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!

Mine is a Fireglo made in U.S.A. in 1998. Usual specs: 4 strings, 20 frets, 2 pickups, passive controls (treble volume and tone, bass volume and tone), 3-way-switch for pickup selection (bridge only/neck and bridge/neck only), maple body, neck-through construction, original Rickenbacker tuners. Came in original case - which is excellent - with key, cleaning cloth and maintenance manual. What's missing, though, is a tool for adjusting the trussrods as it's a pain in the butt trying to get tools in inch sizes here in Europe. Should definitely be included!

Treble punch, massive growl and the most wooden tone I have ever heard from a bass. No excessive lows, this one rings more than it booms. We play melodic hard rock with a slice of punk and metal and it cuts through the mix (which includes two Marshall stacks) easily. I play it through a Maxon tube compressor, Hartke 3500 and an Ampeg SVT-810 cabinet. The pickups make for quite some variety: the neck PU on its own produces a warm sound, albeit muffled and devoid of highs, while the bridge PU just slashes your eardrums (Mot??rhead, anyone?). Interestingly, with the toggle switch in middle position, the sound has more lows and highs than the respective pickups deliver on their own, but it is scooped a wee bit this way. All three are unique and I have not been able to replicate them with other basses so far (my T-Bird with the bridge PU rolled off comes close, though). No discernable noise. Haven't done studio work with it yet, absolutely shines on stage (visually and musically). Definitely NOT built for slapping - strings touching the open polepieces produce an audible click that ruins everything. Keep a Ric in safe terrain (that is, use a pick for Christ's sake, or at least pluck it heavily if you use your fingers!) and it's clear sailing all the way.

The neck on mine is not dead straight, but as it has two trussrods, you can make up for that to some degree. Adjusting the pickups is simple, but can be time-consuming. I've come across many many Rics that had weak E strings; mine has a weak G string, so I'm lucky in a sense... Rickenbackers are wild creatures that need to be tamed. Expect challenges!

Has withstood many gigs, never had a problem with it. Finish cracks if you look at it wrong and stains easily, but if you keep wiping, you have a chance to maintain the gloss. When mine arrived it already had security locks so I don't know about the original strap buttons.

No idea.

I've been playing for six years. I also own a Gibson Thunderbird and as both sound great, I switch between them all the time. The T-Bird fills the lower frequency ranges of the mix whereas the Ric just cuts right through. The best thing about it are the three totally different sounds you have at your hands with the pickup selector switch. And it simply looks awesome! Sometimes I find myself longing for a 21st fret to be able to reach an E on the G string while soloing, but that's about the only flaw I can find. One of the best basses around!

You all know the specs...mine was a 2003 model which I bought in 2004...the fireglo

I have an Ampeg SVT 200T head with a 410 HLF cab and it rocks. Those who hear hums or buzzes...well, if you stand right in front of the cabinet with the guitar facing the speakers...I love the leathery sound that comes out of it and wouldn't trade it for anything else. My Fender jazz bass has more versatility sound-wise BUT when I need this particularly beefy tone that only a RIC can provide...I always use it. If you get a decent amp/cab set up you can make most any sounds you need...so that's part of the overall picture.

Everything was fine...but I always adjust my guitars to the way I like them to feel and sound. Plus I use this website...to help me find my way..it's great: http://joeysbassnotes.com/Joeys%20frameset.htm

This should last forever even though I play the hell out it! I have a very hard touch...but if you got an amp with guts and a cabinet to handle the thing nobody is gonna hear you pounding...it just sounds great! I have adjusted the truss rod 2 or three times in the 3 years I've owned it.

No need to yet!

Been playing for 40 years and finally decided to treat myself with a little help from my family ( Yeah, just hit Mom up for it!)Only complaint was the folks at Muisc 123 decided to pawn it off as new and it was a refurb! Be wary of them...I got my discount as you see however from an asking price of $965. It was retouched at the jack area where there is still a little indentation and is clearly marked as repaired in the truss rod pocket.

Mine is a 2006 Ric 4003 in Mapleglo: Dual-truss rods, neck through construction, seperate tone & volume controls for bass and treble. 3 way toggle switch for neck, bridge and combined pick-up configuration. It has Schaller locking tuners, single coil hum protected high gain pick-ups (pasiive electronics), mono and stereo(the famous ric-o-sound)output jacks, mechanical mute, the newly added push-pull treble knob for high frequncy boost. Maple neck & body.

Are you Kidding me? This bass has got balls! Its got that famous and distinctive growl that no other bass can match. A wide varitety of tones are available simply by playing on either the neck (warm & bassy) or the bridge ( more trebly and bright) The frequeecy boost feature on the new rics gives it even more tonal varieties-crunchier mids akin the Chris squire limited edition 4001 Ric put out a few years ago. Haven't done any studio work with it, but live, this bass holds it down!

These bases are not known for being set up well from the factory, but I did not have that problem. I ordered it from Muscians's friend and the actions was right where I like it right out of the case, neck was straight, tuners tight beautiful finish. As far as the finish is concerned the only flaw i could dsicern is that it had the potential to blind you when reflecting light- it was that shiney. This bass is beautiful. No problems with saddle or frets-all top of the line hand crafted quality you would expect from Rickenbacker. This is a first class operation making a top of the line quality instrument.

Bass is built like a tank. Im not one of these guys who hangs these ric's on a wall to jerk off too beacause I wanted one for show-This is my main axe so finish/looks take a backseat to making music. I gig without backup all the time and it looks and sounds just as good today as when I first got it a year ago. Haven't had to adjust neck yet but I plan to take it in for a tune-up soon just for proper maintenence purposes.

I believe its one year on finish and tuners (one of these other posts will specify)and something else for the body and neck, really im not sure. Never dealt with company and don't think I will ever have to. No opinion.

For a hand crafted instrument of this quality Ric could charge alot more. Been making music and playing instruments since I was in kindergarten. I have tried jazz basses, stingrays, some Ibenez's, uprights-I like this bass better then all of them. The new thinner neck and updated features revealed with the 2006 models are really nice. I not a huge fan of the bridge though- kind of antiquated. Thinking about making the change to the Hip shot replacement bridge (which I have been hearing good things about) But for know the Ric's vintage appeal has me satiated. Curved lines on the body would make is more confortable to play but thats a minor quibble. If it was lost or stolen would replace asap. Excellant resale value on this bass as well- You'll get your money back and possibly more due to its relative rareness. As far as not being good for slap and pop thats Rickdiculous (as far as the new ones go)all you need is heavier gauge strings and a little bit of compression/equalization and your in fender jazz bass land: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_evMBRIm2rY, http://www.youtube.com//watch?v=LjOM5YjMZ8w&mode=related&search=, case closed....!

1983 Ric 4003, first version. Maple body. Maple neck, with rosewwod fretboard & MOP sharktooth inlays, and dual trussrod. 2 RIC single coil "High Output" pickups, neck volume & tone, bridge volume & tone, 3 way pickup switch, and dual output; standard and "Ric-O-Sound"; designed for use with the Ric-O-Sound box, sold seperately. The bridge has the traditional string dampener.

Ricenbackers have a sound all there own, and RIC's are consistant, they don't have big sound differences from one 4003, to the next. I've never come across another bass that had 2 pickups that sounded so different, but if you look at their physical position on the bass, their actually more like a neck and middle positon, where as most 2 pickup basses have their neck pickup in the spot the 4003 has bridge pickup, the neck pickup on a 4003 is about 1" below the neck. The neck picup is more bassy, and muffled, and the bridge is more bright and kind of clanky (but in a good way). I never tried running it through the Ric-O-Sound box, but who else really has.

4003's are not good finger style basses, horable for slapping (unless you like the pop of strings touching the pickup), and I mainly use mine for pickstyle, which the action is perfect for. The finish is 24 years old, but doesn't look a day over 10. When I got my 4003, dampener skrews were missing. The dampener is where the ground wire conects, so it buzzed like crazy, also there were no springs in the neck pickup, but it was used, thus not RIC's fault.

I never had a problem with mine, other then the simple fix mentioned above. I was always afraid to touch the truss rods on these, but on some RIC 4003's you can replace the rods.

New a RIC has a 1 year warranty, and that's voided if it doesn't have RIC strings (and yes, they can tell). They also have no custom shop and will do NO one off basses or guitars (unless your names Lemmy). Plus if you want a certain color, you buy it when you see it, otherwise it can take 6-8 months to get one custom ordered ( and I've heard you should expect it in 8).

Anyone buying a 4003 is more then likely going for that old 4001 sound, and this bass doesn't disappoint. If a company were to come around now and put out a bass like this; a but chanky, kinda weak in the low end, pickups that seem to have no power, tuners that rattle, and a body that's routed out more then any solidbody bass out there, chances are that company would fail (or retool and make Fender wannabes). But the design's been around for so long and everyone has a place in their heart for a RIC. Plus RIC is one of the cheapest basses made by such a small company by hand.

2005, 20 Frets, USA Made,
2 volume, 2 tone controls,
toggle switch for pickups
ric-o-sound and normal mono outputs
Midnight Blue Finish
Dual Truss-Rod
Short-Scale
Included Case
Bought used at Guitar Center Summer of 2006
Maple Neck/Body
Polished Silky-Smooth Rosewood Fretboard with triangle markers

I was originally out seeking a Fender P-Bass of sorts last summer, leaning towards the American made ones that start around $1000. I was really having a hard time getting a vibe from them. I think the thump sound is classic, but it wasn't thrilling me or making want to fork out the checkbook. Then...
KaBoom! I stroll into Guitar Center and right smack dab in the middle of a wall of P-Basses is one lonely, sparkling, amazing Rickenbacker 4003 in mint condish. Granted my amps at home are definitely beginner's trash, but through the Ampeg it stunned me. It brought a sound I can only describe as a "GRowl" for the bass, which is something that hooked me into the buy.
There are so many good tones from this instrument, you can be deep, bassy, and balzy, or you can be bright, shimmery, and poppy; your choice. I find the Ric-O-Sound jack to be an amazing addition for those with good equipment (hence the reason I don't use it) I would recommend using the Ric-O-Sound kit to hook it up if you have two amps or would like one dedicated for your amp and one dedicated for the soundboard at a concert or what not. Its basically like having control over treble in one amp, and your bass in the other amp/sound board. However it is most intriguing and I get a lot of questions about why my bass has two output jacks.

The only problem I have with the sound is an occasional humming from the pickups. They are hot and heavy, but I've noticed that my bass doesn't sound nearly as loud as many electric guitar setups I've heard since they daisy-chain numerous effects together. The better your cables the less the hum, also a ground lift helps on a direct box, or your amp's direct out. A quick fix is to turn the treble tone knob down to 1 or 0 and virtually all hum is irradicated while sacrificing just a bit on sound quality.

The sound is indeed Rich and full. My guitarist pleaded with me that I use the Rick at our next gig. I decided to bring out the old OLP (musicman copy) instead and he immediately noticed that it wasn't the Rick and it wasn't Growling.

Mixed with a good solid amp this bass holds up amazingly. I use the normal Rickenbacker String set and haven't felt the need to change. The fretboard being polished and glossy provides a smooth playing field and super easy slides and overall fingering feels very comfortable. The shorter scale length also helps with less finger stretching when playing octaves or even the occasional 10th

If I were professionally recording I would probably get better cables and not stand directly in front of a high watt light or high watt TV or monitor. I think the hum would be eliminated. I've done a little self recording and I get more noise from my keyboard than I do from this so its not that noticeable.

Sound WAS the main reason why I bought this bass. I give it a 9 for the hum, but it can be avoided if you are well grounded and everything else you play through is well grounded.

Bass was set up properly and professionally by the original owner just 6 months before I bought it at guitar center.
The bridge pickup did not include the metal cover but I'm not unhappy. I normally rest my thumb on that area by the bridge pickup anyway so it would have probably just gotten in the way.
If you use the Rick cloth this thing shines up very quickly. Apply a light portion of guitar polish (non abrasive and non-chemical) and it really busts out some shining glory.
Sweat NEEDS to be wiped off after you play
I've gone a few times without wiping the neck and fretboard down and the sweat dries onto the lacquer like finish reducing slide ability and making some "rough" spots where your thumb may stick to.

There was only one noticeable spot on the fretboard where the guy must have really pushed his finger into the fret leaving a little scratch mark in the polished rosewood. I have not been able to scathe this baby even in the 8 months I've had it. The fretboard is supposed to last 25yrs. I don't think it will ever break down if it has stayed this solid over the past 8 months.

All other controls and tuners work fine
I am also a big advocate of Strap Locks, they do indeed prevent accidental slippage and damage due to strap fall off

This bass has been to many Campus Crusade events in the past year.
The most time I had ever used it consecutively was during a practice set for a 4 day period in Indiana. I played for 9hrs straight during rehearsal and then at least 3-4hrs per day for the next 4 days. It stood up solidly even with 8month old strings. The best sound I've ever had with it came from that weekend. Probably due to the 8,000 Watt subs that it was running through. MASSIVE.
Tuners tune very well and most importantly STAY in tune.
Finish buffs up so clean its like a newly waxed Porsche
Straps with locks stay on like cement
I've never had the neck/truss rod adjusted because it doesn't need it
I have and continue to use it without a backup
but I do have my lovely OLP just in case

Haven't had to deal with them
I also don't know if my warranty is any good
because I filed it, but I wasn't the original owner


... oh well

I've been actively playing bass for the past 2yrs. Total of 6yrs between guitar and bass. I've also been playing piano for about 10-12yrs. I run the Rick through a GK 600 Backline head and backline 2x10 BLX-II cab with a Behringer 15"cab below. The sound is truly immense. I would not have done this transaction any differently than the day I bought it. For $1000 it was a steal. 3 other people were ready to lay down the grand but I got there first. Yippie for ME!!
If it were stolen by a bassist I'd ask him to try it and while he went into a bassist's ecstasy period I'd be able to steal it back no problem. The joy lasts for about a week straight before you realize that you now own a Rick.
I love the sound. I don't love the hum (but its really not that bad)
My favorite part of this bass is the ease of playability. It will let you do whatever you wanted to do on your other bass, but ten times easier and ten times more rockin'
I chose this over a P-Bass, a Jazz Bass, and numerous other basses. I think if I ever sold my OLP I'd get a P-bass probably because of the classic thump. But for now I'd gladly miss the thump for the Growl of a Rick.
I would never sell this bass unless someone offered me a brand new one for free, or would at least trade me for it.

My particular 4003 was manufactured in the early 80s during a period in the manufacturer's history when they strayed from the standard colors. Mine has a "satin silver" finish with black hardware.

The changes I've made to it include a Hipshot bass detuner on the E-string (which I will add allows me to drop my E-string all the way down to a B, thank you very much), and the addition of two black-capped mini-toggle switches (one for each pickup) that allow me to instantly bypas the tone control setting and go to "full bright". (Between that, the pickup selector and what I can do with my fingers I've a very wide selection in overtones or lack thereof.)

The spring-wire "Rikky sound" (ala Gary Strater or Chris Squire) notwithstanding, I can get a very usable range of sounds out of my 4003, even though I string it ONLY with either RotoSound 606LC "Funkmasters" (the original PSD string) or LaBella Super Steps, both in a moderately light guage. The exposed core contributes to brightness and sustain, and my frets are in quite good shape considering these string sets are fully round-wound, although it's worth pointing out that I don't abuse the fretboard for the sake of "tone".

Considering I originally came from the Fender Precision camp (when they were all made only made in the USA and weighed enough to give you a workout over the course of a night), my 4003 produces a full, deep fundamental that works well enough to satisfy those full-treble-rolloff fanatics at the studio or in the audience.

My musical mainstays are (in no particular order) early Motown, Jazz and neo-classical Prgressive Rock, although I've used my 4003 for just about everything including Beach, Country and Bluegrass with good result.

My main stage amp system includes ADA MB-1 and MP-1 preamps, Aphex Aural Exciter 104, Digitech DSP-256XLs for eq and effects, DBX-120 subharmonic synthesizer, and a Peavey 400-WRMS amp top running 12-inch and 15-inch drivers. My studio system consists of a Zoom BFX-708 and a Peaver TKO-65 portable bass amp.

My 4003 was well made and it's been reliable throughout it's life. I expected a quality manufactired instrument and paid dearly for it, and that's exactly what I got.

I take very good care of my equipment, instruments included. Aside from a routine polishing with Super Hard Shell Turtle Wax (yeah, the stuff for cars....and it's absolutely the best stuff I have ever used), my 4003 has no other magical things done to it. And despite spending more thana few nights in a freezing van, car trunk or trailer (in it's case, of course), it has remained stable.

Provided they are still made now as they were when I bought mine, I'd have no problems either buying another or suggestion a long serious look at buying one to anybody that's looking for a well made 4-string bass that's a joy to play (and looks pretty cool to boot).

Every time I ever called the folks in California, they were pleasant and helpful. I was miffed at them once upon a time because they were being difficult about making a double-neck for me, but I certainly won't hold that against them. (I was probably in a testy mood, anyway.)

Nobody ever gets a TEN from me on anything, but I will go the stretch and give my Rickenbacker 4003 a solid NINE, overall. In doing so, I'm considering my other current basses and those I've owned in the past (and those lists include Fender, Gibson, Ibanez, Carvin and Hohner......oh, and a Chapman Stick). I've been playing since the early 70s (geeze, I must be pretty old, huh?) and although I'm more of a 6-string electric bassist these days, I will be honest and say that my 4003 is, all-in-all, my favorite bass of any I have ever owned or own now.

If you're lucky enough to be able to afford a 4003, I hope you find yours as satisfying as mine has been for me.

Best of luck!

Made in 1998, USA. JetGlo color.

Normal Ric 4003 features:
20 fret
2 pickups, 1 neck, 1 bridge
2 tone, 2 volume knobs
3 way pup selector
etc..

Came with original Rickenbacker hard case, and polishing cloth.

The only thing I am not pleased with is the 20 fret. I would rather 22, or even 24 frets, but I don't conisder this a problem.

Everything a bassist could ask for. Great for the Metal that I play (old MetallicA style).

Very punchy treble, but also great lows at the same time. The classic Ric sound.
I find it has a variety of sounds. Mess around with the tone knobs to get the right sound for you.

Look no further, if you are looking for that punchy, yet low sound, this is the bass for you.

The person that owned this before me had it professionally set up. The way it was set up when I got it was perfect.

The finishis beautiful, but very fragile. The slightest bump will scratch this. Also, around where the neck connects to the body, the paint work is a bit sloppy, and around the binding seems a bit sloppy.

All in all it is a very beautifully set up and looking bass.

I would be willing to have this as my ONLY bass. I seems built like a tank, except for the finish. I would gig with this, and have no backup. The hardware also seems very solid, and trustworthy.

Never dealt with them.

I have only been playing bass for about a year. I started out with a CHEAP Typhoon Pbass model. I figured it was about time to upgrade to a better bass. I made a HUGE jump there. From one of the worst basses, to, IMO, the BEST. I haven't played many basses, and I highly doubt any will feel as natural to me or as comfortable as the Ric.

As I said, the only thing that seems a bit iffy is the finish. I LOVE the sound.

I only wish it had 24 frets. Oh well, for the sound, and just the Rickenbacker name itself, who cares about 20 frets?

Rickenbacker 4003 (born on date May 2006 delivered via Fedex on Sept 12, 2006) Fireglo, standard features set neck, toggle switch, 2 pups and the new classic sound push/pull button on one of your 4 control knobs. Everything needed to make good music.

Whatever YOU want but with the infamous RIC tone as you've envisioned and know that was probably played (and sounds best to me) thru an Ampeg. To best describe it: warm, woofy, buttery, rubberband-ish bouncy tone especially with the nickel strings. The way a bass should sound to move asses at the low end. At first I didn't quite appreciate the new classic Ric sound set to your treble as a push/pull pot, until I turned it on by accident before playing, WOW, what a difference, NICE touch. It is how, I now came to believe I have always heard the bass in my head.....Give it a name.

Bass came from factory the were hundreds were setup previously, but I could swear it was setup just for me--Perfect. At first it seemed a little high but once I started playing, I realized it was set to dig into the bass, just the way I like too.

I am going gigging this weekend and I will take my 50's P-Bass as back up. Not because I fear the Ric will not perform, example--buddy of mine out gigging with his Rocabilly band at some corporae gig in the City, and man was he wailing on that double-bubble, spinning it, dancing on it and next thing you heard was Twang---Thud! Popped a G-string. needless to say he had no back up and the whole performance lost momentum. If you are a Pro, bring a back up time is money.

Nothing yet,

Bottom Line---I've been playing many years looking for that mythical tone of my forming years that resonates thru my brain whenever I hear a bass, like an upfront filter it converts it proper local internal tone. I am mainly a Fender player (that anything Leo worked on) Stingray, G & L and a lone Spector Rebop DLX bitching bass, discontinued now, but it has Ric type sustain and tone with nickel strings. And, I AM CHEAP, mostly to myself because I've craving a Ric for years but kept going cheap and trying to get the tone on the back-end. Or, maybe I didn't feel an accomplish-enough player to be worth owning.... So, I remind myself that James Jamerson played a stock Fender, nothing fancy---I am the bass, but a well made properly voiced instrument couldn't hurt. Regardless of its looks, this is the real thing and all around bass---FOR A BASS PLAYER

Made in Feb. of 2006 i bought it new from a local sam ash, 20 frets, 2 volume, 2 tone with the vintage tone pull knob.All maple body and neck with a BEAUTIFUL rosewood fretboard i mean it has dark and light reds all over it looks like marble! passive electronics and four strings.

I play hardcore metal music but even though that is such a distorted style i like clean bass sounds better even with hardcore and the 4003 has beautiful highs and clean sounds...although sometimes the low end lacks a little bit but the sound is unbeatable

Action is perfect for me. The pickups are adjusted fine, alot of people complain about the bridge pickup cover but i play with fingers on the neck pickup anyways so it suits me fine, and even when im trying to get another tone by playing on the bridge pickup i find the cover to be anchoring. Finish is beautiful mainly because i clean it all the time and treat it as if it were fragile as glass, but looks pretty and sounds pretty

Durability seems great although i worry about denting or scratching the back finish off because i see so many that have buckle rash on the back.

dunno never dealt with them

This bass is my dream instrument. Its beautiful, unique, bursting with tone, and seems able to stand up to anything. If only Americans built cars as well

Through-neck construction, all maple, 2 pick-ups with tone and volume for each. Everything you need on a passive bass, nothing you dont. Made in the USA. The most beautiful bass in the world.

Incredible sound. Typical ric growl and clank when played with a pick, fat and warm when played fingerstyle. Far more tonal variety than many give rickenbacker basses credit for. Can be smooth and warm at the neck, to slightly hollow and funky with both pick-ups on, to nasal and cutting at the bridge. Despite its reputation for being a bright instrument, it is capable of churning out some thudding bass if necessary.

Well set up from the factory. Perhaps the fastest playing bass out there. Low action and slightly shorter than standard scale give the bass a fast and loose feel. Great for melodic bass playing. The neck is, despite what many say, a nice palm filling handful. I removed the bridge cover, as it got in the way of my right hand. Also, despite what some say, the finish is very fragile. Beautifully applied no doubt, but needs to be looked after.

Has been a constant gigging companion for some time. Always works, always sounds beautiful. Very solid tuning too. Just watch the finish; after eight months gigging mine is already showing some, admittedly superficial, battle scars.

No idea. Heard good and bad things.

My all time dream bass. I expected great things when I bought this, and after eight months of gigging with the old girl I've only been more and more impressed. Capable of a wide range of sounds, whilst remaining distinctive at all times. A truly expressive instrument, this bass precisely tracks every nuance of your playing and adds its own voice to yours. Considering that this bass (or its earlier 4001 incarnation) has been used by bands as diverse as The Beatles, The Who, Pink Floyd, The Clash, Metallica, Kyuss and Tool, it really is an incredibly flexible instrument, despite its reputation as something of a one trick pony. Strongly recommended to anyone who wants a quality, characterful bass.

As I would have expected, the features are for the norm, nothing special here. Active pickups would be nice - even humbuckers maybe! Mine is a brand new Jetglo

The bass certainly does have a splendid sound, it is rich, there is a depth that my Yam 774 just doesn't have. i play through an Ashdown rig, plents of grunt. The Ric strings are a bit iffy though, the E is quieter than the others so I am hoping a change to Rotosounds (I like 'em) will cure this. With care you can get some useful variations but you'll have to experiment. Pickups buzz of course!

Action is Ok, but it is nowhere as fast as the Yam. Setup is OK notwithstanding the string balance issue. General finish is just superb. Neck straight and true.

Well built, no problems, had a few gigs with it already, stays in tune, solid as they come.

Well, I posted a query on their forum regarding the string balance thing, I repeat, Rics forum where you can ask for others advice, and they took the query off within 1 hour. There was a sarcastic general comment from the Management (I kid you not)regarding some queries being best directed to the tech department. What a bunch of t*ss*rs. Gawd knows what they would be like to deal with if you had a problem.

I've been playing on and off for 30 years. My recent bass, a Yam RBX 774 plays like a dream, has bags of output, sounds good and is very light. The Ric looks a million dollars, has a rich, sonorous quality and is a piece of Rock and Roll history. But time after time, when I'm at home practising, what bass do i pick up? The Ric will soon be on eBay, sorry.

1986 Ric, White finish, now Cream finish. black trim and black hardware.
Bought used for 1,000.00 Canadian.
All ric features....
2 single coil hi gain pickups.
3 way switch.
dual trussrod.

The sound is well rounded. Maple construction gives very nice punch. you can bring out the lows too. the 4003's give you a nice output, lots of power. you can get very nice rich full tones out of these basses.
the 3 way switch gives you a bit of versatility. This bass is nice and simple.... not too fancy, perfect for my preferences.

I play in an Improvisational psychadelic.....WEIRD band.... it suits it perfectly. im also into jazz and Circus music.

The finish on these basses are painted on very thin.. im guessing to show that there isnt any flaws in the wood.
because of this the finish will crack in a climate change if your not careful.
When i received mine i opened up the case right away and saw tiny cracks forming along the neck and on the back of the body... luckily with mine it wasnt so severe and they arent that visible.

The wood is All maple except for the fret board wich is african rosewood.
My bass because its over 18 years old could need a good tune upthat would fix any loose bolts.
but this bass is very sturdy and stays in tune for centuries.

I have been playing for 5 years going on to 6.
If it got stolen i would Probably find the bastard, castrate, and feed him his own yarbles. ok?
i love the neck, its so slim and fast. this bass is beutiful, especially in the white finish and black hardware.
I wish i had another one in black.

I am regrettably distressed as my Midnight Blue 4003 bass has been returned under warranty for attention to bleeding of the midnight blue paint onto the white binding. I am also irritated that it took Rickenbacker 3 months to reply to my first report of this problem, but resolution paid off in the end and I my faith will be restored in the Company pending a satisfactory outcome.

I have read reports outlining a problem with the midnight blue finish on Rickenbacker?s, but I am unable to find any reference to this particular quandary on the Rickenbacker corporate forum.

I paid full price from Guitar Amp and Keyboard - a Company based in Brighton UK. I have a lot of respect for this distributor and cannot fault their attention and service.

The Rickenbacker is a quality instrument and I would expect it to have a top quality finish. The instrument is everything I always wanted in terms of sound. Had I been aware of possible problems with the paint, I would have chosen an alternative finish. I would appreciate your observations and advice please ladies and gentlemen.

Thank you.

Sound of the bass is superb. I play mostly Jazz and Blues.
I use an Orange AD200 amp with Orange 4x10 cabinet. No effects. The sound is bright and clear with a typical Rick deep bass and punchy higher end. The bass is perfect on stage and the quality of sound comes through in the studio.

The action was a little high, but a few minutes work solved this.
The pick ups were adjusted OK. My only problem is with the Midnight Blue finish bleeding on to the white binding. The bass is now back with Rickenbacher for refurbishment or replacement under warranty.

The bass is well constructed and I have confidence to make it my only guitar.

It took Rickenbacker 3 months and several emails to respond to my initial report regarding problems with the paint finish. Their response was short and to the point! GAK in Brighton UK from whom I purchased the bass from have been quick and efficient dealing with the problem once Rickenbacker got into gear.

I wish I knew about the paint problem before buying.
If it were stolen I would buy another.
My only other choise would be a Fender 60's Jazz Bass NOS

2005 Rickenbacker 4003 bass.

maple neck and body with rosewood fretboard.


stereo output, an amazing feature

This bass sonds like nothing I've ever heard before.


I played it with a bow, it had the coolest sound I've ever heard. Try it.

but yeah, I play funk, jazz, death metal, and blues. It could work for anything.

perfection

Rickenbacker means quality. this bass will hold up for many years. I would gig without a back up with out any second thought. it is solid, but it is easily scrached/dented.

from what I hear, as long as you are under warranty Ricenbacker is a nice company to deal with. I haven't had to do so.

I love this bass, I've been playing for 3-4 years. If it were stolen, I would die. but then I'd pull a jesus and come back to live and work at 84 lumber for another 6 months so I could buy another.


The one thing that is lacks is a 24 fret neck. but that's not that big of a deal. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

2005 Made Rickenbacker 4003 in limited edition BlueBurst (colour of the year 2005.)

Has the standard Rick features..... through neck construction, 4 strings, fingerboard with polished finish, maple body neck with a rosewood fretboard, two Ric passive pickups, ric-o-sound etc. The features aren't that important when you buy an instrument like a Ric, you should know and be grateful for what you get, especially if you wack out around #1k for this guitar.

Surprisingly versatile. The acoustics of this bass are lovely, notes ring out loud and clear. The mostly maple construction provides a pleasant bite to the overall timbre of this instrument. The pickups are quite hot in comparrison to my old pbass pickup (before i swapped it for a Duncan 1/4lber.) The bridge pickup is very bright and pronounced. Notes are defined with an articulate punch and playing with a pic sounds rather aggressive. The neck pickup is very warm and bassy as it is placed right up against the bottom of the neck. The middle position is an interesting sound..... bassy with lots of top snap, however I'm sure I can hear a decline in midrange which makes the sound lose some of its punch. I prefer to use either the neck or bridge pickup. However, I find harmonics sing with the bridge pickup as you'd expect but the neck pickup hardly picks up harmonics. This may have something to do with the positioning of the pickups as I've read on forums (either TB or the Rick Forums) that the neck pickup on the 4003 bass is where the 24th fret would be if it were there theoretically and that the bridge pickup is where the 36 fret would be. I have no idea so I can't really make an accurate comment on this.

Bottom line - if you want the Ric sound...... go for it as there isn't much that can substitute it, but don't expect anything modern.

Been through one gig so far.... cut through like a BIATCH! Loud mean and nasty.... which is why I bought it XD

Hmmmm mixed feelings here. The finish on the bass is BEAUTIFUL! It's a transparent blue with different shades in a sunburst pattern.. it follows this pattern up the back of the neck! Usual other cosmetics apply too (bound body and neck, matching headstock etc.)

The main thing i didn't like was that around where the neck joins the body, the paint looks a bit sloppy and there are one or two very very small bubbles in the paint. Mostly good. The nut was cut a bit high but that was easily solved.... set up with nickel strings so I decided that stainless steel would be too bright for such an already agressive bass that I stuck with some Ernie Ball Super Slinkies. It had quite slim gauge strings on it when I first had it (40-55-70-95)???? something like that so I decided something beefier would be better (40-60-80-100.) After a week before I had it setup, the bridge started to buzz.. fixed after a setup.

Hmmmmmmmm, this is a fragile instrument. The finish is like glass, beautiful and clear but I can see it cracking should I ever give it a bump. The bridge after having it setup was fine but after a day the G string saddle started rattling so I need to fix that soon. I baby all of my guitars so I'm not worried.

I've never spoken to Rick but on their forums, the CEO John Hall makes regular visits aswell as other workers of Rick (customer relations etc.) They tend to answer questions quickly and effectively and are nice guys. There have been loads of complaints about the new Midnight Blue finish as there have been reports of bleeding onto the binding and other parts of the guitar. Rick have changed the formula now, but they also deleted all posts concerning the colour bleed issue. I guess they need to keep a good name for themselves.

I love this guitar for the retro vibe feel and tone. I found it tricky to find a comfortable resting place for my right hand, but you get used to it. It's a wonderful instrument and is so unique in its sound and apperance. Can't cut certain gigs that my Fender can do but thats only cause it isn't as modern. For jazz gigs and other modern styles of music I need something that is more of an "allrounder". This guitar tends to have a free spirited feel to it - its loud, cool and it doesn't care what people think about it :D

If I lost it, I'd buy another one someday definately. I'm hoping to keep it as it will with luck gain in value especially as it's of a limited run of basses. Only thing that lets it down is the bridge which is to be honest, pretty crappy, but you accept small problems like this when you get a vintage style instrument.... it wouldn't be a Rick without the crappy bridge with the mechanical mute.

If you can, check out one of these guitars, they are brilliant!

This is a 2005 model and comes with the limited silver case (actually wood). Of course it is American made in good old California. It is a standard Ric with four strings in a beautiful midnight blue color. The newer Rics include strap locks which is awesome and of course, this one has them. The pickups are Ric passive pickups. Dual pickups with the standard cover over the pickup closest to the bridge which can come off if you like. Maple Body, Maple Neck Rosewood Fingerboard and Schaller tuners which is common with Rics. All Rics (except for the old 3000 series) are neck through. This special edition wooden case is fantastic. It is hard to find it for less than $200, but if you have a Ric, get one. It will actually do a better job of protecting the wood on your bass and is a collector's item that will raise the value of your bass in the future.

If you are a bright Jazzy player, I would not suggest a Ric. I would say you should get a Cirrus, Ken Smith or some other instrument with a bright sound. Rickenbackers sound like Ricks. You can get a good tonal variety, but never buy one unless you know that this is the sound that you want. Ricks growl and they growl naturally without active pickups or pre-amps or any other of the modern day stuff you find on basses which is what makes it so wonderful. No other instrument can give you the same sound. This bass sounds just as good in the studio or on stage, however, I have yet to use the stereo output. It is not necessary for what I do. I wish I had a nice tube amp and then I might play around with it more, but I have an Ashdown 12-180 that I adore...I really do adore it...and it sounds great with the Ric. There is nothing to dislike on this bass unless you just don't like Rics. I know a great Jazz player who hates Ricks because they growl too much and he loves active electronics. That is fine for him, but I like the rock sound and two words tell me all I need to know about a bass.....Cliff Burton.

Even folks who do not like Ricks will admit that they last forever if you take care of them. Look at McCartney if you want an example. The finish seems kind of thin, but as long as you keep wiping the bass, it looks just like it did at the store. There is absolutely nothing that is not solid on this bass. I believe that a backup bass (even a cheapy Rogue or some crap like that) is always good to have because you never know when a string is going to betray you, your family and God and snap right in the middle of a performance.

Rick's customer support overall sucks. I wish I could be more delicate about this, but they need to get their heads out of their behinds and start showing some appreciation to the owners of their basses. Their warranty is useless unless there is a catastrophe and I have emailed them twice and never got a reply. Look, it is a great bass and you will most likely never need Rick after you buy it, so get the bass and then find a good forum to ask questions or a good local luthier. For instance, an honest luthier should charge no more than $45 for set up (plus strings) which is well worth the investment. You will be giving this bass to your grandkids unless you mistreat it.

Save up the money and forget about all of that active crap. Most of these basses are now made in sweatshops with cheapy wood and unskilled labor. Unless you need the tone that a Rick can't offer, get one. If I lost this (and I really do not believe in the death penalty), I would find out who stole it and hang that person by their privates off of a tall building. I have owned a Yamaha Attitude (good P-Bass), Peavey Forum AX (next to the Rick, the best bass out there but most people are too dumb to actually look into them), Peavey Cirrus (very nice, but kind of a guy doing ballet type bass), Dean Edge and Musicman. I use a Zoom pedal for effects which I am happy with, although, eventually, I want some analog effects because they work better with a Rick. Please get one. They are not cheap, but you will be happy.

Mine is a 1999 fire glow. All standard Rick features that I'm sure we are all familiar with.

The sound, umm lets face it. You either want the Rick sound or you don't. If you bought this instrument I would think you already know what you are getting and love it. It's quite versitile as I have used it in many forms of music. I wouldnt say that it has a full sound. It does have its limitations. I mean if you want this to sound like a stienberger well it's just not gonna happen. It has that old sound. You can dirty it up, clean it up, go for super bass, go for super highs, blend it, but you just aren't gonna get a really modern sound. So young guys out there who wanna sound like Korn do yourself and your parents wallet a favor and dont get this instrument. the pickups can get a bit of hum in the wrong situation like standing to close to your amp but other than that no complaints.

It was set up very nicely from the factory. It was a plug and play instrument all the way

It's the most reliable thing I have ever owned. Its has never let me down. But lets talk about the finish. It's thin. It's laquer. It will wear and change color over time. I was forwarned of all these things before I bought it and so should anyone thinking of getting one. I have seen where on the back of the bodies over time the clear coat will start to spider web a bit. The chrome overthe rear pick up will wear off if you put your sweaty hand there when you play. if you lean it against other things with color in them over time it will bleed through to your finish. For example if you leave it on a guitar stand all the time where it touches the bass it will get dark spots. Laquer is f'ing beatiful but it has its limitations. so just like the sound if you know what your getting you probably love it. if not well you might be sore about it. The only other problem I had was two of the inlays cracked. I didnt even notice but my guitar player did. they are hairline and know one would ever notice but it is something that should not have happened. I'd say reliablity on this is 10 but durablity has taken my overall rateing down

I think this all depends on if you bought the instrument from a Rick autorized dealer and I don't mean musicians fiend. Those are all B and C stock stuff. I wouldn't have one personally. When I realized the 2 inlays had a hairline crack in them 6 years down the road I mentioned it to the dealer I bought mine from. He said he had up to 5 years to send it back if something like that happened. So despite what I've read about Rick customer service. I believe its good if you go through the proper channels.

I've been playing since 1986 and I'd say this bass is exactly what I wanted. if you aren't experienced and arent sure what you want I wouldn't recomend it to you. I think you buy a Rick for what it is not what you think you can make it.

You know the features by now. I like the mechanical mute- some don't. Just preference, but it will get in the way of palm muting. The two trussrods are cool, and useful for taking care of crazy warping if that happens. I really like the Rick-O-Sound, a cool feature for sure.

VERY deep. If people tell you it's not deep, they are crazy. The thing thumps, even with roundwounds. Do yourself a favor and turn on the mechanical bridge mute, and play with your fingers at the base of the neck. Sounds like an upright, will shake the house down, in a good way. Nothing sounds like it, and damn does it sound fine.

Okay, here's where things get dicey. Rickenbacker, as a company, is coming to a turning point in their status. Right now, they are coasting on a good reputation, that 'all ricks are the same quality- good'. This DOES NOT APPLY today. If you buy a rick bass sight unseen, it will have flaws, I guarantee it. If not, you are very lucky. Problems usually in the form of warped necks, poorly cut nuts, bad finish (more on that) or sloppy wiring.

Their problem is that they are backlogged for many many months with orders, and can't make them fast enough, and so they are hacking them out. People are now getting defective Ricks, and I guarantee in a few years the number of people who play them will decrease a lot. Many people collect them because they look pretty- these people are jackasses. It's a christing instrument, play it. Anyway, their reputation is going downhill a bit, so something will happen with them...


Onto my problems.

They recently changed their midnight blue to a different formula, a much darker, sexier color. Unfortunately, this color is defective and everybody with a midnight blue rick from the past few years (2004-2005 as far as I can tell) will notice the color bleeding into their binding, and possible other flaws that come out with playing. Some bindings turn REALLY blue with this. ONLY BLUE IS AFFECTED though, so if you buy fireglo you're fine. They very recently changed their formula back to the old style, but people are pissed. I'm pissed. On the rickenbacker.com forums there were a large number of complaints about this problem, from twenty or so different midnight blue owners. This post got deleted by the powers that be, so you can't see how many people are angry about this. What a crock of $%^&.

I have an odd electronic problem (must be a bad ground) where sometimes the three way switch starts fuzzing out, especially when I touch it. I guarantee this is ground, and I hope to fix it, but it's pretty bad sometimes.

My neck is fine, thankfully. I have taken it out in some cold weather and it has remained straight as an arrow.

Anyway, they try to run this company like there's no demand and they are a boutique manufacturer like Alembic. There is a high demand for Ricks and they are being stupid. Not to mention those stupid features like a clearcoated neck, bridge pickup cover, and a mechanical mute (I like it, but I'm the only one, and I could live without it). Evolve, that's what I say.

Like I said above, it's all up to the winds... some get a good one, some get a dud. It's built like your obese aunt, but if the neck is screwed up, it matters not.

Like I said above, the finish suffers in some cases. Sometimes with a bad neck people have to adjust the trussrod all the time. I don't, thank god. I would gig it without a backup, but that's only because I'm poor.

Sucks ass. I haven't had problems, but I am in the minority and I know this. They have very few people handling complaints and too many complaints to handle. If you get them on a bad day, they will, in so many words, tell you to pound sand. They run this damn company like it's the fifties. They are so stupid with this tradition $%^&! You can't handmake basses the way you did forty years ago with so much demand for them, not gonna work, and the times are a-changin.

Good bass, if you get a good one. I have an OLP POS Stingray knockoff that's actually more fun to play. The rickenbacker is clunky and awkward, but WHAT A SOUND. If you are serious about recording a good bass sound, look no further, this thing sounds freakin great. For slap it sucks, but slap sucks. The finish on the Ricks neck looks really good but plays like ass@^&%. Sticky and very pointless. Not a players bass, it's a showroom bass. But again, the sound... it's all worth it because of the damn sound.

My Rick 4003 is an early model--late 70s to early 80s, whenever they started phasing out the 4001 and switched to the 4003 for use with roundwound strings. I haven't checked the serial number for the exact date of manufacture. I bought it used in 1984. The color of the bass is Ruby, a beautiful red that I wish Rickenbacker would bring back (maybe as one of their colors of the year?) Unlike current 4003s (and earlier 4001s), mine has a two-piece pickguard. I'm sure this feature makes working on the electronics slightly easier for a guitar tech. I'll bet a one-piece pickguard would fit, though, if you wanted it to look more "vintage" close up. It has all of the typical Rick setup as far as electronics and controls go. The small neck is great for me, since I have relatively small hands. The only features that I've modified in any way are the volume and tone controls. I bought four of the vintage knobs like the ones on the 4001v63 took make it look a little older than it is. The binding is mellowing to a nice ivory shade. It's hard to believe that I've owned this bass for over twenty years!

I love the sound of a Rick bass with Rotosounds on it. To me it's just THE perfect bass sound. I've been really lucky with this bass. It has such a great tone, either live or recorded. I feel like one can coax many different sounds from a Rick bass. It's just a matter of experimenting with the pickup selector and tone and volume settings. I know many people feel that the Rick bass has only one sound, but I disagree. I'm able to get anything from a classic Chris Squire sound--with emphasis on the bridge pickup--to a full James Jamerson sound with the neck pickup selected, and the tone control turned down about 2/3 of the way. My favorite setting, though, is with both pickups selected and volume and tone all the way up. To me, that gives a great early Mike Mills (R.E.M.) sound. This bass has sounded fantastic through every bass amp I've ever played through! The best it sounded was through an old Vox Super Beatle amp. Unreal!

Since I bought the bass used, I can't really address factory finish/setup questions. Unfortunately, whoever owned the bass before me wore a hole in the finish of the back with a belt buckle. It's about the size of a fifty-cent piece (remember those?). The action has always been great, and apart for the buckle wear on the back, there aren't any other problems with the finish anywhere. Ruby is a gorgeous color for Rickenbackers. Personally, I feel that Rickenbacker comes up with great red-based guitar finishes. Fireglo and Burgundyglo are just classic guitar colors! I have to give the finish a rating of 6 simply because of the worn finish in the back. Like I said, the rest of the bass looks great. If I ever get a sudden windfall, I'd love to send the bass back to Rickenbacker to see if they can somehow repair or refininsh the back. Luckily, it isn't visible from the front.

This bass has been absolutely outstanding in the twenty years I've owned it. Usually, the only upkeep it requires is changing the strings when they start to sound dead. The only repair I've ever had on the bass came about two years ago. The wiring for the pickups had either come loose or the solder was beginning to crack and it was buzzing, so I took it to Neil Sargent in Houston (the only guy who should touch guitars in Houston, I feel!) and he had it repaired in about two days. Absolutely no problems since then. The neck has always been perfect, as has the intonation.

Well, we ARE talking about Rickenbacker here! Since it's a used bass, I never have dealt with them regarding the bass. However, I have dealt with them and my Jetglo Rickenbacker Model 1997. (I did write about my experience--see Harmony Central for Rick Model 1997 guitars). They're just awful! I know they're a small, family-owned business, but come on! Also, while I'm on the subject, why not a Rick Custom Shop? Even Martin (another small, family-owned guitar maker) has one.

I've been playing bass for about twenty-five years now. I owned a couple of Rick 4001s before I came across this 4003. It's just a classic bass in my opinion. I can't get enough of the sound and feel of a Rick bass! If I were to change anything about it, I might switch out the neck pickup for a vintage "toaster top" Rick bass pickup. There's a wonderful Rick dealership here in Houston called Southpaw Guitars, and they order all of their Ricks--guitars and basses--with vintage Rick pickups. They sound absolutely fantastic. This bass looks exactly like the one Bruce Foxton is playing on the back of the Jam's album called "This is the Modern World," if you've ever seen the record cover. It's a large reason that I decided to buy the bass in the first place.

This bass features 2 volume controls, one for bass and one for treble, and 2 tone controls, again one for bass and one for treble. There is also a pickup selector for switching between the bridge pickup, the neck pickup or having both on. The finish is a beautiful Midnight Blue and has not shown any wear since I got it. Standard 20 frets and tuners. The neck is different than anything I have played before. If looks beffy and does feel a little bit on the bigger side but playing it is easy and fast. I don't really get it but it works. You should deffinitally try it out before you buy it to get a feeling for it. The pickups sound great, really meaty and loud but quiet and give me a great range of sound. I like to be able to have options over my sound from my bass but don't like to use batteries so the 4 tone controls and pick-up selector is a big plus for me, not too much but still has options. This is a passive bass though and wont give you a huge range of sounds that you can use but I feel that a decent amp and this guitar will give you a few great sounds that are well worth it.

I mostly play alternative rock and jazz and this bass is very good for both of these. This may just be my opinion so you dont have to agree but the clear but heart stopping noise that comes out of both pickups on is really amazing. The highs are crystal clear but the lows are always there. *note-I use mostly roundwound rotosounds and sometimes flatwound rotosounds to get my sound. This sound seems to fit my style of finger playing very well because it doesn't just all sink into that muddy sound that I used to get with my P-Bass. Of course turning the tone down to half on the treble side and maybe to 3/4ths on the bass side will give you a nice thump that is great for jazzy tunes or just mellow sounds. This doesn't make you quieter though, the pick-ups pump out a lot of sound. It sounds about 2 full times louder than my P-Bass. The only thing that I might tell you to watch out for is if you use very brigh roundwounds such as DR Highbeams, GHS Boomers or Ernie Ball strings. You might get a little bit more high end than you might like but besides that the bass seems like it can take any string you could put on it.

When my bass arrived at Sam Ash I went out immedietally, picked it up and played it at the store. The bass came complete with locking case, finish warrenty, truss rod wrench and a large yellow polishing cloth. I inspected the finish and hardware and everything seemed in order. I have heard some nasty horror stories about rickenbackers but have also heard some great ones to so I wasent sure what to expect but I was happy to notice that all of the parts were in place, the finish was flawless[I don't mean it was good, I mean there wasen't even a fingerprint on it!] and it had even come with packaging materials inside the case from when it was shipped to prevent any movement damage at all. Big plus for that one Rickenbacker. The action on the bass was just a tad below medium I would say but what factory bass comes with a 100% amazing action anyways? I normally play with my action a little higher to get a better sound but it sounded AMAZING just the way it was so I only turned the action up a slight bit. There was no fret buzz when I dug in either so that was also a big plus. The frets felt smooth on the sides of the neck, I could see that they were shaped to fit the neck smoothly so they would not nick up your hand. Overall the craftsman ship on this bass is A+ and if I had the money I would certainly get another one without thinking.

So far I have had this bass for one month and I have just made sure to wipe it down after every use and put it back in the case. The finish is still just as clear as the day I got it and no nicks or marks are in the finish either. I feel that if I continue to take good care of it that the finish will certainly stand up to what it might go through. I can't say for sure though because it has only been a month so I will update this review in a few months to keep everyone in the know about how it is going. The hardware feels strong and I see no flaws in any of it at all. But again, we will have to wait and see.

The finish has a one year warrenty and I got a deal through Sam Ash for regular set-up/check ups just to make sure everything is going fine. The tech there is very helpful and seems to know what he is doing. As for the customer support I have never had a problem so I can't comment.

I have been playing for two full years and I know I am just really getting into bass I love it to death and would never sell it. It sounds amazing and looks just as great. If you have any questions about anything related to this bass I would be very happy to E-Mail you back.
Rock on everyone!!!

2002 Fireglo - same specs as others here

Great live or recorded (watch out for that single coil hum!). I use the Ric bass with Fender stainless steel flatwounds (45-105?)in an alt original band with retro vibe, and this bass suits the music perfectly. Everything from trash punk, psychedelia, retro rock, to mellow singer-songwriter stuff. It's flexibility lies in it's two pickups, 3-way switch, and adjustable tone and volume knobs for each p/u. A lot more low-end than you might expect. It's fundamental tone is very smooth and punchy like McCartney's Sgt. Pepper era stuff. It will, however, growl like a mad dog depending on which p/u and tone settings I use. Don't expect a Ric to sound like anything but a Ric though. If you like classic Ric tone, you won't be disappointed. Personally I love it.

Perfect, beautiful finish and tight, solid hardware. After changing the suck-butt original factory roundwounds with flatwounds, I had to adjust the dual trussrod system (quite easy) and the intonation (not very easy). Also, the nut was cut a bit too high from the factory! - - I had to break out my little round tapered file to cut the nut right. That's OK too, since I always do my own setups. If you are unsure about doing a setup, it would pay to have a tech do it (20-40 bucks) since you will end up with an awesome playing bass - - like mine! Some would deduct points for a bass setup not being great from the factory. I won't do this -- I only deduct points if I can't set one up to where I like it.

No horror stories here to be told about warped necks and such.

Hope to never have to use the warranty! I don't even know if my warranty registration card even made it to the Ric factory on time... (10 days from the date of sale??!!) Hell, it may take you a week to get your bass if you buy it online! They could join us here in the 21st century and allow you to register online...

I've been playing 18 years pro and semi-pro. I love everything about this bass.

Its a 2003 fretted in Fireglo. I had an old 70's 4003 but sold it (darn) Needed a new one once I began to long for it again. Standard controls w/ treble p/u cover, 3-way toggle and standard issue factory specs. Tuners rule! Ive played dozens of basses (including Fender, Warwick, Ibanez, hagstrom!) and this is thing stays in tune more consistently than any of em'. Not many frills but who needs em'. Ive come to realize that these classic basses (like the Jazz, P-Bass, Music Man, etc.) really have all you need sound, feature wise (for 4-strings anyway). If you want a new piece of furniture buy yourself a $5000 Fodera or the like.

I play in small-medium clubs, everything from Classic Rock, Dead, Country, Bluegrass, to Sabbath riffage and punk and the occasional slap solo foray. The RIck kills for everything save for slap. And this is only due to the lack of a comfy position to whack. This thing just has balls! Compared to my old Warwick (which sounded positively wimpy and non-distinct) the Rick cuts like crazy. I play w/ two loud dueling guitars and I have no trouble cutting through the mix. Its highs and mids are pronounced but the lows still thump. And you can really get a wide range of tones by messing w/ the controls (or use a good preamp). Try flatwounds and ease of the treble for a great Upright impersonation. Overall a totally unique and distinct sounding instument.

Super low action out of the box, but free of bzzzz. Beautiful craftmanship, really unlike anything else. All maple, neckthrough design = heavy! Doesnt bother me. This is a bass not a ukelele. Thick binding and high-gloss rosewood board actually plays more like maple. Frets are well dressed and even. Beautiful maple grain under trans-finish throughout bass.

So far so good. No problems. Seems to be a timetested tank like design. Maple is hard as hell so it should hold up under climate fluctuations.

n/a

A dude/chick just looks cool playing a Rick. You just dont see many of em' and you'll be sure to get a hell-yeah from some of the old-timers in the crowd. It does have a distinctive sound and playing style. It must be tested first to see if its right for you. After playing one for a bit (especially live)I belive you'll find other basses to be a bit vanilla in comparison.

mine is a 2005 in the 5004 limited edition color Montezuma Brown.
with the other reviews the features are already posted here

This is the best sounding bass I have. It compliments my collection well. Sounds like nothing else but a Ric

Perfectly setup from the factory and the intonation was perfect all the way up the neck

It is a Ric 'nuff said

Had some questions about a few features on it and got a responce within minutes from the comapny when I emailed them.

I've been playin about 5 years steady now had played for about 3 or 4 years then stopped for about 5 and took it back up about 5 years ago. I also own a Dean Rhapsody 12 string bass, a Dean Edge 5 string, and a "P" bass that I parted togeather. a wide range of bass sounds and I love that fact.

Classic Geddy spec 4003 bass in jet glo. It's my 4th rickenbacker as I also own a 4001/v63, a 4003/s5 and a 360v64/12 string, all factories lefties. This guitar is as well made as all my other rics, the finish is faltless and near custom order quality.

Hardware is also well finished and more robust than on my Fenders, nice blue tint chrome with no blemishes and bomb proof frets.

I read in some of the earlier reviews that the 4003 does not have the sound of a Tobais or Spector, If you are out shopping for a Mishubishi evo would you buy a Morgan??, no so don't compare a classic passive sounding bass to a modern active one.

The sounds that are available are fantastic with crisp piano like definition and a real low end bark, granded like any guitar it will take a few years playing to reach it's full potential and I would change the strings to rotosound nickle swingbass 66's as the help to tame the sometimes over excitable top end harmonics. Honestly these basses mature like fine wine, my 4003/s5 is 10 years old and sounds awsome!!

Said it earlier, nothing comes close for the price (except fender japan perhaps?). Let me re-phrase that, nothing built in the states buy a "classic" guitar builder comes close for the price haha!!

This is wear the guitar lets me down a little, they are very fragile instruments and I have to get the Rics set up more often than my Fenders.

The oil based finish on the necks also seem to get very sticky in hot weather, more so than cellulose Fenders and Gibsons I find.

I am based in the UK and ordered the guitar through the excellent Rics R us so no probs there, Although I have never dealt with the company I have heard some pretty bad things about customer service.

I have been playing for over 10 years and own about 14 intstruments, I always seem to be on the look out for Rics over Gibsons,Fenders and Gretsches etc as they have a look sound and build quality that puts them a cut above the rest.They are also one of the few companies out there that cater for us south paws without the stupid price hikes.

4003 + Svt = RNR

96' fireglo, made in the USA. Standard features for 4003 rics (check the website at www.rickenbacker.com).

Lost of tonal control for a passive bass!

I play mostly fingerstyle alternative rock and this bass can really cut through the mix with our two guitarists even though I play fingerstyle (I prefer to have all tone and volume knobs on full with both pickups running).

I was a j-bass kinda guy but I instantly fell in love with the look, (and especially) feel and sound of this bass. Breathtaking in every way. Different from the traditional fender sounds I was used to... but breathtaking.

I originally was looking for jetglo or mapleglo finish... but when I saw the fireglo in the flesh I was stunned. The finish, binding, neck and general construction is flawless.

Easilly the most beautiful bass I have ever laid eyes on. Everyone who sees it compliments it's looks... and people are always drooling over it whenever I bring it to any of the local music stores.

thinner body than my fender basses... but a very solid bass. Due to it's stunning finish and general knockout looks I find that I baby and protect this bass more than I do any of my other basses.

n/a

I think I would sell my first child before I would sell this bass. If I lost it I would cry... a lot... and then buy another.

I love the feel of the neck... it has killer looks, and a one of a kind sound that really cuts through. I am playing this bass a lot right now... for the longest time I was a 100% fender jazz bass guy (any bass that I would try out never matched my fender in sound or feel), but once I played the ric, it was love at first sight. Now my fender is my #2.

Standard Rickenbacker 4003 Fireglow bass made in 2003
It's an all-maple neck-through design (with rosewood fingerboard).
She's long scale, got two stock Rickenbacker single-coil high gain pickups,
Also got some obsolete features like Rick-o-Sound and the mechanical
mute. She's got a pickup gauard over the treble pickup. Most players
take this baby off as soon as they get the bass (myself included) but
I've heard there are some (pick players mostly) who prefer it on.

All in all quite a few features - maybe a few too many, actually.

It's neck-through so it's got lots of sustain and not too much punchiness.
I wouldn't use it for slapping but you can if you really want to. It suits
my style well - I'm more of a melodic player and I play anything from hard rock to heavy metal to blues to jazz to R&B to whatever the hell.
VERY versatile bass - it's got great highs and big boomy lows (it's bassy as hell), though not that much mid.
It's a got a rich, full, woody, growly sound. The high-gains are beautiful pickups and I love their sound,
though they can be noisy (they are single coil). It's a bit of a trade-off I suppose - you can always use a noise gate if you're stuck. I normally play it with the treble pickup turned all the way up and the bass pickup volume turned down about one-quarter.

It was set up well when I bought it, though I changed to flatwounds so
I had to set it up myself again. Note that many stores set the action
too high for some reason which might turn off potential buyers.
I noticed no flaws on the bass.

Good, reliable, solid bass - it'll last forever. The finish seems a little
delicate, though - try not to scratch it - not that I don't think it's durable - it's just so damn beautiful I don't want to risk anyone or anything sharp coming anywhere near it. For myself I only bring it
to gigs with a decent-sized stage. If someone scratched my baby I'd
have to kill them and I don't want to go to prison.
The strap buttons are a little small though I've never had a major problem - I try and keep one hand on the bass at all times but if you like to run around a lot you might want to consider replacing them.
I like to adjust the truss rods on all my basses (or at least check up on them) twice a year - once in spring and once in fall. This baby has a dual-rod system and only needs minor adjustments once in a while.

Never had to deal with Rickenbacker directly, but there is an online
forum of Rick users (very knowledgeable guys) that's frequented by
the owner of the company himself so most questions you have can get
answered by going there. I hear that customer service - in the
traditional sense - can be slow, though (keep in mind this is not a huge multinational company like Fender)

I've been playing for nigh 20 years - my other bass is a MIM Fender P.
They both have their advantages but for most things the Rick is the better bass. I just love it and I wish I had the money to buy five more. I only give a 9 rating because 10 means perfection and nothing, not even a Rick is perfect.

made in USA where else, (2002) came with case which was lined like a coffin, very good, but can't fit it in boot (trunk) of car

Unusual colour of deep blue

usual features

sounds top notch, great for rock, really booms out & cuts through, however tends to be a bit clicky if played to far up the neck, but hey it still sounds great.
Very user friendly for pop and slap,
Really turns heads when played through twin harkie 100w heads!!!
sounds great when using boss processor

action set up at factory
pickups set if it aint bust don't fix it

what can I say will it play live well, is the pope catolic??

just like a VW very reliable

always have a back up just in case a string snaps but that can be any chunkerar!!

not had any trouble with support left handed was not a problem

top totty

What more can you ask for in a passive style bass? There's 2 pickups, 2 Volumes, Two tones, and a whole lot of useful sounds. Anything else would compromise the incredible sound of this bass.

I play straight up rock, from The Who to Yes to Rush and Genesis. This bass is great for that. It cuts through a mix, has plenty of bottom end and near endless sustain. I expected this of course. What I didn't expect was for a friend of mine, who's into Marcus Miller, to start slappin' and poppin' some jazz stuff and have it sound so completely right! It was amazing. He does have a very light touch, which is needed to get a good clean atttack out of the pickups when employing such a style, but the pickups compress nicely and produce a fine musical attack even when my less skilled hands do the Entwistle thing.

There is also a myth that a Rickenbacker is a one trick pony. Not true. Try a couple of these settings.

Full on bridge pickup is a nice sharp attack great for rock, metal, and punk.

The neck solo'd is great for a more vintage vibe. I use it to capture an old school motown sort of tone.

Both pickups full on produces a great rhythm sound. Very full and dense.

Both pickups, bass pickup tone rolled off, with slight roll off on treble volume knob gives you a full 4001'esque tone that has a lot of uses.

Try some other settings as well. You won't be disappointed. There are any number of great, musical tones. There's nothing I dislike about the sound of this bass.

The finish was beautiful. The binding, controls, tuners and frets are all high quality and well worth every penny. What brings this down to an 8 is the stock nickel strings, which I don't think have the right sound, and the fact thhat the nut slot for the D is a little narrow. Nothing major, and I would definitely recommend this bass to anyone.

Even though it's light and wear's nicely this bass has every indication that it'll last a lot longer than me. It's put together with a solidity that my Fender, Yamaha, and Carlo Robelli can only dream of.

The warranty is 5 years from manufacture, which is pretty good. I've heard that Rickenbacker themselves are hard to deal with, but Mike Parks at www.ricpage.com is the best. He's the only man you should consider buying a new Rick from. Not only does he give you a great price, but he backs it up with impeccible service.

Where else can you get a quality American made, neck through instrument with such a great sound and reputation for under $1000? Not Fender. Not anyone. I am a huge John Entwistle and Geddy Lee fan. I like a bass with a bright attack and was going to get a Geddy Lee model Fender Jazz. But that bass is $700. Add the case (Rickenbacker's all come with cases) and the total comes to $800 to $850. That's for a japanese instrument. I think the extra $100 is more than worth it to support American craftsmanship.

2004, factory standard.
Fireglo finish.
Hardshell case.

The perfect bass guitar. It'll go anywhere from deep pulsing sounds, to punchy punk rock, to a full piano-like ring. There's no sound that I haven't been able to achieve with this bass. The output is super hot, and I've found that I usually have to run it through something to take it down a notch before hitting effects or an amp. For recording, I usually go direct into a tube preamp and straight into my audio interface. Sounds unbelievable DI'ed. I just can't say enough good things about the sound of this bass.

The factory setup is the best of any instrument I've owned, from Gibson to Fender and everything in between. You can feel that this instrument is hand made, it's as if every detail was tuned for this particular bass. The action and intonation came preset exactly how I would want it to be -- Perfect. The finish is deep and the trim/accessories are perfectly integrated. It's also well balanced, as far as weight is concerned (if you let go of the bass, it stays put and doesn't start creeping up).

It's a brick, what can I say? I'll be playing this for the next 30 years.

Haven't had to deal with Rickenbacker.

I would buy this bass again and again. I was worried ordering this mail order, as I hadn't played a Rick in a while and was just going on memory from that initial "wow, I want one!" factor. I'm so emmensely pleased with this instrument.

rickenbacker 4003 bass, born in 2004. all maple neck-thru, two hi-gain (passive) ric pickups, 2 volume & 2 tone controls. mono and ric-o-sound (stereo) output. dual truss rods. straplocks come standard, and it comes with a sweet case.

the electronics are passive, not active, so there's no fancy-pants musicman stingray active eq, nor do you have to worry about replacing batteries (i'm retarded enough that i can barely handle changing the battery in my TU-2)

what should a bass feature? it's a bass. its job is to play low notes. my 4003 does that quite well. the ric-o-sound thing could be really cool, but i haven't had an opportunity to use it yet. i'm going to give it an 8, but if you consider "being totally awesome" to be the most important feature of a bass, then you should give it a 10.

my musical style is rock music. my band sounds like this band: www.israeliwarplane.com. that's because it is my band. so, the 4003 sounds great for our type of music, but probably so would any other bass that isn't a complete piece of garbage. actually, the bass i used before i got my ric was a mexican p-bass that my friend's dad picked out of the trash, only worked when the volume was on "10", and the nut was slid to the treble side almost 1/8". it sounded pretty good for what we were doing.

right, so just about any bass would work for us, but the 4003 works really, really well. i'm deeply in love with the neck pickup, and always play neck or neck & bridge, rarely bridge only. i play through an svt 3 pro, and sometimes have dreams of buying a second 3pro, racking them, getting an 810 and wiring it in stereo, and playing through the ric-o-sound. that could be amazing, but there are probably other more amazing sounds i could get if i ever got the money.

i'm going to give it a 9, because i guess it's not "versatile". if not a loser and you want something that sounds like a balls to the wall bass, though, then you should give it a 10.

the bass was set-up quite well at sam ash. i went all wayne's world and went in like twice a week for two months to play it until i could justify parting with the the wad of fifties so big my wallet wouldn't close. i've had it for about six months now, and as far as i can tell, it's totally flawless. as an aside, i just got a tiny dent in it, looks like a cable end hit it. as it accrues more battle damage, i will get less upset, but for now, i'm deeply depressed.

perhaps the best thing about the 4003 is that it's the prettiest bass you will ever play. mine has a jet glo finish, and, honestly, it's the only instrument that i've ever played that i would consider a work of art. that said, it doesn't matter how it looks if it plays like crap. fortunately, it's also the best-playing bass i've ever played. i've only ever played three basses extensively (ones that i've owned, or borrowed for an extended period of time) but i've played a lot in stores. stingrays are nice. i played a thunderbird that was okay. fender p's and j's are okay, but i wouldn't spend a grand on them. to me, the ric just played better. the fact that it's a pretty stunning beauty is just icing. oh - and i really love the fact that it's a neck-thru, as it's ridiculously easy to play "way up high on the tiny strings", if i ever need to.

this bass has withstood live playing, and it'd god damn better continue to withstand live playing, because i'm not getting a new one. the rickenbacker warranty is five years FROM DATE OF MANUFACTURE, not date of sale, which is kind of a big deal. the fact that it's a neck-thru can be a bit of a double-edged sword, i guess, since if the neck on a j or p got screwed up, you could just replace it and still have the body, electronics, and color you liked, whereas on the 4003 you're just screwed. still, i haven't had any problems with it, and i can't forsee anything going wrong with it. i give it a ten, because i can't see how someone could ask any more of it.

haven't dealt with them, hopefully will never have to.

i've been playing for almost 3 years, never had a lesson. just picked everything up by playing in bands - there are worse ways to do it, i think. that said, i'm far from the most experienced player, so maybe you should disregard everything i say.

i play the 4003 through an svt 3 pro and an avatar 2x10. it sounds good, and it'd sound even better if i had a 4x10, but my biggest concern is playing shows, and hauling a 2x10 around is much easier (and not impossible, as a 4x10 would probably be in some situations). the point being, i'm leaving some of this bass's potential untapped, which is a shame for now, but will be awesome later when i'm in a position where i can best complement it with an appropriate amp/cab/van.

what this entire review boils down to: i'm not the most experienced bassist in the world. i even cringe to call myself a 'bassist', though i play in bands that make good, original music and play shows, for people, not in my house. but this is how i feel: lots of basses sound good, but if i play anything else, it feels like i'm playing bass. have you ever seen return of the jedi? when i play my ric, i feel like emperor palpatine, firing lightning bolts out of my finger tips. i'm not even kidding. it's that awesome.

so, if you play rock music and are looking for an awesome bass, check out the 4003. if you are "G.A.S.ing" for one, and have never played one, don't buy one. it is not a warwick six string with active pickups, so if that's what you like in a bass, don't buy one. not to step on anybody's toes, but those are for wankers. 4003s are for rockers.

if you're looking for a great value, can spend around a thousand dollars, and don't need a bass that can make you dinner, check out a ric. but, please, play one first. they're kind of hard to find in stores - i know, i wanted to try another one out to compare but nowhere i called in nyc or on long island had a 4003. i finally gave up and just bought mine; couple months later, sam ash got another in. i played it, to see if it was any better or worse than mine, and it was exactly the same.

so, there it is. the rickenbacker 4003 is the finest bass i have ever laid eyes on, and hopefully will be the last bass i ever buy. if you also want to feel like you're shooting lightning bolts from your finger tips, then you should look into getting one.

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.