Rickenbacker 4004 Cheyenne II

2004 mapleglo finish 4004cii multi laminate walnut/maple sandwich-2 hb pickups

i love this bass-i have always loved rick 4000 series. this one is different,yet retains the rickenbacker personality. the pickups can be pretty dark-sounding,but very powerful,like the hb pickups on vintage thunderbirds-a very nice sound for all yer rock n blues needs.i have noticed since i changed from a tube preamp to a solid state amp,(MARKBASS-BUY IT!),there is a lot more clarity to the sound.

i bought my bass used,it looks virtually new,and was well set up,with low action using a lighter set of steel roundwounds. i usually like nickle strings,but i think the steel helps give this bass an edge. i also have found over the years that i like a lighter gauge on ricks-this low action/lite strings also seems ideal with this bass' chunkier neck profile. the finish is beautiful and this is a really well made instrument.

i have had quite a few rick basses over the years-they are all extremely well-made and durable. this one seems like the absolute apex of what the company has made. mine has the gold hardware,which is not my first choice,but seems to be well-applied. we will see how it wears.

mine was used-no warranty,but then again i have never purchased a new rick,so i have no idea about working with rickenbacker.there is a company website/forum that you can check out,but i don't imagine i would need to contact them.once you have your bass set up the way you want it,they tend to stay that way!

i'm an old f*rt,been playing for 30 some years,have played a lot of basses over time. this one is probably the nicest bass i have ever owned-its like rickenbacker made an alembic. the pickups are really great sounding-very powerful and will give quite a growl.it is a simple set-up,which i prefer,with a lot of versatility in the sound. these days i have a markbass 1-12" combo,a 74 rick 4000,67 epiphone embassy,68 fender tele,2 jazz bass copies,a danelectro hodad,and an ibanez artcore hollow body. (i like variety)

The 4004cii has become my main ax. Over the years I've owned all of the classic basses. I've always gravitated towards the Ricks because of the look,sound and feel. This is a very sleek simple bass with a slightly wider neck than the 4003; this feels good to me because I bend notes quite a bit. I'm can't compare this bass to Laklands,Alembics etc because it's an entirely different vibe. My favorite Fender has always been the P bass. This bass is similer in simplicity. Unlike the single coil Ricks, this one is quiet and works in any live situation

The tone is similer to a Rick but with out as much high end..boosting around 4kili-hertz can help here. With the bridge pickup raised close to the strings and the neck pickup alittle lower, the bass sounds full and punchy. If the bottom end is too heavy, just eq off the bottom alittle. I hear alittle T-bird, P bass, music man (bridge pick up only) and Rick in this bass.I can pick, slap or use my fingers on this bass and get great tone using any technique.This bass gives me my own sound unlike basses that everyone plays.

I set up all of my own basses. I had to really tighted the truss rods to get the neck the way I like it. The bridge is awsome and allows for a near oerfect set up.The oickups are adjustable. The bridge pick up has to be close to the strings to get good definition.My action is low but not ultralow. If its too low I can't play hard if I need to.Fit and finish were good..not perfect.

These are solid basses.I'm curious about some of the reviews I've read where the neck bows around the 12th fret. I'll watch this closely!!

I've heard mixed reviews on customer support. I think that your basically on your own with Ricks. They do things thier own way and if you like it..fine if not..you may look elsewhere..I've always had my questions answered when I call Rick..they will not give delivery dates.

It's my opinion but your either a Rick fanatic or your not. To me this is a really good looking comfortable,simple bass with a meaty full p bass like tone (played off of the neck pick up) or very punchy and tight (played off of the bridge pick up). Unlike the 4003"s 4001"s etc. This bass is also very quiet. No frowns from the band or sound man. If you love high end active basses with lots of controls..you won't dig this bass. If you prefer classic looks and use your technique to alter your tone and dig it's vibe..this could be "the one".This has become my sole ax (I'll have 3 very soon).

Dual humbuckers, pickup selector switch, ganged volume, ganged tone, neck-thru construction.

It sounds similar to a lot of other dual humbucker basses; it's a deep, dark sound but without the dullness that some other humbuckered basses have. The RIC pickups are smaller and narrower, and this probably improves the definition. I have to knock off a point or two because the pickups do not have separate volume control and the neck pickup overpowers the "bridge" pickup which is nowhere near the bridge. They might as well have left off the tone control and used that pot for the bridge pickup, because I always used the tone full up and set my tone at the amp......where a bassist should set their tone. No way will a single tone control adjust for room interaction in the bass region, and single bass tone controls are useless to me. I have to deduct a point or two for this oversight. The neck has dead spots which modern basses with reinforced necks are much more free of, so also a point or two must come off.

Action will not adjust as low as I would like. There needs to be more stiffness in the neck to prevent overbending in the heel region where stress is strongest. Again a common problem in basses without neck reinforcement and not enough taper from nut to heel. The nut is wider than most, and that prevents neck bend in this region where it is needed the most to prevent fret buzz. The soldering in the control cavity was not as good as in many import basses I have seen. The control knobs stuck up too far and I set them down next to the body. The finish was very good and smooth. It is extremely hard and wear resistant, but it chips easily like glass if struck with a very hard object. My bass spent a few years in a very dry climate, so the finish is fully hardened, but no cracking and checking has occurred. Intonation is near perfect up and down the fretboard. This bass prefers a higher action than I am used to. Perfect for James Jamerson type players, but my taste goes more toward John Entwistle style setups.

This bass should endure many years of hard playing. Just be sure to prevent contact with hard objects so as not to chip the finish. The finish is conversion varnish, so it is more repairable than polyurethane and much more durable than lacquer. If you like this bass, it should last you a lifetime. The problem is the gold hardware. The gold finish will wear off and start looking funky in a year or two, but that does not prevent it from working just as well as when new. I would have preferred chrome hardware, so a point comes off.

Never contacted them while I owned the bass.

It is a good sounding bass, but had I inspected it first I would not have bought it due to the neck being incapable of taking the low action setups I prefer. If you are a James Jamerson style player, you would really like it. I tried a new Peavey Grind 4 NTB, and liked the sound just as well. These two basses are similar in construction and sound. The Grind 4 NTB neck would take a lower action, so I bought the Peavey, sold the Cheyenne and paid for the Peavey and bought a combo amp with the price difference. I think of the Rickenbacker Cheyenne as a better balanced Gibson Thunderbird, and not much more. The Peavey Grind 4 NTB gets you the same type of sound for a thousand dollars less. Just a fact. For the price of the Rickenbacker or Gibson, I can get modern active basses that blow either one away in versatility and neck stiffness. The Peavey Grind 4 NTB just gives you the old passive dual humbucker sound for a lot less money. Why spend more for a name? There is nothing special about the Cheyenne for what you are expected to spend. RIC has failed to add many modern features that other companies give for the same or less money. If you want an old vintage dual passive humbucker bass sound and MUST have a Rickenbacker, then this is a good bass for that, but realize it can be had for less elsewhere, and with more tone control as on the Peavey Grind 4 NTB. The Peavey is a very solid 10 for the price, but not this bass.

2001 model maple and walnut constuction.transparent red finish,non locking schaller gold tuners,all gold hardware.passive electronics,2o fret,33 1/4 scale length.this is a stunning bass guitar.my most beautiful guitar by far.i get comments every time i play it.rickenbacker spends alot of time and coats of paint(6)to make their instuments.

you can get a very clasic vintage old school bass sound,or a brash in your face more trebly sound.has a switch for the pickups.neck only,both or bridge only.this works just fine for me.i have the bridge pickup higher than the neck pickup ,for more definition.I use larger strings and tune b,e,a,d.the b string sounds defined despite the shorter scale.overall i am pleased with the sound for a passive bass.yeah you can slap on it too.

this is where rickenbackers really shine ,i have 2 ,and fit and finish is superb.excellent paint,hardware,they seem to have a already broken in feel to them.adjusted very well from the factory.intonation was good,ect...

well,it has withstood live playing for 3 years,no problems at all.i have used it on a gig without a backup.all solidly built.strap buttons are excellent.very durable.the paint is un surpassed,i keep banging the end of it on my low ceiling at home ,and it shows no chipping or cracking at all.

i have never had an issue with the company.

have been playing 10-12 yrs.i also have a rickenbacker laguna 6 string guitar,ovation classical.2 carvin basses,5 string and fretless,washburn acoustic bass,fener amps,tube and solidstate.crate,and carvin amps also.my rickenbacker is my number one bass i use for worhip services

Dual humbucker bass with neck thru construction. One tone knob, one volume knob, one selector switch.

Killer sound, very quiet pickups, not like a 4001 or 4003, but much deeper toned as you would expect from humbuckers, but clearer than most humbuckers. The passive pickups have high output for their type. This is NOT a Chris Squire or Geddy Lee type of sound. Not good for the John Entwistle school of bass either, but for those wanting very deep bass with amps that are capable of very powerfuloutput down to 40 Hz. On the neck pickup, you can get such low tones that things will be shaking and buzzing in the room without the bass sounding all that loud, provided your amp has very low frequency response and is not one of those midrangey bass amps. Any amp built before the 300W Ampeg SVT will NOT do this bass justice. I use a solid state rack system with separate preamp and 600W RMS output, 1200W peak output, and various speaker cabs. I get the deep low bass. In spite of the fact it does not sound like 4001/4003 Ricks, it still has its own unique vibe just as you would expect from a Rickenbacker. The piano type ringing would be where it still has a Rick flavor. If anything, it rings more because the string dampers were omitted in this newer design. The RIC HB-1 humbuckers can be bought for $100 retail each to fit into other basses.

The neck has too much bow around the 12th fret to heel, so a low action is not possible. I tightened the truss rods to where the rest of the neck is almost straight and lowered the saddles as far as I could without getting fret buzz. The action is acceptably low now from the 7th fret to nut, where most of my playing is done. Would work very well for those wanting a high action for certain kinds of styles. The rest of the bass is very good to excellent. The hardware quality is very high. I save the bass for songs where a high action fits that particular style of music. The bass does, however, intonate very accurately all over the fretboard. While low action makes for fast playing, in my opinion a higher action usually produces superior sound. I am disappointed that I have little action adjustment range due to the neck not bowing smoothly from heel to nut.

The finish job is very good. It is rare to see a Rickenbacker with a serious finish flaw.

Rickenbackers are generally extremely reliable basses. The tiny selector switch causes me concern, however. Carry a spare or be prepared to hardwire it to your most used setting in an emergency.

I will not give them a one, because they rather nicely said (after a couple days wait)that my action problem was my problem and not their problem. They referred me to two techs who were several states away. Get a good price when you buy a Rickenbacker, buy it used if possible (or demand return privileges if buying new), and then never have anything to do with RIC. Jim Rhoads at Rhoads Music, or Mike Parks at The Rickenbacker Page, or several other dealers with internet presence can get you any parts you need and the price will be the same or less than the factory would charge. Jim Rhoads usually gave me a 20% or more discount on RIC parts that I bought from him, so deal with Rickenbacker DEALERS ONLY, and never, Never, NEVER deal with RIC if you can help it. They make some really great guitars, but they don't want to be *hassled* by customers it seems. If you do not get your warranty card to them within 10 days after the sale, you lose your warranty, and the 5 year warranty starts from date of manufacture, not date of sale.

The neck rates a 5 at best, the rest is an 8 to 10, so I will round off to a 7. If you can get one with a good neck and never have to deal with Rickenbacker, then you will be happy if you would like a Rickenbacker with an unRickenbacker sound. My other bass is a StingRay. May get a Spector also. I gave up on Fenders over 20 years ago. I don't like the sharp edge bindings on the 4001/4003 Ricks, and don't need their fancy fretboards, and their single coils are noisier. This is the best in the tone department in my opinion. Few basses at any price will meet or exceed it. I may trade this one for one with better action, if I ever stumble across one at a fair price. These are few and far between on the used market. This is the only used one I could find in a reasonable time, and I bought it for the tone and great looks in spite of the flawed neck.

This is a 1999 Rickenbacker 4004 Cheyenne II left-handed made in USA. 4-string, 20 frets. It has one volume and one tone control, and a very small pickup selector switch for the two passive humbuckers. It has a nice figured maple top, maple neck through the body, with walnut "wings" on the back and the headstock. Fretboard is bubinga (somewhat lighter than rosewood and nicely figured) It is a natural color, oil finish on the whole bass. I think a gloss finish on the body would bring out the depth of the figuring on the top a little more, but a light coat of tung oil really makes it shine. (I believe Ric has gone to glossy finish on the body of this bass now) The hardware is gold, with a substantial bridge and Schaller tuners (which interestingly state "made in W. Germany") It has dual truss rods, and it came with a gray hardshell case with cool blue lining. Recessed jack with year made and serial number engraved on the plate.

I play mostly in church now (praise and worship, everything from gospel to contemporary to edgier rock sounds) I did use this bass for some funk style music in a former band (not much slapping, though). I agree with the other reviewer that the sound is not the typical Ric sound. Not as bright, but warmer and meatier with a nice mid voice that supports a band well without being harsh or obtrusive. I use this bass with an Ampeg SVT-Pro preamp, an ART Dual Levelar (mono)vactrol leveling amplifier (read compressor) and an occasional touch of T.C. Electronic SCF Chorus. I go straight into the board from the preamp. The bass is very quiet (hope so with passive electronics) To get different sounds out of it, I play off of the bridge pickup with that pickup selected, or for a warmer sound, play off the neck pickup with both pickups selected. I play mostly fingerstyle with the occasional pick on a driving song. Not much treble by itself, but with the preamp I don't have a problem with that. I did some direct recording, which sounded better after mixing than when I used the preamp for recording, but for live situations, the preamp is a must for me b/c of its tone and level adjusting abilities. This brings up one of my dislikes - the pickups were too low to the point that the output signal was very weak. I adjusted these, but it wasn't easy, and I don't think it's really meant to be done, but now the output is stronger, and it just sounds fatter.

Action was mediocre from the factory. Too high and as I mentioned before, the pickups were too low. In my view the nut was cut poorly, as the strings were too high not only at the saddles (easily adjusted) but at the nut as well. After playing the bass for two years, (I'm ashamed to admit I didn't get it taken care of sooner) the neck had some bow that needed correcting, so I had the truss rods and nut adjusted at the same time. Not only was the nut keeping the strings too high, the nut itself is much too tall, at least twice as high as the top of the strings and the D string was binding in the nut as well. Overall, a poor nut on an otherwise quality instrument, but the problems were correctable, so not too many points off. The finish, although plain on this bass, is beautiful.

I've played it often now for almost 4 years (wow, time flies) and it seems solid. Of course, I'm very careful with it, and it's not like I'm "on the road" with it. The hardware has held up well, even the tiny pickup selector switch which just looks like it would break. (dainty would be a good word for it) but I guess the less stuff on that figured top the better. I put Schaller locking strap buttons on it, so no problems there. One truss rod adjustment on a brand new neck-through in almost 4 years - I'd say it's pretty stable.

Ah, the arrogance of Rickenbacker! Sounds like the other reviewer has experienced it too. I'm left-handed, so getting anything is always a challenge. I ordered this bass in April of '99, at which time the sales guy at the Music Loft told be it would be in in 2-3 months. Right!!! I guess it isn't Ric's fault if he was too generous in his estimate, but he confirmed this with them by phone. As the months rolled by, it was always "I talked to them and it should be ready in a week or so". All said and done, I got it in October, 6 months later. Which is about what you should expect if you order one, I'm told now. I've never had any other contact with Rickenbacker, but I would expect more of the same. I guess they feel like they don't need to go out of their way to be helpful, since the orders are coming in regardless. The hardshell case did have the wrong keys with it, and the sales guy said he would call them about it and get back to me (right)

I've been playing bass for 13 years, guitar several before that. I also have a Roscoe 5-String fretless I'll review later, and a couple of Ampeg practice amps (BA-115 at home and a BA-110, which I use as a monitor with the preamp) Something I wish I'd asked before buying the bass- "No, REALLY, how long will it take?" If I'd have known going into it, it would have been easier. I love the shape of this bass. It has the Ric shape, but with elegant woods and hardware. If I had it to do over again I might would get a Roscoe 4 or 5-string fretted intstead, but the Ric is a distinctive, great-sounding bass for less than half the price, so I'm very happy with it overall.

This review is for a 2000 4004 Cheyenne II bass. This bass is made in the USA (Santa Ana, CA to be exact) as is basically a 4001 on steroids. This is the third Rick I've owned (I've been playing over 20 years now, the first was a '77 4001 I bought new, sold that one to get a '73 4001 which I played for about 10 years) The bass has the typical Rickenbacker set up - 20 frets; 33 1/3 scale; neck through the body; two pick-ups (humbucking, passive); fast, low action neck. The heal of the neck is sloped off on the bottom, making it easy to get to the higher frets.
Unlike the standard Ricks is has Schaller machine heads, a very nice solid tail piece, and only a single tone and volume control (I prefer it that way). The neck is Maple and the fingerboard is Bubinga (very nice!). The body wings are made of Walnut sandwiched by figured Maple (absolutely beautiful!), however, I've seen pictures of this bass (natural finish) where only the face was Maple and the back was Walnut. Not so on mine. You can see the sandwiched strip of Walnut between the Maple front and back through the finish.
Hardshell case is included.

Where this bass departs is the tone. Everyone who's heard it has commented on its tone - very unrickenbacker, but exceptional. Let me say, it was so different from my expectation that it took a couple of gigs to get used to it (the rest of the band loved it from the first note). It's much warmer and fuller than the 4001, in fact my other bass is a fretless Charvel Jazz and it sounds more like a Rickenbacker than the Rickenbacker. My point is if you're looking for the classic Rick sound this may not be the bass for you. I'm playing mostly Blues and Classic Rock (bass, drums, guitar) and the tone suits these styles perfectly. It's still got enough bite, but with a nice round bottom that fills beautifully when the guitar takes a solo.
I'm currently playing it through a Trace-Elliot, 300 watt single 15" combo with a Hartke 2 10" cab. on top.

The bass needed to be set up when I got it. The tech told me the neck actually had a negative bow on it. Once it was set up it played like a dream. The fingerboard is a bit wide (across from E to G)and that took a little getting used to (my Jazz is *very* narrow), but within a couple weeks I was acclimated. I can't stress enough just how *beautiful* this bass is. Mine is green and with the gold hardware it just looks stunning. There is one minor flaw I've found in the finish - a bit of green stain got smudged onto the heal of the fingerboard (up by the pickup where the fingerboard mates with the neck). It's hardly noticeable, but it's there. Other than that, it's flawless.

I've been playing this bass about three months now (every weekend) and it's as solid as any bass I've owned (and I've owned quite a few). It's definitely built to last.

I bought this bass mail order from Elderly Music in Lansing MI. They were fantasic, very cooperative and helpful.
Rickenbacker however was another story. I bought this bass without ever having touched one (what a leap of faith). I'm in the Los Angeles area and was unable to locate one in any music store within driving distance. I contacted Rickenbacker (they're only about 45 minutes from me) to find out if I could come down and see one, or if they could tell me a dealer they sold one to so I could pursue it myself. Rickenbacker's consistent response (after a phone call and several emails) was basically 'pound sand'. They gave me absolutely no help whatsoever in trying to locate, or test drive a Cheyenne II. I finally just gave up, crossed my figures and bought one. I'm glad I did.

All I can say is I love this bass. It looks, plays and sounds exceptional. I play with several different groups and it gets a unanimous two thumbs up from all the players I work with. (In fact, it's also unanimous that it sounds *much* better than the Jazz bass, who woulda thunk it)

I'm reviewing a 2000 model 4004C-II bass. This bass is a 4-string with 20 frets. It's made up of a maple neck, solid walnut body with a solid maple top. The neck runs through the body, and the fretboard is babinga with dot fret markers. It has one volume and one tone control along with a 3 position selector switch, and 2 RIC humbucking pickups. The finish is translucent blue, and it really is spectacular to look at. All hardware is gold plated which ,in my opinion adds a lot of brilliance to it's appearance. Along with this particular bass I got the upgraded case which is a vintage looking silver with a plush blue interior, I'd recommend the vintage case upgrade I believe that it adds more protection than the standard SKB case.

I really like the sound of this bass. I play mainly blues bassed rock along with some folky style music and it fits in very well. The best way to describe it's sound would be almost silky smooth. It's trebel setting is bright but not too bright if you know what I mean, and the bass pickup gives more than enough backbone. I have no problem using this bass on stage or in the studio, it fits well in either situation

This bass was perfect right out of the box. The set up, the action is just where it should be, very easy to play. I can't say enough about how beautiful the finish is. I hate to use the term perfect but in this case it really was.

I've played out a couple times with this bass and I have no doubt that it'll stand up fine every time. The hardware seems pretty solid and I wouldn't be concerned about it. My only minor complaint are the strap buttons, they are compatible with strtap locks but how would it be to include them? Maybe I'm a little too picky. It's very dependable and it stays in tune very well. I have played out without a back up and I'd have no problem at all doing it again.

With this particular instrument I've had no reason to call their customer support and I doubt if I'll ever need them with the way this bass is put together. I bought it from Ed Roman's World Class Guitars and he was very professional and helpful when I was considering it.

I've been playing guitar for almost 15 years, and bass for the past 3 or 4. I also play a RIC 650S-VH and a Guild D-15 Acoustic. If it were lost or stolen I'd get another one for sure. I love the way this bass sounds with the music that I play, it fits soo well. I believe that it far suppior to the Fender P-Bass that I had, the tone is much better in my opinion.