zoot_car

This is, simply put, THE distortion pedal for bassists. I've got an old one from the early 80s that I got from a singer of a band I was in, and every time I've needed to turn up and take the lead, the old Rat is the pedal that gets me there. I'd recommend looking for an old one with the LM308N chip - it's worth the extra cost.

A Ric 4001 is the bass that helped me find my musical voice. I upgraded to a 4003 a couple years later, in 2008. It's an amazing sounding instrument for melodies and bright sustain. I've come to find it a little clanky with round-wound strings, so I've set it up with flatwounds. As a result, it's not great with aggressive rock sounds, but is really great for warmer tones. One thing worth noting is that I've had a few problems with the neck pickup over the years. I got it rewound, but it's always been a pain.