Ric models

[mart]

According to "The Complete History of Rickenbacker Guitars" by Richard R. Smith, the difference between deluxe and standard (S) models is:
[quote]Deluxe models had triangle shaped finger board inlays, bound necks, and bound bodies. Standard models had dot inlays and no bindings. ... A Rick-O-Sound stereo jack was usually another Deluxe feature after mid 1960.[/quote]

As for set-neck instruments, the book does describe many Rickenbacker guitars as having glued-in necks, but for basses it says:
[quote]The Professional Series Basses all have the neck-through-body construction: Rickenbacker still feels this is the best. Despite this philosophy, the company also recognizes that they can make high quality instruments using the more economical approach [the bolt-on neck used by Fender] and introduced new, lower cost basses in the 1970s and 1980s with removable necks.[/quote]
I don't think anybody would claim a set-neck to be "removable", so this supports the claim that Rickenbacker have never made a set-neck bass - just neck-through or bolt-on.

[jonsmith]

[quote name='mart' post='1048421' date='Dec 5 2010, 05:06 PM']According to "The Complete History of Rickenbacker Guitars" by Richard R. Smith, the difference between deluxe and standard (S) models is:


As for set-neck instruments, the book does describe many Rickenbacker guitars as having glued-in necks, but for basses it says:

I don't think anybody would claim a set-neck to be "removable", so this supports the claim that Rickenbacker have never made a set-neck bass - just neck-through or bolt-on.[/quote]

The Smith book has some errors/omissions and this is one of them.

Here are the words of John Hall, Rickenbacker CEO on the subject of set necks on 4000 and 4001s basses, taken from the Rickenbacker Forum:

[i]"No. Very few did. I would guess that less than 5% wre made as set necks, the rest being neck-through."[/i]

I'll go for his word over the Smith book, besides there are people that have examples. I don't think you'll find a 4000 series bass with a bolt on neck either (2000 and 3000 is another story).

Edited December 5, 2010 by jonsmith

[Musky]

[quote name='mart' post='1048421' date='Dec 5 2010, 05:06 PM']According to "The Complete History of Rickenbacker Guitars" by Richard R. Smith, the difference between deluxe and standard (S) models is:


As for set-neck instruments, the book does describe many Rickenbacker guitars as having glued-in necks, but for basses it says:

I don't think anybody would claim a set-neck to be "removable", so this supports the claim that Rickenbacker have never made a set-neck bass - just neck-through or bolt-on.[/quote]
Rickresource has pictures of set neck basses in it's Articles section, but they certainly weren't the norm.


Delberthot - the 1999 and 4001S models were one and the same, 1999 being Rose Morris' designation for them.

[Delberthot]

[quote name='Musky' post='1048490' date='Dec 5 2010, 06:02 PM']Delberthot - the 1999 and 4001S models were one and the same, 1999 being Rose Morris' designation for them.[/quote]

I did know that, I was just referring to the 4003S advertised. the 1999 having the proper horseshoe pickup that later models didn't as well.

My 4000 was set neck and had the neck pickup rout

[Musky]

Sorry, I didn't twig that you were referring to the one in the ad.

[mart]

[quote name='jonsmith' post='1048489' date='Dec 5 2010, 06:00 PM']The Smith book has some errors/omissions and this is one of them.

Here are the words of John Hall, Rickenbacker CEO on the subject of set necks on 4000 and 4001s basses, taken from the Rickenbacker Forum:

[i]"No. Very few did. I would guess that less than 5% wre made as set necks, the rest being neck-through."[/i]

I'll go for his word over the Smith book, besides there are people that have examples. I don't think you'll find a 4000 series bass with a bolt on neck either (2000 and 3000 is another story).[/quote]

Ah, ok, thank you - I stand corrected! You learn something new everyday ...

And thanks to Musky for the picture - I did notice that the Smith book has virtually no rear views, so it's hard to be sure about neck construction on anything.

[ead]

There's some good information on this website about spotting Ric fakes

[url="http://www.joeysbassnotes.com/"]http://www.joeysbassnotes.com/[/url]

[Bassassin]

Can I just take a moment, while there's a general atmosphere of bloodyminded intolerance here on BC, and while I'm sitting here looking at the 4 inches of f@cking snow that has fallen this morning, to point something out that bugs the living tits off me?

RIC, or Ric: Acronym for Rickenbacker International Corporation, the company which manufactures Rickenbacker instruments.

[b][u]Rick: Abbreviation of Rickenbacker.[/u][/b]

Thanks for listening, I feel better now.

As you were.

Jon.

[Kraken]

Just as an Aside to this,

spent an hour or so with Robocorpse running his Ric's through my SVT 4 Pro at the south east bass bash,

based on that I reckon it would sound awesome through your B5R

[munkonthehill]

[quote name='Bassassin' post='1049202' date='Dec 6 2010, 12:52 PM']Can I just take a moment, while there's a general atmosphere of bloodyminded intolerance here on BC, and while I'm sitting here looking at the 4 inches of f@cking snow that has fallen this morning, to point something out that bugs the living tits off me?

RIC, or Ric: Acronym for Rickenbacker International Corporation, the company which manufactures Rickenbacker instruments.

[b][u]Rick: Abbreviation of Rickenbacker.[/u][/b]

Thanks for listening, I feel better now.

As you were.

Jon.[/quote]

well a dont see any reason to bring that nonsence into a thread where we dont need bloodyminded intolerance.

Edited December 6, 2010 by munkonthehill

[munkonthehill]

[quote name='Kraken' post='1049208' date='Dec 6 2010, 12:56 PM']Just as an Aside to this,

spent an hour or so with Robocorpse running his Ric's through my SVT 4 Pro at the south east bass bash,

based on that I reckon it would sound awesome through your B5R[/quote]

nice one Barny,,,,,in no way has that helped my gas for a ric though mate

But I can only imagine how sweet it would sound due to never actually playing one. hopefully I will have a shot at the moffat bassbash woo hoo.

[Chris2112]

[quote name='Bassassin' post='1049202' date='Dec 6 2010, 12:52 PM']Can I just take a moment, while there's a general atmosphere of bloodyminded intolerance here on BC, and while I'm sitting here looking at the 4 inches of f@cking snow that has fallen this morning, to point something out that bugs the living tits off me?

RIC, or Ric: Acronym for Rickenbacker International Corporation, the company which manufactures Rickenbacker instruments.

[b][u]Rick: Abbreviation of Rickenbacker.[/u][/b]

Thanks for listening, I feel better now.

As you were.

Jon.[/quote]


...?

Since when did this become "the rule"? You're hardly likely to mistake what someone is talking about simply because they call it a Ric rather than a Rick.

On the subject of these instruments though, Geddy Lee did get a nice tone from his Ric, although I noticed when I saw them live the jazz the jazz sounded better, so Iw as glad the Ric only came out for two songs!

[munkonthehill]

[quote name='Chris2112' post='1049466' date='Dec 6 2010, 04:00 PM']...?

Since when did this become "the rule"? You're hardly likely to mistake what someone is talking about simply because they call it a Ric rather than a Rick.

On the subject of these instruments though, Geddy Lee did get a nice tone from his Ric, although I noticed when I saw them live the jazz the jazz sounded better, so Iw as glad the Ric only came out for two songs![/quote]

i agree with both points Chris......

but mainly about the ric, its so iconic to see one,,,ive said it before, I just hope im not disappointed when I finally try one. I love the sound of my Jag (basically a jazz) through my ampeg rig, but as Barny said above in a previous post, the sound of a ric through the rig would be awesome. I think the various tones these basses have is brilliant. But as I love my Bongo so much, I dont know if I could sell it to fund a ric.

[Musky]

[quote name='Chris2112' post='1049466' date='Dec 6 2010, 04:00 PM']...?

Since when did this become "the rule"? You're hardly likely to mistake what someone is talking about simply because they call it a Ric rather than a Rick.[/quote]
Unless someone was talking about the company rather than an instrument...

I'm sure there are plenty of people who didn't know what RIC was.

[Bassassin]

[quote name='munkonthehill' post='1049400' date='Dec 6 2010, 03:16 PM']well a dont see any reason to bring that nonsence into a thread where we dont need bloodyminded intolerance.[/quote]
I apologise - I was having a bad morning.

However if you've ever been on RickResource, or, even worse, the official RIC forum, you should appreciate that Ricks are [b]all[/b] about bloodyminded intolerance. But at least I'm polite!

J.

[munkonthehill]

[quote name='Lysdexia' post='1048181' date='Dec 5 2010, 01:08 PM']I had one of these - exactly the same. Mono output (shame) and the lack of shark inlays (big shame) made it feel somewhat lesser than an ideal Ric. That perception coloured my enjoyment of the bass to the extent I thought it didn't sound 'right' either.

For me, I'd find the extra ton or so and buy the stereo out variation every time.[/quote]


I think your right andrew,,i will hold out for the real deal...I dont want to finally get one and then feel as though its a let down due to the extra cost of a few hundred notes.

[Stag]

I used to use the stereo output with my Ric and the famed Ric-O-Sound box, which I still have!

Used to run the treble end of the signal into my backline (which was a big TE stack) so the stage sound was quite toppy, drummer liked that... and the bass end went through the FOH. Seemed to work rather well from the feedback I got from punters and musos alike...

[Bassassin]

[quote name='munkonthehill' post='1050895' date='Dec 7 2010, 07:12 PM']I think your right andrew,,i will hold out for the real deal...I dont want to finally get one and then feel as though its a let down due to the extra cost of a few hundred notes.[/quote]
Apropos of nothing - that ad's a month old, there's no way on Earth that Rick's still for sale at that price!

I'm quite surprised at the suggestion that this one's not "the real deal" - while the original 60s version of this might have been intended as a no-frills budget Rick, that's really not the case for the 4003S. These have neither been made nor sold in the same quantities as the full-fat 4003, and I would expect this - plus the original RM1999's association with players like Squire & McCartney - to make ones the Gumtree bass very desirable. Even copies of the 4001S model (very rare in themselves) have been known to sell for £700+.

J.

[munkonthehill]

[quote name='Bassassin' post='1050925' date='Dec 7 2010, 07:30 PM']Apropos of nothing - that ad's a month old, there's no way on Earth that Rick's still for sale at that price!

I'm quite surprised at the suggestion that this one's not "the real deal" - while the original 60s version of this might have been intended as a no-frills budget Rick, that's really not the case for the 4003S. These have neither been made nor sold in the same quantities as the full-fat 4003, and I would expect this - plus the original RM1999's association with players like Squire & McCartney - to make ones the Gumtree bass very desirable. Even copies of the 4001S model (very rare in themselves) have been known to sell for £700+.

J.[/quote]

yeah I think the gumtree one is long gone. I dont want to take anything away from that model of bass. But having the binding and the block inlays make the bass look that much bit sweeter. Im not overly fussed on the stereo jack but I love the extra trimmings of binding and inlays.

[Bassassin]

[quote name='munkonthehill' post='1051028' date='Dec 7 2010, 08:57 PM']yeah I think the gumtree one is long gone. I dont want to take anything away from that model of bass. But having the binding and the block inlays make the bass look that much bit sweeter. Im not overly fussed on the stereo jack but I love the extra trimmings of binding and inlays.[/quote]
I agree 100% - personally my Dream Rick has checked binding & full-width inlays, meaning it's either a pre-1973 4001, or one of the occasional factory special one-offs RIC turn out. Either of these would put the price tag up to £2500+, which is why it's very likely to remain a Dream Rick!

J.

[Fretless Eric]

Way, way back I bought an Ibanez 2388B, black 4001 copy with bolt on neck and hence the smaller of the two neck pick ups and was mono, same as Rick Buckler has on the Jam's "In The City" album cover.

This was a great bass and I played countless gigs with it. I sold this a few years ago now, when I lived in Balham, and I hope the guy that bought it has also enjoyed playing it [if you're here then I'd be interested to hear how it is].

I always wanted it to be stereo and so I did at one point replace the jack socket with an XLR and wire the two pick ups out separately.

Anyway, time rolls on and I have eventually met the promise I made to myself when I sold it and I have bought a Jetglo 4003. This is a great bass, putting aside the usual RIC bridge saddle rattles which will be sorted.

I still want to run it stereo so I have bought one of these boxes:-
[url="http://www.ricsrus.com/Accessories.html"]http://www.ricsrus.com/Accessories.html[/url] - who needs to pay for a vintage Rickosound box?

I also bought a bezel for the treble pick up hole - this is something I can whole-heartedly recommend [apart from the price] and something that RIC should offer themselves.

I am now looking forward to my next gig so that I can run the neck pick up through my series 6 Trace AH200 head and the bridge through my Ashdown ABM for the valve and also so I can use a tremolo pedal. These will each use a single 1x12 cabinet [see the "DIY cabinets" sticky [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=380"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=380[/url]].

Can I ask if anyone has ever used or heard of anyone using the Bartolini pick up that replaces the rubber mute? I don't know if they even make it now.

Great thread, keep it going it could be definitive. Thanks guys.

Edited December 29, 2010 by Fretless Eric

[4000]

[quote name='mart' post='1048421' date='Dec 5 2010, 05:06 PM']According to "The Complete History of Rickenbacker Guitars" by Richard R. Smith, the difference between deluxe and standard (S) models is:


As for set-neck instruments, the book does describe many Rickenbacker guitars as having glued-in necks, but for basses it says:

I don't think anybody would claim a set-neck to be "removable", so this supports the claim that Rickenbacker have never made a set-neck bass - just neck-through or bolt-on.[/quote]

Sorry but you're wrong there. As a member of Rick Resource, I can tell you that from around '72 onwards the "s" basses were set necks, as were the single-pickup 4000 models. I know, I've had some and I know many other people who have too! And not all 4000 models were routed for a neck pickup either; mine (a '73) certainly wasn't.

Prior to that they were thru-necks. The non-s models (ie the deluxe 4001/4003 with the binding etc) were all thru-necks. V63, C-Series, CS were all thru-necks. The s-models came mono as standard (Chris Squire's was modified), deluxe as stereo, but there were special orders and one-offs and others may have been modded.

Despite the so-called "intolerance" of Rick Resource (actually no less tolerant than any other exclusive Forum in my experience) if you want to learn about Ricks you need to go there as there is a lot to learn that will take you years to learn anywhere else. It will also help you avoid all the misinformation you'll get from non-specialist Forums, an example being the "no set-necks" comment above which anyone with any sort of serious interest in Ricks will know is completely incorrect.

Edited December 29, 2010 by 4000

[mart]

[quote name='4000' post='1071460' date='Dec 29 2010, 08:22 AM']Sorry but you're wrong there. As a member of Rick Resource, I can tell you that from around '72 onwards the "s" basses were set necks, as were the 4000 models. I know, I've had some!

Prior to that they were thru-necks. The non-s models (ie the deluxe 4001/4003 with the binding etc) were all thru-necks. V63, C-Series, CS were all thru-necks. The s-models came mono as standard (Chris Squire's was modified), deluxe as stereo, but there were special orders and others may have been modded.

Despite the so-called "intolerance" of Rick Resource (actually no less tolerant than any other exclusive Forum) if you want to learn about Ricks you need to go there as there is a lot to learn that will take you ages to learn anywhere else.[/quote]

Thanks. We'd already established that Smith's book is wrong on this point and that set-neck basses do exist. But thanks for the extra info.

[4000]

No offence intended BTW! Ricks are an absolute minefield when it comes to the details and people with only a passing interest consistently get things wrong. There have been so many variations over the years but even within the "obvious" features people consistently make errors, like saying (and I've actually seen this) that 4001 basses have single truss rods and 4003 basses have twin rods; this is also completely wrong as they both have twin rods. I know a lot about Rick 4000 series basses, but there are some on Rick Resource who know 100 times what I do; it's always worth partaking of that knowledge if you have a serious interest in the subject, particularly if you're looking at buying a Rick. I've learnt so much from there. They are, however, not keen to talk about fakes.

Edited December 29, 2010 by 4000

[gub]

Love the look of the rics but never played one , what they like to play?