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hipshot bridge for rickenbacker

#2
No but I want to try it on my old 4001. Look at it - it HAS to be better than the Rick bridge. My darned bridge with those two allen screws always tends to tilt back. It's a pain in my arse!
Geddy's Ricks were modded for a baddass bridge. It's great to see one that's a drop-in.
bassmachine2112 said:
hi has anyone fitted a hipshot bridge to a ricky.i saw that they do them in aluminium and brass with chrome or black finish.are they any good?.the website says they are a retro fit.anybody tried one.
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#5
yup, i put one on my ric and thought it was a major improvement. a lot more adjustability, much more solid construction, and IMO they look a lot better.
 
#7
sounds the mutts,aluminium or brass this is the question.i,m thinkin that the black one with a black pick guard is the order of the day.it still leaves the question of material.which one is closer to the original tone or do they fall either side of the original tonewise.i,m thinkin that the brass one will be lower frequency biased with better sustain n i,m thinkin that the aluminium one will be more topend biased with more sustain as well.now if i had two jetglos i could have one in brass n one in aluminium.
 
#9
yeh i forgot ,those screws that hold the saddle assembly.a fantastic aid to intonation they are.yup i suppose you have to stay faithful to the original design in case the sound,tone decay the whole thing changes but in some cases it would be nice to have a different same thing if that makes sense.it is very hard to put sound into words.
 
#10
sowder said:
Yep. My 4003 has that very Hipshot bridge on it and it's better than the stock. Action is lower and the sound is even better. Try it.
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How is that bridge for picking over and palm muting? I tend to rest my palm right at or just slightly infront of the sadles. The tail of it still looks a little large and restrictive, but at least it doesn't have the annoying allen screws there.
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#11
bassmachine2112 said:
yeh i forgot ,those screws that hold the saddle assembly.a fantastic aid to intonation they are.yup i suppose you have to stay faithful to the original design in case the sound,tone decay the whole thing changes but in some cases it would be nice to have a different same thing if that makes sense.it is very hard to put sound into words.
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The Rick tone is still there, it doesn't change the character of the unique Rick sound. Geddy Lee's tone on the Exit Stage Left album is one of the most-loved Rick tones of all time, and his Ricks all had Badass bridges on them.
 
#14
MaskedJackal said:
I've heard the saddles wobble a bit from people who "dig in" when they play.

I have a tendency to do this and am wondering if anyone can relate a similar experience with these bridges.
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They do, at least on the Hipshot bridge that used to be on my Rick. The saddle height adjustment screws are also a bit too small and slip, so I constantly had to keep raising the action.

The Hipshot was taken off my bass and now sits in a sock wrapped in duck tape underneath the front seat of my car.
 
#15
Sufenta said:
How is that bridge for picking over and palm muting? I tend to rest my palm right at or just slightly infront of the sadles. The tail of it still looks a little large and restrictive, but at least it doesn't have the annoying allen screws there.
398.gif
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I play Geddy style, hard fingering nearer the neck pickup, and don't do much picking or muting down there at the bridge. But it is definitely an improvement over the stock. Here is a pic of mine.
 

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#16
i had slight pullup happening on my 4000,when i had pyramid flats on there. i changed strings to a light gauge dr sunbeams,and after they were on for a few monthes,changed the bridge to the aluminum hipshot. the first improvement was that i could intonate the g string properly,and was able to get a very low action,and i thought the string-to-string balance was improved as well. i am thinking of getting another bridge for a v63 i just bought,because the action is higher than i like,and i don't think there is much more adjustment available on the rick bridge. i have not noticed any problem with the bridge saddles moving,and i usually play fingerstyle between the pickup and the bridge. i personally really like the hipshot,i would recommend the aluminum one to anybody.
 
#18
i just ordered aluminum hipshot bridge for my 2006 Rickenbacker 4003.
i did had a slight tail lift but it didn't bother me at all.
i didn't had any intonation problem.
what bothered me was the mute assembly and the mute screws, and they interfere with my right hand when picking and i couldn't do palm mute as i can do with other basses i have.
and anyway i never used that rubber mute. i prefer palm mute if i need.
i hope the hipshot will help to solve this.
 

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