Can't decide between two good basses.

[BlueMountain]

Hi Everyone

Firstly. A very Merry Christmas to you all. :D

I'm looking at a new bass in the next day or so and have been neglectful in ensuring that my instruments be of as good a spec as my recording gear. I've been getting by using a Squier Jazz bass this past few years (a bit meh to be honest) and now feel it's time to upgrade to a better bass.

I generally do lots of different styles of music such as pop, rock, funk, country, blues and occasionally folk (but not much).

I'll be buying online and won't get a chance to test drive them. I'm looking at either a:

Fender Precision Bass (USA)
or
Rickenbacker 4003

1. Which do people favour most?
   
   
2. Which is most versatile?
   
   
3. I know both have their own sound but can either one do a reasonable job of sounding like the other should I need to aim for a particular sound?

The reason I ask the 3rd question is due to watching some live footage (at least I think it was live) of The Stranglers where the P-Bass sounded very Rickenbacker(ish). I also watched a retail store demo video which swore by the Rickenbacker 4003's neck pickup sounding like a P-Bass. Just wondering what everyone's thoughts were on this.

My biggest fear is that I buy one and end up eventually seeking to buy the other due to feeling as though I'm missing something.

Any opinions would be greatly appreciated.


Regards

BM

[js1]

They are different basses. One does not feel or sound like the other. Having said that, in a busy mix, or on stage, a lot of the obvious distinctions between basses gets lost.

You really need to play them, at least once, to see whether you get along with them. If you don't, you'll always wonder whether you're missing something - no matter what people write here, it'll be bugging you.

js

[James Lugo]

To me a 4003 is a specialty item, it's like having an odd ball guitar that works when it works, a P is like a Les Paul. No question, P Bass all the way.

[latestflavor]

keep the j bass and pick up the p bass.

[robertshaw]

Originally Posted by BlueMountain

Hi Everyone

Firstly. A very Merry Christmas to you all. :D

I'm looking at a new bass in the next day or so and have been neglectful in ensuring that my instruments be of as good a spec as my recording gear. I've been getting by using a Squier Jazz bass this past few years (a bit meh to be honest) and now feel it's time to upgrade to a better bass.

I generally do lots of different styles of music such as pop, rock, funk, country, blues and occasionally folk (but not much).

I'll be buying online and won't get a chance to test drive them. I'm looking at either a:

Fender Precision Bass (USA)
or
Rickenbacker 4003

1. Which do people favour most?
   
   
2. Which is most versatile?
   
   
3. I know both have their own sound but can either one do a reasonable job of sounding like the other should I need to aim for a particular sound?

The reason I ask the 3rd question is due to watching some live footage (at least I think it was live) of The Stranglers where the P-Bass sounded very Rickenbacker(ish). I also watched a retail store demo video which swore by the Rickenbacker 4003's neck pickup sounding like a P-Bass. Just wondering what everyone's thoughts were on this.

My biggest fear is that I buy one and end up eventually seeking to buy the other due to feeling as though I'm missing something.

Any opinions would be greatly appreciated.


Regards

BM

ric has much beefier tone and will cut through more.
The Precision is more of a cost savings, that is the only advantage
plus it's not only lighter on your wallet it will be lighter on your back
too. Rics weight alot.

be different go for the ric, all the greatest bass players used them
squire, geddy, mcartney cliff , lemmy etc....

[coffeecup77]

HI BM,

2 very different basses indeed.

If, like you said, you are looking for a very good (if not excellent) all-rounder, I would highly recommend you try a Music Man, Sterling or Stingray Classic.

N.B: No affiliation.

Cheers.

[Ward Pike]

Just get a musicman Stingray and you'll cover all basses and bases.

[ScottTunes]

Originally Posted by BlueMountain

Fender Precision Bass (USA)
or
Rickenbacker 4003

1. Which do people favour most?
   
   
2. Which is most versatile?
   
   
3. I know both have their own sound but can either one do a reasonable job of sounding like the other should I need to aim for a particular sound?

BM

New Rickenbacker 4003! By far the more versatile of the 2... Though it will not sound like the P, it can come close with the "middle" p'up, and can add beef with the neck p'up that the P can't do (like a Jazz). Just the bridge from Macca to Squire is a huge chasm to fill! P bass cannot cover the extremes, but might cover the middle ground...

I have USA Jazz, Precision and 4003... My first choice is always the Rick... Though I do appreciate recording with the Jazz, and playing live with the P. But I like the 4003 best. Which is appropriate since it costs more than the other 2 combined! Hand made, but well done! Methinks you'll not regret it. Besides, you can always get the other 2 later, to add to your arsenal of basses!

[Syncamorea]

Originally Posted by Frank_Case

If those are your only two choices, then the P-Bass.

Agreed.

Originally Posted by James Lugo

To me a 4003 is a specialty item, it's like having an odd ball guitar that works when it works, a P is like a Les Paul. No question, P Bass all the way.

Bingo!

[lds]

I can EQ my Ric to get the generic P-Bass sound. I can't EQ my P-Bass to get the Ric sound. In my (generally unaccepted and unpopular) opinion, the Ric has a wider array of sounds and is much more versatile.

[Yummerz]

You'll improve the sound of your squier jazz a lot by upgrading pickups and possibly other components like strings, pots, wiring harness, bridge, tuners, etc. A good sounding jazz will cover most bases. My vintage modified squier sounds extremely good with new strings (thomastik infeld flats) and pups (seymour duncan antiquity).

I'd use the rest of the money on a gibson or a decent short scale hollow body, esp. for genres like country and blues.

The Ric has a great tone, great resale value, and a lot of versatility of tone -- all while retaining its characteristic sound.

The P bass doesn't seem to have the same versatility of tone, but what range it does have, is good for many applications. I played a couple P basses for a while and they didn't knock me out, but they were never truly bad either.

Anyway, point is, I think you're best off upgrading your jazz and getting one or two more basses that will cover more ground tonally. If your aim is to record, you should have a nice sounding jazz which does most everything, a hollow body type short scale for thump and organic tones, and a gibson for deep, throaty rock. Maybe a MusicMan too. If your aim is to be a bassist (instead of a studio rat), I would get the best bass possible (likely a Ric).

Even if you decide to go the P bass route, there may be better choices than Fender these days. The Lakland Duck Dunn is a fantastic bass, for instance... And there are some nice new Reverend basses out now too. Meanwhile, the Peavey T-40 is an extremely sturdy and reliable bass that does a reasonable impression of the Ric tone. (search on YouTube, great Ric vs. Peavey shootouts). The Peavey sells for about $300...

[BigKD]

I always thought that P basses sounded good on records.

I also agree with the part about upgrading the pups on the squire. I find that often the big tone suck with cheaper guitars comes from the skimpy electronics. And the string upgrade, as mentioned above, can be huge too. I have some average mass produced Ibanez 5 string bass, and I was going back through some old DI recordings and found some sessions that had much fatter tone, and those were the few days after I had changed the strings to fresh marcus miller fat beams.

[rumbletone]

I had budget for one bass for my studio, and after playing many new and old basses, I decided I liked original 60s J basses the best (two members of a band I play with each own one). They don't do everything, but they do many things very very well. But my budget was $1500 not $6000, and after playing many new and used J basses I thought a Nash JB-63 relic I found for sale locally was the best value (for $1500 used). Not only does it sound great, but as a guitarist I find it way easier on the hands than many other basses (especially those with wider string spacing). Although I love Ric's, I suspect a P-bass or Ernie Ball may be a more practical choice to cover ground the J doesn't. Good Luck in the search . . .

[BlueMountain]

Wow guys

This is outstanding advice.

I have to say, I may now end up with both eventually.

Thanks for the other bass suggestions too and also the upgrade idea. I'm going to have a chat to my local tech about this. It never occcured to me. Thanks.

I forgot to mention that I used to own a Ric 4001 which I had to sell 20 years ago when I fell on hard times. It was a great instrument. Everyone used to comment on how good it sounded and looked. I've only played a P-Bass a few times. I found it to be good and echoing what one of you said, I like how it sounds in recordings too.


Thanks for this.

BM

[satellitedog]

I have a Rick 4001, fell in love with it on first play, and had to buy it, even though all my savings went into it. It has a unique woody "alive" sound that is very pleasing and cuts through. I like P basses but I don't care for J-s, because of the narrow nut-width and "cramped" string spacing. Make sure you love the neck, as these all have pretty different profiles.

I agree though that the Rick is a versatile instrument it has a gibson style controll section and the pick-up layout is pretty sensible, the J is also a two pickup bass, so these two will offer a lot of tonal variety. The P will likely be more of a one-trick pony, but it was good enough for James Jamerson, so who knows :-)

[BlueMountain]

Originally Posted by ScottTunes

New Rickenbacker 4003! By far the more versatile of the 2... Though it will not sound like the P, it can come close with the "middle" p'up, and can add beef with the neck p'up that the P can't do (like a Jazz). Just the bridge from Macca to Squire is a huge chasm to fill! P bass cannot cover the extremes, but might cover the middle ground...

"middle pickup"??

Is there a new upgrade I'm unaware of, or are you referring to the push pull knobs which change a capacitor in the circuit?

And Yes...I'll be buying new. Christmas treat.

The purchase will help me get over this flu which basically cancelled Christmas for me.


BM

[Fletcher]

There are "specialty" toys that are fun to have around from time to time... but if you're looking for a good, hard working, day to day "excellent" kind of thing then its a Fender [with 4 strings]... you want options, you have them... "Jazz" or "Precision"... you want more options? "Roundwound" or "Flatwound".

Peace

[stickers]

I'd get a bass with a J/P pick up configuration.

[soulata]

You just can't go wrong with a P-Bass

It's the right sound most of the time, which almost no other bass can claim.
IMHO Stingrays are jacks of all trades, masters of none, Ricks and Hofners are
great, but much more a one trick pony (it's a good trick, though...)

k

[James Lugo]

If I had to have one bass I wouldn't take a stingray over a P. Stingray's work when they work but I wouldn't call it a swiss army knife bass. A P Bass is such a universal sound that can work in a million situations. my 2 cents

[henge]

GET THE P!!! Most of the time you'll be able to fit the P into whatever your mixing, the Rick not so much. As said before ricks are a specialty flavour of bass while P's are totally workman like. imo.

[Yummerz]

I just remembered...the line 6 variax bass emulates many many basses...

[cixelsyd]

Get the rickenbacker! My rickenbacker fit my hands perfectly. Everyone has a p bass. The Rick has a thinner neck, better sound, better resale value, better looks. You can get almost any tone out of it.

[Keith Sylvester]

Originally Posted by BlueMountain

Hi Everyone

Firstly. A very Merry Christmas to you all. :D

I'm looking at a new bass in the next day or so and have been neglectful in ensuring that my instruments be of as good a spec as my recording gear. I've been getting by using a Squier Jazz bass this past few years (a bit meh to be honest) and now feel it's time to upgrade to a better bass.

I generally do lots of different styles of music such as pop, rock, funk, country, blues and occasionally folk (but not much).

I'll be buying online and won't get a chance to test drive them. I'm looking at either a:

Fender Precision Bass (USA)
or
Rickenbacker 4003

1. Which do people favour most?
   
   
2. Which is most versatile?
   
   
3. I know both have their own sound but can either one do a reasonable job of sounding like the other should I need to aim for a particular sound?

The reason I ask the 3rd question is due to watching some live footage (at least I think it was live) of The Stranglers where the P-Bass sounded very Rickenbacker(ish). I also watched a retail store demo video which swore by the Rickenbacker 4003's neck pickup sounding like a P-Bass. Just wondering what everyone's thoughts were on this.

My biggest fear is that I buy one and end up eventually seeking to buy the other due to feeling as though I'm missing something.

Any opinions would be greatly appreciated.


Regards

BM

In very simplified terms:

P-Bass goes "Thump"
Ricky goes "GRRRRRRR"

Which sound are you looking for?

[Silent Sound]

Is this for you, or for your studio? If it's for your studio, get the p-bass. They're pretty much the standard. If it's for you, then get the Ric. It's a much nicer instrument, in my opinion, and would be more of a joy to play.

Here's a compromise I'm sure to get flamed for... Buy the Ric, and upgrade your Squire with some new pickups. You can install a P-bass pickup with some routing and soldering and while it wouldn't look as cool or sound quite as good, it'd be really close in a dense mix. That way you could have both... kinda. And if that doesn't work for you, there's gotta be someone who lives not too far away with a p-bass that they'd let you borrow from time to time.

[satellitedog]

Or go to a dedicated bass players' forum and ask about the currently available best price/performance ratio Fenders (Made in Mexico standards are fine for example).

[NewfoundlandRec]

Originally Posted by James Lugo

To me a 4003 is a specialty item, it's like having an odd ball guitar that works when it works, a P is like a Les Paul. No question, P Bass all the way.

+1

P Bass i a mandatory item, like having a 421 in your mic cabinet.

[RonGherkins]

I love the p bass. It is a classic.

[robertshaw]

Originally Posted by satellitedog

Or go to a dedicated bass players' forum and ask about the currently available best price/performance ratio Fenders (Made in Mexico standards are fine for example).

schecter and ibanez make much better basses than fenders. They make neckthrough models for $500

better hardware and PU than stock mex or USA fenders. Also they use better woods.

[Mark Kaufman]

It's a win either way. And once you have one, you'll also want the other.

If you had to borrow one of them for some reason, it would probably be easier to find a Precision than a Rickenbacker... but I seriously don't think it matters much--they're both premium basses. The Precision has always been everpresent. And lately I've noticed a lot of alternative bands featuring a Rickenbacker bass. Neither one is a "dated" sound, unless you shoot for that. I say go for your personal favorite. They're both solid investments.