This article needs additional citations for verification .(November 2011) |
Rickenbacker 4001 | |
---|---|
Manufacturer | Rickenbacker |
Period | 1961–1981, [1] 1980-present (4003) |
Construction | |
Body type | Solid |
Neck joint | Bound (or unbound maple 4001S model) |
Scale | 33.25 in (845 mm) (long scale) 30.5 in (770 mm) (short scale) [2] |
Woods | |
Body | Bound maple (and unbound maple 4001S Model), Walnut (4003W model) |
Neck | Maple, Walnut |
Fretboard | Bubinga, Rosewood, Maple |
Hardware | |
Pickup(s) | 2 single coil toaster/horseshoe pickups (early models), [2] 2 single coil Hi-Gain pickups (later models) |
Colors available | |
Fireglo (Cherry Sunburst), Autumnglo (Tobacco Sunburst), Burgundyglo (Red), Jetglo (black), Mapleglo (natural) and Azureglo (blue) [2] |
The Rickenbacker 4001 is an electric bass that was manufactured by Rickenbacker as a two-pickup "deluxe" version of their first production bass, the single-pickup model 4000. This design, created by Roger Rossmeisl, was manufactured between 1961 and 1981, when it was replaced by an updated version dubbed the Rickenbacker 4003. [3] Variant models of the 4001 include the 4001S, 4001LH, 1999 (European model), 4001V63 (reissue), 4001CS (a limited edition series based on Chris Squire's 1965 British model RM1999) and the 4001C64 and 4001C64S: the C Series is a recreation of Paul McCartney's left-handed 4001S with a reversed headstock. There are also Al Cisneros (4003 AC) and Lemmy Kilmister (4004 LK) signature versions of the instrument.
The 4001 model features a neck-through construction, a full-wood body, fretboard with metal strings (originally flat-wound, though many players replaced them with round-wounds), twin truss rods, triangle inlays, two single coil pickups, two volume and two tone dials, selector switch, [2] and wiring for Rick-O-Sound (standard after 1971). [1] Models that feature Rick-O-Sound have the capability to "split" the instrument's dual pickup signals between two separate amplifiers.
Unlike most two-pickup electric basses, the 4001's pickups are of two different designs. The 4001 has a small neck pickup, colloquially referred to as a "toaster pickup" due to the distinctive metal covers found on 1960s models. The bridge pickup is larger in size and mounted on a metal plate. Earlier models are referred to as "horseshoe pickups", as the bridge pickup is enclosed between two metal-covered horseshoe magnets. Later 4001 models as well as the modern 4003 redesign replaced the toaster and horseshoe pickups with so-called Hi-Gain pickups. The Hi-Gain bridge pickup is of a more conventional design than the horseshoe pickup. The bridge pickup also features a removable metal bridge cover designed to emulate the look of the original horseshoe magnets.
Rickenbacker also produced six-string and 12 string guitars and a short-scale bass, the 3000 model. [2] The 4001's bridge is of a fairly unusual design, both in aesthetics and in function, featuring removable saddles as well as a built-in adjustible foam mute.
The 4001S, 4003S and 1999 models have been produced as cheaper, streamlined versions which feature unbound, contoured bodies, unbound fretboards with simpler dot inlays as well as a conventional mono output jack instead of the dual Rick-O-Sound system.. [2]
The Rickenbacker 4003, which replaced the 4001, differs in the truss rod design and introduces a fret wire that better withstands the wear from round-wound strings (fast fret wear was a common complaint for many years, and Rickenbacker strived to address the issue). The pickups are also higher in output, and the bridge pickup, a so-called "horseshoe" pickup, was entirely remodelled, featuring a more conventional design, although the "horseshoe", albeit removable is still part of the construction, for aesthetic purposes. More recent 4003 models also feature a push-pull switch on one of the tone knobs, which diminishes the output of the bridge pickup to more closely resemble the original 4001 tone. Other features remained similar to its forebear.
Rickenbacker has also produced five-string 4003 basses. Earlier examples were generally faithful to the original model in terms of parts and electronics, whereas newer models feature a more conventional bridge, smaller Schaller machine heads and distinctive triangular pickups. Both versions retain the Rickenbacker's signature 33" scale length, an unusual design for a five-string instrument.
Between the years 1993 and 2018 Rickenbacker also manufactured a streamlined model, named the 4004, that used the 4001's trademark shape but featured smaller pickups, a simplified control layout, a more conventional bridge system and eschewed the use of aesthetic details such as binding or a pickguard. In the early 2020s, the 4003 model was given a slight overhaul with a more conventional single truss rod-system as well as a redesigned bridge with individually adjustable saddles.
The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and scale length. The bass guitar most commonly has four strings, though five- and six-stringed models are also relatively popular, and bass guitars with even more strings or courses have been built. Since the mid-1950s, the bass guitar has largely come to replace the double bass in popular music due to its lighter weight, the inclusion of frets in most models, and, most importantly, its design for electric amplification. This is also due to the fact that the double bass is acoustically compromised for its range in that it's scaled down from the optimal size that would be appropriate for those low notes.
An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar. It uses one or more pickups to convert the vibration of its strings into electrical signals, which ultimately are reproduced as sound by loudspeakers. The sound is sometimes shaped or electronically altered to achieve different timbres or tonal qualities from that of an acoustic guitar via amplifier settings or knobs on the guitar. Often, this is done through the use of effects such as reverb, distortion and "overdrive"; the latter is considered to be a key element of electric blues guitar music and jazz, rock and heavy-metal guitar-playing. Designs also exist combining attributes of the electric and acoustic guitars: the semi-acoustic and acoustic-electric guitars.
The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted and typically has six or twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strings against frets with the fingers of the opposite hand. A guitar pick may also be used to strike the strings. The sound of the guitar is projected either acoustically, by means of a resonant hollow chamber on the guitar, or amplified by an electronic pickup and an amplifier.
Ian Fraser Kilmister, better known as Lemmy Kilmister or simply Lemmy, was a British musician. He was the founder, lead singer, bassist and primary songwriter of the rock band Motörhead, of which he was the only continuous member, and a member of Hawkwind from 1971 to 1975.
Rickenbacker International Corporation is a string instrument manufacturer based in Santa Ana, California. The company is credited as the first known maker of electric guitars – a steel guitar in 1932 – and today produces a range of electric guitars and basses.
A single coil pickup is a type of magnetic transducer, or pickup, for the electric guitar and the electric bass. It electromagnetically converts the vibration of the strings to an electric signal. Single coil pickups are one of the two most popular designs, along with dual-coil or "humbucking" pickups.
The Fender Precision Bass is a model of electric bass guitar manufactured by Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. In its standard, post-1957 configuration, the Precision Bass is a solid body, four-stringed instrument usually equipped with a single split-coil humbucking pickup and a one-piece, 20-fret maple neck with rosewood or maple fingerboard.
The Fender Mustang is a solid body electric guitar produced by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. It was introduced in 1964 as the basis of a major redesign of Fender's student models, the Musicmaster and Duo-Sonic. It was produced until 1982 and reissued in 1990.
Brian Helicopter is the stage name of Gareth Holder, an English musician, based in the United States. He is best known for playing bass guitar for the UK punk rock band The Shapes. He also played for many other bands, the most notable being the NWOBHM bands Rogue Male and HellsBelles. For a short time in the early 1980s, he was also a member of British R&B band The Mosquitos, with guitarist Steve Walwyn of Dr. Feelgood and Eddie and the Hot Rods, and can be seen on the cover of The Mosquitos only single "Somethin' Outta Nothin'". A prolific session player, he appears both credited and uncredited on many releases throughout the 1980s and early 1990s under both his real and stage name. He was one of the first bassists in the nascent UK punk scene to adopt the Rickenbacker bass guitar which he still uses to this day. He was also one of the first bass guitarists in the world to use Trace Elliot amplification. His bass playing style is characterized by a very fast precise pick attack, and fast runs. Unusually for a bass guitarist, he sometimes utilizes an overhand tapping technique more common to six string players. He continues to play professionally, reverting between his real name and his stage name as the fancy takes him. He is also a professional skydiving coach and instructor, currently holding seven world records in the sport. He can be seen in an episode of MythBusters aired on the Discovery Channel taking presenter Kari Byron skydiving whilst testing the falling airplane blue ice myth. He is also a vegetarian. He can be seen in the independent film Six Sex Scenes and a Murder, in the role of the bounty hunter. He currently resides in California, where he plays bass for the San Francisco Bay Area band Ghosthookers. Ghosthookers released a record in 2008 which features Brian Helicopter on bass under his real name.
The Gibson EB-3 is an electric bass guitar model produced by the Gibson Guitar Corporation.
The Gibson Thunderbird is an electric bass guitar made by Gibson and Epiphone.
The Rickenbacker 330 is part of Rickenbacker's 300 series of guitars. The 330 entered the Rickenbacker product line in 1958, though at the time the 300 series of guitars was known as the "Capri" series. It was designed by the German luthier Roger Rossmeisl. The guitar is associated by many players with the jangle-rock sounds of bands from the 1960s and 1980s. The instrument incorporates many features standard on Rickenbacker guitars, including a three-ply maple/walnut neck, a shallow headstock angle, and a thick rosewood fretboard finished with clear conversion varnish. The 330 also features a body with Rickenbacker's "crescent moon" double-cutaway shape with sharp, unbound edges, and an R-shaped trapeze tailpiece. One idiosyncrasy of the guitar is its dual truss rods, which allow for the correction of problematic and unwanted twists, as well as curvature, of the guitar's neck. The 330 is equipped with a monaural jack plate, lacking the Rick-O-Sound stereo functionality of other Rickenbacker models such as the Rickenbacker 360.
Electric guitar design is a type of industrial design where the looks and efficiency of the shape as well as the acoustical aspects of the guitar are important factors. In the past many guitars have been designed with various odd shapes as well as very practical and convenient solutions to improve the usability of the object.
John Birch was an English luthier mainly known for his electric guitars. His customers included Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler of Black Sabbath, Brian May of Queen, Manny Charlton of Nazareth, Dave Hill and Jim Lea of Slade, Gerry Shephard of The Glitter Band, Roy Orbison and Nicky Panicci.
The Höfner 500/1 Violin Bass is a model of electric bass manufactured by Höfner under several varieties. It was introduced in 1955 and gained celebrity status during the 1960s as the primary bass used by Paul McCartney of The Beatles.
The Fender Telecaster, colloquially known as the Tele, is an electric guitar produced by Fender. Together with its sister model the Esquire, it was the world's first mass-produced, commercially successful solid-body electric guitar. Its simple yet effective design and revolutionary sound broke ground and set trends in electric guitar manufacturing and popular music. Many prominent rock musicians have been associated with the Telecaster for use in studio recording and live performances, most notably Bruce Springsteen, Prince, Keith Richards and George Harrison.
The Rickenbacker 4001CS is a limited-edition series electric bass guitar based on Chris Squire's 1964 Rickenbacker 4001. Only 1,000 were made between 1991 and 2000. The 4001CS is another instrument from Rickenbacker's Limited Edition Series. These instruments, commissioned by and for prominent artists who favored Rickenbacker instruments, incorporate features which are favored by the artist or reminiscent of their most famous Rickenbacker instrument.
Roger Rossmeisl was a German luthier who designed electric guitars in the 1950s and '60s for the US companies Rickenbacker and Fender.
The Rickenbacker 400-Series was a line of lower cost solid body electric guitars that Rickenbacker introduced in 1956.