for him) knackered my truss-rods due to not knowing how to adjust them. I had John Diggins replace them. FWIW (people must be bored of this by now) my main '72 4001 is still my go-to bass, leaving 30-odd others of all denominations in its wake, and I took my recently bought back-up '72 to the Gallery on Thursday for a little bit of work and vastly preferred it to anything I played in there (and I played some juicy stuff). Of course, YMMV. To be honest I'm finding these days that most other stuff I play I just don't like much anymore.

I always take 'em to Mailboxes Etc and let them do it all. As long as the buyer's happy to pay, it saves me a lot of hassle.

[quote name='Ross' post='1284388' date='Jun 27 2011, 05:41 PM']My god, has it really been that long? RIP Thunderfingers.[/quote] +1. One of my all-time faves, responsible for most of my others!

[quote name='BigRedX' post='1283148' date='Jun 26 2011, 05:35 PM']I would say that a lot of it has to do with the familiarity of the sound. You like the sound of the bass you've been playing for the last 30 years because it's what you are used to and because it's fairly likely that you've adapted your style to overcome any short comings the instrument has.[/quote] The minute I first picked up my main '72 Ric I thought it was the best bass I'd ever laid hands on by a mile. That was in 1993. My main Ric at the time, my old '76, was utterly blown into the dust, and at the time I loved that bass; I certainly wasn't gassing for anything else, and I didn't think it was possible I'd find a better Ric (I was so wrong). The '72 is still my main bass. I haven't got used to it, I loved it from the start. What's more at the time I couldn't afford it and went away thinking "well that was the best bass I've ever played". A year later I went back to the same shop to buy an amp and it was still there, reduced (which suggests maybe it wasn't the best bass for anyone else, whch is kind of where we're going with all this anyway), so I bought it.

[quote name='KevB' post='1284010' date='Jun 27 2011, 12:56 PM']Went to see The Pierces at a small venue a few weeks back, full electric set though. Excellent value for money, solid harmonies.[/quote] Based on that one track/performance I'm jealous.

[quote name='JTUK' post='1283994' date='Jun 27 2011, 12:45 PM']P-T-P Where do I start..??? IMO. They have no gears to go through which is down to the fundementals of the band. They have their classic list of songs to call on..and there are quite a few, but they do not seem to have to ability or imagination to change anything. Hence you get the same show which if it is a bit duff dynamically, through nerves, bad hair day or whatever ...all things that should be out of the loop at this lvel, IMV.. you'll have a less than sparkling performance which is what I said you got. For this reason, they can't up the game and they may have gotten away with this playing to a home crowd but with the support they should have, this shouldn't be a factor. The good thing is they were paired as a headline act with Coldplay..who have the same sort of band problems..the bad thing is Glastonbury needed a headline act and came up with a real show..who frankly blew them both away combined. But don't worry about it... it is only an opinion, not the demise of a marque..altho' they might ask that question themselves. I know I would at least be thinking we have done all we can with this ship.[/quote] As you state this really all is a matter of taste. The most important thing to me is songs. If you've got them and perform them well then you win. All the rest is either gravy or distraction depending on the performer and the performance. You seem obsessed with changing things about, but still haven't explained [i]why [/i] they have to change things about. That's generally a muso thing. They're not playing for musos. Many people who go and see a band like U2 or Oasis or whoever (certainly at this sort of gig) want to sing along with a bunch of songs they know and hopefully love. If it's not your bag, fine. If you think they underplayed compared to their usual performances, fine. But to criticise them for not being something that they're not seems to me to be rather peculiar.

[quote name='JTUK' post='1283658' date='Jun 27 2011, 07:47 AM']Yeah..not my cup of tea at all... but they had an energy and panache sadly lacking in too many.[/quote] Having actually seen them live myself (the missus is a fan) I couldn't agree less. I wouldn't go & see them again. EDIT: One thing that blew me away was the Pierces acoustic performance. Loved it.

[quote name='JTUK' post='1283372' date='Jun 26 2011, 09:15 PM']At last..A proper festival band.. Pendulum.[/quote] All is now clear.....

[quote name='JTUK' post='1283346' date='Jun 26 2011, 08:49 PM']A Zon fretless and a Fodera...IIRC.[/quote] The stuff I saw Bakithi was actually using an Elrick and another bass which I've seen him use sometimes that I haven't identified yet (neither of the above); looks vaguely like a Benavente but I certainly wouldn't want to say it is one. See here.... [url="http://bakithikumalo.com/pictures/"]http://bakithikumalo.com/pictures/[/url]

[quote name='RhysP' post='1281464' date='Jun 24 2011, 08:22 PM']I met Mark King backstage after a Level 42 gig in Cardiff in 1981. I was a young tongue-tied kid who'd just discovered his playing after growing up listening to pretty much exclusively old school rock music (Purple, Sabbath, ELP etc.) The rest of the band were great & spent ages talking to me & signing my programme. Mark actually went & got his basses that had been packed away by the road crew so I could play his red Jaydee & the legendary white "Starchild" Jaydee. He was absolutely bloody fantastic & to this day I don't think I've ever met a nicer person. I won't hear a bad word said against him - he's a f***ing gem.[/quote] +1. I met him on his One Man tour and he was a lovely bloke.

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='1282243' date='Jun 25 2011, 04:28 PM']Pretty much every other Rick copy you can get is better than the Hondo.[/quote] +1000.

[quote name='JTUK' post='1282208' date='Jun 25 2011, 03:36 PM']If what you get is a the CD version why go and see them? No point at all...you know every turn they will make. The Edge does his thing and the other guys do their thing...same as, everytime. A 4 piece such as they is pretty limting, the style they use on every song, even more so... what was once ground-breaking is now hammered to death.. why make it blantantly obvious the limitations of the format and the band and the fact they have run out of ideas... If their fans want that, then fine, carry on. But I can't believe they can't be arsed to ask where they want this or that version to go.. I expect that from decent cover bands. Financially they are sorted, but artistically, they sound shot..and I doubt that is the legacy they would want..or maybe they do..and if so, they deserve the stick. As I said..I don't care...but I expected more from these guys. But, hey, they have milked the same thing for 25 years..they got a very good run out of it.[/quote] It appears that your own personal preferences are blinding you to what most people want to see. The point of going to see them is the [i]atmosphere[/i], to be part of the event, and to actually see the real band play the songs they wrote. Most people who aren't musos could care less if they did a samba version of I Will Follow, a garage version of Pride or a 20-minute improv around One. They've never claimed to be virtuosos or to be particularly left-field, and of course they do what they do. What's wrong with a (more or less) greatest hits show at a gig like that? What's wrong with a greatest hits show anyway? FWIW, "milked the same thing for 25 years" sound like you rather do care. If you really didn't care then why bother posting at all?

[quote name='Vibrating G String' post='1282000' date='Jun 25 2011, 11:38 AM']If the argument was luthiers know the most and that's why we believe them is true then your statement would be an argument against that. If it doesn't matter what you know then the appeal to authority argument for luthiers is bogus. Can't really have both working at the same time [/quote] My argument was pointing out that it's not necessary for them to know the true name of a wood to know what it works/sounds like. Do you have to wear shades when you wipe your backside?