TL first build,

[Alm_63]

Keeping my eyes wide open looking for a genuine Ricky 4001 or 4003 to replace the 70's one I owned from around 1984 - 1991. Best axe, Bass or Guitar, that I have ever owned or played. The RC4 kit is tempting however I will keep saving up and pounce on one eventually. Current prices are nuts, anywhere from around $2k up to $4k. Almost makes me cry as the Azure Blue 4001 I had only cost me $750, sold it for $950 seven years later and thought that was a decent price at the time. Sounded awesome run stereo through 2 DI's to front of house and also through 2 channels on my 70's era 100w Marshall Bass Amp fed into slant front quad box with 4 x 25w celestion greenbacks. Used the same amp & box when I played rhythm guitar on my old Ibanez Explorer before switching to bass and the amp had a better blend of mid range than Marshall Lead amps from around that era. That was until JCM800's arrived with Master Volume and then that became the standard for every hard rocker. Great times, great memories, just wish I still had all that gear today.

Was that the Marshall major? With KT-88 valves

[wazkelly]

Was that the Marshall major? With KT-88 valves

Hi Bruce, it was a JMP 100 watt bass head that had a small Marshall logo script on the front. Not sure what the valves were but at the time I thought they were EL34's as after a mishap doing a gig on a ferry it had a melt down and vaguely remember EL34 being mentioned. Originally bought when I was mainly playing rhythm guitar as it had better midrange and not as harsh top end. Little did I realise it would be used for Bass a few short years later. Didn't take much to drown out the stage levels as it as so loud and mostly plated it 'just on' at around 1 out of 10. Never went past 2 or 3 as it was deafening and blasted most front of house pa's. You can look it up on http://www.legendarytones.com/Marsha...ppers-guide-1/

[wazkelly]

Hi Bruce, you can look it up on http://www.legendarytones.com/Marsha...ppers-guide-1/

Dug out some old photos and pinched some off the web too. By the article at legendary tones mine could have been as old as '69 perhaps and from the rear photo it looked very similar except for the kettle jug AC socket whereas mine was hard wired into the chassis.

[Alm_63]

Very very very nice!!

[wazkelly]

Read up a bit more on the old Marshalls and discovered I actually had one of the early JMP Metal Panel ones from '69 onwards so it may have been early to mid '70s. Bought it second hand with a new Wasp slant front quad box fitted with 4 x 12" Greenbacks for $950 early 1980 and that same rig would be worth at least 3 - 4 times more today. It is the rig shown in a couple of the prior photos. Nothing beats the feeling that comes from the sound pressure of a seriously cranked one of these as you can actually feel the chords as you played and the mid range feedback was to die for. Had to use a Boss Overdrive Pedal for gain control as these required way too much volume before suitable distortion arrived unless you wanted to sound like Angus Young with plenty of volume and just a slight amount of edgy gain driven distortion which was very much 'the sound' back in early 1970's.