Unrathed

[ilan]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/372540210250

[Dave W]

LOL!

Not a bad price for a 2030, even with the extra tuner hole.

[ilan]

I must admit to never understanding the appeal of the non-4000 Series Rics.

[Dave W]

I must admit to never understanding the appeal of the non-4000 Series Rics.

IMHO the 3000 bass sounds great. The 200/2000 series aren't bad, they just don't have a distinctive tone. Nothing that grabs you and says "that's a Ric."

[Jeff Scott]

..... The 200/2000 series aren't bad, they just don't have a distinctive tone. Nothing that grabs you and says "that's a Ric."

I don't know about that, unless my 2030GF was something pretty special.

[Dave W]

I don't know about that, unless my 2030GF was something pretty special.

Was? Did you sell it?

All I meant was that the series didn't have the distinctive tones of the 300/600 guitars and 4000 basses that are identified with Rickenbacker.

[Jeff Scott]

That 2030GF was the most aggressively Rick sounding bass I had ever owned.  Truly glorious tone from it. 

That bass now resides in the RIC museum.

[Happy Face]

Prof Scott.

Again, showing my ignorance of many things, what does the GF designation mean?

But on a more pertinent level ..... I was lightly pondering waving in one of those new 4003 5 stringers. Maybe after the holidays. 

The 2030 convertible caught my eye, but I wonder if there's a good reason why Olivia's didn't show it as a fiver. From your experience, do you think the neck profile would handle five strings?

Thanks!

[Dave W]

That 2030GF was the most aggressively Rick sounding bass I had ever owned.  Truly glorious tone from it. 

That bass now resides in the RIC museum.

Aggressive and glorious, okay, but riddle me this: if it was substituted in a song played with the distinctive tone of a 4001 or 4003 bass, would the average bassist be able to identify it as a Ric? I wouldn't.

Prof Scott.

Again, showing my ignorance of many things, what does the GF designation mean?

But on a more pertinent level ..... I was lightly pondering waving in one of those new 4003 5 stringers. Maybe after the holidays. 

The 2030 convertible caught my eye, but I wonder if there's a good reason why Olivia's didn't show it as a fiver. From your experience, do you think the neck profile would handle five strings?

Thanks!

I'm not Jeff Scott, but the GF stood for Glenn Frey. No, he wasn't a bassist but it was the bass version of the 230GF guitar.

Are you familiar with Jeff Rath? He has converted quite a few Rics to fivers over the years. This looks like one of his creations, and I don't know of anyone else doing it. Whoever had this before Olivia's must have converted it back.

I wonder if the extra hole adds or subtracts from the tone. 

[Jeff Scott]

Prof Scott.

Again, showing my ignorance of many things, what does the GF designation mean?

But on a more pertinent level ..... I was lightly pondering waving in one of those new 4003 5 stringers. Maybe after the holidays. 

The 2030 convertible caught my eye, but I wonder if there's a good reason why Olivia's didn't show it as a fiver. From your experience, do you think the neck profile would handle five strings?

Thanks!

Yeah, Dave got the first question answered for you.  As to your second inquiry, I don't anything about the Olivia's bass, but the neck on my 2030GF was virtually the same as those on my two former '73 4001s and '98 4001V63, hence, too narrow to properly do a 5 string bass unless you like the strings REALLY close together.

[Jeff Scott]

Aggressive and glorious, okay, but riddle me this: if it was substituted in a song played with the distinctive tone of a 4001 or 4003 bass, would the average bassist be able to identify it as a Ric? I wouldn't.

Good for you, then you have better ears than most others. 

[Dave W]

Good for you, then you have better ears than most others. 

I'm surprised you didn't say I have worse ears than most others. 

[Happy Face]

Thanks for the info, gents.