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Welp, finally played a real 4001 Ric and...


Del_Duio
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EDIT: It was a 4003, not a 4001 :oops:

 

To be honest I was not super impressed. I was on vacation this past week and as always I like to go looking to see what's out there in guitar / bass land. At a nearby Sam Ash's they had a whopping THREE new Ric 4003's up on the wall (!!!!) A black, cream, and blue one. Where I live I never even ever see one of these things "in the wild", to put it in perspective. Even with a price tag of just under $2000 I had to give it a try.

 

Well.. I know these things are revered by everybody and maybe rightfully so but this really didn't DO anything for me when I gave it a shot. I tried the Ric-O-Sound input and yeah it did kind of have that famous buzzy tone that I like but just playing it I wasn't super impressed. Especially for a $2000 instrument. It wasn't all that comfortable to play either. The only thing that really stood out was that it had a ton of sustain.

 

So I know we all have opinions and etc, but for this particular bass player my small sample with a real Ric I'd have to say I wouldn't recommend it. Sure it looks awesome and sounds pretty decent for some types of music but it didn't give me a lot of good 'feel'. Even my Musicman Ray 34 which is a lower end Stingray seems a lot better and it's less than half of the cost.

 

I thought I'd post about it here, since you guys actually care about stuff like this :D

 

Looked like this, but this isn't the actual one:

http://www.rickresource.com/stt-research/19754001mida.jpg

Edited by Del_Duio
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If they were new they weren't 4001's, they were 4003's. Also unless you had a stereo cable plugged into the ric o sound jack you will only utilize one pickup. As far as being uncomfortable, they are an acquired taste for sure. Goes to show that Rics aren't for everyone. Edited by Stugotz
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Ric's are the most polarizing instrument around. Either people love them or hate them. I've had 4 of them over the years and I love the way they look but the ergonomics just don't agree with me. They're just not a comfortable bass to play with that flat body, sharp upper edge where your arm hits it and the neck that doesn't really taper as it goes towards the nut. Plus the bridge is the most worthless piece of crap on an instrument that I've ever seen.
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Ric's are the most polarizing instrument around. Either people love them or hate them. I've had 4 of them over the years and I love the way they look but the ergonomics just don't agree with me. They're just not a comfortable bass to play with that flat body, sharp upper edge where your arm hits it and the neck that doesn't really taper as it goes towards the nut. Plus the bridge is the most worthless piece of crap on an instrument that I've ever seen.

 

I find them extremely comfortable, but I "float" my right hand. I agree 100 percent on the shitty bridge.

Edited by Stugotz
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Ric's are the most polarizing instrument around. Either people love them or hate them. I've had 4 of them over the years and I love the way they look but the ergonomics just don't agree with me. They're just not a comfortable bass to play with that flat body, sharp upper edge where your arm hits it and the neck that doesn't really taper as it goes towards the nut. Plus the bridge is the most worthless piece of crap on an instrument that I've ever seen.

 

I find them extremely comfortable, but I "float" my right hand. I agree 100 percent on the shitty bridge.

That sharp edge varies from bass to bass. Some are really bad and some less so. It's still hard to keep your arm from rubbing the bass and sitting it's even more uncomfortable. Some people, like you, don't seem to mind it. I love the basses and have gotten sucked into buying them several times because it seems like once you get them in your blood you always want one.

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What amp did you play thru DD ??

 

I don't even know, I was so excited they even had one of these I just frantically searched for any floor model that was actually plugged in!

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If they were new they weren't 4001's, they were 4003's. Also unless you had a stereo cable plugged into the ric o sound jack you will only utilize one pickup. As far as being uncomfortable, they are an acquired taste for sure. Goes to show that Rics aren't for everyone.

 

Yes, you're right I just double-checked their online catalog and it looks like all their new Rics are 4003s.

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Ric's are the most polarizing instrument around. Either people love them or hate them. I've had 4 of them over the years and I love the way they look but the ergonomics just don't agree with me. They're just not a comfortable bass to play with that flat body, sharp upper edge where your arm hits it and the neck that doesn't really taper as it goes towards the nut. Plus the bridge is the most worthless piece of crap on an instrument that I've ever seen.

 

I'm glad you posted on this, I figured you would know about these for sure.

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I got my first Ric at age 11, so I guess I just adapted!

 

I got my first one at 17. It was a '74 fireglo. That was a 4001 and I wish I still had it. They had much thinner necks back then. Once they went to 4003's, the neck got much thicker. Some of them are like baseball bats.

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Ric's are the most polarizing instrument around. Either people love them or hate them. I've had 4 of them over the years and I love the way they look but the ergonomics just don't agree with me. They're just not a comfortable bass to play with that flat body, sharp upper edge where your arm hits it and the neck that doesn't really taper as it goes towards the nut. Plus the bridge is the most worthless piece of crap on an instrument that I've ever seen.

 

I'm glad you posted on this, I figured you would know about these for sure.

 

Thanks. Yeah. I'm old and I've had a ton of basses over the years. ;) :D

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I got my first Ric at age 11, so I guess I just adapted!

 

I got my first one at 17. It was a '74 fireglo. That was a 4001 and I wish I still had it. They had much thinner necks back then. Once they went to 4003's, the neck got much thicker. Some of them are like baseball bats.

 

I'm tellin ya, I wish I kept all of my basses, sold everything in 1996. In 2012 when the "itch" returned I got lucky and found a nice early 2009 4003 with a nice neck profile. You mentioned how the necks get fatter towards the nut, I freakin love that. Its so wrong that its right!

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I am a guitar player, but my sis plays bass, and got her 4001 in 1980 ( it's a 1979 ) ... The Rick was always around, and over the years I have played it a lot, and a bunch of other basses ..

 

I love the 4001, it's a monster ... I know some don't use roundwounds on Ricks, but my sis always did and ran it thru a Ampeg SVT .... The thing is unbeatable IMHO

 

Once I tried an old BC Rich Eagle bass and that was unbelievable - that, and the Rick are the two best basses I have tried, but again, this coming from a guitar player

Edited by Lucas
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Ric's are the most polarizing instrument around. Either people love them or hate them. I've had 4 of them over the years and I love the way they look but the ergonomics just don't agree with me. They're just not a comfortable bass to play with that flat body, sharp upper edge where your arm hits it and the neck that doesn't really taper as it goes towards the nut. Plus the bridge is the most worthless piece of crap on an instrument that I've ever seen.

 

I forget about that bridge, but I wonder if the 4004 takes care of a number of the complaints regarding Rics.

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Ric's are the most polarizing instrument around. Either people love them or hate them. I've had 4 of them over the years and I love the way they look but the ergonomics just don't agree with me. They're just not a comfortable bass to play with that flat body, sharp upper edge where your arm hits it and the neck that doesn't really taper as it goes towards the nut. Plus the bridge is the most worthless piece of crap on an instrument that I've ever seen.

 

I forget about that bridge, but I wonder if the 4004 takes care of a number of the complaints regarding Rics.

 

The biggest complaint I've seen with those is the fatness of the neck front to back. It seems like when someone is selling one that's the biggest reason. I've also heard they don't quite sound like a 4003.

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For that price, you're paying for the history of it. I just can't justify that. I bought a 4003 off a college classmate in '87 for $350. I got rid of it a year later. I wish I still had it, but it wouldn't be my #1 or #2 today.
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In the end though, nothing else sounds like a Ric, or looks like a Ric. It is the most distinctive bass sound and look around, and seems to make up for a lot of flaws. It is an uncomfortable neck and body design, and that finger-snagging, Grand Canyon-like pickup cavity is horrific. Still, it has made the sound of many bands and bassists.
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