Headless Rickenbacker

I hear if you chop the head off of a real Rick, an angel loses his wings.

 

Thank God. If I heard that you did that to an actual Ric, I would have tracked you down and flogged you with a bag filled with Schaller tuners.

 

Bottoms_Up's Steinbacker/Rickenberger is a work of genius, it's the Mac Daddy. He made a thread about it in the luthier's forum. http://www.talkbass.com/threads/my-latest-project-behold-the-rickenberger-d.678474/

 

+1 on the Steinbacker, it is now the green standard by which all Rickenbergers must be judged. A Luthier named Bill Wilcat built it, now sadly retired from active building.

 

This is the first Rickenbacker build that Bill Wilkat did. My second bass from him. He also built me a 2 pickup model a year later. This first one was spec'd very close to a 4001, body thickness, etc... Loved this bass, had to sell it in a time on need. Would love to buy it back if I run into it again. Body was maple top, butternut back. EMG 35DC

 

That's insane. Are you still able to have neck/bridge boosts?

 

that thing is AWESOME!

 

I'm very intrigued by headless basses. The little bodied ones seem like they're a pain in the butt to play but there's some beautiful full body headless basses out there.

Do you have a picture of this whole thing?

 

Ironbar you are a sick puppy-bag of schaller machine heads oh that would hurt big time-do the crime -take the time.
We now know what to do with old fittings.
Back to thread kinda-Rick pups have to be used and wiring apart from rick-o-sound unless you use it.
The headstock is lovely -why would you want to hack it off ?

 

That's a cool machine!

OP, why not consider contacting one of the Chinese manufacturers and asking them if they can make a headless one? They seem to be pretty open to trying anything out. Whether or not they'll execute it successfully is another matter and less predictable, but no harm in getting a quote.

 

The Rickenberger thing has been done (still cool though!). I want a Walberger!

 

A headless Ric would take care of any neck dive.

 

How's it sound to me? Sounds like a mugly other. Hate the headless look on any bass. But that's just me.

 

As a Status player for twenty five years, all I can say is...

Can I provide the saw? Can I? Can I?

 

I'm with you OTPJ, Anyone who uses double ball strings with a headless will tell you about ease in string changes and stability of tuning. Graphite is a whole other subject.
The main complaint I hear is string availability. Well I order all my strings online and can get any type of string I desire, flats , tapes, round(nickle or SS), so its a non-issue, and all of my headlesses can use regular strings also. So if the look or the fashion doesn't suit you so be it.
I'll be here when your done tuning.

 

lol!!! And I hear the fastest way to become an angel is to chop the head off of someone else's Rick.