Members The Aardvark Posted August 23, 2005 Members Share Posted August 23, 2005 I want to get the Rickenbacker sound (My Sharona, Roundabout by Yes, etc.) but if I spend serious money on a new Bass, my wife is gonna have a cow (and rightly so). We don't need a new calf. And, I don't want to be miserable with half my stuff. So, what's the best (CHEAP) way of coming close? Will and SX J Bass do the trick? Maybe with a pickup replacement? If so, what pickups would work best? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bikehorn Posted August 23, 2005 Members Share Posted August 23, 2005 while sacreligious to discuss, it is theoretically possible to incur a Rick-ish sound with a Jazz. [cue obligatory "shut the {censored} up, poorass! you dont' know what you're talking about. nothing can touch a rick in any possible way."] anyway, what i would do is maybe get an SX Jazz to start off. take off the ole pickguard and remove all the electronics...i'd shield the whole damn thing...Jazzes can be buzzy when you favour one pickup....and you may well be doing that. Pickup replacement might depend on how much you want to spend...lest you end up with some "bovine" difficulties. I guess everyone makes good pickups these days. part of the Rick's signature sound is the punch, so that might narrow it down some. I like the Lace Transensors, although they aren't that common. lots of punch and a piano-y character. EMG-J pickups might also do that, although i've never personally tried them. based on what i've heard and read, they might take you there. another idea might be to go to http://www.skguitar.com and have a set of J pickups custom wound to sound somewhat Rick-like. a bridge change might be in order if you find the sustain to be weak...not having ever played an SX, i couldn't tell you. you could get a Badass II but they're damn expensive. I hear the Gotoh 201 is pretty nice and not half as expensive. One thing i've always wanted to try is to take a P-Bass and rout a slot somewhere near the neck for a real damn Rick pickup. plus, you retain the original P pickup. this way, you get a P-Bass with some Rickishness. wiring it up on its own concentric volume and tone pots would allow you to control just how much of it gets mixed in. and of course, you have good ol Precision sounds ready to roll. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bassplayinguy Posted August 23, 2005 Members Share Posted August 23, 2005 shut the {censored} up, poorass! you dont' know what you're talking about. nothing can touch a rick in any possible way you asked for it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members The Aardvark Posted August 23, 2005 Author Members Share Posted August 23, 2005 I'll try the SX and a pickup change if that's the best answer. Any other pickup suggestions? Another possibilites would be are there any Rick copy's that are a good bang for the buck? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SpaceGhost Posted August 23, 2005 Members Share Posted August 23, 2005 Originally posted by The Aardvark I'll try the SX and a pickup change if that's the best answer. Any other pickup suggestions? Another possibilites would be are there any Rick copy's that are a good bang for the buck? You'd have to *really* dig for a nice Ric copy as the Ric gustapo will have it "removed". And again: There's nothing that will sound like a Ric besides a Ric. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members syciprider Posted August 23, 2005 Members Share Posted August 23, 2005 Sam Ash will deal 15 equal monthly payments with no interest. $1100/15 = $73 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members PaulyWally Posted August 23, 2005 Members Share Posted August 23, 2005 Originally posted by syciprider Sam Ash will deal 15 equal monthly payments with no interest. $1100/15= $73 No shytte?!? Is that for a limited time? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members PaulyWally Posted August 23, 2005 Members Share Posted August 23, 2005 Speak of the devil... Rick Copy on eBay Damn it... frickin eBay links! Just go to eBay and run a search for: "Marquis Rickenbacker 4001 bass copy" (ending August 28th) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators isaac42 Posted August 23, 2005 Moderators Share Posted August 23, 2005 How much would that Jazz purchase and conversion cost? Real Rics can be had for $700 or less on ebay. What's the problem? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members The Aardvark Posted August 23, 2005 Author Members Share Posted August 23, 2005 I have, in the past tried to go the cheap route only to be disappointed and ultimately wind up buying the real thing. This of course costs more than if I had bought the real thing in the first place. If I can't get a consensus on a cheaper alternative, I think that maybe I should sell some gear (to placate the wife) and buy a 4003. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members syciprider Posted August 23, 2005 Members Share Posted August 23, 2005 Originally posted by PaulyWally No shytte?!?Is that for a limited time? No, they have it all the time. Go to their website. This is how I am scheming to get a Ric without having to beg. My wife wasn't very happy when I bought a Ray (sticker shock) so I gotta be creative with the big ticket acquisitions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Hamer-Bass-Head Posted August 23, 2005 Members Share Posted August 23, 2005 a rick's pickups aren't in the same positions as a jazz so from the start your harmonic content will be different... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Perfessor Posted August 23, 2005 Members Share Posted August 23, 2005 I'd save up and buy it in a year or two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jazz Ad Posted August 23, 2005 Members Share Posted August 23, 2005 Go Danelectro.Best and cheapest alternative around.Say, a Longhorn, or a DC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members NV43345 Posted August 23, 2005 Members Share Posted August 23, 2005 Look around and see what you have lying around that you could sell off and raise some money towards it. You simply must have a Ric. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members lug Posted August 23, 2005 Members Share Posted August 23, 2005 Actually a T-40 can cop a semi-ric tone when you put the pups in single-coil mode. A little less bite, but not by much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Undertoad Posted August 23, 2005 Members Share Posted August 23, 2005 Geddy says he can get close enough to his Ric sound with his modified Jazz and the Sansamp. That tells you how much of his signature sound is in his fingers. I bet you could play My Sharona with an eBayed MIM J with new pickups and the right attitude. I bet playing it well in the right places will earn you $50 a night until you do it enough nights to buy a Ric. Problem solved and the wife cannot complain about an instrument that you earned while playing a cheaper instrument. (If she does, at that point you should check into a new wife.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author Craig Vecchione Posted August 23, 2005 CMS Author Share Posted August 23, 2005 It is easier to obtain forgiveness than permission. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members PaulyWally Posted August 23, 2005 Members Share Posted August 23, 2005 Originally posted by isaac42 How much would that Jazz purchase and conversion cost?Real Rics can be had for $700 or less on ebay. What's the problem? I haven't found many Rics under $800 on eBay. It's not exactly a bass that floods its way onto online auctions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Guy Who Plays Bass Posted August 23, 2005 Members Share Posted August 23, 2005 Originally posted by Undertoad Geddy says he can get close enough to his Ric sound with his modified Jazz and the Sansamp. That tells you how much of his signature sound is in his fingers. I bet you could play My Sharona with an eBayed MIM J with new pickups and the right attitude. I bet playing it well in the right places will earn you $50 a night until you do it enough nights to buy a Ric.Problem solved and the wife cannot complain about an instrument that you earned while playing a cheaper instrument. (If she does, at that point you should check into a new wife.) geddy lee has said on several occasions that he has never played a jazz bass that sounds like his. he is afraid to even open up the control cavity in fear that he might ruin his sound by fixing an error with his bass. i doubt you are going to get that sound with a jazz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators isaac42 Posted August 23, 2005 Moderators Share Posted August 23, 2005 Originally posted by PaulyWally I haven't found many Rics under $800 on eBay.It's not exactly a bass that floods its way onto online auctions. He doesn't need a lot. He needs only one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mudbass Posted August 23, 2005 Members Share Posted August 23, 2005 The Dean Edge One might interest you. They don't sound like a Ric exactly, but they've got an aggressively rowdy tone that would stand out for songs like Sharona and Roundabout. ...and they're only about $220. Here's what one sounds like. http://www.metalriffs.com/BishopsCrossing.mp3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members The Aardvark Posted August 24, 2005 Author Members Share Posted August 24, 2005 looks like I'm going to get a Ric! She's saying things like "If you got anything else you wouldn't be happy" (she knows me so well). So, it'll probably be 2 or 3 months before we can swing it, but I will soon be playing a Midnight Blue 4003! BWAH HA HA HA!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Zamfir Posted August 24, 2005 Members Share Posted August 24, 2005 Originally posted by Undertoad Geddy says he can get close enough to his Ric sound with his modified Jazz and the Sansamp. That tells you how much of his signature sound is in his fingers. Trying as hard as possible with my Geddy J and an RBI, I can't get his creamy Ric tone on "Red Barchetta." There are limits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Undertoad Posted August 24, 2005 Members Share Posted August 24, 2005 Originally posted by The Aardvark looks like I'm going to get a Ric! She's saying things like "If you got anything else you wouldn't be happy" (she knows me so well). So, it'll probably be 2 or 3 months before we can swing it, but I will soon be playing a Midnight Blue 4003! BWAH HA HA HA!!! Now that sounds like a keeper. Two keepers really! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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