Rickenbacker 4003 Bass

Absolutly excellent!

Awesome sound. I love it!

Super! Excellent!

Very good. I love it.

Richard Cannata from Rickenbacker factory always can help me!
Excellent man!

I newer want to have some other ebass!!!!

Review is for a 2009 Rickenbacker 4003 bass. Mapleglo. Drop dead gorgeous looking bass with full width traingular fret markers and vintage tone selector. Thu neck construction. Price included standard Ric hard case, a couple of allen keys to adjust bridge. Sadly they dont include the toll to adjust the double truss rod.

What can I say that hasn't already been said many, many times about Rics. The sound is classic. The vintage tone selector gives the option of engaging the capacitor in the bridge pick up and re-creates the classic 4001 sound. Amazing sound. I note many people taking about Rics not being good for slap. I would have to disagree, i found it fairly easy to slighly adapt my slap style to work beautifully on the Ric. Also a lot more versatile that I expected.With patience I can get a good 'warm' sound as well as the classic Ric sound. Suits all styles.

The set up straight out of the box was very good. Some fret buzz so had it professionally set up and it now plays superbly. Nice responsive action, no fret buzz or other unwanted stuff. Single coils make it a bit noisy when I stray too near to the amp.General finish was very good.

Built like a tank. All the hardware looks and feels substantial and the quality of the finish is excellent.Stays in tune for days on end.

I've been playing since the beginning of time. I've played many different basses in my time from Steinbergers in the 80's, Precisions in the 70's and a Status, Fender Jazz and numerous Ibanez's in between. I've always wanted a ric and have tried to get that sound out of most of the basses I've owned. The real deal beats them all hands down. They are expensive, and the wait is unbelievably long but well worth it. If were gone I'd sit down and cry, then rob a bank and buy another.

My 4003 in jetglo was manufactured in March 2003
Last year I refitted it with the capacity mode switch, as I heard this when paying a visit to one of my buddies owning a 4003 from the 2006 series. From 2006 onwards Rickenbacker delivers the 4003 with this tone switch, allowing to choose between the classic "old" sound (some low frequencies are cut off in tjis mode).
I liked the "old school" sound, because this recalled the classic sound I heard in my youth when listening to records by Deep Purple or Yes.

It fits perfectly to "my" music.
My sound gear consists of an Ampeg B500DR, played through two cabinets of Ampeg's BTX series (one 2x10 and 1x15 speakers) and additionally, I own a 4x10 cabinet by House of Speakers, a local manufacturer who is building very good sounding cabinets. The reason for this choice: Excellent sound, perfectly matching the sound of the Ampeg cabinets, but wheighing almost "nothing" ;-)
Occasionally, I use some effects by EBS: DynaVerb, UniChorus, BassIQ and (well, this is not really an effect) the BassComp.
With all this I am able to get any variety in sound I like and I don't miss a thing. Interestingly enough, the Rick's sound is so warm, rich and full that I really don't miss any effects when playing my baby.
Al in all I haven't any dislikes witj the sound of the instrument, even more since I have the option of choosing between both sound worlds thanks to the switch for the capacitor mode.

The factory set-up was very satisfying and arrived in excellent condition.
Only when changing the type of strings I had to adjust the neck and the the bridge a bit. After testing a lot of different strings (brands and types), finally I ended up with using flat wounds. In my case it is the La Bella Deep Talking Bass 760 FL. The natch perfectly to the sound provided by the Rick PUs and give me a good feel when playing.

No complaints at all. A nice bass equipped with very good hardware. Now, I own it since five years, playing it very often and nothing has failed so far.
The paint is excellent and it survived my radomly "bangs". Once, it even fell from the stand, because I hadn't put the bass firmly on it - nothing happend, not one scratch or even worse damage!

So far, I didn't need to contact Rickenbacker.

As I just wrote, I own it since five years. I am the first owner and I will be his last, because under no circumstances I will mot sell it.
If my Rick should be stolen, immediately I would by a new one. Hopefully, this never will become necessary!
Currently, it is somewhat difficuld to get a new one in Central Europe, as for which reason ever the deliveries to Europe seem to be scarce. I heard from people interested in buying a brand new one that meanwhile it is no exception that you have to be very patiemt, because you have to wait up to one year until you receive a brand new one. ;-(

I had a 4001 several years ago which was stolen and eventually replaced it many years later with another 4001 but was never happy with it so sold it and in September 2007 I spent a day phoning every guitar shop I could find until I came across my new baby. It is a 4003 in Bluesburst. I wasnt sure about the colour at first but have grown to love it. It came in a Ric hardcase with a cloth and a manual. The hardcase isnt as good as the old ones but is lighter. It has strap locks as standard which is handy for switching between the Ric and my fender Jazz, although the Jazz is getting very neglected recently. It never goes out of tune and I have only had to adjust the E tuner once because I clonked it on a cymbal. I have always liked the pickup cover and have left it in place. if you persevere with it you eventually find what Rickenbacker were aiming for. The finish is lovely, as it always is on a Ric, the see through finish showing the mahogany wings is a nice addition, something the jetglo users dont get to see! This bass gets gigged regularly and hasnt let me down in any way and it is always getting compliments and admiring looks, One bass player even tried to get his roadie to mug me for it!

I play in a rock/blues band and this bass fits in well with what we do. we are a 3 piece with a singer and the vintage tone on the Ric fills out the sound. I play it through an Ampeg b2r and an Ampeg 410HLF cab. The depth and clarity of sound is awesome even at high volume. I dont use any effects or pedals, just a Fender rack tuner and the Ampeg. I use it with both pickups and volume and tone turned right up and adjust the tone and volume through the amp. i set the amp with high bass,midtones and top. I use the graphic eq on the amp and drop the sliders between the low/mid/high down by about 20% I find this gives me a good tonal range that is very 70's I use it for recording as well. I havent found anything I dislike about this bass

The set up from the factory is fine, it is set up low, almost to the point of rattle which is how I like it. I tend to play fairly light and let the amp do the work. The pick ups are fine, they seem to be about right.
Didnt notice any flaws although with a hand made instrument there must be some.

I use it for live and rehearsals and it looks and sounds just as good as it did on day 1.
Ricenbacker seem to use good quality parts so I dont expect anything to wear out to quickly.
The finish is very good and seems to be quiet thick and durable and isnt showing any signs of wear.
This has got to be one of the most reliable guitars on the market and I havent had to adjust anything.
I have 5 basses and only use this and a fender Geddy Lee Jazz for live work. 90% the Ric. I have started leaving the Jazz at home as the Ric is all I need and I do trust it.

I dont think this really applies as I live in the UK and Rics warranty only seems to recognise the good old US of A. Even if it did apply to the UK I dont think it would get used as my previous Rick was over 25 years old with no problems

I have been playing since I was 13 (now 50)
My current gear consists of
Ric 4003
Fender Jazz
Thunderbird
Vintage 5 string
Yamaha RBX
Thinline telecaster
semi acoustic jazz guitar
Samson airline bass wireless kit
Ampeg B2r
Ampeg 410hlf
fender rack tuner
if the Ric was stolen I would get another in a heartbeat.
I love the Ric because it makes the walls shake and it looks so beautiful, also it is the coolest looking bass ever!
I compare it to other basses but nothing ever comes close.
if you have never owned a Ric then I advise you to sell your possesions and family to get one.

Nothing that you probably don't already know--made in the USA, 2 single coil pickups, standard 4003--though mine is a 1983 so I guess the truss rod adjustments are on the opposite end compared to later 4003 basses. My Ric was just set up by a well known shop here in the St. Louis area and I'm told that Ric's are the only basses in which the truss rods can be replaced in the field. That's nice to know, though I've never had to have it done.

I'm solely a rock bassist since I was 15, and that was 25 years ago. The Ric still turns heads when you take it out of the case. I DO have the Ric-O-Sound box but haven't had the opportunity to fully explore all of the sounds. With home recording, I find that I'll take the bass side directly into the board and mic the treble off the cabinet. I first started playing with a Peavey Combo 300 25 years ago. The sound was...well....less than desired. Plug this thing into a nicer amp and all the personality you've read and heard about comes out. I have two bass amps--a Marshall 3520 and a Trace Elliot GP7SM--both are 200 watts. I play these through a lower end Hartke 4x10 cab. The sound is good, but I believe I'd like to try a stereo setup of a 2x10 for the highs and a 1x15 or 2x15 for the lows. Lastly, I'm itching to try the Ric through a tube amp--perhaps an old Sunn or an old tube driven SVT.

Having had a recent setup, I believe that the bass just now delivers the sound that I want--accentuating the fact that if the bass isn't setup correctly, not only does the playability suffer, but so does the sound.

I bought this used in '83..or was it '84? Anyway, the action was okay but not nearly as good as it is now. Now it's lightning quick. The Jetglo (black) finish has done extremely well over time.
Aside from one issue (see below), I'd say that, overall, it's a well made instrument.

I've done a few live gigs with this and it has done outstanding. There's no question that you can count on the Ric to see you through the gig. I also play guitar as well, and compared to my Les Paul, the Ric is a piece of cake to wear for an extended period of time.

Back in '84 or '85 I did send the 4003 back to Ric for a neck adjustment after my local guy said he couldn't get the neck to setup right for him. Thinking back, I have a feeling that he didn't know quite what he was doing. The company took care of me, but I believe that at that time there was a fee for the service. Either way, they did what they said they would but seemed somewhat indifferent.

I've had/played Fender basses before and haven't been satisfied with the quality or the feel of the necks. The Ric isn't quite as thick as a P Bass, but isn't necessarily as cramped (toward the nut) as a Jazz.

If this thing were stolen or lost, I'd be devastated. As an '83 I have to assume it's starting to appreciate some...considering I bought it originally for $400.

Turn the gain up on your amp and mix a balanced amount of treble and bass and enjoy a nice, warm growl. That's probably why you bought a Ric in the first place...

It's a solid instrument--neck-through construction, 3-way pickup selector, and a stereo output. Also very stout, if somwhat over-sensitive to environmental sourroundings... Mine doesn't have the push/pull pot, so I can't comment on that.

I like the "Rickenbacker tone." in addition to being very "jangely," It has a very warm sound in the upper register, at least when played through my solid-state amp. Try playing it with a pick, and maxing your amp out--works for me. As for applications: in the studio your producer might not like the direct sound; it's somewhat "gruff"--you might try using a small amp and eq-ing that, then using a mic. On the stage, people don't seem to notice the signature "growl." Of course, I wasn't around to hear Yes when they were at their peak, or the old Rush, for that matter, so I can't say if this bass will really project in that manner--perhaps it's of note however that at these particular gigs I was either using an amp meant primarily for the upright or going direct through a rather colorless PA...

On my particular instrument, the 6th fret on the G string side was a little too high, so there's some buzz on that string. Also, the mono output has a crackle that comes and goes, and my dealer couldn't fix it (my advice, by the way, is to buy this bass from a local, independant dealer--if you can find one--simply because they tend to stand behind their products, and from what I hear the truss rods are somewhat delicate).
On my ric I had to install steel strings, lower the bridge and raise the neck pickup to get the sound Chris Squire used to get.

The finish on this bass is quite impressive. Very glossy. It does get worn with lots of persperation, however, so take your beater if you're playing on a 115--degree day. The tuners are almost TOO precise. The truss rods must be adjusted with changes in environment as well as string-changes, so find someone who can do it or you may end up with a bass that buzzes like hell or has action like an acoustic upright.

Since I bought mine from an independant dealer they performed all the maintanance, so I've never had to deal with the company itself.

I've been playing for about fourteen years now, in a variety of styles ranging from blues to pop-rock to prog-rock. I intend to be buried with it, simply because the only new ones I've come by are ridiculously expensive. That being said, if I could afford it, I would buy another one. This bass has its own personality--"it's a good thing." Playing through everything from a practice amp (alone, of course) to an all-tube Ampeg, this bass asserts itself--something I think a bass (and its player) should do.

1996 Rickenbacker 4003 bass. Jetglo (black) finish; two single-coil pickups, each with their own volume and tone controls; 3-way toggle switch (neck, neck/bridge, bridge); 20 frets; dual truss rods; wired for rick-o-sound stereo jacks; all the style you'd expect from a Rickenbacker. Came with a hardshell case.

Classic Rick sound. Aggressive and powerful. Not a particularly versatile bass in the way of tone. In my opinion, it is best suited for rock and pop playing. Not the bass of choice for every style. I have used mine professionally for the ten years I've had it (first owner) and do sometimes feel limited by what I can play with it. I know they say it's a poor musician who blames his instrument, but I've never been able to get that warm, smooth Motown/Stax sound with it. For the bulk of my playing though, it has served me very well for a very long time.

It was almost perfect the day I bought it. The action was good, though I did have to tweak it a little after it was home. The finish was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. It was like electric sex gleaming on the Mars Music wall. I told the clerk I'd buy it before I even played it! In ten years, I have only had a few minor chips and cracks in the finish, most of which were caused by some excessive drinking during some gigs. The factory finish is (in my opinion) bulletproof when treated like a lady should be.

I have never used a backup bass. This is the only bass I've used for years. I have never even so much as broken a string during a show. I used to joke that I would never have to tune this bass. It was almost true. It would stay in tune through two hours of a gig. It's just a very solid beast of a bass. Without a doubt, it's a tank.

I think it was a year warranty, though the option to GET the warranty in the first place expired three days after purchase. I wish I would've known, I would've liked to have had the warranty.

I was a young Beatles fan when I first fell in love with the Rick. It was perhaps a little stupid of me to base my desire for an instrument on one source of listening. Silly me...I had never heard Yes or Rush or early Genesis. I just thought that beautiful bass that McCartney was playing had the sweetest, softest, most bubbly sound ever (other Rick owners are laughing). When I bought it, I was shocked to find out that it didn't sound a thing like the bass I had heard on Sgt. Pepper. It was ballsy and hard hitting. It cut through guitars like a chainsaw and I liked it. It will never sound like a Fender, it will never sound like a Gibson. Buying one will certainly not make you Chris Squire. It is a unique creature that doesn't compare to anything else. If it were stolen, I would cry like a little girl. I don't think I'd be able to buy another right away, but I would certainly buy another.

2007, USA, fretted, 4-string, thru body neck, two passive single coil pickups, volume and tone for each pickup with vintage tone selector for bridge pickup, 3-way pickup selector switch, comes with case and allen wrench (which seems to be the wrong size).

It has all the features I want. (I could drop it to an 8 for the allen wrench but I have allen wrenches.) I've been playing a Tobias Growler for the last 10 years and it has too many features. The complicated EQ on the '97 model makes it too much effort to dial in a sound I like.

I played a Guild B-301 for 10 years before that and all it has is one single coil with volume and tone. I never had a problem getting a tone I like out of that. I just bought the Rick yesterday and found the sound I like after only 5 minutes of playing.

The reason the bass gets a 9 instead of a 10 is the goofy cover over the bridge pickup. It makes the bass impossible to play since that's where I hit the strings. It's also just chromed plastic and totally non-functional. It was removed in 10 minutes but it leaves a big hole. I may fabricate a new cover so I have somewhere for my thumb.

Way to go Rickenbacker. You lose a point on features for the one you added that I don't want!

I hear a lot of discussion about the tonal range of the 4003 but that's BS. It sounds like a Rick. That's why you buy it. It has the single-coil growl of my old Guild but with much more warmth. I always wanted a Rick after hearing Paul Gray from the Damned and Lemmy from Motorhead but price and availability cost me 20 years.

I have played a lot of styles from alt-pop to punk to metal but I always liked the growl of single coils. These days I'm playing in a punk/alt-rock band. The Rick will be sweet.

Like I said I found the sound after only 5 minutes. I tried each pickup alone, played with tone (discarded the idea of ever using the vintage setting), then I put the switch in the middle, turned everything up, rolled the neck volume off just below half-way and there she blows!!!

To be fair there is tonal variation, especially with the vintage sound. It's not really something I'll use though and it's not as flexible as my Tobias. BTW, the Tobias will be up for sale this week. So much for flexibility.

Action is great. Small amount of fret buzz but that's a lot to do with how hard I play. I usually set my basses up this way anyway. Neck is dead straight (yes that's how it's supposed to be). I did adjust the polepieces on the pickups for the E-string but I think it's the string that's a little dead.

I do see some minor paint flaws around the neck/body joints but I would expect that on a hand produced product. Maybe I'm being over generous. There's certainly no defects I would complain about. I tried a Schecter in a store a while back that was unplayable since the strings were touching the fretboard along the whole length.

It seems very solid. I'll update my review once I've played it a while. I'll probably resist beating on it like I normally do for a little while until the newness wears off.

Finish looks solid and mine came with strap locks. I would rely on it as much as any other bass I've owned but I never play without a backup!

No comment

I've been playing for over 20 years. I own a Guild B-301 and a Tobias Growler (until I sell it). Strictly a 4-string player. I just switched my bass rig. I'm playing through a Line6 PodXT Live floor board, a Crown XLS-402 power amp, Fender 4x10 and Ampeg 1x15.

If my new baby were lost or stolen I'd definitely buy the same again (assuming the insurance paid up). This bass is drop dead gorgeous. It looks and sounds distinctive in an era where my Tobias looks like any Yamaha, Ibanez, ESP, modern-styled bass. I'm done with humbuckers. Single-coil's only from here on out!!!

I narrowed down my selection to a 4003 or a Stingray but the Stingray just sounded like my Tobias. I do like the balance of the Tobias and Stingray better than the 4003 but I'll adjust to that. It's way less head heavy than my Guild.

The only advice I'd give a potential purchaser is to be sure you know it will never sound like a Musicman or an MTD. It will only ever sound like a Rick.

Standard 4003 USA made in 1997. I just discovered how to dramatically improve the output level while decreasing the single coil noise these pickups produce while also improving the "Growl" Rics are famous for so I'd thought I'd share my findings with other 4003 owners. I'll get to it in a later category. Mine is white with black hardware and binding. Like all 4003's it is a neck-through body consisting primarily of Maple and I don't even know what the fingerboard is made of,, some sort of Mahogany?? Two single coil pickups with a volume and tone control for each one. I've made no alteration to the bass in the last 10 years I've owned it until now and I wish I'd tried this simple mod sooner.

Well, these basses have a very unique and attractive sound as most of us know. For those unsure about the tone of a Ric 4000 series bass some key examples are old Yes or Rush records. You can hear examples of those two bands songs on classic rock radio stations all the time. "Roundabout" by Yes may be the best example of the Ric sound. Paul McCartney used a Ric for years during the late 60's with the Beatles and throughout the 70's. It seems to me that he favored the neck pickup with his amp set for a fat, saturated tone and this is not the tone most of us think of when we think of a Ric bass. Bright, Springy, Growly and Punchy is what most of think of. I almost always favored using both the neck and bridge p/u together with the tones all the way up and I might roll the volume on one of the two pickups down just a hair to either boost the bass or treble a little. The bridge p/u sound I've always liked but seems a little too thin for my tastes on it's own but it is a good tone. I never liked the neck p/u alone sound,, it is muddy and dark sounding and unlike the bridge p/u it lacks clarity. The only thing I ever loved about the neck alone tone was that I discovered that I could get very close to Geddy Lee's bass tone on the "Moving Pictures" album by using just the neck pickup and cranking up my Ampeg SVT-350 into a SVT410HLF amp/cab. When you distort that pickup through an Ampeg you'll get that super fat and crunchy sound. I decided to see if I could brighten the tone of the neck pickup though by switching out the .047u capacitor attached to that pickup between the selector switch and tone control. I found after experimentation that disconnecting the capacitor altogether and not using any substitute brightened the tone greatly giving the neck pickup a Growl like the bridge P/U. It is a big change that I like a lot. It also really seems to boost the total output level and the bass is much less noisy. You don't even have to solder anything to try this. Just remove the strings, open up the control cavity and clip the capacitor lead at the bass tone control,, cut it close so it can be resoldered if you don't like the change. Then put it all back together. The sacrifice is that you no longer have a tone control on that pickup but personally don't care because I never used it anyway. I went ahead and did the same thing on the bridge pickup to see what happened and it didn't seem to alter the tone of that pickup at all but it did seem to make the neck pickup up a bit more bassy and seemed to improve output and noise reduction just a bit more as well. It also seemed to give the both pickups at the same time combination more of the character it had before I altered anything. So, now I have no tone controls at all but I extremely happy with the change.

The bass sounded horrible until I put new strings on it when I first got it brand new. I think I had to tweak things quite a bit when I first got it but it was 10 years ago so I don't know for sure. They are easy to setup if you know what you are doing. The double truss rod in these basses are downright awsome,, thank you Rickenbacker and shame on everyone else. I also want to point out that parts quality and workmanship inside the control cavity are excellent. The finish had flaws before I even bought the bass down by the bottom strap button. There are orange streaks from where it had been sitting on a cheap guitar stand in the store. The cheap foam caused the finish to stain. This is not Rickenbacker's fault but I should say that the finish,, although beautiful seems to be sensitive. My white bass is showing signs of yellowing. I don't care though,, the feel and sound makes up for it. You can really get a low action with these basses and mine rings clear on every note. Frets are in great shape after 10 years of medium play but I never use stainless steel strings,,, always nickel. All frets are cleaning laid in the neck still,, no extrusions out of the sides. Everyone says you can't slap on a Ric but you can with a little practice. You have to really pay attention to your slap hand placement and you can't have the pickups raised too high. The slap tone is great. You're not going to go as slap happy as you can on a Stingray or Fender though. There is a limit with slapping on a Ric but you can slap on one.

The only problem I've ever had was with an crackling sound coming out of the bass on occasion,, I tried to track it down and couldn't. It wasn't the jacks. I've played it live,, no problems there. It came with strap lock buttons from the factory. Thanks Ric. As I mentioned, the finish is prone to discoloration but the clear coating seems very rugged from a durability point of view.

I never had to call them about the bass although I tried to call them about selling them computer goods and they hung up on me. It really hurt my feelings at the time but I gotta respect them for that.

I've been playing since '85,, dreamed about having a Ric for thirteen years before getting one. If I sold or lost it,, I would probably get something else but I know I'd eventually want another one. I gotta say something about the value of these basses. Although they are not cheap,, they are so much worth the money when you compare them to other basses in the same price range. You're getting an AMERICAN HANDMADE instrument,, a neck through ,, not bolt on necked bass for the same cost as this stuff being mostly made in asia with a few finishing touches done here in the US and being called American made. Definitely worth the price tag.

Made in 2006 - Jetglo with standard RIC features except that I had the bass pickup (HI_GAIN) changed for a vintage one.

Less bottom than the standard hi-gain bass pickup but if you are into crisp, cruchchy, ringing piano-like sounds, stop looking. I used the 4003 with an Ampeg rig consisting of a B2re head and 2 SVT 410 HE cabs. Sounds as good as my first brand new 4001 back in 1972.

Set up was re-done?? by the store where I purchased the bass. I did my own tweaking of the trussrod and bridge with much better results than the store. Action is as low as you can imagine . Finish is excellent and stability of the neck is fantastic considering that I live in an area where temperature ranges from damn cold in the winter and hot and huimid in the summer.

I own and owned several RICs and other brands of musical instruments and Rickenbacker is in a class by itself as far as reliabilty is concerned. Contrary to some urban legends, the 4003 is not a fragile instrument. By the way I am not a all-year gigging musician therefore I take great care of my stuff and by simply avoiding the typical idiotic macho behaviour of many colleagues out there; example : carrying the bass in the trunk of your car while the case "sleeps" under your bed. Anyway, banging guitars off the wall should not be a criteria to prove the instrument is well-made!

Again you here all kinds of horror stories surrounding dealing with RIC. Hever had any problem and my few questions and requests have been handled in more than decent manners, that goes back to the 70's - remember the good old postal system?

RIC seems to be stubborn in producing super wide variety of special features and options work or in introducing new models and that is probably why I love these instruments so much. NO MARKETING BULSH>>>!
One good wood, good hardware and dedicated people!