Can't get a good sound out of my Ric

[fezzza]

I've owned a Rickenbacker 4003 for about 6-7 months now after playing a considerable number in shops I'd decided the playability and sound was exactly to my tastes, went to get one second hand relatively cheaply and after a couple of gigs I was questioning wether I'd made the right choice, the playability feels awful and I can't get a good tone at all, even through my GK rig which makes my Fenders sound fantastic, I just feel like i'm trying to force myself to like this bass because I've pined and saved up for it so long, would changing the pickups or installing a push/pull tone selection make much of a difference? I'm just wondering if Ric's aren't to my tastes any more or I've picked up a duff one. every time I come close to selling one I have a listen to Machine head or 2112 and sadden myself with what a Ric should sound like...

Cheers!

[Bill-R]

I changed the tone to a tone-switch with the "Ric vintage tone switch kit" and that made a really big difference on my Rockinbetter.would say it was well worth doing. is the problem with the tone you don't like or how it feels when you play!!! the Ric do take a bit getting use to as there fret board feels flatter. well it does to me!

[andydye]

Ric + orange / matamp stack = sounds cool as f**k
Ric + owt else = Barry White?

I couldn't get a decent sound out of the ric I had either which is partly why it went...

[PaulWarning]

I think this highlights the problem of trying out basses outside of a band situation, what sound good in isolation doesn't necessarily work in a band environment, I've found that out on occasions

[Ou7shined]

I get the feeling that for every fantastic Ric there are a 50 bad ones. Once you find your holy grail it's hella worth it.... the tricky part is finding it.

[Guest MoJo]

I went through the very same thing. Bought a brand new 4003 back in 2011 but within weeks, I found I'd made a huge mistake. It felt uncomfortable to play and I couldn't get a tone out of it I liked. My band mates thought it was ultra cool but it went to a couple of rehearsals before being traded. Happy with my Precision now

[Moos3h]

Could be something to do with them being lifeless planks ;-)

Actually, I think they sound dire BUT do work well in certain band contexts where 'cut' is required.

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

[quote name='fezzza' timestamp='1375535046' post='2162614']
I've owned a Rickenbacker 4003 for about 6-7 months now after playing a considerable number in shops I'd decided the playability and sound was exactly to my tastes, went to get one second hand relatively cheaply and after a couple of gigs I was questioning wether I'd made the right choice, the playability feels awful and I can't get a good tone at all, even through my GK rig which makes my Fenders sound fantastic, I just feel like i'm trying to force myself to like this bass because I've pined and saved up for it so long, would changing the pickups or installing a push/pull tone selection make much of a difference? I'm just wondering if Ric's aren't to my tastes any more or I've picked up a duff one. every time I come close to selling one I have a listen to Machine head or 2112 and sadden myself with what a Ric should sound like...

Cheers!
[/quote]

I wouldn't alter anything to be honest . If it's not working out , why not trade it for another type of bass? Or You could even get a Rickenfaker instead ?

[stingrayPete1977]

I have nothing to add

[JapanAxe]

If you really can't get on with it you could always sell it on BC Market Place. Oh wait... I'll get me coat

[fezzza]

Shifting it would be the hard part here, fleabay is seeming like the viable option

Everytime I decide to part with it a single listen to heart

[fezzza]

Shifting it would be the hard part here, fleabay is seeming like the viable option

Everytime I decide to part with it a single listen to heart of the sunrise puts me back to square one

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

Nobody seems to be buying anything these days. Market is slooooow.

[Musky]

Lots of people have Ricks and don't sound like Geddy, even if they want to. The problem usually lies in the fact that they're [i]not[/i] Geddy. Geddy uses Jazzes nowadays, and he still sounds the same.

There's more than one way to skin a cat, and more often than not the best way to replicate another player's sound is actually by using something else altogether.

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

[quote name='Musky' timestamp='1375545400' post='2162764']
Lots of people have Ricks and don't sound like Geddy, even if they want to. The problem usually lies in the fact that they're [i]not[/i] Geddy. Geddy uses Jazzes nowadays, and he still sounds the same.

There's more than one way to skin a cat, and more often than not the best way to replicate another player's sound is actually by using something else altogether.
[/quote]

Very true

[BigRedX]

I do get the impression that a lot of people who buy Rics don't actually want a Ric bass but are actually after a Ric-shaped P or J.

There are plenty of times that the Ric works as a bass but it requires the right combination of player amplification and overall band sound.

[Dingus]

I always wanted a Rickenbacker when I was kid , but as soon as I played one I knew they were not for me . I love that classic Rickenbacker growl - it sounds amazing - , but the playability and overall design of those basses in an aquired taste , to put it diplomatically . Someone should start making high quality basses that look and sound like Rickenbackers but are much better made and more ergonomic . And I agree with BRX , you use a Ric to sound like a Ric . It's a specialist sound that is so stylised that you can't turn it into a mainstream middle -of-the-road bass sound . Does the O.P mean he dislikes and is dissatisfied with that Ric sound , or is he disenchanted because he feels his particular bass doesn't have enough of that sound , or isn't a good example of it ?

Edited August 3, 2013 by Dingus

[discreet]

Rics are very much an acquired taste. One that I haven't acquired, which is why I don't have one.
Not very helpful I know, but as said above perhaps 'it's not the bass you're looking for...'

Edit: Pre-empted by the Dingus. Which is probably illegal.

Edited August 3, 2013 by discreet

[Ou7shined]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1375548786' post='2162826']
[b]Rics are very much an acquired taste[/b]. One that I haven't acquired, which is why I don't have one.
Not very helpful I know, but as said above perhaps 'it's not the bass you're looking for...'
[/quote]

This might be the case if they were all equal. When I found [i]my[/i] holy grail (a '72 4001) it destroyed all my previous findings and preconceptions in seconds.

Edited August 3, 2013 by Ou7shined

[Bill-R]

I think with a Ric you have the chance to get really control your sound, if you use the stereo output like I have done in the past and put one of the pick-ups through something like a pod X3 and the other pick-up into the amp then you have so much more control than you do with a Fender of Gibson. the greater choice of blending is something all basses should offer. its something you have to work on. My Rockinbetter does not have a stereo and I have thought of changing the mono to stereo and doing it on my other basses too, It on my next to do list. I also find it easy to get a McCartney sound or something a bit heaver like Lemmy, on my Rockinbetter and you can get without using the stereo.

[discreet]

[quote name='Ou7shined' timestamp='1375549110' post='2162832']
This might be the case if they were all equal. When I found [i]my[/i] holy grail (a '72 4001) it destroyed all my previous findings and preconceptions in seconds.
[/quote]

I don't dispute it. But every Ric I've played has been a dog, basically. I[size=4]f I ever get north of the border could I have a go on yours? [/size]

[Ou7shined]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1375550085' post='2162845']
I don't dispute it. But every Ric I've played has been a dog, basically. I[size=4]f I ever get north of the border could I have a go on yours? [/size]
[/quote]

Yep every Ric I'd played 'til this one played like a Crufts reject too and I seriously couldn't understand (other than their iconic looks) what people saw in them or how big name players endorsed them.

It would be my pleasure mate.

[Cosmo Valdemar]

[quote name='fezzza' timestamp='1375535046' post='2162614']
I've owned a Rickenbacker 4003 for about 6-7 months now after playing a considerable number in shops I'd decided the playability and sound was exactly to my tastes, went to get one second hand relatively cheaply and after a couple of gigs I was questioning wether I'd made the right choice, the playability feels awful and I can't get a good tone at all, even through my GK rig which makes my Fenders sound fantastic, I just feel like i'm trying to force myself to like this bass because I've pined and saved up for it so long, would changing the pickups or installing a push/pull tone selection make much of a difference? I'm just wondering if Ric's aren't to my tastes any more or I've picked up a duff one. every time I come close to selling one I have a listen to Machine head or 2112 and sadden myself with what a Ric should sound like...

Cheers!
[/quote]
Definitely get the vintage tone pot option. With it engaged, and a bit of drive - instant Machine Head / Yes Album. It sounds like you're after that classic 70s Rick sound, and without the bass cap on the back pickup, you won't get it. The sound of a Rick with everything on full, with the bass cap in place, is very special - unlike most basses with both pickups on, you don't get that mid-range scoop like you do with a Jazz, for example. You do loses a little bottom end compared to a lot of other basses but it's the only way to get that sound. All this before you even think of running it in stereo!

[jezzaboy]

Two one time Ric players are Geddy and Bruce Foxton - who both switched to Fenders as they couldn`t get the desired bottom end from their Ric`s.

So you are not alone in not being able to get the sound you are looking for.

Edited August 3, 2013 by jezzaboy

[Cosmo Valdemar]

[quote name='jezzaboy' timestamp='1375557455' post='2162933']
Two one time Ric players are Geddy and Bruce Foxton - who both switched to Fenders as they couldn`t get the desired bottom end from their Ric`s.

So you are not alone in not being able to get the sound you are looking for.
[/quote]
Geddy gave it a damn good bash though!