Moderators isaac42 Posted April 12, 2020 Moderators Share Posted April 12, 2020 Dunno why, but when I saw this bass on craigslist locally for a pretty good price, I decided I had to buy it. Rickenbacker 4003AC. At first glance, it looks pretty similar to my Ric 4003W. Maple neck and fretboard, neck-through body. A closer look reveals some differences. No body binding, but that's the same as the 4003SW. Green triangle inlays on the fretboard. Not one, but two Rickenbacker bridge pickups. The neck pickup is a lot farther away from the neck than is usal for Rics, and the bridge pickup closer to the bridge, similar to a Fender Jazz bass or a Ric 4002. There's a thumbrest up near the neck. The AC designation stands for Al Cisneros. Apparently he's a big deal in some circles; He plays bass for Sleep and Om. His style is to play up near the neck, hence the thumbrest there. Also why the pickup covers wouldn't bother him. For the rest of us, it comes with pickup bezels. You take off the covers and install the bezels in their place, making it possible to play over the pickups. The bezels also provide alternative thumbrests. I'm looking forward to plugging it into my amps and hearing how it differs from more conventional Rics. https://www.guitarcenter.com/Rickenbacker/4003AC-Al-Cisneros-Limited-Edition-Bass.gc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Grant Harding Posted April 12, 2020 Members Share Posted April 12, 2020 That looks awesome! Always wanted a Ric. 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted April 12, 2020 Moderators Share Posted April 12, 2020 HNBD...at least you will have plenty of time to get it broken in...😎 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted April 12, 2020 Share Posted April 12, 2020 Interesting looking bass. Once you have a chance to plug it in, please let us know how the pickups sound in those rather unorthodox locations... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted April 12, 2020 Members Share Posted April 12, 2020 Cool looking instrument. Happy New Bass Day. 👍 Let us know what you think of it once you have a chance to play it for a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members lug Posted April 13, 2020 Members Share Posted April 13, 2020 Sweeeeet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators isaac42 Posted April 15, 2020 Author Moderators Share Posted April 15, 2020 Pics or it didn't happen: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators isaac42 Posted April 17, 2020 Author Moderators Share Posted April 17, 2020 Comparing the 4003W with the new 4003AC. Note the difference in the pickup placement. The 4003W, on the right, has pickups mounted in raditional Ric positions. The neck pickup is centered on the virtual 24th fret (8½" from the bridge). For open strings, that's the node of the 4th harmonic, two octaves above the fundamental. The bridge pickup is at the virtual 36th fret (4¼"), the 8th harmonic, three octaves up. On the 4003AC, the neck pickup is pretty close to where a Precision pickup would be. It's not at a node, as far as I can tell, although the leading edge, that is, the edge nearest the neck, is at the node for the same harmonic as at the 4th fret (center of the pickup is 6" from the bridge). The bridge pickup is 2⅞", also not at a node. I expect the sound to be noticeably different from a standard Ric. The 4003AC is heavier than the 4003W. I'm guessing that that's due to the two chrome surrounded pickups. The new bridge may also be heavier. It's certainly an upgrade from the old Ric bridge. The knobs are definitely bigger! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted April 18, 2020 Members Share Posted April 18, 2020 Is it an illusion or is the 4003AC smaller bodied than the 4003W? I'll leave pickup positions and nodes for another day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators isaac42 Posted April 19, 2020 Author Moderators Share Posted April 19, 2020 7 hours ago, DeepEnd said: Is it an illusion or is the 4003AC smaller bodied than the 4003W? I'll leave pickup positions and nodes for another day. An illusion, I think, due to the 4003W having a bound body. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted April 19, 2020 Members Share Posted April 19, 2020 16 hours ago, isaac42 said: An illusion, I think, due to the 4003W having a bound body. That's what I suspected. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators isaac42 Posted April 21, 2020 Author Moderators Share Posted April 21, 2020 Playing with the 4003AC this morning. It has a different sound than the 4003W. Not hugely so. I'm not sure if anyone else would notice once the band starts playing, but maybe we'll find out one of these days, when bands can get together again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators isaac42 Posted May 17, 2020 Author Moderators Share Posted May 17, 2020 Had a band practice Friday, and I took the 4003AC. I like it. It's set up with a very low action, compared to my other Rics. That made it more clacky. Little bit of buzz. I noticed it on the A string, particularly when playing a B. Intonation is spot on, all the way up the neck. I like the sound a lot. A bit brighter, a bit punchier than a standard Ric. I wouldn't go so far as to say that it's a better sound than a standard Ric, but it is a different one, and in a useful way. I'll take it to a gig on Thursday (different band). My expectation is that the guys in that band will ooh and ah over its looks, but won't like the sound as much, if they notice a difference at all. They prefer the deep sound of a standard Ric, which is one thing the 4003AC isn't as good at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted May 17, 2020 Members Share Posted May 17, 2020 5 hours ago, isaac42 said: . . . I'll take it to a gig on Thursday (different band). My expectation is that the guys in that band will ooh and ah over its looks, but won't like the sound as much, if they notice a difference at all. They prefer the deep sound of a standard Ric, which is one thing the 4003AC isn't as good at. Wait, you have a gig this week?! How did that happen? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators isaac42 Posted May 18, 2020 Author Moderators Share Posted May 18, 2020 18 hours ago, DeepEnd said: Wait, you have a gig this week?! How did that happen? Oregon is starting to open up. The sports bar adjacent to the bowling alley called up the bandleader for Let It Roll and asked if we could play this Thursday. The other guys really need the money, little as it is, so we're playing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators isaac42 Posted May 18, 2020 Author Moderators Share Posted May 18, 2020 Took the 4003AC to another band practice yesterday (yes, a third band). Sounded really good. In that band, we do a few songs in which I play with a pick. I found that the pickup placement made that more difficult than with a standard Ric. Before I left for practice, I raised the bridge saddles slightly. I didn't notice any difference in the action, but the fret buzz I'd noticed before seems to have gone away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted May 19, 2020 Members Share Posted May 19, 2020 9 hours ago, isaac42 said: Oregon is starting to open up. The sports bar adjacent to the bowling alley called up the bandleader for Let It Roll and asked if we could play this Thursday. The other guys really need the money, little as it is, so we're playing. Cool. 👍 Be safe. AFAIK the St. Louis area hasn't opened up to that extent yet. Even if it does, it'll be a couple of months before Mrs. DeepEnd and I go out anywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators isaac42 Posted May 21, 2020 Author Moderators Share Posted May 21, 2020 Gig was cancelled yesterday. "Maybe next week." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted May 23, 2020 Members Share Posted May 23, 2020 On 5/21/2020 at 11:28 AM, isaac42 said: Gig was cancelled yesterday. "Maybe next week." Well, that stinks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators isaac42 Posted May 24, 2020 Author Moderators Share Posted May 24, 2020 17 hours ago, DeepEnd said: Well, that stinks. Probably safer for all concerned. But not as much fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators isaac42 Posted June 4, 2020 Author Moderators Share Posted June 4, 2020 No gig this week, either. Maybe next week. Should be into phase 2 by then. Still loving the 4003AC. Ric should have done something like this ages ago. Okay, they kinda did with the 4002, but it had other features that made it very expensive, and it didn't sell well. Very hard to find now, and very expensive. I'd love to play one, but there are so few in existence, it's not likely. In the meantime, the 4003AC will have to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nice keetee Posted June 4, 2020 Members Share Posted June 4, 2020 I need a 5 string, does Ric make them and how $$ since I seem to record low notes on synths would like to be able to play on a bass guitar etc... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nice keetee Posted June 4, 2020 Members Share Posted June 4, 2020 the green color fret markers distinct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nice keetee Posted June 4, 2020 Members Share Posted June 4, 2020 On 4/15/2020 at 4:48 PM, isaac42 said: Pics or it didn't happen: yes, green means go Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted June 5, 2020 Moderators Share Posted June 5, 2020 you will have to 'call for the price' on a new Ric...they are just funny that way... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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