Bought a Ric body, not sure what to do with it

The vast majority of Ricks are neck-through. So your “Ric body” is, possibly, not really a Ric body.

Post pics. Others will know more. But though Rick did make bodies with detachable necks at one time, they weren’t all that common.

The company also doesn’t really do “b-stock.”

Post pics.

 

Looks genuine to me

Build it up with whatever parts you want.

From what I have seen, buying genuine parts is a good way to realize you would have been cheaper all in by getting a whole Ric.

 

I would have a tough time convincing myself to do major surgery on that. If it were me, I would gather the hardware and put it together.

That being said, it's your bass. Do what makes YOU grin.

 

Be sure to check the integrity of the truss rod(s) before moving too far along. I’m just sayin’.

 

Thats real. As others have said, Ric OEM parts are outrageously overpriced , and nearly as pricey used, which is why its profitable to part them out. You can get the Allparts copy of the bridge for around $60, wiring harness around $65, Pickuard $25, the Ric neck pup around $75. The bridge pup is only sold as an assembly with chrome surround for $150. Standard Fender clover tuners wont fit the holes, and look too long. You need either the Ric logo Schaller or the Hipshot HB-5, both run around $100 for a set. As you can see, this adds up quick! I hope you got a good deal on the body. Pick of the Ricks has most of the parts, but not always in stock, you get on their notify list and they email you when parts come in. Other parts pop up up randomly on ebay, Ric is very stingy and random about releasing parts for resale, some people just buy to resell at a profit.

The place to shop for Rickenbacker Guitars, Basses and Parts


Hipshot Rickenbacker Replacement Tuner - HB5 - Best Bass Gear

 

This. You would have to remove the existing binding and replace it with checkerboard. I would leave it as is. But its your project.

Why the hell somebody would disassemble a perfectly good bass is beyond me. I know, for the $$. But seriously, how much more $$ are you really gonna get?

 

Roughly 40-50% more. Do this 10 times a year and that's a part-time income...

 

There are only two sources I know of for the correct checker binding stock, both expensive (see a theme developing?) I bought and installed the Winfield Vintage material, gorgeous stuff, and of course, absurdly overpriced.

Checkerboard binding

Shellex used to carry it, not seeing it on their website now, might be worth an e-mail:

Shop: Perlmutt und Musikinstrumentenbestandteile

I’ve seen Chinese checker binding pop up randomly on eBay or Aliexpress, no idea about the quality.

 

Like others have said, there are lots of options these days to fix that up with new pickups, bridge, etc. Its totally your bass so do whatever you want, but, if you think you might fix it up and flip it, I would keep it the same color.

 

Give it a Hipshot bridge, a Dane Wilder wiring harness, stock everything else, and enjoy your nice Ric.

EDIT: Also, a treble bezel, to fill in that gap around the bridge pickup.

 

whatever you do, don't get yourself the original bridge...

 

Unless you just have to have a freshly rebuilt Ric,
you could use this as an excuse to think outside the box.
There are better bridges than Rics and other pickup options
that would still have some of the Ric sound because of the spacing.
EMG, Aero, Darkstar, etc.
Maybe go active.
Use some imagination and be a little different.

 

I'd put RIC HB1 pickups in it.

 

Before you spend $$$$, make sure the truss rod works. There's a possibility that the guy got rid of it becayse of possible rod issues. I hope it's not the case. Good luck!

 

I like your ideas.

But you asked what would I do with it?

I'd send it to Marty Bell in Cali and have him put an outrageous sparkle finish on it. Then I'd spruce it up with the best pickups and hardware money can buy and rock that bad boy.

+1 to the Hipshot bridge. Even though the stock design is not the demon from hell for me as it seems to be for others, the Hipshot is a little easier to work with. I have never replaced the Ric electronics in any of mine, and I've never felt the need.

Yeah, you might end up making a significant investment to get it where you want it, but that's the deal when you do a hobby modified bass, right? I'd still predict that if you do a nice job you'll get most of your money back when you let it go.

 

Didn't we just have some posts from people in the Rick club posting about putting Hipshot ultralite tuners on? You can get a set of those from Woodwind and Brasswind with coupon for $70 or so. Get on their mailing list.

Also, I recommend Paul's book: https://www.amazon.com/Rickenbacker...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=MXWEV93KQKSE6K06CY6R

 

Good news - you have the big parts, the body and neck. Provided the neck/rod are good, the rest is hardware.

I think I'd buy Acme brand parts, finish it out and play it. No need to spend extra $$$ on Ric parts if you can find good serviceable hardware.