The Story of my Ric 4001 and My Life as a Bassist

Somebody asked for this, so here it is. I'd love to hear the story of one of your pieces of gear too!

Ever since 1974, when I was 12, I had been a Beatles freak, not just a fan as I'd been for as long as I remembered, but a full-blown freak, especially about McCartney--Band on the Run had come out at the end of 73, and it was all over the radio in 74.

So from 74, I wanted a Ric 4001. I had a huge poster of McCartney playing his on the Red Rose Speedway tour, and I often stared at that poster for hours. I was taking piano lessons in early 74, and my teacher suggested that if I wanted to do what McCartney does, I should play bass. From that moment on, I listened for the bass in all The Beatles music and that of McCartney (and that of anyone really).

My parents didn't have the money to spend on a bass and amp for me, so in 76, I was finally able to get a job at an apartment complex, paid under the table $1 an hour to mow and paint. I worked my ass off all summer, and at the end, I was able to buy a short scale, plywood bass, and an amp. It wasn't a Ric, but it was a bass. I got deals on other basses, an Ampeg Precision knock off for $100 and a Fender Telecaster for $200, but all of these basses were right handed, and let's face it, they weren't a Ric.

I kept listening to that Ric, especially on the Sgt Pepper and Magical Mystery Tour albums. You could have given me an Alembic, and I'd still have wanted a Ric.

Finally, in the summer of 78, I got a job at McDonalds, and I saved all I could for the Ric. So I went into a shop in Nashville--can't remember the name, but it was just out of downtown, long defunct. They sold Rics, but of course had no lefties. The guy made a couple of calls and told me that he could get one for me in about 6 months. So I worked hard, just to save enough money for my lefty Ric. I think it cost $800 at the time. I was able to save all but $100, and on Xmas day, six months later, my parents had paid the $100, and there it was under the Xmas tree.

I can still remember the smell of the case when I opened it--it still has a tiny tiny whiff of that smell. There it was, my Mapleglo 4001. I was in a hard rock band at the time, and I carried it proudly to practice. It wasn't as loud as the Telecaster, but it was a Ric. The sound was different from that of McCartney's from Wings Over America, but it was a Ric.

I remained exclusively a bassist, though I also played guitar on my own, in bands until I was 23, when I had to quit playing music for mental reasons. Fast forward 10 years, after I was through with all my degrees, and I started playing in a band when I moved to Germany--I mostly played guitar, but I also pulled out the Ric. I kept playing guitar in bands up until about two years ago when my last band broke up.

Anyway, I played that Ric proudly when I lived in Germany, and I got a chance one night at a jam to play it through an Ampeg SVT stack--it was a religious experience.

A couple of years ago, I decided I wanted to play bass in a band again. I wasn't 100% happy with my Ric's sound, so I ordered vintage reissue pickups from Rickenbacker, and voila. All of a sudden, I had the Ric sound I'd always wanted. I can get that Sgt Pepper sound, that Wings Over America sound.

The Ric is a bass that does what it does better than any other. It's not as versatile as my Precision, but it is still my favorite bass. If I had to lose all of my gear except for one, it's what I'd keep.

And yesterday, I finally ordered an all tube Ampeg half-stack--V-4b head and a Heritage SVT 410-HLF cab. I plan on lots of those Ric-Ampeg religious experiences.





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Neat story, @ch willie. My recollection of Paul McCartney's bass playing was that he used a left-handed Hofner "violin" bass. At least that's the image of him that's in my brain!

So, let me tell you the story of my 1957 Gibson ES-225, and how it came into my possession.


In the late 1970s-early 1980s, I worked for a family-owned retail store. I had begun working there while in college, and continued a few years after graduation.

At the time, the only guitar I owned was the 1971 Framus 12-string I had bought new in Germany. A great guitar, with wonderful action, but completely acoustic (there would be long stretches of time I'd use it as a six-string).

The store hired a young "gun" named Mike. Mike was one of those "wild and crazy guys," who happened to play guitar. He would frequently bring his ES-225 into the store and wail away on it (without an amp) in the back room during slow times. I confess, I envied Mike, as he had some pretty good chops!

Do you remember "quadraphonic sound?" Basically, stereo with separation into four speaker channels, not just two. I had a quadraphonic system. It was cool, but more "gimmicky" than anything else. I graduated to a Bang & Olufsen system (a brand I still own today) and wanted to sell my old quad system. Which no one wanted.

But Mike, bless his soul, was very keen on getting speakers for his own stereo system, and offered to trade me his Gibson for two of my speakers.

I don't know if I was able to constrain my glee and excitement, but when he indicated he was serious, the deal was done.

Over the years, I've replaced the tuners and the pots, as the materials got old and fragile and started cracking/crumbling. But I've kept that guitar for over 30 years, and it's been a mainstay of mine. It's now earned its deserved retirement, and I've added an ES-335 to my collection, which from the moment I picked it up, felt just like my old ES-225!

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Great story, OS.

Both awesome stories there Willie and OS!

I really like that 225. Sweet and looks to be in good condition for a sixty-one year old guitar!

I only have one guitar that's been with me for longer than a couple of years ... an early 80's Ibanez acoustic procured under suspicious circumstances. It's seen a great many happenings over the years and has some good battle scars!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dirtdog

Both awesome stories there Willie and OS!

I really like that 225. Sweet and looks to be in good condition for a sixty-one year old guitar!

I only have one guitar that's been with me for longer than a couple of years ... an early 80's Ibanez acoustic procured under suspicious circumstances. It's seen a great many happenings over the years and has some good battle scars!

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C’mon! You’ve got to tell us those suspicious circumstances.