Rickenbacker 4003S W

This is the 4th Rickenbacker I've owned.

I 'ummed and arred' about getting another, until I saw the walnut and maple 4003, but should it be the 4003 or the 4003S? The slab body, binding and gloss finish of the 4003 is pure Ric, but something about the slimmed down and contoured 4003S really appealed to me. I bought one.

Thomann seemed to be the only people in Europe with one in stock, and having dealt with them many times before, I knew it would be an easy purchase.

It arrived in the UK in 4 working days and was packed in its case, in a box, in another box. Top marks.

Mint condition, all the case candy as expected.

Much lighter than a maple 4003. Little bit of neck dive, but nothing annoying or problematic.

How does it sound? Truthfully? Like the Ric you hoped it would. On the bridge pickup, growly, snarly, full bodied, with that treble bite that just cuts through like no Fender ever can (I have 3 Fenders as well!!)

The neck pickup is always the Ric weak point, but it's mellow and refined. With the selector switch in the middle position, it calms the bridge pup but without deadening the overall tone.

I thought I'd prefer to run the Vintage/Modern tone control in the classic 4001 vintage position, but it actually sounds so much better in the modern position that I can't see me using it much.

Overall verdict - superb build quality - I know there have been issues with Ric QC in the past. Awesome sound (if you like the Ric sound) Modern feeling neck - Precision wide, but not a fence post. Wide range of tones. Lightweight(ish) body.

Very, very happy with it :-)

I've been looking for a bass for some time now - it had to be a good instrument, as I was only going to have one. I've done my research and the Ric came always on top.
The sound is instantly recognizable - nobody who knows a thing or two about basses would never say it's a Fender or a Gibson, regardless the pick-up setting. However, when you go "vintage", this thing growls - and I, as weird as it may sound, I also love the "cracking" sound it makes when you fret across the fingerboard.
The looks - just wow! This is definitely subjective, but it's such a beautiful instrument to look at (both natural and sunburst versions).
It's slim - a real pleasure to hold and play, particularly this model, with rounded body.
As far as playability, the neck feels really good, not chunky but solid. The only issue however, and I'm sorry I have to mention this, are the frets themselves with sharp edges... I can't believe that Rickenbacker wouldn't put just a little bit more effort into polishing the frets nicely.
Overall it's a great instrument - highly enjoyable.

Very good bass guitar, if you like this Ric sound of course! Very punchy sound, with the classic trebly Ric sound while delivering plenty of low end. The neck is quite thick, but it felt very comfortable to me. This is definitely a special instrument.

My only complain would be the setup: the bass came not properly intonated (which is absolutely no issue to me) and it took me 2 hours to set it up properly due to the "special" bridge design. I would hope Rickenbacker could a bit modify this bridge design to ease adjustments. But once the bass is properly setup, it's a dream to play!