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can a ricky 4001 take heavy rounds?

D

dreadheadbass

Dec 17, 2007
881
20
england
#1
hello eveyone are there any ricky owners out there who can answer my question?
i've been looking at a rather sexy 4001 (1973) mapleglo rickenbacker only problem is i play with heavy rounds which might be a problem (or so i've heared) with the neck
however i recently swapped a pair of rotosound jazz bass flats (45-105) on my old squier bass for a pair of roto rounds (50-110) and have found that the neck bow is around the same (leading me to believe that they are similar tension)
will a vintage ricky neck take this?
 
#2
dreadheadbass said:
however i recently swapped a pair of rotosound jazz bass flats (45-105) on my old squier bass for a pair of roto rounds (50-110) and have found that the neck bow is around the same (leading me to believe that they are similar tension)
Click to expand...

Doesn't necessarily mean anything...

I'd be very careful, if I were you. The 4001 was never meant for heavy-gauge, high-tension strings, and there are many, many stories of 4001s with necks that have been permanently warped due to too much stress and strain... :hmm:

If you really must use heavy-gauge strings, I'd use 'em on some other instrument. Even the Rickenbacker 4003 is better reinforced than the 4001...

MM
 
#3
dreadheadbass said:
hello eveyone are there any ricky owners out there who can answer my question?
i've been looking at a rather sexy 4001 (1973) mapleglo rickenbacker only problem is i play with heavy rounds which might be a problem (or so i've heared) with the neck
however i recently swapped a pair of rotosound jazz bass flats (45-105) on my old squier bass for a pair of roto rounds (50-110) and have found that the neck bow is around the same (leading me to believe that they are similar tension)
will a vintage ricky neck take this?
Click to expand...

I wouldn't. The truss rod system in the 4001 is pretty weak and when overtightened to compensate for high tension strings can pop the fingerboard off.

heavy gauge strings really weaken the sound anyway.

Use the lightest gauge rounds you can find (i.e. Daddario EXL 220's, etc.) or a set of TI jazz flats.

LS
 
#4
unclejane said:
heavy gauge strings really weaken the sound anyway.


LS
Click to expand...

i disagree i find heavy guage strings give me a rounder tone but each to their own

MysticMichael said:
Doesn't necessarily mean anything...

I'd be very careful, if I were you. The 4001 was never meant for heavy-gauge, high-tension strings, and there are many, many stories of 4001s with necks that have been permanently warped due to too much stress and strain... :hmm:


MM
Click to expand...

this is what i'm worried about i've heard oldschool ricks have a terrible truss rod system that has more cons than pro's i might just save up for a 4003 with the stronger neck thanks
 
#5
As a '72 4001 owner I'd be cautious on this, it may work fine but it may not. My first '72 did suffer major neck warpage due to my use of RotoSounds back in the day and was deemed unrepairable by the factory. More commonly however problems attributed to RotoSound strings on a 4001 were really due to improper truss rod adjustment procedures which would cause the fretboard to separate from the neck. That said my current 4001 loves 45 to 105 RotoSounds but I don't think I'd want to try a higher gauge set.
 
#6
It's true that the 4001 wasnt designed for roundwound strings, but their are many out there that do the job just fine.

The trick is knowing how to adjust the "older style" truss rods. Go here to find out how:

Invalid Link Removed
 
#7
lowendblues said:
Total Myth.

It's true that the 4001 wasnt designed for roundwound strings, but their are many out there that do the job just fine.

The trick is knowing how to adjust the "older style" truss rods. Go here to find out how:

Invalid Link Removed
Click to expand...

+1

My '73 4001 has always worn rounds, well, that's to say it has ever since I bought it in '76. It currently sports 40-100's but it also wore 45-105's for many years with no problems.

Proper truss rod adjustment is your friend
 
#9
I own a '79 4001 and know that the issues you will come across are, A. The 4001 basses were not designed with rounds in mind (they didnt really exist yet) the neck does take more abuse with rounds than flats and B. the truss rods on the old Ricks are one way, meaning when you adjust it you literally need to pull or push the neck into position and then adjust. With the two way design you can just tighten or loosen the rods and they will move the neck themselves.
 
#10
I agree.

BUT...most of the neck problems associated with the 4001 bass comes from people cranking their truss rods at full tension, popping the fretboard at the nut.

You can use rounds on a 4001. Just ask Chris Squire or Geddy Lee.
 
#12
dreadheadbass said:
i disagree i find heavy guage strings give me a rounder tone but each to their own



this is what i'm worried about i've heard oldschool ricks have a terrible truss rod system that has more cons than pro's i might just save up for a 4003 with the stronger neck thanks
Click to expand...

Ok, if you have to use heavy gauge strings then the 4003 is what you want. The truss rods and necks are a lot more heavy duty and adjustment doesn't require setting the neck before adjusting that the 4001 necks did. High tension strings are no problem on a 4003.

The sound difference between the 1 and the 3 is mild to negligible and the brand new ones (after 2006 I believe) have a switch to enable the in-line capacitor from the days of yore. That reportedly gives a more vintage grind to the sound.

LS
 
#14
I've always wondered about this "myth" generalizing rounds.

Having spend the last three years and many hundereds of dollars trying various flats, just about all of them (except for TI) have had higher tension as evidenced by having to adjust the relief down flat, than compared to DR Highbeams 45-105 that I normally use in the same bass.
So what I'm saying is, the 4001 was designed to use flats, right? But my experience is my favorite DR 45-105 Rounds are lighter tension than just about any flats I've tried.

I had a late 70's 4001 and the highbeams worked fine and I didn't have to do any neck adjustment really when I bought the bass.
So is it:
-many modern rounds are looser compared (Roto)rounds people were using back in the day.
-or are most modern flats tighter than flats from back in the day.
-or are 45-105 gauges just not considered "heavy"
 
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#15
dreadheadbass said:
hello eveyone are there any ricky owners out there who can answer my question?
i've been looking at a rather sexy 4001 (1973) mapleglo rickenbacker only problem is i play with heavy rounds which might be a problem (or so i've heared) with the neck
Click to expand...

The issue with 4001 basses isn't so much gauge as string tension. This will be affected by the strings' pitch and mass. Note that just gauge alone won't provide this information because different alloys have different densities. (Although there is of course a correlation between gauge and tension, it isn't the whole story.)

The round/flatwound thing has nothing to do with it. People make that association because back when roundwounds were generally higher tension. There are some high tension flats, and those would be just as bad on a old Ric as rounds.

All that said, +1 for getting someone who knows what they're doing to set up your Ric properly. The old trussrod system isn't the same as your garden variety Fender type.

Enjoy your bass ! :)

GT
 
#16
Caca de Kick said:
-many modern rounds are looser compared (Roto)rounds people were using back in the day.
-or are most modern flats tighter than flats from back in the day.
-or are 45-105 gauges just not considered "heavy"
Click to expand...

Yes, the key point is tension. I've found a number of sets of flats that are quite high tension.

The 4001 was designed for a low tension string. The winding (Flat/round) isn't the issue.

Here's some info from John Hall (CEO of RIC) from the old USENET days on this issue:

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]


GT
 
#17
I have owned 68, 73, 74, 75, 76, 78, 4001 basses all took heavy round wound strings without a problem.

The real problem with the old 70s 4001 basses is the truss rods work different than normal basses. You destring the bass loosen the rods adjust the neck tighten the rods and restring. The rods will simply hold the neck where adjusted. The 4003 basses 1986 and later the rods move the neck like other basses.
 
#18
dont be like the last guy...
bow.gif


seek proper setup
 

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