Help me with this Rickenbacker

[FretlessMainly]

Nice basses, I ordered a new 2005 Blueboy fretless and waited months for it and when it came they had used regular 4003 trim on the side of the neck which threw me right off...

Manufacturing decisions like that are incomprehensible. It's almost as if they insisted that all decisions regarding fretless basses be made by someone who not only didn't play fretless, but also didn't even know what the word means.

Thankfully, on my 2008 4003FL, they got the side dots right, at 3, 5, 7, 9, 12, 15, 17 and 19 and at the proper pitch location. Almost as bad as having the dots at the fretted bass positions is what you'd find on my April '73, which is side dots at every half-step. At least they are at the proper pitch positions, but side dots are meant to be frames of reference, not spoon-feeding for dummies and having one at every note sort of defeats the purpose. I actually use white-out to block the unnecessary dots and keep some in the case compartment in case sweaty hands smear the white-out away.

 

[bobyoung53]

Manufacturing decisions like that are incomprehensible. It's almost as if they insisted that all decisions regarding fretless basses be made by someone who not only didn't play fretless, but also didn't even know what the word means.

Thankfully, on my 2008 4003FL, they got the side dots right, at 3, 5, 7, 9, 12, 15, 17 and 19 and at the proper pitch location. Almost as bad as having the dots at the fretted bass positions is what you'd find on my April '73, which is side dots at every half-step. At least they are at the proper pitch positions, but side dots are meant to be frames of reference, not spoon-feeding for dummies and having one at every note sort of defeats the purpose. I actually use white-out to block the unnecessary dots and keep some in the case compartment in case sweaty hands smear the white-out away.

My '85 also has dots at every half step, they were always like that until the very late ones, i also had an early 80's FL and a 72 FL all at half steps. We had a long discussion about the side dots at the Ric Forum years ago and JH seemed surprised that we didn't like the dots from a regular 4003, it's nice to know he went to the Fender scheme which is the one I learned on. I bought some sticky large dots for my 85 and threw them on 3rd, 5th, 7th, etc, dots at every interval is confusing as you go up the neck.

 

[woodyng2]

La Bella Flatwounds, .110's, they still make them but call them old 1954's. La Bellas sound better the older they get. I have some on my P bass they're probably 2 or 3 years old. You definitely don't want to put them on a 4001

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This is true! Using that heavy a gauge is asking for trouble!
Fortunately, Labella makes the LTFF (Low Tension Flexible Flatwound) set, and they sound fabulous on Ricks.
If i only owned 1 Rickenbacker bass, I’d probably put roundwound strings on it,though.

 

[woodyng2]

I tried Fender flats on my ‘83 4003 and they came right off again. But I’m looking for a Ric fretless, and I heard a video of someone with a fretless Ric with a toaster and Optima RB4440 flatwounds, the reissue of the old Maximas that were once standard on new Rics, and the tone was absolutely luscious. I also learned just yesterday that Ric at one time offered tapewounds that sound good.

I have different flatwounds on 3 of my 5 Ricks,tapes on another,and 1 with roundwounds.
Rick basses sound great with all types of strings.

 

[bobyoung53]

This is true! Using that heavy a gauge is asking for trouble!
Fortunately, Labella makes the LTFF (Low Tension Flexible Flatwound) set, and they sound fabulous on Ricks.
If i only owned 1 Rickenbacker bass, I’d probably put roundwound strings on it,though.

I've never tried those but I have their extra light Deep Talkin flats on my 4001, .096 E string, they're low enough tension that they don't hurt the neck but still stiff enough to give you some resistance when finger plucking. I just took some rounds off of it, got sick of them.

 

[RogerTheAlien]

I don't know which model it is. Just got it in a trade, apparently it's 4003S but it has a different neck pickup and it has a cut in the middle of the bridge pup cover. I'm starting to worry that it might not be an original model. Please help me!

4003s

Holy crap V63, why can't I have that luck ... That is the adjustable foam mute, I used to have it on mine before I switched the bridge as I couldn't get the string adjustment where I wanted.

 

[Komadinic]

Holy crap V63, why can't I have that luck ... That is the adjustable foam mute, I used to have it on mine before I switched the bridge as I couldn't get the string adjustment where I wanted.

We all get lucky sometimes i guess, it seems to happen to a person who wants it the least so i guess you shouldn't think about it and things will fall in your lap. I'm just a kid honestly but so far that worked for me a couple of times.

 

[woodyng2]

I've never tried those but I have their extra light Deep Talkin flats on my 4001, .096 E string, they're low enough tension that they don't hurt the neck but still stiff enough to give you some resistance when finger plucking. I just took some rounds off of it, got sick of them.

I have 40-95 Chromes on my 4000 and also on my fretless Cii. They sound like roundwounds on the 4000,and have a lot of fundamental punch for the fretless. I don’t really love the feel of them,though.
My laredo has a set of the Rick/maxima flatwounds which are much softer, old-school sounding.
They are fairly low tension,and pretty effortless to play, The labella ltf set is very similar feeling,

 

[bobyoung53]

I have 40-95 Chromes on my 4000 and also on my fretless Cii. They sound like roundwounds on the 4000,and have a lot of fundamental punch for the fretless. I don’t really love the feel of them,though.
My laredo has a set of the Rick/maxima flatwounds which are much softer, old-school sounding.
They are fairly low tension,and pretty effortless to play, The labella ltf set is very similar feeling,

I'm not crazy about chromes, they feel kind of sticky and never really settle down, I love the La Balla Deep Talkin flats.

 

[HeavyDuty]

This is true! Using that heavy a gauge is asking for trouble!
Fortunately, Labella makes the LTFF (Low Tension Flexible Flatwound) set, and they sound fabulous on Ricks.
If i only owned 1 Rickenbacker bass, I’d probably put roundwound strings on it,though.

I know this is way off topic, but I would be ok with Jamerson’s on a current production Ric like my 4003/5SW. No way on anything before about 2000, though.

 

[9c1ny]

I've had two magnetized V63's through my hands in the last few years, both January 1985's with 1984 markings in the cavities. I scoured the Ric would high and low to learn about the magnetized pickups, what I was able to piece together is that they are NOT left overs from the 60's but rather a unique proprietary pickup in themselves. For what it's worth both the ones I owned had higher action than I like, with everything bottomed out they got to the acceptable level for me. In my experience the truss rods have no effect on the action, it seems neck angle is the issue with these. I'd try lighter gauge strings or have a professional look into filing the saddles

 

[Komadinic]

I've had two magnetized V63's through my hands in the last few years, both January 1985's with 1984 markings in the cavities. I scoured the Ric would high and low to learn about the magnetized pickups, what I was able to piece together is that they are NOT left overs from the 60's but rather a unique proprietary pickup in themselves. For what it's worth both the ones I owned had higher action than I like, with everything bottomed out they got to the acceptable level for me. In my experience the truss rods have no effect on the action, it seems neck angle is the issue with these. I'd try lighter gauge strings or have a professional look into filing the saddles

I've ordered lower gauge strings and until they come tuned the bass full step down as Bob Young suggested. I'm with you on that, i also noticed that the truss rod is not affecting the action almost at all, my hope is the lower tension strings tuned to pitch will help a bit. It's all very confusing, the strings are low at the nut and the bridge but from 7th fret to the bridge pickups they are high. If it doesn't work I'll take it to a professional, they can help it with heat and other methods I'm not capable/confident doing myself.

 

[woodyng2]

I know this is way off topic, but I would be ok with Jamerson’s on a current production Ric like my 4003/5SW.

I wouldn’t be, but that’s mostly because i don’t like heavy gauges in general.
Your 5 string likely has the Schaller bridge,so that would help.

 

[Dluxe]

I've got Dunlop Nickel Superbright .040 - .100 on mine. The pickups were replaced when I got it and it even had the push/pull pot mod. I'd still like to get a neck toaster in there someday.

 

[Komadinic]

I've got Dunlop Nickel Superbright .040 - .100 on mine. The pickups were replaced when I got it and it even had the push/pull pot mod. I'd still like to get a neck toaster in there someday.

View attachment 3850643

Yours has binding and different inlays, very interesting how much they changed it!

 

[Dluxe]

Yours has binding and different inlays, very interesting how much they changed it!

They used the checkerboard binding up to early 1973. I think that the crushed full length markers were about the same timeline. It's a December 1972.

 

[bobyoung53]

They used the checkerboard binding up to early 1973. I think that the crushed full length markers were about the same timeline. It's a December 1972.

I had a December jetglo 1972 4001FL with the original pickups, it had the dot neck because it was a fretless and the toaster and screw top bridge pickup, I wish I had kept it.

 

[Komadinic]

Some great advice here really and wish Talkbass and the internet were around when I played my Rick for 25 years beginning in 1972. Bobyoung53 and others gave great info how to properly adjust this neck and if I'd not used heavy gauge roundwounds on my old 4001 and used his procedure my fretboard likely never would have separated. Something else I would have appreciated knowing and might be of interest to the OP is the capacitor bypass which opens up the tone (and pickup power) of the horseshoe pickup. That little capacitor circled in the photo - if you run a jumper (piece of insulated wire) across the leads of that cap it will open up the tone. Many threads about "Rickenbacker tone cap" mod, but something I never knew about during my 25 years as a Rick player that would have made a big difference. After you come to grips with the truss rod and get to start playing something to consider. I didn't even have to solder the wire and just completed the circuit by wrapping a wire around both sides of the cap and "voila!" the sound of the bridge pickup was much more robust. The newer basses have the push pull pot to engage or disengage that cap. Good luck with your new bass and hope you enjoy for many years!

This is strange but i don't have that cap in the wiring, i just opened it up to do what you said and saw this:

 

[farace]

This is strange but i don't have that cap in the wiring, i just opened it up to do what you said and saw this:
View attachment 3850783

Looks like it was removed and replaced with that one wire that is different from the others, the white cloth-covered wire.

 

[Komadinic]

Looks like it was removed and replaced with that one wire that is different from the others, the white cloth-covered wire.

I will assume that's a bad thing, but it still sounds pretty great so I'm okay with it.