4000

If you do take the plectrum route, there are literally thousands, and they all sound different. And you’ll get a different sound from the same plectrum depending on how you hold it and strike the string. Just don’t put boundaries on it. Years ago I was playing in a shop and one of the assistants, a big Jaco fan, ran up asking how I was playing what I was playing. I just showed him the pick. FWIW, Steve Swallow uses a plectrum. I would’ve thought he’d get by in your big band. And Anthony Jackson too, for that matter; he’s happy to use a pick.

I have nerve damage in my right hand due to various things, which means that I simply cannot accurately play many things that I used to. As I’ve said elsewhere, the fact that I originally learned to play with a plectrum has saved my playing life, certainly at anything like the standard I need to be to play my own lines. I sincerely hope you have a full recovery, wishing you all the best.

Leigh’s cherry Wal was apparently built for Paul Simonon: http://walbassarchive.blogspot.com/2013/04/archive-stephans-wal-database.html

He’s been a huge, huge influence on me. However whilst I loved the band from the outset, when I first went to see them live I kind of bought into the “not taking them seriously” thing and didn’t expect them to cut it live. I was sooooo wrong; they were awesome. Here’s some further info Leigh supplied me with that I once posted on Talkbass: He bought his red Wal Pro 2 (passive, not active) in the late 70s from Rhodes Music in Denmark Street. It was used on everything Bow Wow Wow did except "Tv Savage" and "Golly Golly Go Buddy" -he used his backup bass, a Wal Custom (active) on those, but he preferred his red bass and eventually sold the Custom. A while back he got another Wal the same as the red one but in sunburst with a leather scratchplate. He uses Rotosound strings, standard/medium gauge.

Was that the Custom he had? He told me he once had a Custom (seen at the side of the stage on some live footage) but didn’t like it as much as his passive Pro II so sold it; he said he prefers the growl of the passive ones, and of course the Pros sound a little different than the Customs anyway. Leigh’s my favourite Wal player. In fact he’s one of my favourite 3 players full stop. Strange fact, Leigh’s original cherry Wal Pro II was JG1126 IIRC. The cherry Pro II I had, IIRC, was 1162.

You saw Fotheringay in the very early 70s????????? AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! (Fotheringay are one of my favourite bands, as of about 2 years ago when I first heard them, and I adore Sandy Denny).

Wal, probably followed by Modulus. The tone on Blood Sugar reminds me (unsurprisingly) of Leigh Gorman of Bow Wow Wow, allowing for the fact they play very differently, and I love Leigh’s tone.

Basie & Ellington, amongst others.

Well it beats football and cricket anyday. 😉

Geekiness? Me? The lifelong Tolkien and Marvel comics fan? 😳😉😂

Well from the age of about 12 I was a bit of a fan of US custom cars, which often had CA paint, which is why I knew.

Every New Year’s Eve for the past few years we’ve had a big paying (for an originals band) gig that has set us on our way for recording that year’s album. This year the pub has closed, so not only have we lost the gig but the knock on effect in terms of our plans for recording for the year have also been scuppered. Next year is looking bleak before it’s even started.

I would assume from Candy Apple car paint. IIRC CA paint of any colour consists of a metallic bass coat and a coloured translucent top coat, although I think occasionally more stages are used.

Have been toying with putting some TI flats on one of my vintage Rics for a while. I was looking for the tension figures last night, comparing them to other strings I’ve used, and the tension for the JF344 (43, 56, 70, 100) set appears to be showing as 140.19, which isn’t that much less than the 40-100 or 40-95 Roto Swing Bass I normally use (155.38 & 145.35) and is actually quite a bit higher than the Roto nickel 35-95 I occasionally alternate with (127.14). The last time I played some TIs, admittedly a long time ago, I remember the tension feeling very low and obviously they’re generally considered to be as low tension as they come, so I’m certainly surprised to see them come in heavier than the Roto nickels, even bearing in mind the gauges are on average a little heavier (the Rotos are 35, 55, 75, 95). FWIW, the TI rounds (43, 51, 68, 89) come in at 122.34. Can anyone confirm the above figures?

If I’d bought one it would’ve been.

Just stumbled across this: https://www.andybabiuksfabgear.com/rickenbacker-2020-limited-edition-4003-fab-gear-model-candy-apple-purple/#prettyPhoto I love purple! Luckily for me they’ve all been sold.

Even in the days when you could give Rics away, checker bound with crushed Pearl inlays were more sought after. I remember missing out on a jetglo ‘72 in the Bass Centre in Brum in the ‘90s which was IIRC £795, or possibly £895, because I was a bit skint. For some reason it never occurred to me to ask about p/x-ing the Warwick Dolphin Pro II I had with me. My worst though was not buying Neil Brewer’s (Druid) ‘72 4001 when I had the chance, for £500 (could have been £600 actually, can’t remember) in ‘96. It both felt and sounded very different to my main bass and was quite a bit heavier, and I was looking for something as close as possible. Didn’t know who Druid were at the time, discovered a used copy of Toward The Sun in a 2nd hand shop later and loved it. Would have been nice to have owned the bass that was used on it. Lovely bloke by the way.

The Midnight Blue colour has actually changed since it was originally brought in, which not many people realise. Azureglo was always my favourite. I blame Gaye Advert. 😉 I had a ‘76 Azure but sold it to a friend when I got the Fireglo ‘72 as I much preferred everything about the ‘72. I then spent 17 years trying to find an Azure with the same features as the Fireglo. You see very few original Azures from that era.

Personally I’d choose Vigier over Status 99% of the time, but YMMV,

BTW, absolutely love that finish. That and Starry Night are something else.

Chris is my favourite bassist, and Yes possibly my favourite band. However Chris has nothing to do with my love of Rics as my first bass was a Ric, years before I really discovered Chris and Yes. Lemmy was the main culprit, with Geddy, Roger Glover and Glenn Hughes also influential but slightly less so.

Yes, the toaster sounds different than the high gain, but the pickup position (half inch from the neck rather than 1 inch) makes a big difference too. Both are, IMO, a big factor in the sound. However, please bear in mind that ALL Rick pickups have varied over the years, so one high gain may be different from another high gain. Same with the toasters. My screw top high gain bridge pickups are both slightly different to each other in both construction and tone, although the basses are only a few months apart. 4003 pickups are generally higher output than 4001 pickups, but both have still varied over the years. The construction of the basses is also different; the Azure has a schedua neck laminate underneath the paint, whereas the Fireglo doesn’t. Anyone assuming a Ric from one year will be the same as another is waaaaay off. They don’t even look the same if you look closely; the body shape has changed over the years (again, even my two are different if you look very closely; compare them to the others posted and they’re even more different), and even the construction has changed. As a rule of thumb the horns get noticeably thicker from around ‘75 or thereabouts; eventually (‘90s?) they started to get thinner again, and the more recent ones are the slimmest ever. Also, as I’ve mentioned previously, as well as changing the pickup construction and output over the years (and bearing in mind that every individual pickup will sound slightly different anyway), and adding/subtracting the capacitor, the pot values have changed over the years as well, which also affects tone. Then the older basses up to very early ‘73 have an aluminium tailpiece and saddles, whereas after that they change to zinc alloy, which again affects tone, IMO. I know it probably comes across that I’m nuts over Rics, but I’m certainly not nuts over ALL Rics. Anything after early ‘73 up to a few years ago when they reintroduced the full width inlays and walnut headstock wings really doesn’t interest me at all, apart from the CS, V63 and C Series (and the Cheyenne’s and Laredo’s). Anyone who is really interested in the minutiae of Ric instruments should go to the Rickenbacker Resource Forum, because the subject really is a bottomless pit.

Speaking of blue, it’s another excuse to post my (extremely rare colour for the year) Azure ‘72, along with my main Fireglo ‘72.

Bear in mind the Bluebursts come from the chunky neck era. BTW, Chris Squire’s bass was actually cream, not white. It was refinished by Sam Li and he just happened to have that paint around.