A Love Affair...with my Rickenbacker
Hey friends! This is one of those posts that I felt compelled to write, simply because a feeling was re-awakened inside of me, prompting my need to shout-aloud about it!
What's that feeling you say? Well, LOVE of course! Love...for my instrument. Now, before your minds go wandering in the gutter, let me state that I'm speaking of my Rickenbacker 4003 bass. ;)
Love is all you need...especially when it comes in Fireglo
I've had this particular bass nearly twenty years, and it was truly the sound and the instrument I always wanted (at least, on the 4-string side; on the keyboard front, it was always a Minimoog and a Fender Rhodes Suitcase '73). Yes, the Rick is what Paul McCartney played on 'Paperback Writer', as well as on Sgt. Pepper and Magical Mystery Tour (and, nearly all of Wings) Chris Squire of YES, Geddy Lee from RUSH, Glenn Hughes of Deep Purple; they all played them. But the primary impetus for wanting one was the tone, the thumpy, legato nature of the sound, and the purity of each fretted note.
The point of this ridiculous rant is this: If you're lucky enough to play an instrument, and you possess the one that you purchased years ago (years before you could even afford such a thing) and you nurtured, and cared for it greatly, and played it until your fingers bled, you'll find that it ALWAYS has the same effect on you, every time you play it. Even when lots of time goes by. And then, suddenly, you plug-in one sunny, Saturday afternoon. You haven't tuned in almost a month; you fret a chord in the upper register (but still below the 12th fret). And when you release, the sound is not only PERFECTLY in-tune, but the intonation, the tonality, the quality of the sound, of this one chord is simply MUSIC to your EARS...well, then you'll KNOW that you've been having a love affair with an inanimate object.
Nearly 20 Years, and still going strong. I love you, Rick...enbacker.
Until next time,
Blog on.
Comments
Very funny post.
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Hey there! Glad you enjoyed it! It's true though --- this instrument and I have weathered many (musical) storms together. ;) ---JL
Posted by: Daph | January 10, 2009 11:09 PM
Nice pic. Let's hear it! I have Les Paul custom and I know exactly what you mean.
Thx for the post.
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Hey V.B. Thanks for comments. I'm thinking about recording a little video, playing the Rick and showing off it's great sound. All the best. ---JL
Posted by: V.Barta | January 11, 2009 3:25 AM
Hay Jay,
So how about a little sample so we can hear you and your re-found 'love'.
;-)
Joost
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Hey Joost! Ha. Well, for a quick fix, you can hear me playing the Rickenbacker (albeit, with Wah Pedal and MXR Compressor Pedal) on my 'Dirty Harry Soundtrack' (which is from a post talking about ADR, Foley, etc...). But, you got me to thinking...it might be nice to do a little demonstration video. Give me a little time, and let me see what I can come up with. Take care, my friend! ---JL
Posted by: Joost | January 11, 2009 4:02 AM
And, Lemmy Kilmister.
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Hey J. Ahh yes...Lemmy. I can remember hearing Hawkwind's Space Ritual ('73) and loving his sound. Not to mention, I believe it was a pic from the liner notes which showed him using a Fireglo Rick like mine (though I believe his was a 4001, especially in that era). Great stuff and another great advocate of this classic axe. ;) ---JL
Posted by: J. Johnson | January 11, 2009 5:22 AM
I love Paul McCartney!!! I wish he play this Rickenbacker still. Wings is my favorite.
When do you come to Russia?
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Hey Stella. Well, I've been a huge Paul fan as long as I can remember. No one quite like him. The Evangelist Team is hoping to make some appearances (possibly Moscow) later this year, so stay tuned for more. All the best. --JL
Posted by: Stella Vina | January 11, 2009 10:08 AM
I was blowing by the Adobe Blogs and thought "Did I just see Rickenbacker??" so of course I had to look!
I remember 20 years ago… the first Rick I had the pleasure of playing. I took off my jacket and pulled my shirt over the snap on my jeans (can't scuff the finish!) I sounded the first note and immediately thought, "Holy crap! That sound IS FROM THE BASS!"
She's a beauty - keep lovin' her!
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Hey Bluefrog! Great story...and the funniest part: upon receiving my Rick, I didn't have a proper (metal-free) strap. So, I grabbed my old, crappy guitar strap (the kind that had those metal studs on the ends), strapped up the bass, and rocked out...only to find, (moments later) that I scratched off some paint on the bottom! ;( To this day, that is only 1 of 2 'scuffs' on this bass! But the 'sound' elicited the same response ;) Thanks for the comments! All the best. --JL
Posted by: BLUEFROG | January 11, 2009 9:03 PM
I had one of these back in the 70s, and I never forgot the experience. It was often a little buzzy, but that's because someone had mucked-about with the horseshoe pickup. There's still nothing like it and probably never will be. Do they actually handcraft these still?
John
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Hey John. Indeed, I've run into a few noisy 4001's as well. The old trick used to be to solder a little metal wire from the back of the horseshoe to the body, which evidently grounded the pickup better and removed the buzz. Old school remedies; classic sound. As for the hand-crafted nature, well, I honestly don't know. I would hope so (at least for some models) but I'm not sure about the entire line. All the best. ---JL
Posted by: John D. | January 12, 2009 6:41 AM
Jase,
I'll never forget how excited you were to get that bass. I'm glad to see you still love it.
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Hey K! Well, that was quite nice to see a comment from you. ;) Funny, as I too can remember the excitement when first getting it. In fact, I was actually looking for *those* pictures (the band pics, and the infamous one of me playing, which you later turned into artwork). I was thinking of posting them...but I couldn't find them straight away. But even after nearly 20 years, the Rick still produces the same effect. ;) Hope all is well, and take care. ---JL
Posted by: K | January 16, 2009 6:21 PM
Hello. This was a very special post with a sincere story. Very nice picture too.
Good luck and health to you!
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Hi Cilia. Thanks for the kind words. I'll have to post more about instruments; I've got some classic ones that need to be 'exploited' a bit more ;P All the best. --JL
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