Less 'Hefty' Rick neck profiles

[copacetic]

I cannot find my copy of Paul's book at the moment. I'm interested in what Rick bass models and years had a slimmer or jazz like profile. Most are too beefy/hefty for me. I do recall playing a few that did not have the heft.

[Jeff Scott]

None ever had a Jazz Bass-like profile, but the ones that are nice and thin (that I have played or can recall) are from the early '70s.

If you are looking for one, I may have my March '73 4001 available soon (with lots of goodies to go with it, like the '60s rebuilt horseshoe pickup currently in the bass).

[ilan]

None ever had a Jazz Bass-like profile

Well... AFAIK 1986 4003 Shadows have the thinnest/narrowest neck profile. They are 1 1/2" wide at the nut - like a Jazz bass (A-width in Fender nomenclature), and also very thin front-to-back. My Shadow's pencil neck is thinner than my '77 Fender Jazz.

The thinnest necks on non-Shadow Rics are '67-'68 models. At the 12th fret they are slightly thinner than a Shadow.

[Happy Face]

Unless I am mistaken, I do believe that Jeff also owns or has owned a Shadow. So he can provide a valid comparison. If he cares to!

[Jeff Scott]

I have played a few Shadows but never owned one, but I have owned/own a few Jetglos.  Interesting about the 1 1/2" nut Ricks, I have never come across one, that I recall (I don't think the ones I played were any different from other Ricks of the era); it would be interesting to check one out, given the opportunity.

Here is a photo of some cool basses from the confluence I did in 2005.

Photograph Copyright © Jeffrey P. Scott 2005 All rights reserved.

[Happy Face]

Now there's a lineup, sensei!  Someone should have tossed in a Tuxedo, just for a bit on contrast....

Hey, have you ever held a Redneck in your hands?

[Jeff Scott]

Now there's a lineup, sensei!  Someone should have tossed in a Tuxedo, just for a bit on contrast....

Well, we did the best we could at the time; here are some more from that confluence...............................

Photograph Copyright © Jeffrey P. Scott 2005 All rights reserved.

[Happy Face]

Geez, that shouldn't have been allowed!  Imagine if a stray Russian Satellite had crashed to earth on that site? Or, god forbid, a sinkhole opened up below you guys? 

Don't you have any sense of responsibility?

But .... a Redneck? .... 

[Dave W]

It's hard for me to visualize a Ric neck having a Jazz profile, even one with a 1 1/2" nut width. Because of the placement of the dual truss rods, the back can't be as rounded as a typical J.

As always, I could be wrong.

[hieronymous]

Now there's a lineup, sensei!  Someone should have tossed in a Tuxedo, just for a bit on contrast....

I don't mean to be obnoxious, probably just being dense, but - isn't that a Tuxedo on the right in that picture?

[ilan]

Just measured again. My Shadow is 40mm (1 9/16") at the nut. About 3mm narrower than my '73.

[Paul Boyer]

I don't mean to be obnoxious, probably just being dense, but - isn't that a Tuxedo on the right in that picture?

Yes, the all-white/black trim model is the 4003SPC Tuxedo. In that first shot (left to right) are a 4003 Autumnglo, three (count 'em, THREE!) 4003 Shadow, a 4003SPC Blackstar, and the 4003SPC Tuxedo. At that confluence, one fellow was in the middle of collecting Shadows and recording their serial numbers. Two of the three Shadows were his, and the other belonged to the fellow who owned all the others in that shot. The latter fellow obtained a Redneck a year or so later, and I photographed all three SPCs together for the book:

[gearHed289]

Neck thicknesses seem to have varied over the years. One thing I have noticed is from around '99 until the new 2 piece neck came along in the second half of 2009, they were unusually thick and "square" feeling. My personal favorites are late 80s/early 90s.

[wellREDman]

oooh that red one !
is the fingerboard just painted regularly? doesn't it wear off with play ?

[Dave W]

Neck thicknesses seem to have varied over the years. One thing I have noticed is from around '99 until the new 2 piece neck came along in the second half of 2009, they were unusually thick and "square" feeling. My personal favorites are late 80s/early 90s.

I bought and later sold three of the thick ones. Not all at the same time. Sold the first one and kept coming back for more. IMHO the necks now are much more comfortable.