The Rickenbacker bass problem nobody mentions!
I love Rickenbacker basses – they’re iconic, they look fantastic and they sound fantastic. If you’re chasing that distinctive growl heard on countless classic rock records, there’s really nothing quite like a Ricky. But they do have a big drawback – you can’t swap between open string and palm muting playing styles whilst actually playing them!
If you’ve never used palm muting, it’s a technique where you rest the side of your picking hand lightly on the strings near the bridge. It dampens the vibration and creates a shorter, punchier, more percussive sound. It’s a technique used across countless genres and can be done on virtually every bass guitar on the planet. Except, arguably, a Rickenbacker.
The reason comes down to the bridge design. The strings sit recessed down in individual grooves. That might not sound like a big deal, but it means your palm can’t naturally touch the strings in the way it can on most other basses to deaden the sound. The bridge hardware simply gets in the way.
Rickenbacker has a solution of sorts. There are a couple of adjustment screws and a felt mute hidden in the bridge assembly under the strings. Raise the felt and it presses against the strings, muting them. Problem solved? Not really.
The trouble is that it’s a fixed setting. If you’re halfway through a song and want to switch from a palm-muted verse to an open string chorus, you’re out of luck. You can’t quickly engage or disengage the mute while playing. With a conventional bass, it’s effortless. Move your hand slightly and you’ve got instant control over the sound. On a Rickenbacker, you’re essentially committed to one setup or the other.
It maybe that swapping between open string palm muting was not a style of playing when the bridge was designed decades ago. I have heard a lot of early 60s records where it sounds like the bass is being played palm muted all through. Part of Rickenbacker’s appeal and legacy is not radically changing things – it’s what gives even new basses that vintage connection to their history. That said it would be good to have an official alternative bridge design as an option.
Over time I’ve simply stopped using palm-muted bass sounds altogether when playing the Ricky. It’s easier than fighting the instrument. That probably sounds like a major criticism, but strangely it isn’t. Every instrument has its quirks. Vintage gear is full of compromises that we’d probably never accept if the designs were introduced today. And yet we still love them because of what they do well.
The Rickenbacker bass has a character that’s hard to replicate. It has an attitude, a presence and unique sound. That’s why I keep playing mine. It’s much like owning an old classic car from the 1950s and wishing it has air conditioning and power steering – you either accept it or move on. If you’re thinking about buying a Rickenbacker bass, it’s worth knowing that beneath all that legendary tone and gorgeous styling lies this one surprisingly significant limitation.
