I bought one. Why not? Cheapest bass I own, but I do so love playing it. I suppose that the electronics could do with an upgrade, but why bother? I removed the saddle too, took out the single coil pickup springs, just put some washers in to get the pickup as high as possible, and the volume between the bridge and neck are now almost the same. I angled the neck pickup to be higher on the low E side, and that has greatly improved the response from that string. I hadn't noticed the 3/4s being loudest thing - I will check the next time I have it running through a proper amp. Dear readers, please don't buy one, they're currently out of stock and I want a Cherry Burst one as soon as they are back in :).
man, I really want to... but that headstock is soooo fucking ugly. The font of the logo, spelling out the entire name of the brand no one has heard of rather than some sort of emblem or initial. The shape of the headstock. The way the logo runs almost off the top edge of the headstock. They couldn't have made it worse. Like literally... any changes that could be made would only improve it, it's that bad. Oh well.
Thank you for your post. I am (professional) drummer who just sometimes likes to torture a bass. MY favourite bass sound is the Rickenbacker-sound a la Chris Squire/Geddy Lee, but a) for my poor doodling an "original" Rick is way too expensive and b) Geddy has HIS sound even when he plays a Jazz Bass.... nearly the same goes for Chris, no matter what bass he actually plays. Both guys have/had their own sound and it's not dependent from the brand of bass they play. It's just kinda "personal" sound! There is so much VOODOO in the marketing of instruments: YOU HAVE TO BUY SUCH'N'SUCH BASS/GUITAR/DRUMS TO GET MR/MRS FAVORITE'S SOUND! That's pure marketing nonsense. There is only two small things one needs to sound like your favorite musician: BEING! your favorite musician AND having his/her sound engineer. The brand of YOUR instrument is as important as the food you prefer!!! (I am very sure you know that regular digesting cauliflower will enhance your virtuosity in no time LOL) Just spend some minutes to think about this: NO instrument-company make it's money with famous players, they make their money with UNKNOWN players (from weekend-warriors up to no-name professionals). Beside the VOODOO of marketing there is only ONE major difference between "Brand" manufacturers and f.e Chinese manufacturers: the quality control. (Which is neither given by "American" products nor "Foreign/Chinese" products - both are known for poor quality-control, but Americans tend to have the better marketing while Asian manufactors/competitors offer a comparable - from bad to good - quality). Have you ever spend some time to think about why, CIJ (crafted in Japan) FENDER instruments are higher regarded than "Made in USA" instruments? My advice: get the best-made instrument you can afford, give a f*ckin sh*t about the name/brand, and try to get YOUR sound; NO-ONE in your audience cares what BRAND of instrument you're playing. They're only there to enjoy the music and have a good time! Don't fall into the traps of advertisements; just listen and judge to your ears!
A beautiful bass especially for the low price.I switched out the pups to Nordenblocker Ric replacements and threw in a Tone Monster preamp.This thing's a beast for under 500 bucks total.It sounded good before but now I can't say enough.
Really have an urge to play some bass lately. No idea what really doing on any instrument but love to knock out noises with them. As basses go it's only the Rickenbacker styling that gets me excited. And this might scratch that itch for a sum I can actually justify ;) thanks for the balanced and well put together video. Would be interested in seeing a video of mods ;)
I own a cherry RB-414, and it is goregeous. I absolutely agree with your point, that it is very inspiring. I have 4 more basses, but hand always picks this one, specially just for fiddling around. I don't agree with you on electronics being super weird - even on laptop speakers I could pick up in your video, that volume pots add the sound of each pickup in the mix. BUT if one of the pots reaches 0 - then the sound drops off. Tone pots also control respective pickups. Where I will agree with you - I think this trick is achieved throug intricate wiring, and the drawback is that the change of volume between pickups is not linear, and have additional tone variations. I would argue, that in experimentation with volumes and tones you would also find a lot of interesting and usable tones with in-between settings, as well as full on. Anyways, great review.
I think this is the 5th review video for this particular bass I have watched and I'm finding myself closer and closer to pulling the trigger. It seems like a great deal with great quality for the price for a practice/beat em up bass to take anywhere. I'm actually somewhat impressed with it's look and sound from the review videos. I'm partial to the black one over the sunburst as well. Decisions, decisions, decisions.
So far, the only thing I dislike about the Harley Bentons (and I have several guitars and basses) is the logo design. It was really bad before, and now it's just "normally" bad. I wish they could have come up with something not directly stolen from the Windows font catalogue. But that's nitpicking. Their instruments sound good, they play well and the overall build quality is good. So that's a thumbs up from me.
With regards to the quality control from factory...yeah it's pretty bad. I just got the RB414 (Cherry Sunburst) about a week ago. It shipped from Germany to the middle of the US in 3 days, which was awesome. But it had problems out of the box. First, one of the string action adjustment screws on the bridge was missing entirely, then one of the large mounting screws for the bridge has stripped threads and doesn't lock down. On top of this, NO setup was done to the bass. The neck was badly bowed and the string action was way too high. I can adjust this stuff fine once I get the replacement screws. I talked to customer service and they're supposed to be shipping me the screws, but it's been like a week so far. The bass got here in 3 days, the screws are gonna take much longer. But the tone of this bass is knarly and I LOVE it. Definitely happy with my purchase, despite the quality control. Also...for anyone wanting this bass....REMOVE the damn metal pickup cover. It will get in your way and bruise your hand...lol.
Oh no! That sucks. Must not have had a good trip across the pond 😥 haha yeah agree about the metal cover, didn't suit at all for my playing style. Thanks for checking out the video!
@@JonnyDibble Yeah I think you and I kinda pick around the same middle area right over the bridge pickup. It was just right in the way. I've wanted a real Ricken 4003 for a long time, but it's kind of a fantasy bass for me at the moment. But this is a next best thing, I think. I'm hoping once I get the replacement screws and do a proper setup on it, it'll really shine.
The neck pickup, picking up tapping on the pickguard... Cheapo pickups are famous for being microphonic. Upgrade the pickups, would probably help immensely.
Man! I didn't realize this was you first video and that it was only a year ago. Your channel kicks ass 👊🏽😎 this was one of the first videos I watched ofv yours. Had to come back and watch it again after you mentioned it in your shopping Q&A 🥳
Nice, but it definetely doesn’t have that Rick tone (obviously it’s not a Rick). Do you think it’d sound more like a Rick with the Seymour Duncan Pickups?
Also, the drop in sound, along with the drop of string volume might be because of the magnet being loose, and the the neck pickup seems to be microphonic, but I'm no expert, just some input to anybody else thinking of buying one of these bad boys
I would want to switch out the bridge pickup for something like a stacked J bass pickup to make the output levels closer. Personally I tend to view instruments in this price category as modding platforms rather than finished instruments since there is usually something that can be improved relatively easily. The microphonic neck pickup could possibly be fixed by melting some candle wax around the coils.
Interesting about the candle wax! Great insight man, thanks. Totally agree re modding, just uploaded a video in an SX P bass copy which I think is a great modding platform!
I'm in need of a new bass, and I'm a massive stoner metal fan, so obviously Al Cisneros of Sleep/Om plays a Rick and, well, I have pretty bad GAS right now :p
@@JonnyDibble It seems that the pups are perhaps the weak link on this bass.I know they're Artec a Korean company, mass producers for a ton of low end instruments.They list around $30usd on eBay.So if it's worth the upgrade one can throw in Seymour Duncans or the like for under a couple of hundred if both are replaced.You'd then have a pretty nice bass for less than four hundred usd.
I think I've discovered that problem with tapping near the neck pickup. Im pretty sure at thomann it says that this is a chambered bass so there is probably a cavity where you were tapping.
Wonderful review video!! Really informative. I love to listen Ricks - Paul, Chris, Roger, Geddy to name a few greats. John Taylor plays a black one in Duran Duran's planet earth MV iirc. But I have a Jazz and a P/J p-bass and very content. So this Bass is very enticing! I live in California and wonder how much the shipping (from Germany?).
Great review, I've been looking at this bass for a while but I'll need to move on some other gear first and lockdown is preventing that from happening. Having said that I see that someone local to me is looking to trade one!
@@datdudewitdabass4369 ah yes sorry I forgot about the bridge! Its a bit if a weirdly shaped pickup so I'm not sure. Definitely wouldn't for a normal single coild like from a jazz bass
Got the same issue with bridge cover. How did you remove it ? Just loosening the screws on either side ? Would appreciate a short description 🙏🏽 Thanks for the great video
Hey man, yeah just loosen the screws on the side. They're also used to raise the pickup itself so you need to make sure you put them back with the springs that are underneath. I'm not technical but managed it no issues 😊
Great channel Jonny. I keep looking at this review and others online and I'm really tempted as it appears great for the money. Was it a keeper for you in the end? I have a nice Fender Japanese Jazz from 1994 and a Mexican Fender FSR 70s Precision. Just fancy the Ricky Style HB as don't have the bucks for the real deal. Do you still rate it?
Hi! Thanks very much 😁 Sadly had to sell this one on pretty soon after to fund further videos so couldn't say! It's definitely a fun bass though which offers really different tones compared to the P and J basses 😊
Hi Jonny , looking to purchase a bass that'll give me a lovely low sub sound (reminiscent of the bass in With Or Without You). Is this bass capable of producing such a sound, if not could you suggest an alternative? Thanks very much for the review by the way, don't know if its the bass itself or the review I keep going back to rewatch !
Thanks Tommy! You're welcome. I would say anything with a humbucker is perfect for a fat, subby sound 👌the middle position on this bass is really good for that. Worth checking out the sterling by musicman basses or the harley benton equivalents!
Nice review mate. I’m not a bass player, but learning (I’m a guitarist, specialising in the ‘shit-can’ style of music), but I’m going to buy one of these as a) I’d like a cheap bass just to mess around with and b) I love Rickenbackers but can’t afford a 4001, so this is the best option. Cheers mate
Both volumes work on mine until one is turned all the way down, then all of the volume goes down. It is really not uncommon for two pickup passive pickups to get more volume when one of the volumes is backed off a little. Bottom line for me is that it is a really cool looking and sounding $200 bass so judge it accordingly.
@@JonnyDibble, …..do you miss it? I have a few guitars/basses that I wish I didn’t sell. (An American Vintage Tele and an American Jazz bass come to mind) So is THIS one you think about still? OR was it just a passing gimmick?
Hi Aaron, thanks for your comment. I've not tried any Chinese made copys so couldn't say! I did really enjoy this bass though. What brands are making them?
yes from personal experience this is better because You've got Mahogany Neck and body instead of plywood or sawdust (or even basswood) its actually got a double truss rod, the pickups sound better, the neck has actual finish and it stays in tune.....and it being (for me at least) 500 dollars less then a Chickenbacker so yes buy the Harley benton not a Chinese copy (oh shit this block of text is long...sorry!)
It seems to be the consensus from the reviews I've seen that the wiring harness is the big problem. That can be remedied here (920dcustom.com/products/920d-custom-shop-wiring-harness-for-rickenbacker-4000-series-bass-guitar) As a long time Ric player, but whose Ric is pretty much toast, I'm getting one of these when they come back in stock and will likely do a couple of mods to make it sing.
This video is old, so I hope you see this, and my question has nothing to do with the bass, so I hope you answer. I NEED to know what drum kit you have loaded. It is literally perfect. I use Cubase and groove agent and cannot for the life of me find or even build a kit I like from the included samples. I’m shopping around for a bass and come across this video and there’s the exact drum sound I’m looking for. Please please please help.
Yeah I saw this too, and finally thought I may be able get a Bass, then go to checkout and then WTF! the shipping was more than the Bass, to Australia, guess I will have to just settle for a locally Yamaha if and when they have stock back in, and getting a Left Handed one for the Wife even more issues they are like Hens Teeth, hard to find anyone stocking Basses for Lefthanded 😎🤟🙄😒 Also just looked again the Harley Benton RB-414BK Classic Series, Now there No Longer Available 😒🤷♂️
The wiring seems just fine. You have to use the selector switch to solo either p'up. Not turn the volume all the way down on the other pickup. It don't work like a traditional jazz bass. But so I fail to see any source of confusion.
surely you should be able to blend the individual pickup volumes? So have neck with a smidge of bass, or vice versa. That's how it should work, there's no point in having individual vol controls at all if they don't work in the middle position
@@Muzikman127 The individual volume knobs function just fine to lower and raise the volume of either pickup when the pickup selector is in the middle position, except to turn the volume all the way off on a single pickup. For that, you use the pickup selector switch (and respective volume knob). So, you may solo either pickup (with switch flipped all the way up or down) and use its respective volume knob, or blend with switch in the middle and some volume to each pickup (and which you should want if you have the pickup selector in the middle). Seems pretty straightforward. But as I'm typing this, I can't help but feel that I may be missing your (and reviewer's) point somehow. I have had the bass for 18-months or so, and think that I have accurately described how it works. But am I missing the mark on your comments? Genuinely curious. Please lemme know.
@@justinkline1294 wait, so you're saying that the volumes work fine in the middle position _except_ when you turn 1 of them all the way off? So you can still have like an 80 20 or 90 10 blend, it just fails when you get to 100/0? Are you sure? If so then that's different to what the reviewer here said, he said that in the middle position the vol pots just both act as a master volume. That would be mildly annoying I guess, but you're right, it wouldn't really impact the functionality of the instrument. In other words, are you saying that in the middle position you can have the bridge on 1, neck on 10, or the neck on 1, bridge on 10, and it works just how it should, but that it only stops working when you turn it all the way to zero? Or, conversely, when you turn the volume down on one pickup does it just turn the overall volume of both pickups down, and keep the blend between the 2 more or less constant
@@justinkline1294 Ah, I see. And thanks for clarifying! That's a little strange, and I wonder what wiring scheme results in that behaviour, but I suppose it's not really a problem is it - you can still get pretty much all the sound combinations you might want even if you can't fade in a pickup from dead zero. Since we're here, how are you enjoying the bass overall?
Does anyone know why some of the sunburst models have f-holes and some don't? I'm assuming they redesigned it or something, but I can't find any info on it
So as a Chris Squire fanatic (rest his soul), this bass immediately appealed to me. However, I don't see anything about stereo output, which is kind of what makes the Ric a Ric, ya know? Am I missing that in the description, or is it just a normal mono-out and I've got some modding ahead of me if I buy it?
@@JonnyDibble Firstly, thanks much for the quick reply! Bang on, mate! I didnae think there would be at that price point. Still, it sounds pretty nice, and I'm pretty handy with some tools when I'm not totally blootered. So I may could fix it! Cheers mate!
@@JonnyDibble Certainly will, if I can talk the spouse into letting me snag one. tjat os! They've been more than gracious this year with my ah... acquisitions (I'm up to 7 new instruments this year)... With an 8th planned early next month--so much sweet talking, flowers, and book buying is in my future, I do believe! lol
Once I have some money, I plan to buy an RB-414. I might change the pickups, though. Does anybody know what pickups might fit in this bass without any routing?
Hello. Great video. I want to know if the bass is heavy? And, also, when standing, is the headstock heavy which in turn I'd have to use my left hand to balance the bass?
I've been playing mine for about a week or so now, and haven't had any neck dive or anything. It's not nearly as heavy as my Squire PJ, and it's pretty well balanced, I thought.
Bass guitars are like Harry Potters Wand, they find you.....related to your comment of lots of basses but some don't inspire....Aria do that with me, classic or new, likewise Ibanez.
Why on Earth would anyone get the black one of these when the cherry sunburst is available? I understand that people have terrible, bland tastes in bass finishes, but come on.
I bought one. Why not? Cheapest bass I own, but I do so love playing it. I suppose that the electronics could do with an upgrade, but why bother? I removed the saddle too, took out the single coil pickup springs, just put some washers in to get the pickup as high as possible, and the volume between the bridge and neck are now almost the same. I angled the neck pickup to be higher on the low E side, and that has greatly improved the response from that string. I hadn't noticed the 3/4s being loudest thing - I will check the next time I have it running through a proper amp. Dear readers, please don't buy one, they're currently out of stock and I want a Cherry Burst one as soon as they are back in :).
The feeling and how ut makes you feel playing it is by far the most important part! Glad you're enjoying it! 😁
Ordered one in August and it just shipped on November 25th.Took Thomann forever to get stock.They don't take payment till it ships.
man, I really want to... but that headstock is soooo fucking ugly. The font of the logo, spelling out the entire name of the brand no one has heard of rather than some sort of emblem or initial. The shape of the headstock. The way the logo runs almost off the top edge of the headstock. They couldn't have made it worse. Like literally... any changes that could be made would only improve it, it's that bad. Oh well.
I’m having the worst time trying to choose between the Black and the Cherry Burst.
Both mighty fine choices! The black is pretty timeless
Same
"Both" is the answer to your dilemma.
Get both & give one away with the understanding you might trade occasionally.
Buy both and have them make sweet love brother
Thank you so much! Finally a good quality video, and a decent look into the bass. Much appreciated, definitely sold the motor haha
Thank you! This is my first video so I've taken lots on board. Definitely undersold the bass, I keep picking it back up!
Thank you for your post. I am (professional) drummer who just sometimes likes to torture a bass. MY favourite bass sound is the Rickenbacker-sound a la Chris Squire/Geddy Lee, but a) for my poor doodling an "original" Rick is way too expensive and b) Geddy has HIS sound even when he plays a Jazz Bass.... nearly the same goes for Chris, no matter what bass he actually plays.
Both guys have/had their own sound and it's not dependent from the brand of bass they play. It's just kinda "personal" sound!
There is so much VOODOO in the marketing of instruments: YOU HAVE TO BUY SUCH'N'SUCH BASS/GUITAR/DRUMS TO GET MR/MRS FAVORITE'S SOUND!
That's pure marketing nonsense.
There is only two small things one needs to sound like your favorite musician: BEING! your favorite musician AND having his/her sound engineer. The brand of YOUR instrument is as important as the food you prefer!!! (I am very sure you know that regular digesting cauliflower will enhance your virtuosity in no time LOL)
Just spend some minutes to think about this: NO instrument-company make it's money with famous players, they make their money with UNKNOWN players (from weekend-warriors up to no-name professionals).
Beside the VOODOO of marketing there is only ONE major difference between "Brand" manufacturers and f.e Chinese manufacturers: the quality control. (Which is neither given by "American" products nor "Foreign/Chinese" products - both are known for poor quality-control, but Americans tend to have the better marketing while Asian manufactors/competitors offer a comparable - from bad to good - quality). Have you ever spend some time to think about why, CIJ (crafted in Japan) FENDER instruments are higher regarded than "Made in USA" instruments?
My advice: get the best-made instrument you can afford, give a f*ckin sh*t about the name/brand, and try to get YOUR sound; NO-ONE in your audience cares what BRAND of instrument you're playing. They're only there to enjoy the music and have a good time!
Don't fall into the traps of advertisements; just listen and judge to your ears!
Raising the bridge pickup will help with the volume difference. Love your videos btw! I'm considering one of these basses now. Thanks for the demo!
Yes! Shame its like it stock. Thanks very much dude! 😁
You should release some more videos, this is such a good review
Thank you so much! I've recorded a review of a squier P bass about 3 tuems now haha. Coming soon!
A beautiful bass especially for the low price.I switched out the pups to Nordenblocker Ric replacements and threw in a Tone Monster preamp.This thing's a beast for under 500 bucks total.It sounded good before but now I can't say enough.
Awesome! Simple switch making all the difference 👌
Do you think it gets close to the Ric sound with the new hardware?
@@WinnieRoo1138 I think so.Those are very good pups.I realize Ricks have no preamp but I think it helps get it close.I really like it now.
@@WinnieRoo1138 you can get ric sound easily if you have the sound recordec through a daw with an audio interface. It's a good investment
I just love the rickenbackers everything but damn some parts are so impractical
Really have an urge to play some bass lately. No idea what really doing on any instrument but love to knock out noises with them. As basses go it's only the Rickenbacker styling that gets me excited. And this might scratch that itch for a sum I can actually justify ;) thanks for the balanced and well put together video. Would be interested in seeing a video of mods ;)
Thanks! I actually prefer the body shape look of this one over normal rickenbackers! Unfortunately I had to sell this one to fund the next review 💔
@@JonnyDibble could have sold it to me ;)
@@NoelLeeman Ah shame! I had it for sale on Facebook. Went last week
remember, not knowing what youre doing is the first step to being the best bassist in the world
I own a cherry RB-414, and it is goregeous. I absolutely agree with your point, that it is very inspiring. I have 4 more basses, but hand always picks this one, specially just for fiddling around.
I don't agree with you on electronics being super weird - even on laptop speakers I could pick up in your video, that volume pots add the sound of each pickup in the mix. BUT if one of the pots reaches 0 - then the sound drops off. Tone pots also control respective pickups. Where I will agree with you - I think this trick is achieved throug intricate wiring, and the drawback is that the change of volume between pickups is not linear, and have additional tone variations. I would argue, that in experimentation with volumes and tones you would also find a lot of interesting and usable tones with in-between settings, as well as full on.
Anyways, great review.
I think this is the 5th review video for this particular bass I have watched and I'm finding myself closer and closer to pulling the trigger. It seems like a great deal with great quality for the price for a practice/beat em up bass to take anywhere. I'm actually somewhat impressed with it's look and sound from the review videos. I'm partial to the black one over the sunburst as well. Decisions, decisions, decisions.
It is such a steal!
Pull the trigger! I love my one
nowadays you can make a 60 dollar guitar sound incredible when recording so get it!
So far, the only thing I dislike about the Harley Bentons (and I have several guitars and basses) is the logo design. It was really bad before, and now it's just "normally" bad. I wish they could have come up with something not directly stolen from the Windows font catalogue. But that's nitpicking. Their instruments sound good, they play well and the overall build quality is good. So that's a thumbs up from me.
wow... That neck pickup sounds like a beast!
Nice test!
Definitely the better of the two! Thanks very much 😊
On my bass I changed the nut to brass now it rocks awesome video rock on
I want to start playing bass and I love Motörhead. Would you recommend this as a first bass to me? Or should I get a different one?
Go for it. Mod it if needed. They sound fantastic for the price. I’ve got flats on mine and it’s the perfect home recording bass for me.
One of the best videos describing features and pros/cons of this instrument.
Thanks! Glad it helped
Great vid man! Awesome quality and b-roll! Subbed :)
Thank-you so much! Got actual lighting etc now also slowly getting better the production! Cheers 😊
With regards to the quality control from factory...yeah it's pretty bad. I just got the RB414 (Cherry Sunburst) about a week ago. It shipped from Germany to the middle of the US in 3 days, which was awesome. But it had problems out of the box. First, one of the string action adjustment screws on the bridge was missing entirely, then one of the large mounting screws for the bridge has stripped threads and doesn't lock down. On top of this, NO setup was done to the bass. The neck was badly bowed and the string action was way too high. I can adjust this stuff fine once I get the replacement screws. I talked to customer service and they're supposed to be shipping me the screws, but it's been like a week so far. The bass got here in 3 days, the screws are gonna take much longer. But the tone of this bass is knarly and I LOVE it. Definitely happy with my purchase, despite the quality control. Also...for anyone wanting this bass....REMOVE the damn metal pickup cover. It will get in your way and bruise your hand...lol.
Oh no! That sucks. Must not have had a good trip across the pond 😥 haha yeah agree about the metal cover, didn't suit at all for my playing style. Thanks for checking out the video!
@@JonnyDibble Yeah I think you and I kinda pick around the same middle area right over the bridge pickup. It was just right in the way. I've wanted a real Ricken 4003 for a long time, but it's kind of a fantasy bass for me at the moment. But this is a next best thing, I think. I'm hoping once I get the replacement screws and do a proper setup on it, it'll really shine.
The neck pickup, picking up tapping on the pickguard...
Cheapo pickups are famous for being microphonic. Upgrade the pickups, would probably help immensely.
Yeah not ideal for my playing style!
Man! I didn't realize this was you first video and that it was only a year ago. Your channel kicks ass 👊🏽😎 this was one of the first videos I watched ofv yours. Had to come back and watch it again after you mentioned it in your shopping Q&A 🥳
Haha yeah man! The channel has changed a lot since this one 😝 thanks so much mate
Nice, but it definetely doesn’t have that Rick tone (obviously it’s not a Rick).
Do you think it’d sound more like a Rick with the Seymour Duncan Pickups?
Also, the drop in sound, along with the drop of string volume might be because of the magnet being loose, and the the neck pickup seems to be microphonic, but I'm no expert, just some input to anybody else thinking of buying one of these bad boys
Thanks for the insight!
Can you raise the neck pickup to increase the volume?
@@piercollis6416 yeah you can with the screws either side. Same with the bridge which would probably fix the volume balance!
@Nothing Noone oh that makes sense, thanks!
I would want to switch out the bridge pickup for something like a stacked J bass pickup to make the output levels closer. Personally I tend to view instruments in this price category as modding platforms rather than finished instruments since there is usually something that can be improved relatively easily. The microphonic neck pickup could possibly be fixed by melting some candle wax around the coils.
Interesting about the candle wax! Great insight man, thanks. Totally agree re modding, just uploaded a video in an SX P bass copy which I think is a great modding platform!
Great review! What’s the neck profile like?
I think it sounds better than an actual ric!
to me it definitely doesnt sound as good. its very floppy metallically. the tone is kind of bad tbh
useful caveats about the electronics, re: microphonic pickups and the dodgy wiring. That can be fixed, but it's very useful to know going in!
Ordered one in August and it shipped yesterday.Hope it is worth the wait.
I just bought one right now. I want that neck sound. Lemmy! I’m gonna crank it brother!
BASS player here, boomin strings ? re-set the pickups height ;)
well played! Can I count on the appearance of this bass in the following videos?
Thanks! Unfortunately the bass has moved onto another owner. Can't afford to keep doing reviews and keeping all the gear at the moment!
I'm in need of a new bass, and I'm a massive stoner metal fan, so obviously Al Cisneros of Sleep/Om plays a Rick and, well, I have pretty bad GAS right now :p
Its a great bass to start working towards that Rick style! (Plus its incredible looking)
@@JonnyDibble It seems that the pups are perhaps the weak link on this bass.I know they're Artec a Korean company, mass producers for a ton of low end instruments.They list around $30usd on eBay.So if it's worth the upgrade one can throw in Seymour Duncans or the like for under a couple of hundred if both are replaced.You'd then have a pretty nice bass for less than four hundred usd.
I think I've discovered that problem with tapping near the neck pickup. Im pretty sure at thomann it says that this is a chambered bass so there is probably a cavity where you were tapping.
Makes sense as it does feel/sound hollow around the pickup! I wonder if that's a common feature on Ricks?
@@JonnyDibble I don't think Its a feature on real ricks, its prob just to keep down the costs of using mahogany as a body.
@Nothing Noone I see. Thank goodness for those like you who know their stuff! Thanks
killer video! You have a great tone and feel with the bass, I wanna snag me one of these basses!
Thanks very much! They seen to be very popular 😯
Wonderful review video!! Really informative. I love to listen Ricks - Paul, Chris, Roger, Geddy to name a few greats. John Taylor plays a black one in Duran Duran's planet earth MV iirc. But I have a Jazz and a P/J p-bass and very content. So this Bass is very enticing! I live in California and wonder how much the shipping (from Germany?).
fun to see that te knobs are working exactly like this on my rick copy, and mine is a r4003 by azbywsl (french brand taht died years ago).
Maybe it's just a Rick thing?! Weird. Thanks for the comment/sub!
@Nothing Noone I never knew this! Thankyou so much for the insight. This explains why I was a bit confused with my Les Paul electronics! Thanks 😊
what a great review, so completed because i already buy this bass and it is awesome for me anticipate all i am going to see, great.
Great review, I've been looking at this bass for a while but I'll need to move on some other gear first and lockdown is preventing that from happening. Having said that I see that someone local to me is looking to trade one!
Thanks Andy! It's so good for the money. What would you be looking at trading?
The controls problem seems, either cooked pots, incorrect wiring or as another prev poster stated, incomplete circuit!
I can understand why Rickenbacker police the copyrights of Ric knockoffs so strictly but the new Epsilon Rics at £500+ look as good as these!
thank you for posting a review ive been waiting on a review like this to order one do you think itd be a good mod project
You're welcome! Yeah I think it would be great to mod
What would you recommend as far as modding the pick ups
@@datdudewitdabass4369 Not sure, I havent really looked into it tbh and don't know of any aftermarket mini humbuckers. Worth researching though!
What about the single coil and I know right it's strangely hard to find bass mini humbuckers
@@datdudewitdabass4369 ah yes sorry I forgot about the bridge! Its a bit if a weirdly shaped pickup so I'm not sure. Definitely wouldn't for a normal single coild like from a jazz bass
Got the same issue with bridge cover. How did you remove it ? Just loosening the screws on either side ? Would appreciate a short description 🙏🏽 Thanks for the great video
Hey man, yeah just loosen the screws on the side. They're also used to raise the pickup itself so you need to make sure you put them back with the springs that are underneath. I'm not technical but managed it no issues 😊
@@JonnyDibble thank you. Really appreciate it! 😊
@@JonnyDibble would adjusting the height of the bridge pickup fix the volume issues you mentioned with that pickup?
@@samuel_excels Should do! I no longer own the bass, otherwise I would let you know!
Do you need to put the strings back on after taken the cover off ?
Great channel Jonny. I keep looking at this review and others online and I'm really tempted as it appears great for the money. Was it a keeper for you in the end? I have a nice Fender Japanese Jazz from 1994 and a Mexican Fender FSR 70s Precision. Just fancy the Ricky Style HB as don't have the bucks for the real deal. Do you still rate it?
Hi! Thanks very much 😁 Sadly had to sell this one on pretty soon after to fund further videos so couldn't say! It's definitely a fun bass though which offers really different tones compared to the P and J basses 😊
Great video! What brand are the strings on it? do they use daddarios for stock strings?
Thanks! Yeah they're Daddario .100 - .040
Need to review the Harley Benton MB4 SnideRay 😎
Hi Jonny , looking to purchase a bass that'll give me a lovely low sub sound (reminiscent of the bass in With Or Without You). Is this bass capable of producing such a sound, if not could you suggest an alternative? Thanks very much for the review by the way, don't know if its the bass itself or the review I keep going back to rewatch !
Thanks Tommy! You're welcome. I would say anything with a humbucker is perfect for a fat, subby sound 👌the middle position on this bass is really good for that. Worth checking out the sterling by musicman basses or the harley benton equivalents!
@@JonnyDibble Thanks very much man!!
British Patrick Hunter. I much prefer your accent.
Wish I was as good as PH! Thank-you
hello
what is the action of bridge? can i setup the action low without problems due bad neck-body angle? thanks
I own the Jackenbacker and I saw that Harley Benton also has one. I may purchase this one also \m/
Nice review mate. I’m not a bass player, but learning (I’m a guitarist, specialising in the ‘shit-can’ style of music), but I’m going to buy one of these as a) I’d like a cheap bass just to mess around with and b) I love Rickenbackers but can’t afford a 4001, so this is the best option.
Cheers mate
Both volumes work on mine until one is turned all the way down, then all of the volume goes down. It is really not uncommon for two pickup passive pickups to get more volume when one of the volumes is backed off a little. Bottom line for me is that it is a really cool looking and sounding $200 bass so judge it accordingly.
Thx for this great review! I've been looking at this bass for some time now. Did you make any changes to the bridge pickup since your video?
Hi! Sorry for the delay, missed your comment. Unfortunately I no longer have the bass, had to sell it on to fund the next review! Thanks
@@JonnyDibble, …..do you miss it? I have a few guitars/basses that I wish I didn’t sell. (An American Vintage Tele and an American Jazz bass come to mind)
So is THIS one you think about still? OR was it just a passing gimmick?
@@WinnieRoo1138 honestly, I rarely think about this one. I do think about my Femder Jaguar bass a lot though 🥲
Made me LOL! "When you see it, and can't stop thinking about it for a week?" Yes!!!! I know this feeling all too well!! :)
Buy it for the looks.
Re-wire is for the sound.
Done.
Appreciate the detailed video!
What did you ended up doing with this beauty? Did you kept it? Sold it?
Hi! Had to sell to fund the next review I'm afraid!
@@JonnyDibble Pity, but understandable.
sounds great for 200$
Cant go wrong!
So in your opinion do you prefer the HB over say a chinabacker? They seem to be popular right now
Hi Aaron, thanks for your comment. I've not tried any Chinese made copys so couldn't say! I did really enjoy this bass though. What brands are making them?
yes from personal experience this is better because
You've got Mahogany Neck and body instead of plywood or sawdust (or even basswood)
its actually got a double truss rod, the pickups sound better, the neck has actual finish and it stays in tune.....and it being (for me at least) 500 dollars less then a Chickenbacker so yes buy the Harley benton not a Chinese copy (oh shit this block of text is long...sorry!)
@@JonnyDibble no name brands....
It seems to be the consensus from the reviews I've seen that the wiring harness is the big problem. That can be remedied here (920dcustom.com/products/920d-custom-shop-wiring-harness-for-rickenbacker-4000-series-bass-guitar) As a long time Ric player, but whose Ric is pretty much toast, I'm getting one of these when they come back in stock and will likely do a couple of mods to make it sing.
Yeah looks like I'm not the only one that had weird electronics. Seems like a good modding platform! Thanks for checking out the video 😁
I wouldn't wait to long to order as i ordered in early Oct. and expect it in a few days. They don't seam to stay in stock. It's now Dec 28.
Great first video!
Thankyou!
En definitiva es una bajo que vale la pena checar! Y además tiene un muy buen look
This video is old, so I hope you see this, and my question has nothing to do with the bass, so I hope you answer. I NEED to know what drum kit you have loaded. It is literally perfect. I use Cubase and groove agent and cannot for the life of me find or even build a kit I like from the included samples. I’m shopping around for a bass and come across this video and there’s the exact drum sound I’m looking for. Please please please help.
Hi! This is a blend of two stock kits from Logic Pro X. It’s mainly “Heavy” mixed with “East Bay”. Cymbals are just from Heavy though
You have no idea how much I appreciate this reply. Thank you so much.
@@AshAndFeather you’re welcome!
Yeah I saw this too, and finally thought I may be able get a Bass, then go to checkout and then WTF! the shipping was more than the Bass, to Australia, guess I will have to just settle for a locally Yamaha if and when they have stock back in, and getting a Left Handed one for the Wife even more issues they are like Hens Teeth, hard to find anyone stocking Basses for Lefthanded 😎🤟🙄😒 Also just looked again the Harley Benton RB-414BK Classic Series, Now there No Longer Available 😒🤷♂️
how did you get off the pickup cover? i’m not entirely sure how to get mine off.
From memory, It's screwed in under the pickup so you need to unscrew the entire surrounding plate 😊
They possibly used a tone pot for the volume pot.
Around 2:25 - that horrid rumbling when picking the E on a fret near the nut is a real red flag on this demo.
The wiring seems just fine. You have to use the selector switch to solo either p'up. Not turn the volume all the way down on the other pickup. It don't work like a traditional jazz bass. But so I fail to see any source of confusion.
surely you should be able to blend the individual pickup volumes? So have neck with a smidge of bass, or vice versa. That's how it should work, there's no point in having individual vol controls at all if they don't work in the middle position
@@Muzikman127 The individual volume knobs function just fine to lower and raise the volume of either pickup when the pickup selector is in the middle position, except to turn the volume all the way off on a single pickup. For that, you use the pickup selector switch (and respective volume knob). So, you may solo either pickup (with switch flipped all the way up or down) and use its respective volume knob, or blend with switch in the middle and some volume to each pickup (and which you should want if you have the pickup selector in the middle). Seems pretty straightforward.
But as I'm typing this, I can't help but feel that I may be missing your (and reviewer's) point somehow. I have had the bass for 18-months or so, and think that I have accurately described how it works. But am I missing the mark on your comments? Genuinely curious. Please lemme know.
@@justinkline1294 wait, so
you're saying that the volumes work fine in the middle position _except_ when you turn 1 of them all the way off? So you can still have like an 80 20 or 90 10 blend, it just fails when you get to 100/0? Are you sure? If so then that's different to what the reviewer here said, he said that in the middle position the vol pots just both act as a master volume. That would be mildly annoying I guess, but you're right, it wouldn't really impact the functionality of the instrument.
In other words, are you saying that in the middle position you can have the bridge on 1, neck on 10, or the neck on 1, bridge on 10, and it works just how it should, but that it only stops working when you turn it all the way to zero? Or, conversely, when you turn the volume down on one pickup does it just turn the overall volume of both pickups down, and keep the blend between the 2 more or less constant
@@Muzikman127 former.
@@justinkline1294 Ah, I see. And thanks for clarifying! That's a little strange, and I wonder what wiring scheme results in that behaviour, but I suppose it's not really a problem is it - you can still get pretty much all the sound combinations you might want even if you can't fade in a pickup from dead zero.
Since we're here, how are you enjoying the bass overall?
Does anyone know why some of the sunburst models have f-holes and some don't? I'm assuming they redesigned it or something, but I can't find any info on it
Sunburst with F - old model. No longer produced
So as a Chris Squire fanatic (rest his soul), this bass immediately appealed to me. However, I don't see anything about stereo output, which is kind of what makes the Ric a Ric, ya know? Am I missing that in the description, or is it just a normal mono-out and I've got some modding ahead of me if I buy it?
Hi! Its just a mono output, no stereo wizardry on board out of the box
@@JonnyDibble Firstly, thanks much for the quick reply! Bang on, mate!
I didnae think there would be at that price point. Still, it sounds pretty nice, and I'm pretty handy with some tools when I'm not totally blootered. So I may could fix it!
Cheers mate!
@@soulofash2112 No worries! Excited to hear and see this if you do end up picking on up! Let me know how you get on 😊
@@JonnyDibble Certainly will, if I can talk the spouse into letting me snag one. tjat os! They've been more than gracious this year with my ah... acquisitions (I'm up to 7 new instruments this year)... With an 8th planned early next month--so much sweet talking, flowers, and book buying is in my future, I do believe! lol
@@soulofash2112 haha this sounds too familiar. I've owned more guitars in the past 6 months than I have in my entire life! 🤣
Awesome video. Thanks 👍🏻
Thankyou!
Once I have some money, I plan to buy an RB-414. I might change the pickups, though. Does anybody know what pickups might fit in this bass without any routing?
Do it! Great bass for the money
@@JonnyDibble It sure sounds great. There are like 3 videos of this bass on RUclips, and yours is the best.
@@lucianhartt3123 Oh you, thanks Lucian. Its a great sounding bass, especially that neck pickup
@@JonnyDibble Yeah, the neck pickup sounds fantastic. I might replace the bridge pickup, though.
@@lucianhartt3123 I think bridge pickup is quite because it is placed too low. You can probably put it up so it will sound better
The neck pickup isn't potted which causes it to be microphonic. Easy fix just ask if the local luthier could wax pot it.
could you do a reviw about their hollow body bass?
Awesome video!
How does the neck feel! Thin? Chunky?
From memory, I don't think it felt too chunky! Nice and comfortable
@@JonnyDibble Thanks!
@@JonnyDibble Thank you!
Hello. Great video. I want to know if the bass is heavy? And, also, when standing, is the headstock heavy which in turn I'd have to use my left hand to balance the bass?
Hi, thanks! From memory I never experienced and neck dive despite the bass being pretty light 😊
I've been playing mine for about a week or so now, and haven't had any neck dive or anything. It's not nearly as heavy as my Squire PJ, and it's pretty well balanced, I thought.
Wow great tone!!!
It’s like a pj bass
But in a rickenbacker format
Does anyone know if the parts to this bass would fit an actual Rickenbacker 4001 body?
Great question
@@fredparker3384 they do not
Sound good Jonny
Such a PHAT sound!
I like the style better than the real one 🤭
That's what made me buy it!!
Me too! Looks better.
What's the song you're playing at 2:25?
Everything written by me 😊
Keep going ❤
Cool gye..cool Bass and Music..😎👌🤘
Great Video 😁
Thankyou, I'm glad you liked it!
How can i get that sound??
With that bass? Signal chain is in the description 😊
@@JonnyDibble what amplifier?
@@donnie3838 no amp, just the sansamp bass driver for this one!
Bass guitars are like Harry Potters Wand, they find you.....related to your comment of lots of basses but some don't inspire....Aria do that with me, classic or new, likewise Ibanez.
dam that sounds bad ass
Such a unique but rich sounding bass 👌
Maybe I have funny tastes, but myself, I prefer the look of Rick basses over P-Basses.
A lot of people probably think I'm mad for not loving the look of Rick's, each to their own! 😊
I want it but im broke
For me any bass thats cheap enough to sound kinda similar to a Rickenbacker ise enough :')
.
Sounds better (and more versatile) than the "one trick pony" Rickenbacker.
...but is it as unreliable as the over-hyped Rick?
It's a no from me. My Jazz bass gives me all I need 👍
Thats a microphonic pickup
4:47
off topic. but this bassist is mad cute
No, you 🤭
Hi, is it "made in china"? Thanks
Read a comment somewhere saying it might be Vietnam!
no. Harley Benton Make there stuff in, Vietnam, Indonesia and (?)Malaysia(?)
Yes, it is, written on the back of the headstock.
Why on Earth would anyone get the black one of these when the cherry sunburst is available? I understand that people have terrible, bland tastes in bass finishes, but come on.
🤣 The Cherry sunburst is just a bit too red and bright for me!
There are millions of black guitars and basses being played always.Probably the most chosen along with sunburst.
I wanted one of these until I seen a couple of reviews,this bass guitar has the looks but nothing like the sound of a Rickenbacker.I'll pass.
Rickenbacker = $2000+ new
Harley Benton = $200.new
So yeah I'd expect a difference.
Honestly some people.
Let's laugh at this lad
Can’t believe I’m telling the bass player to, “TURN IT UP”
Now just wire it for rick-o-sound