Rickenbacker 4003W Stereo Bass Guitar - Walnut Reviews

I'm a sucker for aesthetics, but Ricks go far beyond just looks. I love to crank the mid tones and get that raspy growl, or turn the tone knob back and get a thumpier groove. It's the perfect bass for me, and I don't want to play anything else.

This is hands down the best bass that I've ever played or owned. It's been a dream of mine since I was a kid to own a Ric and now as a adult I can say I own one and it's the best thing I've ever purchased. Thanks to Tyler my sweetwater sales engineer for all his help on making this a reality..
I was super surprised when I was able to down tune the bass all the way to C standard with almost zero adjustments. This thing came straight out of the box ready to play and sounding beautiful.If you can get your hands on this expertly crafted instrument I highly recommend it you will not regret it.

I was lucky enough to be gifted one of these great instraments and after a year of owning it i can easily say this thing can hit tones like nothing else. This bass can hit the smooth lows like nothing else and cut through a mix like a bullet. and nothing feels like one either huge neck and thin body this thing absolutely kicks it! Ive spent a stupid amount of hours on this thing and cant say anything negative!

Absolutely love this bass guitar,the sound is amazing and the beauty speak for itself..

This is the best. It seems to play itself. The feel and sound are indescribable. Beautiful. Classic. Expensive but worth it.

This bass plays and feels great and with the backing of sweetwater you also have the security of knowing if anything goes wrong for whatever reason they will have you covered.

Great product as I expected from the sweetwater team fast shipping only 2 day wow, I got the 4003W and was a demo unit and like always said can even see the micro scratches I'm pleased with my new baby !!!!!!!!

Technically this was a gift although I helped pick it out. I have ordered thru Sweetwater before and it"s always been a good experience but this was my first boutique level instrument and to be honest the fact that it was Sweetwater treatment with the photos and the point check and the helpful people I went ahead and pulled the trigger on the purchase. Bass itself is incredible I had a 4001 many many years ago that met a tragic end and a new Ric had been my white whale for some years now. Very glad I got this and very glad I got it from someplace I could trust.
The finish is incredible the fretwork the sound all are spot on. Rock on Sweetwater.

I recently purchased this utterly beautiful bass from the guys at Sweetwater, and they were kind enough to send me pictures of it beforehand. I received it and impatiently obeyed the "do not open for 24 hours" sticker - I think I opened it about 5 minutes past the 24 hour mark.

I can't reiterate how beautiful this guitar is - both tonally and aesthetically. Rickenbacker never fails to amaze with their level of quality and attention to detail.

The service from Sweetwater was absolutely white-glove all the way, and there was a little bag of candy inside my order! I'll be buying again and again from these guys.

I read that these basses were uncomfortable and if you were a fender style Bass player you probably won't like these . And the Walnut Basses were worse due to sharp edges on the binding and no body contours. So I was a bit reluctant to pull the trigger on this bass but in the end I did any way. First let me say I have been playing fender style basses for over 15 years. This Rickenbacker does not feel like any Fender I have ever played but that is a good thing . The Body is thinner than a fender and I have found no Issues with the edges of the bass causing any discomfort whatsoever.. Is it the perfect bass no but then what is . It has its Quirks like Terrible Hum if you face the amp that could be solved by reverse winding one of the pickups and that stupid pickup cover thing is annoying at best. But it has its usefulness too at least for me . Play on the bridge side Very Brite, Play on the neck side much thicker and punchier deeper lows. If I had the choice to buy this bass again Knowing what I do now I would do it in a second. It plays great and the neck is the best feeling to me that I Have ever played not too wide not too thick just right . And it sounds Amazing to me although not like the RIC's of the 70's but close enough.
I still don't get why they refuse to Get rid of the Hum and the other few flaws that are easily fixable but it is what it is and it is Darn good .

I have owned Rickenbacker Basses before and through my own foolishness did not keep them. When my new 4003W arrived and I started playing it, All those memories came flooding back!! It was like this bass was made for my hands and my hands only!!!!! There can be no better bass for me. The action, the feel, the SOUND! this bass has immediately moved to #1 in my rotation and will likely remain there! Thank you Rickenbacker for maintaining you highest standards and continuing to produce these ultimate instruments.

I can't say enough great things about my new 4003. First off, the service was excellent and I got a great price (like always through Sweetwater). Dan Overstreet was great as always and my bass was shipped and in my hands by the next day. Set up was perfect and the bass was flawless! I popped it out and plugged it into my rig and was immediately in love. I've wanted one of these for years but typically have had more guitars than I can use. However, I decided to give myself an early Xmas present. You can never have enough basses. My only critique is I found it difficult to play with the back pickup cover in place. It took me about 10 minutes to remove it and problem solved. Overall the quality and craftsmanship is perfect. If you have the bucks you will not be disappointed!

I have owned nearly 30 guitars, from pawn shop junkers to uber expensive custom shop relics, etc and i have to say the rick 4003 maybe one of the finest guitar type instruments ever produced. I have p-basses, j-basses, music man and they are fantastic but NOTHING sounds like a 4003 rick. The craftsmanship, the tone, the look and feel of this instrument is on a whole other level. Every time I record a track I try a few basses and always come back to the 4003 for its unmistakable growl and hi fi like tone. They are expensive but sincerely worth every penny and one of those instruments you will never part with. This is not beginners bass and I say that mainly because there are two truss rods and depending on your homes humidity level, they have to be adjusted delicately and with patience. The rick also needs care and maintenance to keep it playing its best but the payoff is extraordinary! One of my favorite features is pulling the treble knob to its out position to get that old school "original" rick tone which is thinner and sharper. I also love using a stereo mrs cable and routing the bass to my ampeg and the treble side to my plexi, micing both amps and mixing the together into a single killer track. All in all this is as good as it gets when it comes to bass guitars in my opinion and a true legend!

I know, I know.

I can't believe I'm writing this about a Ric! The 4003 has ALWAYS been my absolute, number one favorite bass. Back in the mid-90s I had a reverse tuxedo mid - late 1980s 4003. I've wanted another Ric ever since I foolishly let that one slip through my stupid fingers. Flash forward to May 2022. I was able to order this 4003W. I'm speechlessly disappointed! It seems that in Sweetwater's description of it, they "forgot" to mention that Rickenbacker has changed the 4003's neck within the past few years. The neck on this feels like a huge, rectangular baseball bat. The fat end of the bat, no less. Its nowhere near what they used to be. Why did Ric do this?? Who knows!

Before I received the bass, I was really quite excited with the idea that Ric was offering a maple fingerboard. But, this is matte finished and dry as a bone. The fret markers are actually kind of hard to see. This along with the awful, bulky newer neck design makes it like trying to play a log. NOTHING at all like my old 1980s 4003!! The satin finish on this is really a disappointment, as well. What I would give for an old glossy body and fingerboard! I would trade this one away, if I could. I wish someone would take this disappointing hunk of wood off my hands for a couple of hundred bucks.

If you're thinking of buying this bass - BEWARE! As I say, its nothing at all what you would expect a Ric to be. I have a $ Squier Classic Vibe 1970s P-bass that is a hundred times more comfortable to play than this. A $ Squier!!

I really haven't even used this bass. I don't even know what to do with it! I certainly can't afford an older 4003, so now I'm stuck with this $ door stop! I'm really kind of stunned that Sweetwater haven't tried to do anything to try to make this right. A sales person did contact me once, and I indicated that I didn't like the bass. He said, "Well, at least its a showpiece!" A $ door stop showpiece.