Rickenbacker 3001

This is for my July '76 3001 Rickenbacker. I think we all know they're made in the U.S. (Santa Ana, CA to be exact). It's a full scale (33 1/2 I believe), 20 frets, you know the deal. It's got just one pickup, one volume, one bass and one treble control. Neck is bolt on (unlike most Ricks). Maple body and neck (with the Walnut strip up the center of the neck) and Rosewood finger board. Mine is 100% original. It's pretty much a straight ahead, no bells and whistles bass. but it's got everything you need.

Here's where it gets good. I've had this bass a year and a half, gig with it often and can easily say it's the best sounding bass I've ever owned (been playing for 30 years, owned 10 differnt basses. Ricks, Musicman, Fender, Charvel, Yamaha, Kramer) The tone is HUGH, clear and in your face. You'd never expect it from the little pickup, but, holy smokes this thing ROCKS. This has got to be the most under-rated bass in history. It's got the classic Rick growl but with a solid, gigantic bottom end. And the sustain is just plain stupid. It rings forever. I can't just let the note fade at the end of the tune, I've got to mute the string slowly with my palm at the bridge. You hit a note, fretted or open, and it just keeps going. Unbelievable.

Once again, this is the one. This is the best playing bass I've ever owned. Super low action with no buzz. And I play pretty aggresively. It plays like butter.

As far as the finish, it's almost 30 years old so I'm cutting it a little slack in that department. I'll admitt the bass looks pretty funky, but for tone and playability, you can't beat it.

Here's the downside. This thing weighs about as much as a boat anchor. I'm sure I could throw it off a building and it would be fine. Built rock solid. You've just gotta be ready to have this thing hanging on your shoulder all night. Our guitar player was complaining about his Les Paul. He stopped after checkin' the weight on the 3001. I've never needed a back up. It's like the Hummer of basses.

I've never needed it for this bass. Although I have had to call Rickenbacker in the past for other Ricks I've owned. I gotta admit they're not the most customer service orientated company. It's kinda like, "we now you want our bass and you can only get from us. We'll help you if we feel like it"

This is the last bass I'll own. It's the one that, if the house were on fire and you could only take one (I've currently got four), I wouldn't even have to think about it. I guess the day may come when I'm too old to play it standing up (the weight thing). But, until then, this is numero uno. I played it on a gig last Saturday and I still can't get over how well this thing sounds and plays.

Late 70's Model. Refinished in High Gloss White on the Body. Everything else stock. You know the features.

This bass sounded devine! Thick and Warm. Not as trebly as the 4001. I got it in high school during the mid 80's, had it about 5 years or so. I got the jones real bad for a 4001 and had this guy trade me 2 of them for this 3001. Although I really really love my 4001's, it is 20 years later and I really miss that 3001. I am looking on ebay for one now... :-)

This bass plays like butter. If you have it setup right, it is very easy to play.

Played this bass steady in a Prog Rock band during the 80's. Never carried a back up. Not once. Did not need it !

Never dealt with them.

I miss this bass. Hope to find the right one soon.

Rick's answer to the Fender P-bass. It's a simple instrument.

RIC needs to start making something like this again. They have no entry level basses at all. You're probably better off with this bass than a 4001 or 4003 unless you just have to have a 4000 series sound. I guess the public just has no taste when it comes to Rickenbackers, because other instruments like the 230 guitar were allowed to die out i spite of their quality sound. There are better instruments for the money than their 4001 or 4003 basses. This is one of them, if you can find one. I'm giving it a 10 so RIC might read this and pull their head out of their butt. They also might consider adding active circuitry. I added an Aguilar OBP-1 preamp, and I challenge any Sting Ray owner to produce a better sound. Compared to a Sting Ray, it cost chump change. The pickup is fairly quiet and can take an active preamp just fine. The sound is like a P-bass on steroids now.

Basic Jetglo finish, with a few chips here and there. I did a fret job and got the action just right, low but not so low I can't dig in a bit without fret buzz. It's as comfortable as a Sting Ray, which is saying its not the best feel, a bit of neck dive, a little heavy, but nothing that's serious enough to really bother me. I sanded the back of the neck with ultrafine sandpaper to speed up the action. It feels good now because I made it good.

You can take the neck off and do neck work. Not so easy on the other 4000 series basses that are neck-thru. Neck-thru construction is over rated. Don't let it sway you to spend a lot more. This bass will outlast me, and there's nothing that can't be fixed on it.

Outside of a spare part they might have laying around, RIC isn't going to help you with this bass. Buy parts through any luthier or electrical supply house and forget about them or take it to a local luthier. RIC is only there to sell parts for anything that is out of warranty.

The previous owner didn't want to do a fret job and setup, or fix the bad switches and pots. After about another $150 for parts including an Aguilar OBP-1 preamp that cost the lion's share of that, plus what labor I have invested in it, I have a bass that can stand up against many boutique basses that cost 5 times as much brand new. It doesn't have graphite in the neck, so it has a few wolf notes and dead notes, but every Sting Ray has those as well. Try a few different strings until you find some you like. I use Fender flatwounds as they are made for these old nonreinforced type necks, plus they are easy to find. Roundwounds will exacerbate the dead note problem and are best saved for reinforced necks. I have a Spector Bolt-On for the roundwound and upper register territory. Together, they cover almost everything I will ever do. Well, I would like a graphite Status Buzzard 2 bass, but I'm not John Entwistle just yet.

mine is a 1977 (pots date it '76), beautiful autumnglo (sort of brown sunburst) 3001 full- scale bass. 20 frets, controls for volume, tone and bass, which is very handy cuz you don't have to move any buttons on your amp to make drastic sound changes!
unusual for rickenbacker, the 3001 has a bolt- on neck.
there is only one pickup, think it's a humbucker with a black "rugged" cover (like the one on vintage cases), black pickguard.
nice versatile rickenbacker bridge with some sort of height- adjustable rubbers to damp the strings as desired... cool 70's feature.

man this baby's HEAVY!

came with original thrashed case, with some sort of blue velvet inside, nice!

i give it a 10 because it is VERY versatile for a one- pickup bass

i am a guitar player, but when i saw that this bass was being sold for less than 300 dollars i thought i'd be stupid not to buy it! i play something i call "psychedelic space rock", a mixture of greats like led zep, beatles, sonic youth, mogwai, monster magnet, etc. which obviously need a powerful sound.
- the 3001 has got it!

not noisy, rich, full OOMPHHH sound (you get it!)

i love everything about it!

after more than 27 years it still feels like fresh out of the factory! it's got scratches and dings, but nothing that affects its playability!
bulit like a tank, as every rickenbacker!

oh man... it will easily see the year 3000 (or 3001 haha)!
NO RUST on ANY of the hardware! built to last!

have not needed their help yet. i think (hope) i never will...

warranty?! - yeah right! (do not need one!)

i am not really a bass player, i own a dozen of vintage guitars, mostly fenders, but i've always been fascinated by rickenbacker. allways wanted a 4001 or a 4003 (someday i will! hehe), but when i came across this 3001 it caught my attention. visually, it is NOT as nice and spectacular as the 4000- series, but man once i put my hands on it and plugged it in... i was blown away.
NOTE: the comments on this site were a BIG influence on the decision to buy it- THANKS GUYS!
i do own a 1973 fender competition mustang bass, but it does not even compare to the sounds of the 3001!
if it was stolen or lost, i doubt i will find another one, they are rare and getting pretty expensive (there's one on ebay right now, crossing the 800 dollars- line). man i'd be sad!
i love everything about it, every day a little more. i've only had it for a week or two...
the only "bad" thing about it is that it's SO DAMN HEAVY, but hey, maybe i could need a little workout haha!

listen to me: if you find one of these for under $500 GET IT! (it is worth WAY more than that...) I bet (promise) you won't be sorry!
get one before they're all gone! prices are climbing fast!
good hunt!

1976 model
black with white pick guard - sort of the "tuxedo" finish
bought it on Ebay for 500+
a bargain because I've seen them go for more

love the deep bass throb - and the twangy but still unmistakenly "bassy" treble/ lots of overtones

best played with a pic

its an old guitar and i probably would love to have the neck adjusted because i get some buzzing here and there but overall i love the action. oddly its the best sounding bass i've had sans amplification too. the strings really ring and resonate nicely as an "acoustic.: i play it alone at night and it very enjoyable.

i've owned a Gibson bass but always coveted a Rick. The 4001s are too much money. I like this bass because it is unique. there seem to be less than 100 out there.

Made in 1977.
Made in Califorina.
Four string.
One volume of course and two tones.
Mapleglow with a black pickguard.
Body style....er...it's a Wonderful Rick 3001.
Tuners in great shape with just a bit of metal wear.
I bought this bad boy for $150.00 and it came with a custom case,three set's of strings, one strap, a old off brand amp and a 8 track reel to reel recorder. The only extra I had to buy to use it was a amp cord :)
And yes it was one hell of a deal. I bought it at age 15 from a older co-worker who was about to go to collage and thought it was ugly as hell and worthless. I cashed my hard earned paycheck which was $150.00 per week for sacking stuff at the IGA Foodliner. I saw it once and like falling in love I could not leep at night, I was worried someone else would get her and hold her in their arms. I craved this wonderful bass. I busted my arse and saved all that money and bought it right away. I am now 26 and have kept it thru the years. I never plan to let it slip away. Except for giving it to my son when he is at a more responsible age. This bass has been brought around the world with me and has quite a history with me alone. I went to High school in my junior and senior years in the U.K. and played with a small band there. From there I was in a group in Liverpool that played the Cavern club in Liverpool. The band was called Up and running. This bass has gone with me to Italy,Switzerland,Austria,France,Germany and Israel. Apon my return to the U.S.A. in 1998 I played with a local North Texas group called Eclipse that often toured with The Nixons and Bowling for soup.
I have opened for Willy Nelson and The Beach Boy's while in various groups while playing this bass.

The deep tones and warm feel often hint at jazz but does fit in rock tones as well.

I use a blue voodoo crate tube amp with my Rick.

The bass is somewhat ok at slap but is best at most normal playing styles. It can handle most of what you can push thru it.

I have recorded with this bass and it has done some good work. Playing live it's got a high quality sound. It's a old faithful.
It never fails.

Dislikes....Nothing major.

Rickenbacker is a true master maker of high quality products. I reccomend them to everyone. The quality never fades and only grows better with time like a fine wine. They take pride in what they produce. We are talking hand made hand crafted quality.

My only gripe was when I got it the wireing inside came loose and had to be repaired. But hell, We are talking a 1977 bass here.

Will this bass withstand live playing?

Yes and very well.

Does the hardware seem like it will last?

1977 and going on strong.....

Is the finish good enough to last, or does it seem thin and easy to wear off
with lots of playing?

Some minor dings and scratched from prior owners.

Are the strap buttons solid?

Like a rock.

Can you depend on it? How often does the neck/truss rod need to be adjusted?

Has kept it's quality over the years. Does not need to be bothered with all the time.

Would you use it on a gig without a backup?

Hell yes.

I called Rickenbacker at age 16. I was a young kid and sounding yery young sounding on the phone. I gave them the mumber in the plug in and they told me to hold. In about 8 minutes the operator came on and told me they were going to connect me to a person that could help. In about 35 seconds I was on the phone with the man who had built my bass. He was still working there handcrafting away after all these years. I found out that everything produced by Rickenbacker has a file. I am not sure after all these years if they will still do this but I do know that I held high respect that the company would take the time out to talk to a customer about a bass sold back in 1977. And in fact from how young I was that I was not the first person to own it. I was sent copies of all the stuff on my bass and a letter from the man who put it together thanking me for wanting to learn about my bass.

How long have you been playing? What other gear do you own?

I started playing bass at age 15. I also own a fender jazz bass which means nothing next to my 3001.

Is there something you wish you had asked before buying this bass?

I always wondered if he needed mental help after the buy. ;)

If it were stolen or lost, would you buy it again or get something else?

I would give my left.... You get the idea. I would kick the arse of the theif and do anything to get my baby back.

What do you love about it? What do you hate? What is your favorite feature?

No hate. And all you need is love.

Did you compare it to other basses? Which ones? Why did you choose this one?

Being a major Beatles fan I always wanted a Rick even if it was not a 4001. I owne a Hoffner but I always came back to my baby. Touching another bass is like cheating on the wife.
Why did I choose it? It was the worlds most perfect deal and so high quality. Moma did not raise a stupid son.

Anything you wish it had?

Winning lotto ticket in the case but hell I would not want to push luck any farther.

Anything else you'd like to share?

This bass was toyed with by Paul Mccartney in Peasmarsh England in 1997 when I met Paul thru his daughter Stella. He re-adjusted the strings and it was admired by him. This bass was used by Paul for his track "Songs we were singin"

Bass was used on the Bowling for soup song "The Bitch Song"

Was held and admired by Beach Boy Mike Love.

Was played live on 102.1 the Edge with a former group Eclipse.

Has been more places with me alone than most Americans.

Please buy one of these if you get the chance.

I play a 1976 model, which I bought from a friend. In virtually brand new condition, this beauty does play every bit as well as other people have said.

It is an autumnglo finish, which has only minimal wear, and the vast black scratchplate. Everything is as solid as a rock on this bass. It seems fair to say this is more of a playing bass than a feature-laden beast, but you can't hold that against it when it sounds as good as it does.

I play through a Crate BX100, and it can produce a pretty good tonal response. Despite being passive and just having the treble and bass controls, you can get a reasonable range of sounds out of it. It never quite loses a warm, comfortable sound, though, no matter what you do.

It does still sound good if you use it for slap, but its primary use for me is to get a big jazz tone. This is a sound it can seriously handle; without too much effort it can be made to vibrate necks. Sounds great on walking style lines and more statuesque, melody driven numbers-I save the solos for my other bass.

This bass has every hallmark of Ricky quality that you would expect. To be in the condition it is after 28 years shows a real commitment to high production values.

When I bought the bass, I just gave it a really thorough service (nothing you wouldn't give to any bass of this age) and it played superbly straight away. The neck is still as straight as an arrow, and the action is fine. The tuning pegs are beginning to show signs of oxidation, but then most 28 year olds are ;)

Reliable? Durable? This is the tank commander of basses. I also play a Vintage bass (which I bought new), and that has shown more signs of trouble in the 3 years I've owned it than the Ricky has. The finish is, frankly, beautiful.

Only one problem with the whole thing, which is that some of the tuning hardware has come a bit loose and vibrates occassionally; this has very little effect on the sound, and has been minimised through simple repair.

N/A

This bass has caused outrage amongst my friends, who know my dire financial situation; I am a student. They all lambast me...until they see her. Then they hear her, and instantly offer to buy her off me. I've been playing 5 years, and I will never sell this bass; it does everything I need it to, provided I have a back up with the full two octave neck for some of the prog bass solos I have to play. If it were stolen I would instantly set about finding another one, and if I ever found out who stole it they would be in serious trouble.

I compared it to a Fender Jazz, a Fender P-Bass and a whole host of other models for around a similar price. Nothing can touch this bass for what I paid, and very little can come close to it for any money. However, I would recommend that if you buy one you get down the gym before trying to play too long a set with it, for the beast is somewhat sturdy. The best thing about it? Having an unbelievably great bass that is the envy of all your mates and any bass player!

They were made between 75-84. Mine is a 1979 - USA made. Mapleglow with a nice stipe running up the back of the neck, it features a bolt-on neck(unusual for Ric?) and 21 frets. They are a fullscale 33.5" bass with no binding on the body. The neck was bolt-on type which had 21 frets. It has the typical varnished fretboard like most Rics.
Controls are volume, bass boost and treble boost. Single pickup.

These basses were made for roundwound strings. the bridge seems to be some sort of graphite looking metal compound - very cool.

I don't give it a very high rating here because it doesn't have a lot of features, which is one of the reasons I was drawn to it. It's a plain jane with great sound. A "player".

Very very flexible instrument. Runs the gamut from bright to dark. Separate bass and treble controls are really neat on a one pick-up bass. FAT tone. I haven't recorded with it yet but it fit's like a glove when surrounded by "guitars that ate the world" ;-)

Between classic Ric & Fender Jazz combo

I have only one complaint and it may be a set-up/preference problem from the original owner. The first string tends to lay to close to the edge of the fretboard and I get a buzzing around the 4th & 5th frets. This guitar is almost 25 years old so any complaint like this is minor and surely adjusted.

It plays like a RIC BASS - good for guitar players like me.

This instrument was already a road warrior/veteran when I got it. It's built rugged and heavy...maybe too heavy for some.

If I played bass full time in a gig, I would not hesitate to use it as my main instrument. Ric = Quality

I asked Riickenbacker for some help identifying the instrument when I was bidding on it. They were friendly and relatively quick to respond. I received all the info I required to make my purchasing decision.

I've been playing guitars and basses since 1963, mostly "Americana" now. I own (too many) other instruments but I bought this to help round out my Ric collection. I have a model #1997 and a 620/6 as well. This is my only long-necked bass. I have a cheap 60s EKO (love it) and a Fender Vesta series Musicmaster (good player - lousy pickup). It's a little tough getting back into the finger stretching excercises but ultimately rewarding, I'm sure.

It's heavy - Les Paulish heavy, though I haven't weighed it. Not for the faint.

I think I'll certainly keep this one for recording and Friday night jamming,which is what I mostly do these days. Being a working musician was just that - work.

I believe this bass will appreciate in value and it's a bit of an obscure model and solid player. It's a joy to look at and play.

I saw this picture in a guitar magazine back in 1978...
a Rickenbacker 3001 bass...
i fell in love with the pic, took the pic to a local music store and had them order a black one... after about 2 months, it came in with a white head-stock name plate...
i was a young obnoxious punk and demanded a BLACK name plate...
i waited a few more weeks and got it!

i love my 3001 Rick bass...made in 1979 /
black-gloss body with polished dark wood fretboard.
rather fat comfy frets / passive electronics,
a short scaled neck...
non-locking tuners that rareky get untuned...
it came in a VERY heavy-duty hard case!

i always thought it was Rickenbackers version of the fender-P
it has a warmer/richer tone than the 4001.
i use Roto-Sound Swing Strings, a medium gage.

the sounds are versitile...
i can get a deep "whooomphf" sound when i need it,
and a slappy-smack with the frets

i play it thru a classic 1960 Ampeg Porta-Flex

the bass played RIGHT outta the box.
no flaws!
the hardware remains nice after 25 years!

this bass is a reliable bass.
Live performances, recording (its so quiet)
the finish is messed up a lot due to years of fun abuse.

i dont use another fretted bass for backup...
i only use my Rick-3001,
and a fretless bass that i made, and a real washtub bass.

in 25 years of use, my 3001 Rick never "broke down".

i've been gigging bass for 30 years.
i wish this bass was made with a SMALLER pickguard.
i'd replace this 3001 Rick Bass if i ever lost it.
i love its style, look and comfort.
i compared it with a Fender P bass, and a Gibson EBO bass.
the Rick 3001 looked cool.
i wish it caame with strap-locks, but i use the leather ones.

I have a 1977 Model 3001, made in the U.S.A.. I bought it from a friend along with his David Eden Head and Harke 4X10 cab for a total price of $900. A steal, if I do say so myself. I play mostly reggae and ska, and with flat-wound strings, it's the perfect bass for this music.

Well, like I said, I play mostly reggae and ska, and the bass has the perfect tone for that music. Not too punchy, great low end, and just fat all the way around. Again, between it and my Eden head, it's the best bass sound I've ever had.

The action on this bass is perfect, at least I think so. And I've had several other bass player friends that have tried it and just fallen in love with the thing.

The bass is a little heavy, and you start to feel it after playing for more than an hour or two. I solved the problem, at least partially, by buying a really wide, padded strap. With the exception of the pickup screw that keeps working it's way loose, this thing is about bullet proof. Never needed a backup.

Never had to deal with the manufacturer before because I've never had a problem with it.

I just love this bass. It plays better than any other bass I"ve ever tried. The action is perfect. Wouldn't trade it for anything.