Rickenbacker 4001 CS

My 4001CS is #800 of 1000. Serial number 9904129. It's B-Day is Jan 29th, 1999. We know what features are unique to this bass with classic Ric tones. Came with a very nice hard case, polishing cloth, certificate etc...

The sound is punchy and what I would expect from a Rickenbacker. The pickups each sound different with the bridge pick-up having the more classic tone. The neck pick-up being closer to the neck obviously sounds rounder with more bass. I also owned a 1978 4001 and I would say the CS is a tad better. The tone controls do what they are supposed to, but the bass sounds the best wide open.

Unlike other reviewers that had instruments with some sort of problems with the paint, neck adjustment, etc...mine is without flaw. The butter cream finish is perfect and it plays awesome. There are only a couple little chips in the paint on the bottom of the pick guard. I could probably adjust the pick up height slightly, but never have because its not that critical. I removed the bridge pick-up cover on the 4001 but I have left the horseshoe pick-up intact. It doesn't bother me at all because I play over the neck pick-up. The string height and intonation were also good right out of the box.

This is not my main bass but I don't see why it wouldn't hold up to constant playing. I played my 4001 for 16 years without problems as my main ax. I have not had to make any adjustments or repairs in the 10 years I've had this bass.

Never used them.

Great bass to have, play, or in a collection. After trading in the 4001 I always wanted another Ric and this was the one. I played a V63 and the neck was not as comfortable as this one. Cool piece of history! Purchased new from Beaver Felton at Bass Central in 1999. Never played it before it showed up at my door. Beautiful instrument, and in 2003 YES began their tour here in Seattle and all 5 members signed the front. Signed by Chris (next to the printed signature on the pick guard), Jon, Steve, Alan and Rick (really happy that Rick came back for this tour). It's mine and going to stay that way.

Typical 4001CS bass, a creme colored 4001V63 with vermillion wings and fretboard.

Sounds like a 4001V63, very live and responsive.

It seems like every one of these I've seen has some weird brown staining either on the body or pickguard, no exceptions here. The horseshoe pickup cover is a joke John. The paint is fragile and chips very easily.

With the current value of these basses around 3,000 it's silly to consider it a real gigging bass, it's not even in the 3K range with relation to features and options. The paint sucks, plain and simple, it stains, chips and is full of orangepeel.

Ric has an interesting customer support dept, if you want to call 2 guys a dept. Usually Kenny has some positive advice but usually they end up telling you to piss up a rope because you didn't use Ric strings (which are made by SIT) or some other BS to avoid doing warranty work. Just how long do you expect people to wait for the Lemmy basses John?

Been playing 20 yrs, lots of other gear. It looks cool if you're a Yes fan, but for real world gigging it's a one trick pony, save your beer and cigarette money for a V63, same bass, less green and same tone.

4001CS, don't know what year (jack plate indicates mid- 80's), but a friend with a degree in wood confirmed the fretboard was the African Vermillion, so it's definately a CS. No cert or fancy silver case, but I bought this as a player, not a museum piece. Mine still has the bridge p/u cover and I LIKE IT THAT WAY! I've been told that other CSs had finish problems, and this one is no different. The paint has chipped away near the bridge on both sides, but you know what? It still sounds great.

I play mostly classic rock, oldies, and blues and I use this bass 90% of the time. I play through an SWR WM 250 head and a David Eden 2X10 cab, also DI'ed into the PA. No effects except maybe a touch of reverb through the PA. It's got single coils, so it is a bit noisy, bit I can live with it. Use the bridge PU and dial the treble up to about 70% and I can get that famous Rick "bang", reverse the settings and PU and get a passable Jamerson. No, it's not a 50's or 60's P bass, but it's good with the kid. The ability to use either or both of the pu's, plus tone controls for both give it a whole boatload of usable tones. I'm probably the oddball here, but I took the Rotos off and slapped on a set of Ernie Ball flats, and I love the tone.

Bought used, but the setup was a touch on the high side. I lowered the strings after the switch to flats, and no probs at all. Finish, as stated above is chipping, but once again, you can't hear that. I've never been able to get the mutes to work very well, but I don't really need to.

Gigs? In a heartbeat, just give me the call. It's a great bass for the stage, but it does get kinda dirty where my right forearm comes over to get to the strings. I had a custom black pickguard made for it so I could put the signature one away. The black guard looks great! Rick's strap buttons are tiny, Schaller Straplocks are the only way to go. I have a 70's era fake P bass as a backup, but don't really need it. This is the last bass I'll ever have to buy. If it went away, I'd take up bank robbing to get another one.

They answered some questions for me when I got it, they were pretty cool to deal with.

Playing bass for about 8 years, guitar since the Nixon Administration. As stated above, SWR, David Eden stuff, love the bass, no, it's not for sale!

1993 Chris Squire 4001CS bass; Limited run of only 1000 pieces which has ended a few years ago; Future collector piece. See previous reviews for features/specifics.

Great classic Ric bass sound. I.E. Squire,Lee,McCartney ect..
Very Punchy yet full.

No complaints, except player fine tunning preference.

Very well made as all Ric products.

N/A .. Never had to use them.

I plan on keeping this bass no matter what the resale value is in the future. If you can get one in good shape GO FOR IT!!

Made 1990

The best sounding Rickenbacker bass made.
This is the McCartney sound that made people want a Rickenbacker in the FIRST place. (Yes, this one has the Chris Squire yellowed-white finish, but it's otherwsie the same as the 4001v63...)
People have complained about the "cover" on the horseshoe pick-up but a) it's not in my way and b) it's the WHOLE POINT.
It's a horseshoe pick-up..that is it wraps AROUND the strings not just under them. That's a big part of why it sounds ike it does. And again it sounds great. Quite punchy yet full. I find I use the bass guitar with both pick-ups on equally 99 times out of a hundred. The exception is the treble pick-up through a cranked amp for a punky sound.
This bass will never replave m Status Series 2 (in any way) except that it gets that indescribable, subtel McCartney quality on the right song that nothing else gets. Put Pyramid strings on it and play it through a Vox tube head and you're there. (I do, by the way, do both)
Contrary to popular 'wisdom' it's not a particularly toppy sounding instrument unless you TRY to do that with the amp. I HATE Chris Squire and his sound. That's not what I get from this bass guitar.
It's just a fine sounding instrument in general and as a great feel to it.

Nicely set-up with the action a bit high. Nothing terribly wrong though.
Beautifully finished in general. All Rickenbackers are amongst the most beautiful guitars (well all older designs, some of the post F.C Hall era designs are simply awful looking.. but this is a 'reissue').
The fretboard is laminated with a smooth plastic that feels good, some frets had uneven edgeing of the lamination around them..again not a big deal. This bass, while not inexpensive, is also not in the boutique bass price range either.

Has held up remarkably well even after some admitted, punk-moments, abuse.
Still looks great and everything works.
I put strap locks on it, but then I do that to EVERY guitar... anything else is lunacy.

Anything to do with Rickenbacker is both friendly and SLOW. That's their M.O.

Playing since dark ages.
Other bass related gear: Status Series 2 Bass guitar, Vox AC100, Vox Foundation and Sovereign bass cabinets, 3 Hiwatt Custom 100's (DR103), Fulltone custom made bass/guitar Fulldrive.
If lost I would almost certianly get another one.

I've had two of these basses, the first was in the mid 700's in the production and a very early one, below 60 in the production.

For what it's worth, the bass is nothing but a replica of Chris Squire's bass, or a 4001V63 painted yellow. Overall tone is what you would expect from a Ric, however the horseshoe pickup is a copy of the original and the windings are different from Squires bass (his is underwound).

The early number bass had the same problems as the other review, it needed to be planed and refretted when it was purchased (sight unseen from an rat-hole music store in Tenn)Long story, it was a pile of crap. The later bass I own was perfect from the moment it came from the case, the Ric plant was on it's toes as it left the factory.

The 4001CS seems to be 50/50 concerning neck and finish problems, I'd never buy one without being able to inspect the neck. The bottom line is it's a collectors piece that will continue to escalate in price, buy it if you can find one, just pray that the neck doesn't bend in half.

The Ric customer service is like the company itself, a bit flakey. They seem to have good days and bad ones, Tommy,who is thecustomer service guy seems to be on top of most problems and John Hall the CEO will even answer the phone on occasion. Try that at Fender or Ibanez.

I already had '73 4001 Rick bass. This is one beautiful bass! One of the last (995 out of 1000) basses sold. Made in 2000. Vintage set-up like Chris Squire's bass. Met Alan White (Yes drummer since 1972) at local hardware store in Seattle. If you love Yes and art-rock bass sound this is the bass for you!

I've been playing bass since Beatles "Ed Sullivan" performances in '64. I play classic "classical rock" i.e.: Yes, Crimson, Genesis (with Peter), Gentle Giant and early Kansas etc.

If you love this style of music - this bass is for you - no doubt!

Took off factory strings and replaced with RotoSound "RoundWound" Long-Scale strings which intensified the punchy Squire-esque sound.

I currently use 200 watt Yorkville amp with 15" celestion speaker, Warwick ext speaker with (4) 10" cele speakers and DigiTech BP-4 effects board.

Action is good (you will probably modify to your feel) and also adjust pick-ups according to your intonation needs.

Finish is Chris Squire "creme color" and is flawless on this new bass! I live in Seattle and local bass specialty merchant is blown away by the beautiful finish.

I've already been offered twice what I originally paid for it.

I take good care of my basses like most serious players do. Other than this bass I currently own: '73 Stereo 4001 Black Rick (in great shape) along with a '2000 Alembic "Essence" Zebra-Wood Finish Bass, and 2001 Hofner Beatle "Deluxe" Bass. With this kind of selection I use the appropriate bass for the tune called.

I hadn't dealt with the Ric factory prior to my buy of this bass.
I became interested with buying this bass late in the game. I placed the order with a local Ric distributor and contacted Ric Customer Service directly via e-mail and was assured that I would get the bass without problem. I got it b-4 the quoted lead-time.

ENJOY!!!!!

I located a 1999 CS4001 second hand from a store in Chicago. Like all Ricks, it is made in the USA. It features neck through body construction, 21 frets, passive system. Two pickups: the neck PU is a 'toaster' and the bridge PU is a 'horseshoe'. The neck (and 'wings' on the headstock) are African Vermillion. The body is a slightly tapered 4001S design; there is no binding either on the neck or body. Finish is a cream/yellow colour found only on the Chris Squire bass.
The neck is slightly 'chunkier' towards the headstock than some Ricks but very playable. This bass came with silver case and certificate.

This bass truly excels in this category. Unlike other Ricks, the bridge PU holds its own with the neck PU. Currently used with a Gallien Kreuger amp, and it sounds much more full throughout the spectrum. I tried it up against a top of the line Ibanez bass at soundcheck and it was no contest. Truly superior sound.

The bass' setup was fine- minimal changes for playability with one major exception: the dreaded 'horseshoe' PU. For me (and many players) the magnet cover is DIRECTLY where my pick/fingers want to be. The magnet covers HAD to be removed and washers added so that the PU could still be used in situ. I realize Rick wanted to maintain the 'vintage' appeal, but this was truly a hassle. The finish is excellent, although I've heard some complaints from others with this bass. The fretboard has a grainy, pourous look- plays fine, but does look unusual.

I plan on using this bass as my primary instrument, and have already done so for a few months. Everything seems solid, although I get the feeling the finish will get chipped easily. Strap buttons are a worry; they just seem small; I'll probably get some sort of locking system.

I've had several Ricks and never had to employ warranty service. I did write once with a query and they never replied. I've heard some negative comments from a dealer, but I have no personal experience with this.

I've been a longtime Rick player and decided I wanted one of these after they went out of production. It's the nicest instrument I've owned, and I've had Gibsons, Fenders etc. The sound is excellent; everyone in the band was immediately impressed, and they are NOT Rick fans generally speaking. Other than the bridge PU magnet cover, this bass has been problem free and a joy to play.

'99 made in CA, African Vermillion, Rock Maple, neck-thru Chris Squire Limited Edition with vintage pickups, including the "toaster" pickup. Medium frets, passive electronics, "lemon-yellow" in color. Two pickups, one volume and tone control per pickup (4 knobs). Rickenbacker (Schaller) bridge and tuners, came with silver, vintage case and Certificate of Authenticity.

The bass sang, especially on higher notes. What can you say about Rickenbacker? Very unique in sound, but not very versatile. You either love Ricks, or hate them, and I love them. Raising the muting on the bridge gave a GREAT sound.
I attained Geddy's ESL sound with no problem, for example.

This bass looked beautiful, but had a mid-neck "twist" and the action was way too high. There was constant buzzing mid-neck as well. The dealer adjusted the action to get rid of the buzz and that meant even higher action. The buzz kept returning, and you could hear it through the amp. They advised me I could send it back to Rickenbacker and pay the shipping. Otherwise, I'd have to live with it.
Furthermore, the CS Limited Ed. has the dumbest, most inconvenient metal plate over the pickup (as they all do), and this "horseshoe" pickup cover is NOT removeable under any circumstances on the CS Edition, despite what the "experts" from alt.rickenbacker stated. Very inconvenient; why bother with it? Show me one person that plays a Rick WITH the metal plate. I guarantee that person's in the minority. MEMO to Rickenbacker: GET RID OF THE METAL PLATES; THEY ARE RIDICULOUS.
On normal 4001s and 3s, the plate can be easily removed (and everytime I see someone playing either, the plate is removed, already stated). On the CS, the pickup was glued and could be removed WITH the metal plate (the plate and pickup are one piece). Alright, enough about the metal plate.
The neck was a bit thick and took some getting used to. The neck's back had a finish that did not allow fast runs, in my opinion. My hand always slowed down on the neck's back. The finish was pretty, but not practical.
To pay $1200 for a bass whose neck buzzes from A to D, with high action is ludicrous.
But the bass' tone was awesome. "WAS" is key here.

Dual truss rods = GIANT headaches in my book, and this bass proves it. Adjust the lower truss, guess what? Now, you have to adjust the upper. Compare it to getting a haircut and trying to even out your sideburns: cut too high on the left, adjust the right, etc, and so on. Sure, it's durable, if the bass is constructed correctly from the beginning.
The hardware seemed like it would last, but I never played out with this bass.
The way the action and neck kept moving (weather likely), I could never rely exclusively on this bass for shows. The buzz sounded cheesy rather than "Squire-like," if you know what I mean.
The bass' finish was beautiful and looked to last forever; all tuners, bridge, pickups, knobs VERY high quality and easy to use.

The company was friendly, but since this bass had so much I did not like about it (it was a nice present for X-mas), I got rid of it. And that was a shame, because the SOUND was the best I've ever heard. But that "Rick" sound came at an aggravating price.
The neck needed to be filed and the 12th E needed to be crowned reportedly. Again, keep in mind this bass retails for $1800 with case....
But Rickenbacker wanted me to pay the shipping to get the work done and would not (reportedly) subcontract the work to the dealer. All this is 2nd-hand, from the dealer.

This bass sounded great.
Neck movement, high action, a metal plate that coudn't be removed, slow neck, buzzes from 5th to 7th, audible through the AMP(!), very difficult bass. I guess it's like a Ferrari, where you need your own mechanic and have to maintain the bass day in and out. I speak only of the CS, please remember that. Very disappointing. But the sound, oh the sound... the best I've ever heard. Oh well, it's gone.
I traded it in and was extremely lucky I traded it back in at "face value."
I wish Rickenbacker would make graphite neck basses with thin necks, and without the metal plates. The sound, I presume, would not be so unique, though.
Playing for 25 years, Fender Jazz, Sadowsky preamp, Ampeg SVT 350T. Modulus answered my prayers when I traded in the Rick, but the warmth just is not there like with the Rick. I still am glad I got rid of it, though. Maybe someday, I'll look at a 4003, but not anytime soon.