Can't get a good sound out of my Ric

[Lozz196]

Without wanting to sound like attacking your playing style, it could be your technique, and I`ll try to explain what I mean.

My fave bassist is Bruce Foxton, and playing a Precision, with the eq on my amp as I usually have it, by changing the way I play I [u]can[/u] sound like him, trebly and full of attack, but playing [u]my[/u] natural style, I sound deep & thumpy. This with the same bass, amp & eq.

So don`t lose heart with the Rick, try some different playing styles and should you find the one that gives the tone/attack wanted, practice it, and be happy that you can gel with your dream bass.

[BigRedX]

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1375548754' post='2162823']
Someone should start making high quality basses that look and sound like Rickenbackers but are much better made and more ergonomic.
[/quote]

Rickenbacker already make the 4004 bass which pretty much answers all of those criticisms, but relatively few are sold because it doesn't look exactly like the classic 4001 and 4003 basses.

[thodrik]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1375565125' post='2163056']
Rickenbacker already make the 4004 bass which pretty much answers all of those criticisms, but relatively few are sold because it doesn't look exactly like the classic 4001 and 4003 basses.
[/quote]

The Vigier Excess is apparently somewhat based on a Rick, hence the Roger Glover connection. From owning an Excess for 8-9 years though I can't say that I really see it though, or even hear it unless I am playing it through a very loud all-valve rig.

[bumnote]

Before you decide you dont like the tone, use a long lead or a radio and listen to how the bass sounds in a band context as I have found the sound on stage is not neccessarily the sound you hear out front. The other thing I found my rick sounds better with rick strings rather than in my case rotos or EB the D and the A strings are a slightly different gauge.

[bassmachine2112]

Hiho,if your after the classic Rick sound stick a bdi21 in front of the amp,good dollop of drive bit of presence.
Easy as that.

[martthebass]

Firstly, can't do anything about the ergonomics, you either love them, hate them or learn to live with them.
Soundwise, as said above I think your playing style and rig have just as much contribution. My Rick works just fine with a small scale rig, plenty of low end for rock and punk stuff. Ironically with this same rig my P bass sounds pants.
If it's not for you then get rid, but if you can learn to enjoy the 'fight' when playing one, play with you rig to get that desired sound and maybe adapt your technique you might get a surprise.

[Cosmo Valdemar]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1375565125' post='2163056']
Rickenbacker already make the 4004 bass which pretty much answers all of those criticisms, but relatively few are sold because it doesn't look exactly like the classic 4001 and 4003 basses.
[/quote]
They don't really sound like them either

[Cosmo Valdemar]

[quote name='thodrik' timestamp='1375566728' post='2163074']
The Vigier Excess is apparently somewhat based on a Rick, hence the Roger Glover connection. From owning an Excess for 8-9 years though I can't say that I really see it though, or even hear it unless I am playing it through a very loud all-valve rig.
[/quote]
I've always been baffled by this comparison as well - they have one of the most un-Rick like tones I can think of, even in the hands of Roger Glover!

[martthebass]

[quote name='Cosmo Valdemar' timestamp='1375616679' post='2163428']

They don't really sound like them either
[/quote]

I also found that out :-(

[BigRedX]

[quote name='Cosmo Valdemar' timestamp='1375616679' post='2163428']
They don't really sound like them either
[/quote]

Well there you go then.

I like the fact that RIC go defiantly along their own path ignoring what what other people say about them. The musical world needs more manufacturers like them otherwise we might all end up being stuck playing Fenders.

[1970]

Love my ric, but I've had to adapt my style to it. Which has been a good thing because I hadn't been playing bass for long before I got it (played guitar before). So now the way I play and the way my band sounds is directly tied into that one instrument and it works really well. I play very mid sounding, lots of chords, and predominantly on the A and D strings. I don't feel limited, but I have what I consider to be my own sound and style now. Matamp head helps too.

But i wouldn't recommend a ric to another player. Well maybe I would, but I'd definitely tell them what they're getting themselves in for.

[4000]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1375547898' post='2162800']
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.
[/quote]

This.

It's a lot to do with the specific bass though, how you play, what your rig is like, how you eq, what strings you use, what your band sounds like etc etc. The band sound, as BRX always so rightly says, is so important to whether an instrument works or not (and vice versa, which is why I didn't like the recent 'modern Jazz Bass' version of Chic, because the band didn't sound the same to me anymore and lost that warm roundness - not just in the bass but in the band sound - that I love).

I never use my Rics with cabs with tweeters because for me they just don't work. Did a festival recently where I had to use a Nemesis rig and the sound I got was awful. At rehearsal with an Ashdown a couple of days later the sound was fantastic.

FWIW I've owned or used loads of basses, from Fender to Musicman to Wal to Alembic, and I always come back to mine. But maybe they just don't suit you. It happens; I have the same problem with Jazzes.

Edited August 4, 2013 by 4000

[4000]

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1375548754' post='2162823']
Someone should start making high quality basses that look and sound like Rickenbackers but are much better made and more ergonomic .
[/quote]

Have you tried a 4004? More ergonomic for most people. Unfortunately they don't work for me; I haven't actually found any bass more ergonomically suited to me than a Ric 4001/4003.

I don't get the quality thing either, the bulk of the ones I've had (over a dozen) have been far better made than any of the Fender or Fender-derived instruments I've had and were actually better made than my Wal Custom, on which the fretboard hadn't been properly levelled before fretting. I've had a couple that weren't so great but every single Fender I've had has had significant neck problems, often from new. All the Statii I've had have also had issues, as have 2 out of 4 top-end Warwicks. Horses for courses IME.

[4000]

[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]

Like Rich, both my babies are also '72s.

Les Claypool got a '72 and said it was the best sounding bass he'd ever heard.

Edited August 4, 2013 by 4000

[bertbass]

I had a 72 Ric and the sound was perfect, unfortunately the rest of it was a load of rubbish. I used it with a Roost 100w valve head and a pair of Vox T60 cabs and the sound was fantastic. Thinking about it though, when the Roost died and I had to use a GK 200w head, I forget the model, It had lost that sound. Gas again.

[D.I. Joe]

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1375560058' post='2162968']
Without wanting to sound like attacking your playing style, it could be your technique, and I`ll try to explain what I mean.

My fave bassist is Bruce Foxton, and playing a Precision, with the eq on my amp as I usually have it, by changing the way I play I [u]can[/u] sound like him, trebly and full of attack, but playing [u]my[/u] natural style, I sound deep & thumpy. This with the same bass, amp & eq.

So don`t lose heart with the Rick, try some different playing styles and should you find the one that gives the tone/attack wanted, practice it, and be happy that you can gel with your dream bass.
[/quote]

This +1

I auditioned a while ago for a Rush 'tribute' band (the guitarist played all the keys/synths and sang, I just played bass) and with just my jazz bass and Zoom B3 going into a headphone setup, I really dug in to make the strings growl and to the drummer's* ears it sounded just like Geddy.

[size=1]*Not the most reliable source in a musical context[/size]

[gsgbass]

My 4003 sounds great through Markbass gear. The first thing I did when I got my Ric home from the store was, change the strings. Some players have a hang up, or aversion to changing a 4003's strings. The D'Addario ETB92 Nylon Tapewound strings fit into the nut perfect. Intonation was right on. The D'Addario ETB92 Nylon gauges are, (.50, .65, .85, .105) A good fit, and the Nylons put out a great deep flat string sound.

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/jMWwT6Z.jpg[/IMG]

Edited November 11, 2013 by gsgbass

[martthebass]

Gsgbass, what's the string tension like on these. I've got Rotos on mine, great sound but I find the tension a bit on the high side compared to the Slinkies on my P bass and Status hotwires on my Ray and Status.?

[gareth]

[quote name='Ou7shined' timestamp='1375536754' post='2162645']
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.
[/quote]
[quote name='Ou7shined' timestamp='1375536754' post='2162645']
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.
[/quote]
you might be right - I had an 82 4003 and it was.........................awfull

[Highfox]

Weird, my 2012 has been great from the get go.. Fender flats and it's all there.

[4000]

[quote name='gareth' timestamp='1375725392' post='2164819']
you might be right - I had an 82 4003 and it was.........................awfull
[/quote]

The thing is, this is all totally subjective. I had a '76 4001 that I thought was a good bass, but not an exceptional one. I prefer my original '72 by so big a margin it'd be difficult to measure it. But the friend I sold my '76 to much prefers that bass to my '72; it suits him much better. This is true of all basses. One person's "holy grail Jazz/P/Ric/Wal etc etc" might be another's "worst Jazz/P/Ric/Wal ever".

Isn't that the fun of it? Finding an instrument that suits you? I love that.

Edited August 5, 2013 by 4000

[GregBass]

I have had two Rick 4001s - a 1972 that I bought new and the 1979 that I have now. Both played a dream right from the start and sounded like Ricks. Maybe I'm lucky, or maybe those who claim Ricks are poor are actually just looking for something else.

[4000]

To use an analogy I often (over ) use, "there's something wrong with these shoes. They don't fit me."

[iiipopes]

First, I must respectfully disagree with a post above: for every Rick that sounds great, there are fifty more that sound even better. Now, that said, the problem is setup. Most Fender-derived luthiers do not know how to set up a Rick for best results. Download the owners manual from the RIC corporate website so you know how to take care of it, and have a qualified luthier set it up properly for you. Granted, setting up a post-1984 bass is not the issue that it was with the old basses, but there are still items that need attention, just like you don't feed cattle hay to a thoroughbred horse.

[gsgbass]

[quote name='martthebass' timestamp='1375721565' post='2164764']
Gsgbass, what's the string tension like on these. I've got Rotos on mine, great sound but I find the tension a bit on the high side compared to the Slinkies on my P bass and Status hotwires on my Ray and Status.?
[/quote]

This is from the D'Addario site for the ETB92 Nylon Tapewound (long scale) strings.



[indent=5]
[url="http://www.daddario.com/resources/jdcdad/images/products/da_prod_etb92_main_1.jpg"][/url][/indent]

[color=#000000][font=Tahoma][size=6]
[b] [u]Tension Chart[/u][/b]
[/size][/font][/color] [u][color=#000000][font=Tahoma][size=6] ETB92 [/size][/font][/color][/u][color=#000000][font=Tahoma][size=6] [u]Diameter[/u] [/size][/font][/color][u][color=#000000][font=Tahoma][size=6]Tension[/size][/font][/color][/u][color=#000000][font=Tahoma][size=6] [u]Note [/u] [/size][/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=Tahoma][size=6][u]Inches[/u] [u]mm[/u] [u]lbs[/u] [u]kg[/u][/size][/font][/color]
[color=#000000][font=Tahoma][size=6]G [/size][/font][/color][color=#000000][font=Tahoma][size=6]0.0500 [/size][/font][/color][color=#000000][font=Tahoma][size=6]1.2700 [/size][/font][/color][color=#000000][font=Tahoma][size=6]40.040 [/size][/font][/color][color=#000000][font=Tahoma][size=6]18.160[/size][/font][/color]
[color=#000000][font=Tahoma][size=6]D [/size][/font][/color][color=#000000][font=Tahoma][size=6]0.0650 [/size][/font][/color][color=#000000][font=Tahoma][size=6]1.6500 [/size][/font][/color][color=#000000][font=Tahoma][size=6]38.680 [/size][/font][/color][color=#000000][font=Tahoma][size=6]17.540[/size][/font][/color]
[color=#000000][font=Tahoma][size=6]A [/size][/font][/color][color=#000000][font=Tahoma][size=6]0.0850 [/size][/font][/color][color=#000000][font=Tahoma][size=6]2.1600 [/size][/font][/color][color=#000000][font=Tahoma][size=6]35.540 [/size][/font][/color][color=#000000][font=Tahoma][size=6]16.120[/size][/font][/color]
[color=#000000][font=Tahoma][size=6]E [/size][/font][/color][color=#000000][font=Tahoma][size=6]0.1050 [/size][/font][/color][color=#000000][font=Tahoma][size=6]2.6700 [/size][/font][/color][color=#000000][font=Tahoma][size=6]31.900 [/size][/font][/color][color=#000000][font=Tahoma][size=6]14.470[/size][/font][/color]

Edited August 7, 2013 by gsgbass