Bought Ric 4003—no dampener

[BrazosBass]

I just bought a Ric 4003….there is no dampener. Does this come with the bass normally. or is it an extra purchase? Didn’t see many people who use theirs…is it useful? Was a little surprised day two after I purchased it new to see no dampener.

 

[WillyW]

You could always submerge it in the bathtub.

 

[cataract]

I put a Hipshot replacement bridge on mine. Makes palm muting actually possible! A lot more useful than the dampeners IMO

 

[Koshchei]

I just bought a Ric 4003….there is no dampener. Does this come with the bass normally. or is it an extra purchase? Didn’t see many people who use theirs…is it useful? Was a little surprised day two after I purchased it new to see no dampener.

They come with the basses. The bridge is actually grounded through it, so you might want to take a look under the hood to ensure that your bass's wiring is intact.

Some people use them. I don't.

 

[68Goldfish]

Are you talking about the foam string dampner thing that can be raised or lowered on the bridge assembly?

 

[gwangi]

I just bought a Ric 4003….there is no dampener. Does this come with the bass normally. or is it an extra purchase? Didn’t see many people who use theirs…is it useful? Was a little surprised day two after I purchased it new to see no dampener.

Did you buy the bass brand new or used?

 

[FRoss6788]

You need to twist the knurled thumb screws to raise it up. It's hard to see otherwise.

 

[sonic 7]

Yes, it’s easy, just turn the screws. They turn effortlessly and you can raise and lower the mute in seconds. (Lol)

 

[BrazosBass]

Are you talking about the foam string dampner thing that can be raised or lowered on the bridge assembly?

yes. I realized after very close look that the dampener is there….…but it is very very low (level of the wood) and the two screws won’t work…if I understand correctly, I must remove the strings and unscrew the bridge to get to it….

 

[BrazosBass]

Yes, it’s easy, just turn the screws. They turn effortlessly and you can raise and lower the mute in seconds. (Lol)

Screws don’t work…I think it is unthreaded below the end of the screws…

 

[BrazosBass]

Did you buy the bass brand new or used?

bought her new online…I’m lefty so really zero chance of try before you buy.

 

[BrazosBass]

You need to twist the knurled thumb screws to raise it up. It's hard to see otherwise.

yeah - that doesn’t work…I think the dampener is below the end of the screws… can’t fix it by turning screws….

 

[woodyng2]

Yes, it’s easy, just turn the screws. They turn effortlessly and you can raise and lower the mute in seconds. (Lol)

I like the cut of your snark, Sir.

 

[BrazosBass]

It’s a crappy design of a great idea, actually.

 

[68Goldfish]

Probably just have to remover the bridge, turn it over and figure out how to get it started on the screws again. sounds like a dumb design that allows it to unscrew right off the end of the screws.

 

[BrazosBass]

So one question for the serious bass players…do you find you still need another bass besides the Ric (ex P bass or Jazz bass) or do you find your Ric does everything you need?

 

[StereoPlayer]

I just bought a Ric 4003….there is no dampener. Does this come with the bass normally. or is it an extra purchase? Didn’t see many people who use theirs…is it useful? Was a little surprised day two after I purchased it new to see no dampener.

Welcome to TalkBass.

 

[gwangi]

bought her new online…I’m lefty so really zero chance of try before you buy.

I find that very weird, are you sure the foam mute is just not way down inside, can you post a pic if possible, if anything it's a brand new bass and as long as you bought it thru a reputable dealer your bass is under warranty, I'd think they would ship it out to you but you should be under warranty.

 

[micguy]

My first bass was a 4001. I thought the mute (what we’re calling t he dampener here) was cool when I bought it. Never used it, though.

 

[corndog]

So one question for the serious bass players…do you find you still need another bass besides the Ric (ex P bass or Jazz bass) or do you find your Ric does everything you need?

I have a P as a backup but for the type of music I play, my 4003 is all I need. Learn to use the tone knobs and pickup selector. There’s lots of tones in that bad boy. From deep and mellow to clanky and grindy. It took me a bit to figure out how to dial in certain tones.

I had to adjust the heights of my pickups to get a matching volume, I toggle back and forth quite a bit during a set.

They are very versatile if you learn how to use them.