Trade Feeler - My Ric 4 Your Precision

[thewatchtech]

I have one too many Rickenbackers and have the jones for adding a Precision back into the arsenal. The potential trade bait is a 1980 Ric 4003 refinished in Burgundyglo with black trimmings. I've got about $1500 in it for trade purposes.

Pics, etc. here at the Ric Register:
http://www.rickresource.com/register...26celebrity%3D

Refin is somewhat amateurish, but has a great color and the back of the neck is super fast - not tacky like some of the Ric painted finishes. The binding is rather uncommon "double binding" with a thin layer of off-white inside the black - a nice and subtle touch. Has picked up some nicks (esp. on the headstock) since the refin, so it was likely done years ago.

Currently mounted with an alum. Hipshot tailpiece, but will include the original 7-screw Ric tailpiece/bridge/mute assembly. Neck is the thinnest Ric neck I have ever played and I’m a serious thin neck junkie. Frets show some wear, but tech who looked it over said they do not need dressing (let alone replacing) any time soon.

When I bought it, the electronics had been oddly rewired and the pickguard was trashed as were jacks and toggle switch. Pots are original. I put in a lot of time/effort getting it back to Ric spec...replaced nearly every rusted plate/jack/guard screw with new screws from the Ric boutique. Also replaced the switch and jacks with correct parts from Ric and rewired the harness per their specs. Had the pickups rewound, as they were quite weak. I also bypassed the tone cap as I'm not crazy about the thin "vintage" tone. Easy to reverse on request. Two piece pickguard was patterned from the original by Pickguardian - fits perfectly. I also added the treble pickup cover (and a couple of spacers).

I'm looking to trade (with cash up or down) for a Fender Precision. Not into J basses, P Deluxes, Specials, etc. Just a simple, bread & butter Fender Precision. Thin neck and low action are priorities - B width is best. C necks are too wide and Jazz A necks are too narrow at the nut for me. Not a big fan of black finishes, but otherwise color isn't a huge issue. Really dig Oly white/tort PG combo!

Hit me with questions and/or trade offers and we'll go from there.

Thanks,
Matt B.

[livinglow]

What's the nut width and weight on the Ric?

[RockBobby]

"Neck is the thinnest Ric neck I have ever played and I’m a serious thin neck junkie"

Then you are not going to be happy with a Precision. The neck is bigger than a jazz bass.

[thewatchtech]

Not necessarily. There's more to neck size than nut width. IMHO, it's a combination of fretboard width, front-to-back thickness and neck shape. With Fenders, I find that the 1-5/8" or "B" necks feel best to me. The 1.5" A/Jazz necks can be too narrow and the 1.75" C can feel too chunky, although it's not a hard and fast rule. Very subjective. Ric necks vary more than Fenders and I find it very hard to compare the two brands - apples/oranges.

As for livinglow's questions... Neck at the nut is 1.7" and 2.1" at the 12th fret. Between a Fender B and C at the nut, but thin front-to-back and it stays relatively thin all the way to the heel. Bass weighs about 9.4lbs.

Thanks,
Matt B.

Originally Posted by RockBobby

Then you are not going to be happy with a Precision. The neck is bigger than a jazz bass.

[thewatchtech]

Trade pending...