Rickenbacker 4003 Bass

2003, USA. Fire Glo. 20 frets w/ triangle-like pearloid fretmarkers. 33 1/4" scale.

Individual bass/treble volume/tone knobs (4 total).

2 single coil pickups. Has standard/rick-o-sound stereo output. Nifty indeed, the difference is interesting.

Maple neck/body. Body shines like a new car. The actual fretboard shines, too. Elegant/powerful looks.

Neck is a little fat, took some time to get used to. Will quickly improve the left hand motor skills if you play consistantly for a week or two.

Came with a hardshell flight case. After a while, mine wouldn't close right.

In short - it sounds as amazing as it looks.

If you have a decent amplifier, this bass can easily become the focus of any performance. Between this and a Fender Jazz, I think most people prefer this sound.

It can be amazingly bad-ass if you want it to be.

The sound is very rich/full. It establishes it's freaking presence. Everything you play is full and distinguishable.

The "10" rating is really not an exaggeration. It's incredible.

The action was a little higher than I was used to, the strings were a little thick, but I just kept playing and improving my game.

I'm going to bring it in for a pick-up checkup, just because I think my neck pickup is offset a little. I'm not sure. It's entirely negligable.

Other than that, the damn thing's a gem.

I like to envision this bass as a huge battle-axe when I play live. In the middle of battle, you know? It stands out, people fear it. It's powerful. I dunno.

I banged it up a good deal without it detuning. Never had any input trouble. I trust the tuning pegs more than I trust and other guitar or bass peg I've ever fiddled with.

This is the only bass you'll ever need. Just don't drop it off of a building or anything. Although I'm sure it would probably still work.

Finish will get dinged up a little if you're not careful, though. Negligable.

I've been playing for half a decade. I play it through an SWR 350x head, which I don't like, and Aguilar GS112, and an SWR Big Ben. I don't feel that my equipment is good enough for the 4003, but it contends well against my friend's amazing Marshall stack and his Hot Rod. At the same time.

If it were stolen, I'd get a job and save up for another one. Get this straight: I HATE spending my money. But I would for another one of these. I think it's the most worthwhile expense I've ever paid for.

When I was deciding, it was between this and a GOOD Fender Jazz. I just realized that I'd be saying "what if?" if I didn't get the Rickenbacker. For god's sake, it's a damn Rickenbacker. Can't deny it.

Mine was made in 2003, in jetglo. All else is previously covered.

Sound is fantastic. It is hard-edged and aggressive. It truly does ring with the clarity of a piano. The brightness and clarity of notes in the upper register are better than any other bass that I've ever heard. It sings in this area. Down low is very clear, too, with extreme definition of notes. Listen to Yes, Beatles' Sgt. Pepper era, Deep Purple, and this bass is nails these sounds. No bass can sound like a Ric; only a Ric can! It is not an extremely versatile bass, but it the essence of Late-60's through 70's rock. Slightly noisy pickups at times, but I won't lower the rating, as this comes with the territory of owning a Ric. Factory strings are really nice roundwounds that compliment the aggressive sound of the bass. I've recently switched to TI flats to capture the McCartney sound, and it nails it.

Bass was superb in its setup. The action is really low. Pickup height was perfect. There is one flaw in the upper horn--it is a scratch in the wood, on the front face, underneath the paint. It appears that it wasn't sanded out during that process. It can be seen at an angle. Other than that, no flaws, whatsoever. Chrome is fantastic in its shine. The neck is thicker than a wider and thicker than a Jazz, feels about the same as a precision, but deeper. I prefer the necksize of the Jazz & Precision, but in little time you get used to the thicker neck of the Ric. Thickness is due to the fact of having two trussrods, which means the neck will stay basically stable for the life of the instrument.

Very dependable. Slightly noisy, especially when cord is bumped or moved in the jack. Built to the ultimate standards, heavy duty bridge, straplocks are there to stay, etc. Mine is 1 year old and I've changed strings, and have yet to adjust the truss rod. Very stable neck. Would surely gig without a backup---no problem. Ric case,I will note, is the nicest I've seen. As durable as a MusicMan case, but have the best latches of any brand, bar none, and each of 4 latches lock! Blows away Fender cases, and the latches put them ahead of MusicMan.

Talked to Ric one time to ask a couple questions, and were very nice and helpful. I've heard stories to the contrary, but they were great with me.

One of the classiest basses you'll ever see, and has the most distinctive sound of any bass ever made. The body has the beauty and lines reminiscent of a classic late 50's car. It is the one bass that truly is a work of art to look at, and the sound is up to the task of matching the beauty of the body. Build quality, fantastic. Hardware, about the best. Looks and sound, nothing else like them. I couldn't be happier. Great bass.

Single-coil pickups, like old school basses can a bit noisy, but small price to pay for the tunderous sound. Conrolls for bass and treble volume and tone, 3-position pickup switch. The stereo "Rick-o-sound" feature is I think is outdated, but who cares I dont use it anyway. I personaly like passive electronics versus active, so I wont be bashing it for that reason

Nothing sounds like a Rick, lots of different tones that can be had. Thunderous, growly punchy GREAT!!! I play through an Ampeg B2-R half stack sounds amazing for they music I play (old school style metal and hard rock) suits that job exactly but could be used for almost anything

Very well made (I would expect that from a expensive US made insrument) Fireglo finish flawless

Rickenbackers are very durable. They dont feel as solid as say a fender precision, but as long as you dont run over one with a bus or throw if off the stage every night into a table they will last forever.

I have had to deal with Rickenbacker just once on another Bass. They are finnicky on what they will fix and tend to be slow (its just the nature of their business I guess) They got it done but was not stellar.

I LOVE MY RICKENBACKER!!!! I owned one for a short time about 5 years ago but sold it as I jumped on the designer bass bandwagon with all the active elctronics and bells and whisles, boy was I sad. I dont ever intend on selling this bass, in fact I will wait the 6-8 months and order another in Jetglo. I also own a Fender USA presicion bass in orange transparent, love it too but the Rick is now top dog in my roost.

The same as always. It's an old vintage style bass, although it's late production.

It's an old vintage sound. The sound is more unique than actually being better. You can tell when a Rickenbacker is playing. Like old Jazz basses, the single coil pickups can be noisy. There are no active preamp options, so some modern styles are not served by this bass. This bass is good for doing old music that was recorded on it when P, J, T-Bird, and Rick basses were about the only game in town. A Warwick, Modulus, Tobias, Lakland, or Spector player will view it as a trip down memory lane, but not as a competitive instrument. For about $500, you can get Asian neck-thru basses such as the Schecter Stiletto that are more than competitive with laminated necks of different woods and active electronics for modern styles. They will not sound like a Rick, but they will not sound any worse and will be more versatile. You buy a Rick bass for its unique sound, not the greatest sound out there. In other words, a lot like a Fender Jazz bass in its vintage sound appeal. Since I like modern tone and low action like a Spector, and you can get one of their top Czech import instruments for around $1000, the Rick is now barely passing in my book. RIC has a couple of great new guitars on the market, but it's time for them to give us a modern bass with a strong neck and active electronics, or at least lower the price like they did on their new 650D guitar. They now have a professional entry level guitar that outclasses their basses, and so does the 380L semihollow guitar with piezo pickup option. Time for a bass upgrade, RIC!

The good part is that RIC finishes these things in varnish. The bad part is that you don't get a choice of tonewoods. There are two truss rods, and you need them to hold the slim neck in alignment. There are no neck reinforcements, and you know it when you find the dead frets that don't ring out like the rest. I think a bolt-on sounds better if you go with a wood neck without reinforcement. Other companies like Spector give a choice of bolt-on or neck-thru construction, but not RIC. Other basses can get a lower action and hold it more reliably over time due to graphite in the necks. A bolt-on USA or Czech Spector will ring as long or longer than a Rick, and not suffer the dead frets on the neck, due to the neck reinforcements. Rick can have styling points for being unique, but then again nobody else wants to look like them either, except the Asian copycat ripoffs that have tried. Rick basses balance well, but some others balance and feel better, like Spectors, Warwick Streamers, Peavey Cirrus, and Mike Tobias designs. A unique look and feel that is OK but has been surpassed by several manufacturers. Ricks are lighter than some, but give up rigidity in the neck to heavier basses. Intonation can be a bit of a bear to adjust. The bridge pickup cover usually gets removed. The dual truss rods are just more nuisance. My Stingray and Spector are just as stable or moreso with a single truss rod. The Fireglo finish looks good, but dated.

The varnish finish and hardware are very durable, but the neck may need more attention than a bass with a modern reinforced neck. It's not likely to outright break on you at a gig unless you dropped it hard. The passive pickups are reliable.

It all depends. They don't do out-of-warranty work. There are no regional repair centers. It all kind of sucks.

This is a backup and alternative bass for me. If I didn't have plenty of money for basses, I wouldn't own it. I prefer a Stingray to it, but I prefer a Spector to a Stingray. I will often rather play my old Jazz bass on some types of music. I haven't found a bass that rates a 10 yet, but my Spector rates a 9 any day and my Stingray an 8 on a good day with music it is suited to. The Jazz bass and 4003 are really the direct competitors and rather closely matched overall. I have a tube and solid state amp, and the 4003 works better on old tube amps, which is what it was designed for.

its a 2004 fireglo 4003. i prefer the passive electronics that it has to active. the single coil pickups can hum a bit if you face them toward your speaker cab and move in close, but the hum really goes away if you just dont do that! its got the classic ric bass crest wave shape which is pretty cool. the bridge saddle is awkward to adjust because the screws are located under the strings and are covered slightly by the metal tailpiece...you gotta look at one to understand what i mean. the tailpiece also includes a variable string mute that you can adjust by turning the two screw thingies clockwise. this must be used for stacatto because there is no place to rest your palm unless you get a new tailpiece. the dampener is great if youre a fan of james jamerson (motown) or the pet sounds bass playing, or if you just have a more melodic playing style. it comes from the factory with ric roundwounds.

ive tried this through my 1978 fender bassman and my solid stae fender bxr100. with the roundwounds that it came with, this bass gives the delicious growly, punchy tone that everyone wants and that i have no use for. the three way pickup selector gives you a lot of control over the sound you produce, but no matter how you set it it still sounds ric-like, in a good way. im not sure what kind of wacky extra-versatility options people want these days, but id rather have one thing done right than a bunch of ridiculous battery operated gimmicky tones. for live shows, obviously a tube amp will give you more punch than anything solid state. ive never had problems with getting drowned out by guitar or drums on this bass. the tone is probably better on record, but only because you can record quieter, clearer tones than you can live. i use rotosound flats and am happier with the bassier tone i have now.

very well assembled bass. made in usa. the neck is spectacular. the wood grain is good with a couple spots which are ok. the hardware is fine. its like...really shiny. i think its the perfect weight.

this bass is really reliable. the body is sturdy and the neck goes through the body so you dont need to worry about it falling off. the strap buttons work fine with any decent strap. the switch and knobs are very durable. its all sorta set up like an archtop electric guitar. the double truss rod neck makes it so you never really have to adjust it. i dont think its a good idea to gig without a backup ever just because of the string-break factor. i saw a guy playing bass at the gilman in berkeley and he broke a string and couldnt find a substitute so he started crying. it was funny. this bass is reliable though.

comes with a limited warranty. id rather not wait to send it away so if something bad happened i would go to a local place.

oh man if my ric were stolen i would cry like a little girl. i would get another one as a replacement. i usually have the string dampener pushed up right against the strings and play with a flatpick using the pickup cover as a handrest or pluck with one finger right on top of the end of the neck; i never play slap. the dampener is really the part i like the most i guess since its half the sound. the dampened finger pluck is like money, and you cant do it with your right hand alone on like a stingray or something. i guess id be happy with like a really old fender precision bass, the kind that had string dampeners and pickup covers. but other than that this is the way to go for that sound, since im not sure which other basses have that feature. it seems to freak most people out, at least on this review page. this is a great higher end bass and id rather have one of these than a beat up old 4001. i strongly recommend it.

classic 2 pickup 2 volume and 2 tone setup. very beautiful design ... a timeless classic look ... no modern preamps but those often lack warmth ... single coil pickups ... a couple of obsolete features like a mechanical mute and a stereo input ...

God I love the Ric sound ... those thunderous single coil pickups rule!!!

Ric Necks are the best ... they usually come from the factory with a high action setup ... but tweak the truss rods and bridge and you can get the action very low ... the finish on a Ric is a thing of beauty ... American made quality!

Rics are rock solid ... they hold up very well ... I have been playing various Ric models for 25 years ...

I have always bought used Rics and never dealt with customer support but I know others who had good success with them ...

I love rics ... I own several ... my favorite bass ... I converted this one into a five string ...

An old fashioned bass in fancy clothes. An upgrade of the 4001 model.

Yeah, it sounds good if you put it up against all those other basses that looked like they were designed when cars had tailfins, like the P-bass, J-bass, Thunderbird, Ripper, etc. In the 70's and 80's that all changed when companies like Alembic, Spector, Steinberger, Status, Warwick, Music Man, Tobias, and others started advancing bass technology and these old dinosaurs stayed behind. There is no active boost or cut, and that definitely hinders tone versatility.

Rickenbacker owners rave about the finish, but they are usually comparing it to an old Fender or Gibson bass, cheap imports, etc. It's good for what has happened to American craftsmanship lately. I have a cheap Chinese bass with a finish that looks about as good. It balances better than a Thunderbird, but there are cheap imports that beat it in the ergonomics department as well. It's a vintage design that's past it's prime. Most owners take off that dorky bridge pickup cover, and are left with a pickup with a big gap around it in the body. The body design is more weird than beautiful.

Rickenbacker basses have a durable finish that lasts a long time. The problem is the neck, and since it's neck-thru design, that's a major concern. I call it "Old Rubberneck" because of the thin and non-reinforced design. Going to dual truss rods helped out with the neck bow problems, but if you are used to bass necks that are reinforced for stiffness, this neck will have pronounced dead spots just like Jazz basses and other such all-wood neck designs from bassdom's vintage years. This is a good bass if you are into vintage feel and tone, but if you prefer the modern feel and durability like a Status Graphite bass and such, this will not suffice. Just remember that people like John Entwistle dumped basses like this as soon as better designs such as Alembics showed up in the 70's.

Depends on what guy you get on the other end and the mood of the day.

I just coundn't get into this bass, but they were a hot bass to own back in the 70's, in the 4001 model which is very close. If you like vintage basses you may be thrilled. People are really divided on this bass. I sold it and bought a more modern bass design with reinforced neck and active preamp.......for less money. There are plenty of import basses such as Warwick Rockbass, Spector, Peavey, Ibanez and Schecter that I would rather own for my money. If I was in a Beatles cover band, I would rather have it than a Hofner. If you need a domestic bass at a reasonable price, I would suggest an Ernie Ball S.U.B. checkout before dropping your coin for this one.

4003, 4 string,frets, standard pickups, year 2000. Pretty much a standard bass with the "rickosound" input(which I don't use). I use only the standard jack.

This Bass sounds great. I use it every weekend, all year, in club situations. I run it through an Ameg SVT classic with an Ampeg 4-10's pro cabinet. That's it, no toys in between. It has a punchy distinct
sound. Clear punch and nice warm deep lows. I use it for recording also, directly or through the amp, and it sounds great. I set all the controls wide open - volume and tone. Nice sustain, beautiful rich deep tone while maintaining the crisp highs. I use it for everything, heavy metal, pop, disco, alternative...everything. I always get complimented on my bass sound......from bass players, not just fans!

I bought it new in 2000 and it looked and played great. No flaws. I had to adjust the neck once since then. The only issue is that strap locks cannot be used on it, unless modified. The screws used for the strap bolts are bigger then the normal guitar. I made some locks myself.

So far nothing has gone wrong. It always plays well, and does the job.

N/A...no problem yet

I'm happy with the bass. If it were stolen or lost, I would buy another. It always sounds good and is dependable. I love the look, sound, feel and the compliments. I have been playing in pro bands for 20 years, I beleive that I know what sounds good and what sounds like crap. But that's my opinion! I love this bass, as soon as I picked it up and played it I fell in love with it. I have played tons of basses, and for the most part there are a lot of good ones out there. I prefer the 4003, just a great bass and a good price.

2003 Montezuma Brown Rickenbacker 4003 with all the features people have listed below, and a standard RIC (SBK) case. Ratings for features are a bit pointless IMHO!

Perfect Ric sound, also much deeper than people would have you belive. You can get it to sound like a Jazz and a Precision as well as a Ric, what more do you want. Also its quiet as a mouse even by a PC speaker, so must be shielded pretty well

Absolutly perfect, not a flaw on it. Action was perfect (shop set it up for me before shipping). The finish and wood on this guitar is totally stunning. Fretwork is excellent. People who say they can't get a low action on these guitars must have a seriously FUBAR neck!

Yeah should do, finish is Nitro so probably isn't that durable long term, unless its looked after really well. Strap buttons work with my Schaller locking strap, nice one!

I'm not going to rate this as I've not had it long enough tbh

Not yet!

I've been playing far too long and I've owned far too many basses. This is by far the best one I've ever owned, blows my Fender Jazz out of the water.

I'd be gutted if this was stolen as its a limited edition finish

Made in 2000 if I remember correctly. Standard features on a Ric bass: Jetglo finish with full binding, neck-thru body, double truss rods, laminated rosewood fretboard, Sperzel tuners, blah blah blah.

Most people complain that Rics tend to hum a lot, but I've never had much of a problem with it. (However, I also play a very noisy rock n roll style so maybe nobody notices it.) The selector switch offers a great range of sound from very bright and punchy to a very full bottom-end. I have always loved the way these basses sound and this one was no exception! Great for rock bassists who play the pocket and don't want to get their sound lost in the groove. Also sounds killer through tasteful effects like a Big Muff or a good bass synth.

Since I bought this bass used, the setup left a bit to be desired. The intonation was great but there was a VERY strange bow in the truss rod (only from the 1st to 7th fret - from there on the neck was perfectly straight) that took some time to remedy. The neck pickup is extremely low and therefore unusually quiet-sounding when I flick my selector switch upwards. However, the action and electronics are sound and it is still a great-playing piece of gear.

Solid! Comes with built-in straplocks with screw-in bolts that put even the Schaller units to shame. I baby the thing but have a feeling it could take a licking out on the road. I have never had this bass fail me at a show or recording session. Backup? Backup for what? My amp, perhaps....

I have never had to contact customer service regarding my bass, but I work at a music store that is a Ric dealer and they have always been great on the phone whenever I've needed to contact them. A great company with some great instruments.

This is a wonderful bass if you are looking for something a bit more unique and aren't afraid to spend money on a good product. I own a Ric 6-string guitar as well as some Fender guitars and an old Ibanez Talman. If something happened to this bass, I would buy another one without thinking twice. I started out on an old Fender Musicmaster and immediately knew after a short time that a Ric would be the bass for me. This bass is the pride of my collection.