Here in Brazil Rics are really rare, so I only have played 3 Rics so far. A 79 4001, a 01 4003 and a 09 4003.
The 79 I had in my posession for 4 years, and it belongs to a friend who was living abroad during that period. Comparing to the others, it had the best feel and sound IMO. The neck was fat but really comfortable, I think it was the most easy-playing bass I have ever played.
The 01 was a mess. The neck was probably as fat as the 79, but really weird profile, my thumb started to hurt after playing for just a feel minutes. The tone was also a bit weird, it sounded like I was running a compressor all the time.
The 09 I had a chance to play last week. A customer brought in for setups. The neck was on the thin side but it felt quite wide, from nut to last fret. But it felt quite comfortable. Not like the 79, but like a modern bass (think korean made). The tone was great, just enough output to drive a good Yes tune, but also could be played smooth enough to sound, well smooth sounding
Anyway, I say give it a try on the new ones.