More changes

[morrow]

They're bringing back the skunk stripe and going down to a single truss rod .
They've been doing some adventurous stuff recently .

Gotta say I thought they looked good when I saw the pics .

[Chris P.]

Beautiful! But aren't all 4003 basses single truss rod?

[ilan]

Beautiful! But aren't all 4003 basses single truss rod?

No. The 4003 started with dual reverse hairpin (expansion) rods, like the 4001 but adjustable at the body end, then switched to dual compression rods in 1985.

[morrow]

Rics are a little weird , they're not built like Fender style basses . And until recently have been quite resistant to change . But with Ben Hall taking the company reins there's been more change .
But now they've improved the bridge , and changed the truss rod set up .
One almost wonders if we'll see the real horseshoe come back next . Or those Transonic amplifiers !
Wouldn't that be something ?

[gearHed289]

Skunk stripe - I can take it or leave it. Looks nice. The single rod is the big news. They've been experimenting with some very limited models in the past couple of years. Guess they decided to standardize it.

[D.M.N.]

Skunk stripe as well as dark headstock wings, looks a lot like my Greco PMB-800. And like the Greco, I like that they're going to a single truss rod! The only change thus far I've disliked is discontinuing the lacquer on the fretboard. It looks alright on the 4003s model, but on the 4003 it makes the inlays and wood really pop.

[ilan]

Unlacquered board, standard single rod, easily adjustable bridge, non-lifting tailpiece, what's next on the road to normalcy? Volume knobs on top and tones on the bottom? Sacrilege!

The skunk stripe will be a nice touch on the 4003SW.

[morrow]

And John Hall started all these changes with the walnut headstock wings and full width inlays .

[gearHed289]

Unlacquered board, standard single rod, easily adjustable bridge, non-lifting tailpiece, what's next on the road to normalcy? Volume knobs on top and tones on the bottom? Sacrilege!

The skunk stripe will be a nice touch on the 4003SW.

I haven't liked those newer walnut Rics at all. I thought a black pickguard would help, but having seen a few, I still didn't like it. Now with the skunk stripe, I think this looks pretty good. It helps that they used some really nice walnut.

Now about that whole mute assembly... 

[ilan]

Brown is boring but some walnuts weigh 8lbs., a whole pound less than the average maple-winged Ric bass.

[Alanko]

Brown is boring but some walnuts weigh 8lbs., a whole pound less than the average maple-winged Ric bass.

Dip them in conversion varnish to put the pound back on!

[morrow]

The new truss rod is not easily removable , you have to take of the fretboard to get at it ...

[ilan]

The new truss rod is not easily removable , you have to take of the fretboard to get at it ...

That's not good. Fenders do fine with unserviceable rods, but their necks are bolt-on and much more stable than Ric necks.

Can you take a pic of the neck pickup rout / truss rod access (or lack thereof) and under the TRC?

[morrow]

Mine (both of them) are older . I just have a 4001 and 4000 , although I do really like some of the recent stuff Rickenbacker has been putting out . aceonbass replied to the question on the RRF forum .

[Alanko]

The new truss rod is not easily removable , you have to take of the fretboard to get at it ...

Like every other bass manufacturer then.

The fuel line in my car is a proper bastard to remove. I bought my car on the basis that I won't ever have to replace the fuel line. Only Rickenbacker fanatics are conditioned to think that yanking out broken trussrods is some sort of design advantage and a matter of course for bass ownership.