My rics finish

PinkTelephone · #1 04-08-2006, 01:22 PM

i just noticed after playing my rick 4003, that around the tailpeice, and bridge that the paint is almost "bubbling" off. is there anyway ric would be able to fix this? heres some pictures of it

ugh i hope this is fixable, or at least not going to get anyworse.

syciprider · #2 04-08-2006, 02:15 PM

FaithNoMan · #3 04-08-2006, 03:15 PM

I don't know - the first thing I thought of was someone using chrome-cleaner on the bridge, or maybe the bridge moving....

I bet you'll get better answers on www.rickresource.com in their basses forum, or their technical forum..... they know the ins and outs of Rickenbackers just as good as anyone.

Martybass · #4 04-08-2006, 03:22 PM

That doesn't look too good

Best thing to to I'd say is to contact either where you got the bass from or Rickenbacker directly. Even both. Tell them what's happening, send photos, and they should get it sorted for you.

madfiddler · #5 04-08-2006, 04:23 PM

my first thought was that the finsih was not completly dry when the hardware was attached

.....or maybe one layer of the finish was not dry awhen another layer was added.

getting nice glossy finishes is an art and a difficult one at that. I seen home done jobs where the finish just fell off in chunks!.....but having siad that you'd expect Ric to get it right, they are well known for their quality production.

incubus2432 · #6 04-08-2006, 07:25 PM

I can't tell exactly from the pics but I have a guess. The rear of the tailpiece is lifting causing stress in that area of paint making it "bubble" and flake away. It shouldn't get much worse since the paint is gone. If it is under warranty I would contact Ric about it.....then look into a Hipshot replacement bridge or add two screws to the rear of the tailpiece.

It is an unfortunate semi-common problem with Rics and can be made worse with high tension strings. The 4003 stock bridge/tailpiece is also one of the reasons why I sold my 4003's and went to 4004's. Good luck!

Edit....after looking at the pics a little more I think it may just be that the tailpiece is loose or overtightened at installation. The lifting of the tailpiece I mentioned above only causes damage in the area shown in the 1st pic.

xring · #7 04-08-2006, 07:44 PM

I've seen this in different areas on Ric bridges. I attributed it to poor plating or prep. I doubt if Ric runs their own plating shop. I'm fairly sure they would have their bridges plated by a vendor - in which case I think they do a poor job. Quality plating does not chip or flake easily. Possibly the metal on the bridge precludes a good plating job, which does not bode well either.

Vic · #8 04-08-2006, 08:30 PM

This isn't a plating issue, it's the paint that's rippling.

IMHO...

What this means is the paint did not properly bond to the body. This is a manufacturer's defect and should be covered under warranty.

I would personally urge you to get it fixed, because you do run the risk of having other related problems as a result.

It likely means either a replacement bass or, unfortunately, being without it for potentially an extended period time.

xring · #9 04-08-2006, 08:37 PM

My bad. Totally unacceptable. They should fix that yesterday.

Nino Valenti · #10 04-08-2006, 08:47 PM

That's common on Rics. I see pretty it often.

Vic · #11 04-08-2006, 09:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nino Valenti

That's common on Rics. I see pretty it often.

Then I officially lower my alarm level to "never mind".

FaithNoMan · #12 04-09-2006, 10:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nino Valenti

That's common on Rics. I see pretty it often.

I've yet to see it on one yet(besides this one), but nothing can replace that tone anyway, even if it was commonplace on Rics..

EDIT: *ahem*....

PinkTelephone · #13 04-09-2006, 10:59 PM

thanks for the help guys, i'll be trying to contact ric tomorrow and the place i bought it from, even though they are so bad at helping out and setting up and repair and etc.

**rashrader** · #14 04-11-2006, 11:08 AM

How old is that bass? That looks bad.

Also, people need to be really careful with what they use to clean their Rickenbacker's. I am NOT implying that your issue has anything to do with using an incorrect cleaning agent. Just a quick heads up for anyone else.

FaithNoMan · #15 04-11-2006, 10:49 PM

I actually found a smaller example of that on my Ric tonight...

Here's my take on it - there's a small krinkle in the paint by the front of the bridge on the treble side....there's more tension from the "G" string than the "E" string....especially since I started to keep my bass in dropped "D" quite often...so it probably pulls harder on the treble side of the bridge, and viola...the bridge has moved, causing this little "wrinkle"...oh well

I bet your bridge has done something simillar, and caused a krinkle in your paint....I'd see if they can fix it for you, or go the Hipshot route, and replace the bridge.

I'm pretty convinced of it being this, and not a paint problem....