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FENDER/RICKENBACKER MUSTANG BASS BUILD

#24
I'm late to the party on this one, I know, but Mustang string spacing is narrower than P or J bridge spacing. I don't know exactly how much, but I'm thinking something like a 4005 setup with a neck and bridge pickup might work very well, indeed. It won't sound like a Rick, but it will have characteristics in common.
 
#26
I don't see how it could sound anything like a Rick given the fact that Ricks are all maple neck through basses, and Mustangs are bolt on maple necks with alder bodies. I believe body and neck construction have more to do with a basses sound than the pickups.
 
#28
Aceonbass said:
I don't see how it could sound anything like a Rick given the fact that Ricks are all maple neck through basses, and Mustangs are bolt on maple necks with alder bodies. I believe body and neck construction have more to do with a basses sound than the pickups.
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Opinions are wonderful. I agree that construction and wood is important but so are electronics. Lets look at it this way, what if you gutted your RIC electronics and put jazz pups in it? What would it sound like?
 
#29
I had a customer once with a 4003 that had SD jazz pickups in it. The bass still sounded like a Rick, but it lacked the clarity of the RIC pickups. Part of the reason a Jazz bass sounds the way it does is due to pickup placement, which in a Rick, is completely different.
 
#31
Pickup placement is also very important, but Ricks (4001/3's) tend to sound similar regardless of pickup choice. I have had lots of hands on experience with Rick basses, stock and modified. While electronics (pots and caps) also make a difference, just swapping out pickups doesn't yield a drastically different sound. I would tend to think this is the case with the Mustang too.
 
#33
Aceonbass said:
Pickup placement is also very important, but Ricks (4001/3's) tend to sound similar regardless of pickup choice. I have had lots of hands on experience with Rick basses, stock and modified. While electronics (pots and caps) also make a difference, just swapping out pickups doesn't yield a drastically different sound. I would tend to think this is the case with the Mustang too.
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OK so if I had a Mustang bass with RIC pickups and electronics in the RIC placements and a RIC bass with a single Mustang pup and electronics in the Mustang placement . . .:eyebrow:

And please give the bold a rest. Its ridiculous.
 
#34
I think calling me out because of my use of bold italics was petty. I probably have as much experience modding Ricks as Jeff Rath (Rick5) does, so I do know what I'm talking about. No disrespect meant to him as we know each other from outside this forum. I also have a half dozen modded Rick basses in a recently published book on Rickenbacker basses. Putting Rick pickups in the Rick positions in a short scale bass with a bolt on neck on an alder body is comparing apples and oranges. I used to have several Rick 3000 basses (short scale) and even those didn't sound quite like a 4001, whether reissue horseshoe pickups or HB1's were used. There are simply better pickups out there for Mustang basses than Rickenbacker pickups whose pole spacing is narrower than the strings on a Fender.
 
#35
Let's agree to disagree then.

Personally, I say go ahead with it. I know that it will sound different, because of the slightly shorter scale, and the woods used. But it will also sound very similar to a Rickenbacker. IMO.


As for the bold italics posts, it makes me more inclined to think that you believe your posts to be more important than others. But that's my crazy talking.

If I don't see some pics of this soon, I might have to go out and buy myself a mustang bass...
 
#37
I still say do the Rickenbacker mods to the Mustang ... you will have a cool one of a kind bass.

Remember it is YOUR bass not Dane's ... it he doesn't like it then that is ok ... What matters is you will like it ...

Do it and have some fun.
 
#38
Aceonbass said:
I think calling me out because of my use of bold italics was petty. I probably have as much experience modding Ricks as Jeff Rath (Rick5) does, so I do know what I'm talking about. No disrespect meant to him as we know each other from outside this forum. I also have a half dozen modded Rick basses in a recently published book on Rickenbacker basses. Putting Rick pickups in the Rick positions in a short scale bass with a bolt on neck on an alder body is comparing apples and oranges. I used to have several Rick 3000 basses (short scale) and even those didn't sound quite like a 4001, whether reissue horseshoe pickups or HB1's were used. There are simply better pickups out there for Mustang basses than Rickenbacker pickups whose pole spacing is narrower than the strings on a Fender.
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Well, the curious thing about comparing apples and oranges is, it results in a much better diet than comparing Cheetos and Fritos.

Or Twinkies and Slinkies.

Or Pop Tarts and Lawn Darts.
 
#39
mellowinman said:
Well, the curious thing about comparing apples and oranges is, it results in a much better diet than comparing Cheetos and Fritos.

Or Twinkies and Slinkies.

Or Pop Tarts and Lawn Darts.
Click to expand...

I think you're forgetting that he chose fruits as a metaphor for a reason. Healthier food definitely matches the tone we're discussing in this thread. A slinky kind of sound (IME) is much more accessible from a Chorus-flange effect. Lawn darts? If you want to sound like lawn darts, just get a piccolo bass; no reason to spend so much money/effort when you can have the real thing.

But now I'm hungry for Cheetos... :hmm:
 

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