The price is hefty, of course, but nothing sounds quite like a Rickenbacker bass. The sounds are familiar and although it’s not suited to all musical genres or playing styles, the 4003 remains a classic.
This is an understated bass in a cool, classic way, and much of its history and mystique is still in place. There is significant headstock bias even when placed on a strap, the head wants to venture downwards - but if you keep it in an angled playing position, you should be fine. The playability is good but not perfect, although this particular example is blessed with a comfortable medium action, a good setup and no sharp frets. Conversely, the bass’s look, sound and playability will be nirvana for certain other players. Some players, particularly tech-heads who like an array of active tone options, will find that the 4003 fails to cater to their preferences. It also adds some presence if you’re a fingerstyle player. The tone control is your friend when taming the ever- present metallic grind of the strings on the frets call upon the treble boost option and a noticeable definition appears, which is particularly useful if you’re playing with a pick. The rear pickup takes up a lot of space but it sits in the sweet spot playing the strings to either side of it gives you a choice of tones. As you would expect, the neck pickup is significantly more rounded than the rear unit, and does its best to offer a full, ballsy tone that can be suitably coloured with the tone control. The meaty, powerful Rickenbacker tone was authoritative, and that familiar hollow sound was easily called upon.Įach pickup has its own, markedly different sound. This is an understated bass in a cool, classic way, and much of its history and mystique is still in place. Once we were playing through a cab that clank came to the fore.
Surprisingly, we found the bass to be particularly resonant - its distinctive clank was present even before we plugged in. The 19mm string spacing suits the bass and makes navigating the frets relatively easy. The neck profile is of a slim C shape, while the fingerboard remains consistently broad across its whole length.
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