Scott Devine reviews Rickenbacker

[msb]

After looking for some years I completely fell for it after I finally bought one. And the more I played it the more comfortable I became with it. It eventually felt like home. I paid close to a market price for it at the time , but it was (and still is) in beautiful condition. 

There is something unique about the sound , and they are built differently from other basses. I had been a Pbass player.
I had to learn how to properly adjust the old style truss rods , and I bypassed the .0047 cap on the bridge pickup to get the full output , I strung it with TI flatwound strings for that thump , and dealt with the weird bridge and the bizarre output construction. I became comfortable with the thin neck that had so little taper ,  the binding was never an issue for me. And I gigged it for years. I still get a little weak in the knees when I look at one. And after becoming familiar with their construction and quirks helped quite a few people set them to their preferences. So I’ve set up a good number of them over the years.
Later I managed to get a set neck 4000 as well , which is a very , very different Ric.

Today I usually play short scale basses , but I will always love and appreciate a nice Ric. I’m quite aware that many hate them , the Stingray is almost as divisive. 
… have one of those too.

[miles'tone]

8 minutes ago, msb said:

After looking for some years I completely fell for it after I finally bought one. And the more I played it the more comfortable I became with it. It eventually felt like home. I paid close to a market price for it at the time , but it was (and still is) in beautiful condition. 

There is something unique about the sound , and they are built differently from other basses. I had been a Pbass player.
I had to learn how to properly adjust the old style truss rods , and I bypassed the .0047 cap on the bridge pickup to get the full output , I strung it with TI flatwound strings for that thump , and dealt with the weird bridge and the bizarre output construction. I became comfortable with the thin neck that had so little taper ,  the binding was never an issue for me. And I gigged it for years. I still get a little weak in the knees when I look at one. And after becoming familiar with their construction and quirks helped quite a few people set them to their preferences. So I’ve set up a good number of them over the years.
Later I managed to get a set neck 4000 as well , which is a very , very different Ric.

Today I usually play short scale basses , but I will always love and appreciate a nice Ric. I’m quite aware that many hate them , the Stingray is almost as divisive. 
… have one of those too.

How different an instrument is the 4000 (besides the single horseshoe)? Are the electronics different in some way? I do like the look of them.

Edited January 29, 2023 by miles'tone

[Waddo Soqable]

Thought the 4000 was just the cheapo version with one PU and simple controls to match..? 

[msb]

The original Ric bass was a 4000 , the 4001 came later. Mine is a set neck mid 70’s version, it has not got binding so the edges are rounded , and has simple dot inlays on the fingerboard. There is no .0047 cap on the bridge pickup , and having just one pickup there’s no need for a toggle switch , just a simple tone and volume. To be honest I prefer just having two knobs. It’s simply a mono output without the stereo option.
I thought I’d miss the extra pickup and knobs but actually did not at all.

They did not make that many 4000 models after the 4001 was introduced , and many were converted to a two pickup layout. Curiously today , I’ve seen some people change 4003 basses to a 4000 style with a simple two knob harness and single pickup. 
There are some diehard 4000 players that swear it was the best thing Rickenbacker made.

Edited January 29, 2023 by msb

[miles'tone]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/134428157589?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=y-DvJnjnT_6&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=8-9VIso6Q1m&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=MORE

 

I think this Ric looks fabulous. 

[SteveXFR]

This is the one I want. They're very expensive but they look amazing and Al Cisneros is a heavy bass leg end

 

https://www.hotroxuk.com/rickenbacker-4003ac-limited-addition-al-cisneros-bass.html

[ezbass]

39 minutes ago, miles'tone said:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/134428157589?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=y-DvJnjnT_6&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=8-9VIso6Q1m&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=MORE

 

I think this Ric looks fabulous. 

Being sold by one of our own IINM.

 

 

[Maude]

40 minutes ago, SteveXFR said:

This is the one I want. They're very expensive but they look amazing and Al Cisneros is a heavy bass leg end

 

https://www.hotroxuk.com/rickenbacker-4003ac-limited-addition-al-cisneros-bass.html

Aaah ha ha ha, you've got to love RIC. 

Probably the single most annoying thing on a 4003, and generally gets removed the quickest, is the pickup cover. So they just go f*** it, we'll put two on. 

Why not just put a complete sleeve from bridge to neck and tell you're not allowed to play it? 😄

 

And I like Ricks. 

[msb]

That mapleglo 4003s is a beauty!  
 

(and I would love to put a cover on my 4001) I immediately got used to the cover on my 4000.

Edited January 29, 2023 by msb

[SteveXFR]

7 minutes ago, Maude said:

Aaah ha ha ha, you've got to love RIC. 

Probably the single most annoying thing on a 4003, and generally gets removed the quickest, is the pickup cover. So they just go f*** it, we'll put two on. 

Why not just put a complete sleeve from bridge to neck and tell you're not allowed to play it? 😄

 

And I like Ricks. 

 

That explains why Al Cisneros picks up on the neck. And I thought he did it for the tone

[Maude]

8 minutes ago, msb said:

That mapleglo 4003s is a beauty!  
 

(and I would love to put a cover on my 4001) I immediately got used to the cover on my 4000.

 

3 minutes ago, SteveXFR said:

 

That explains why Al Cisneros picks up on the neck. And I thought he did it for the tone

 

If you're a pick player then they actually work great as a hand rest I find, but to me as a mainly finger player they're just sheer annoyance.

Bordering on dangerous the way I flail around. 😁

[SteveXFR]

They must make palm muting impossible. 

[Newfoundfreedom]

1 minute ago, SteveXFR said:

They must make palm muting impossible. 

 

I don't think anyone's ever tried it on a Rik. 😂

[SteveXFR]

Didn't McCartney palm mute his ric on Come Together?

[ezbass]

.

Edited January 29, 2023 by ezbass

[ezbass]

13 minutes ago, SteveXFR said:

Didn't McCartney palm mute his ric on Come Together?

They have a mute system in the bridge, which, of course, is a PITA to use quickly, so quite possibly.

[msb]

Kijiji is our most popular local online Buy&Sell , and I tend to watch it like a hawk. I’ve snagged some serious deals , and missed a couple too. Last week this popped up , and was up for a day before it sold.(I thought it would be gone in twenty minutes) A friend picked it up and he’ll give it a good home. Somebody had bought a later 70’s 4001 carcass and fitted it out. The paint job is about 30 years old. But it sold for $1000 Cdn! That’s a real Ric toaster.
I haven’t seen one go that cheaply for some years. 

[Skybone]

They're alright I suppose...   

[miles'tone]

2 hours ago, ezbass said:

Being sold by one of our own IINM.

 

 

2022 me would now be feverishly on his way to Monmouth, spending money he doesn't have...thankfully 2023 me has turned over a new leaf!

 

Hold your nerve boy!!! 😅

 

 

(having a stern word with myself there)

 

[ezbass]

28 minutes ago, miles'tone said:

2022 me would now be feverishly on his way to Monmouth, spending money he doesn't have...thankfully 2023 me has turned over a new leaf!

 

Hold your nerve boy!!! 😅

 

 

(having a stern word with myself there)

 

😬

[Richard R]

3 hours ago, SteveXFR said:

Didn't McCartney palm mute his ric on Come Together?

 

2 hours ago, ezbass said:

They have a mute system in the bridge, which, of course, is a PITA to use quickly, so quite possibly.

 

Both comments addressed in the video which started this thread 🙂 

 

Scott gets knocked a lot on BC, so I'll stick up for him here. I agree the marketing can be is really annoying, but so are The Ordnance Survey and O2 Events. Just mark as junk or unsubscribe. His YT video style is over-enthusiastic, but the academy lessons are much more down-to-earth and genuinely really good.  For  ~£100/year (the cost of four pace-to-face lessons) I've learned way more than I would in four lessons. And being able to submit your playing videos for review - and see everyone else's as well - is great.  7pm this Monday there's a live seminar with Ariane Cap, John Patitucci's song studies are fablulous, and there is a load more.

 

Back to Rickenbakers though.  Which are the ones with the stereo / dual pickup output thing?  Is that the "S" models?

 

Edited January 29, 2023 by Richard R
Typo

[miles'tone]

11 minutes ago, Richard R said:

 

 

Both comments addressed in the video which started this thread 🙂 

 

Scott gets knocked a lot on BC, so I'll stick up for him here. I agree the marketing can be is really annoying, but so are The Ordnance Survey and O2 Events. Just mark as junk or unsubscribe. His YT video style is over-enthusiastic, but the academy lessons are much more down-to-earth and genuinely really good.  For  ~£100/year (the cost of four pace-to-face lessons) I've learned way more than I would in four lessons. And being able to submit your playing videos for review - and see everyone else's as well - is great.  7pm this Monday there's a live seminar with Ariane Cap, John Patitucci's song studies are fablulous, and there is a load more.

 

Back to Rickenbakers though.  Which are the ones with the stereo / dual pickup output thing?  Is that the "S" models?

 

The "s" is mono, the 4003 with binding and sail fin inlays is stereo.

[Waddo Soqable]

9 minutes ago, Richard R said:

 

 

Both comments addressed in the video which started this thread 🙂 

 

Scott gets knocked a lot on BC, so I'll stick up for him here. I agree the marketing can be is really annoying, but so are The Ordnance Survey and O2 Events. Just mark as junk or unsubscribe. His YT video style is over-enthusiastic, but the academy lessons are much more down-to-earth and genuinely really good.  For  ~£100/year (the cost of four pace-to-face lessons) I've learned way more than I would in four lessons. And being able to submit your playing videos for review - and see everyone else's as well - is great.  7pm this Monday there's a live seminar with Ariane Cap, John Patitucci's song studies are fablulous, and there is a load more.

 

Back to Rickenbakers though.  Which are the ones with the stereo / dual pickup output thing?  Is that the "S" models?

 

The straight Rick 4001 basses I had were all from the 70s and all had the RIC o sound stereo malarkey. 

I assume the modern 4003 instruments do too.. but?? 

[SteveXFR]

25 minutes ago, Richard R said:

 

 

Both comments addressed in the video which started this thread 🙂 

 

Scott gets knocked a lot on BC, so I'll stick up for him here. I agree the marketing can be is really annoying, but so are The Ordnance Survey and O2 Events. Just mark as junk or unsubscribe. His YT video style is over-enthusiastic, but the academy lessons are much more down-to-earth and genuinely really good.  For  ~£100/year (the cost of four pace-to-face lessons) I've learned way more than I would in four lessons. And being able to submit your playing videos for review - and see everyone else's as well - is great.  7pm this Monday there's a live seminar with Ariane Cap, John Patitucci's song studies are fablulous, and there is a load more.

 

Back to Rickenbakers though.  Which are the ones with the stereo / dual pickup output thing?  Is that the "S" models?

 

 

I tried his lessons and didn't like them. The instruction is good but as with any online lessons there's no feedback on how you're doing and no one to answer questions. 

What really killed it for me was the lack of variety in the music. I didn't play anything I enjoyed. There's a few metalish tunes in the higher difficulties but no punk at all. It's just all jazz and soul music. How about a few ska bass lines or some Matt Freeman style lines? Or some heavy riffs?

[Newfoundfreedom]

5 minutes ago, SteveXFR said:

 

I tried his lessons and didn't like them. The instruction is good but as with any online lessons there's no feedback on how you're doing and no one to answer questions. 

What really killed it for me was the lack of variety in the music. I didn't play anything I enjoyed. There's a few metalish tunes in the higher difficulties but no punk at all. It's just all jazz and soul music. How about a few ska bass lines or some Matt Freeman style lines? Or some heavy riffs?

 

I have the same problem with Scott. Clickbait marketing and rambling YouTube videos aside (which I understand is very much "playing the marketing game") Despite him being undoubtedly a phenomenal player and good teacher, I can't stand his style of playing. I have absolutely no desire to play the plinky plonky Jaco worshipping noodly jazz he teaches. It does absolutely nothing for me musically. I much prefer Mark at Talkingbass. His much more down to earth presentation and no nonsense teaching style suit me far more, and the lessons cater much more to the kind of music I like to listen to and want to play. Horses for courses I suppose. I know loads of people who have benefited immensely from Scott's lessons. But it's not for me.