geofio

i will second that, most guys that own rics have worked hard for them. worth the investment.

if the 4003 is set up properly you wont have any problems with volume, i have never had any issues with that in fact the opposite is true, as one of the other members pointed out , a good setup on these basses is crucial to get the sound that you are after, i have been given 4003,s in the past that sounded dead, in particular the e string can be a problem, bridge height and also any rattling or buzzing remove all the saddles and start again it can take a while but worth it as once the bridge is set up properly it will usually stay that way, after that pickup height, you have to experiment here, normally you wont have a problem with the neck pickup maybe adjust the individual pole height to get an even sound across the strings, the bridge pickup is more problematic its a powerful beast, in my experience you have to get it just right with height adjustment, too near and the strings will not ring out properly, to far they will sound dead. the problematic strings on a ric are usually the E and G strings so raising/lowering the poles here if you have recent 4003, if not it can be more difficult to have an even sound across the strings just takes time and patience. if you take the time to set up properly then you should not have any problems with a ric, one other issue that comes up is dead sounding E strings i have found the reason for that to be loose screws on the bridge, make sure all 5 screws are fully tightened. i had a mate who had a 4003 and he was going mad that he couldnt get a decent sound from the guitar, it was down to loose screws on the bridge i tightened the screws and adjusted the pickups and put new strings on, rotosound swing 66 are the best if you are looking for the geddy lee thing!!!! and that bass just sung, my mate was blown away as to how different that bass sounded and it only took me 30 mins, so to sum up patience is the name of the game with ric 4003,s.

i have been playing these basses since i was 19 i am now 50, they all sound different and they are difficult basses to get a sound with if you dont use the right equipment to bring out the tone of the bass . the 4001 was a more consistent bass in my opinion , there were more of those that sounded like other 4001,s, the 4003 is a more difficult beast to tame , it is all in the set up initially, once you have a good sound from the bass it should stay that way if you dont,t muck around with it. i have tried quite a few and own a few, they all sound so different and it all depends on the sound you are after, if it,s the geddy lee thing, that is not so easy as you need an instrument that has that ringing tone to begin with and they dont all have that no matter what rickenbacker say in their sale lingo. i have played outstanding rics and i have played very average rics. unfortunately there are more 4003,s that are average than outstanding, as a user i have found it hard to find a ric with an outstanding tone, but there are so many variables like any other bass, on the whole they are well made, rickenbacker should be looking at the bridge of the bass as that is the weak point in my own opinion. otherwise the finish is second to none there are 4001,s and 4003,s still being played after 30 or 40 years of constant use not bad value for an instrument.

dave purchased a focusrite scarlett 186i from me , payment was immediate and dave has great communication, i will deal with dave any day of the week, thoroughly recommended bass chatter. thanks dave

my rickenbacker 4003,s JETGLO MAY 1999 FIREGLO NOV 2011