LeftyBassist.com

Well it finally happened.
After nearly 40 years of playing bass I finally got to play a lefty Rick 4003
I have fantisized about 4001/4003s ever since I was a tiny little bassplayer oggling pictures of my bass heros who played them and dreaming of a day that I might own one.

I was put off of them for a long time because they were not offered completely lefthanded (don't get me started). But that was irrelevant anyway because I had never even seen the fabled lefty in person only on websites.

Then it just so happenedd that a local shop listed one in stock!!!!
Here was my chance at last! I drove across town and arrived just as they opened and went to the bass section. There was a righthanded on the rack but no lefty! The salesman walked up and asked to help and I told him I had come to see the Lefthanded 4003 they had listed but I guess they must have sold it already.

He said, "No, it's in the back. Do you want to see it?"
Trying to restain my eagerness and not come across as some lunatic I responded with a casual "Yes, please."

A short time later he walked out with that telltale silver case and set it on the counter, inside was an absolutely beautiful Fireglo 4003, iin full lefthanded glory!



I picked it up, it was light, the body was thin! I looked it over in detail, it was flawless!
The finish was spectacular, it looked almost 3 dimensional!

"You wanna play it?"
"Ohhh yeahhh!"

Something must have crept into my voice for the look on his face had just a hint of worry.

We walked into the amp room and I plugged into an an Ampeg combo, the 2x10 version of the BA115HP that I have.

It sounded fantastic!!!
Everything that one expects from a Rick. I was a bit surprised by the flatness of the fretboard but that was okay and the neck played wonderfully ........until I started to really play in first position. The shape of the neck was so square that it wasn't very long before my wrist and forearm began to cramp.

I tried positioning the bass and my hand/arm differently, I even got a strap and tried playing it standing up.........nothing worked! I have never played a bass that had such a square neck profile. Maybe it is me who is shaped wrong but soon I realized I would never be able to play this bass comfortably.



With great sadness I returned the bass to its case explaining to the salesdude my sad dilemma and watched as the light of hope for a tidy Christmas commission faded from his eyes.

I console myself with the fact that I finally got to play my dream bass after all these years. And I rationalize that it's probably for the best, because if it had played as perfectly as I'd imagined I would now be going insane trying to concoct some crazy scheme to afford it, which at this time really is impossible.

Perhaps my perfect Rick is still out there somewhere waiting for me to discover it but sadly, it wasn't this one.

That is a great sadness. I love my '86 4003 so much and the neck feels great. Now, the necks on my 4001v63 and (former) '79 4001 were much thicker, but the 4001 in particular played great!


That's a bummer that you have wanted a Rick for so long but can't find one you like. Have you tried RickResource.com? There is usually at keast one lefty fir sale.

I guess my dear 4003 isn't completely left-handed either since it has the righty headstock. But that just makes it all the more unique with the Midnightblue finish and black hardware and binding.

I had a 76 4001 many years ago and did not like it much - neck to thin, tone too thin, fret buzz that could not be fixed. I just got a 2014 4003 and it's great for me - wider fatter neck and fat tone I guess it's an individual thing with Rics. Many your dream Ric is still out there.

My 2009 Rickenbacker 4003 also had the very square neck, I didn't like it at all. They have since moved back to thinner and more C-shaped neck profiles. It very much depends on the year they were built, there have been some very comfortable and thin neck profiles throughout the years. I played an early 90s 4003 that was great, for example.

I guess the good news is that Ric is always futzing with the 4003 neck profiles. So who knows, maybe next year's model (if they make any) will have a different profile.

On a side note, you're always welcome to drive the 90 miles to my place and try out my V63.

2nd side note. A fireglo V63 just sold on eBay for something like $3700

AzWhoFan, I just might take you up on that offer someday.

I was very surprised by how square the first postion area of the neck was. I'm not exaggerating when I say it was shaped like a 2x4, not as large of course but with very little taper.

I had a similar experience with my lefty Ric 360/12- except I had to actually buy it and then realize that it just didn't float my boat. Factory ordered, waited for about a year. Ended up only playing the beautiful artifact about 10-15 times before I sold it. Loved looking at it, never liked actually playing it.

You know the deal- try finding one in a store to try out.

Rick neck profiles have been all over the map over the years. My '79 4001 is very narrow and the string spacing is tight too. At first I didn't like it, as it felt too cramped, and my wrist used to hurt after a while too. But after I adjusted my plucking angle/approach I actually found it very manageable. And the tone? God-like.

So yeah, the moral of the story is try to demo one before you buy, and perhaps look into a specific time period or vintage that's known for manufacturing a neck profile that you might find to your liking. (You'll have to research that 'cause I couldn't tell you when they switched it up).