NBD Revelation: 4003 vs. 4001

[bhunt1]

I had a Rickenbacker 4001 back in the 80s; it was a '76 Azureglo that I bought in NYC on the street in Manhattan that had all the big music shops (47th?). Anyway, I played it in a cover band for a few years, but eventually tired of it and sold it. It had fret buzz on the 5th fret and I could never get the neck adjusted right to get rid of it. Plus the neck had a narrow jazz nut width which I don't prefer and it was a very thin neck front to back, which I also don't like. The finish seemed rather flimsy to me, it would flake off in places without being hit or dinged. Also the tone, while good for some music, seem to lack bottom end.
Anyway, fast forward to 2014. I just got a 2014 Ric 4003! Granted it is the honeymoon period, but it seems like a much better bass to me. Nut with is 1 11/16" which is just right for me and the neck is thicker front to back. The tone in the regular mode, while characteristically Ric, seems full and bassy while retaining the top end. That is, until you pull out the knob to get the vintage tone - that's the thin tone I remember. I won't be using that feature, but I dig it with the switch in. The pickups soloed give really usable distinct tones. I generally like the neck pickup on 2 pickup basses, but on the 4003 the bridge pickup soloed is trebly and funky without being too clangy.
I wonder if any of you have experience like this? Do you think the 4003 is better than the 4001? Anyway, here are a few pics from the dealer:




The dealer (Island Music Co. in Maryland - selling on ebay as imc direct) had the lefty 4003s in Jetglo, Fireglo, and Mapleglo. I thought about Fireglo, but I am a natural wood guy, and the one I got has really nice wood. It weights 9.5 lbs, which is ok with me and I think decent for a solid maple bass. One thing I will probably change is to take off the pickup cover - it looks cool but is in the way.

[Pete Gossett]

Beautiful bass! Interesting observations as well. I also had a 4001 from the mid-70's(albeit a righty I played upside-down) about 25-years ago, that I eventually sold and later replaced with a lefty 4003s5 in the mid-90's.

I loved the sound of the 4001. To me it had the classic Rick tone and it cut through very well. Conversely, I always felt the 4003 was a bit muddy compared to it, and I never really liked the tone at the time - although I go back now and listen to those recordings and it doesn't seem so bad. I'll add that the 4003x5, being a 5-string, was disappointingly neck-heavy(I had to add 2lbs of steel taped to my strap just to get it close to balanced).

So it sounds like you & I are probably saying the same thing, just viewed through different sides of the glass...

[AzWhoFan]

nice looking bass. Admittedly, I am a Ric fanboi when Ric builds 'em correctly.
Are your pots truly left-handed?
Do you by any chance have a big-iron tube head rig that you've played it through? I'm thinking that the lightweight sound you're getting with the knob pulled out would be vastly improved in a big-iron rig. I ask as I have a Fender Super Bassman 300 and NEO610 cab and believe me it does make a huge difference. But that's just my 2 cents of course.

There's also a bezel available on eBay that'll cover the cavity in the neck pup if you do remove the cover. I know some folks here on LB bought them and I'll let them chime in on its effectiveness.

[markcv]

Nice Ricky Brian!

[bhunt1]

Thanks guys. I do have a tube amp (hybrid but it has a tube only) so I should try fiddling with that to see what tones to get from the vintage setting. I can't distinguish lefty pots from righty, but I can tell you on the Ric they turn counterclockwise to turn them up, whereas on my G&Ls they turn clockwise to turn up. So which is really lefty?
I have to say I was soured on Rics by my '76 4001, but this one does it for me. Big thing is the neck profile, more P bass than J bass, which I like. It seems really well made, fit and finish is excellent. Is it fair to say the Ric quality is more consistent now than back the 'classic rock era'?

[AzWhoFan]

Thanks guys. I do have a tube amp (hybrid but it has a tube only) so I should try fiddling with that to see what tones to get from the vintage setting. I can't distinguish lefty pots from righty, but I can tell you on the Ric they turn counterclockwise to turn them up, whereas on my G&Ls they turn clockwise to turn up. So which is really lefty?
I have to say I was soured on Rics by my '76 4001, but this one does it for me. Big thing is the neck profile, more P bass than J bass, which I like. It seems really well made, fit and finish is excellent. Is it fair to say the Ric quality is more consistent now than back the 'classic rock era'?

OMG, the QC is all over the map. IMHE Ric QC ebbs and flows like the tides. Some years its awesome and some years are better left forgotten.
As for the pots, if they don't act like on/off switches, then they are lefty pots.

[bhunt1]

no they don't act like on off switches so that's good