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New 2019 Rickenbacker Bridge
- Thread starter Maestro29
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- rickenbacker bridges
How long ago did you get the bridge? I got one installed recently and checked with Hipshot before buying it and they said this problem has been rectified with a slight design change.
Cool, but will it actually intonate? Also, are they adding warp-free fingerboards to the mix?
Although the new bridge would check one box on my list of improvements, I would still also like to see them dump the double truss rod design for a single and thereby thin the neck profile a little, and last but not least offer pickups with the vintage winding (and tone) as an option.
In fact if I could only have one of the above, I'd take the option of vintage pickups because I own and play Rics due to their signature tone.
I owned a 72 4001FL that had a very thin neck profile, was actually too thin for me, I don't think the truss rod design has anything to do with the thickness, although of course I am not positive. I like the vintage pickups. The old bridge doesn't bother me, I just loosen whatever string I want to adjust and it's easy.
Go figure..after I put hipshots on all my ricks.
After looking at this, it looks like a Schaller idea on the string spacing.
When you move the intonation the spacing changes too.
How does the string spacing move side to side, I have an aftermarket bridge for an EB-3 with separate Allen screws to move it. Being able to move the string spacing is a great idea.
If you really want to palm mute it looks like that forward piece could be removed easily enough and, you know, put in a drawer and forgotten about.
I found out about this new bridge a couple of weeks ago when they announced it on Reddit and Instagram. I didn't bother to start a talkbass thread because I assumed there would be ten other threads already. What's up guys? How is talkbass just finding out about this now?
They designed this new bridge for the basses they'll be making at the factory from now on. They're in the business of selling new basses in order to stay in business, so they don't care about making it easy to retrofit an older bass.
I wish it were that simple. Its the actual design of the bridge. Where the strings pass over the mute, there are pieces of the bridge that are just a hair higher than the strings. So your palm effectively rests on the bridge, not the stings/saddles, where palm muting should be happening.
Another hipshot fan here. While i applaud the design change of the biggest issue i had with the original bridge on my 4001, that string mute is just not my cup of tea.
I think most of us figured it would be their new production bridge when it was first seen on Al Cisneros' signature model. There was pretty extensive discussion about it on the thread for his bass
I love my '78 4001, I love the old basic bridge on there, and I don't even mind the tail lift.
Rick sells all the instruments they feel like making. If they wanted to "sell more" or "be more successful," they could probably find a way to do that. Pretty easily. But they don't seem interested, which is their prerogative; there are plenty of other fish in the sea, so if you don't like Ricks, just go ahead and buy something else.
These threads make me shake my head a bit once they start degenerating into the 5,067th "I can't palm mute!!!!" post. We get it. You can't palm mute. Move on. As many people here have stated, there are plenty of ways to fix that little issue, too. Buy the new bridge or don't buy it; I, for one, await a review by someone who's actually done the install and played it a tad.
But I probably still won't buy it. I like the normal one just fine.
Rick sells all the instruments they feel like making. If they wanted to "sell more" or "be more successful," they could probably find a way to do that. Pretty easily. But they don't seem interested, which is their prerogative; there are plenty of other fish in the sea, so if you don't like Ricks, just go ahead and buy something else.
These threads make me shake my head a bit once they start degenerating into the 5,067th "I can't palm mute!!!!" post. We get it. You can't palm mute. Move on. As many people here have stated, there are plenty of ways to fix that little issue, too. Buy the new bridge or don't buy it; I, for one, await a review by someone who's actually done the install and played it a tad.
But I probably still won't buy it. I like the normal one just fine.
Ok so I put one of these new ones on my ‘78 this weekend. Easy and straightforward. Very happy with the look, the ease of string height adjustment, intonation, and spacing. I’ve owned this bass since the beginning, it has had other mods over the years, so I was not concerned about modding an all-original vintage bass. I like it better than the Hipshot as far as looks and overall functionality. My take: 1. New Ric owners will love this bridge stock on their new bass, 2. Nice upgrade for those owners who don’t have any issue modding their older Ric bass, and 3. Stick with original bridge or Hipshot if you don’t want to drill holes on your older Ric.
I know what part you're talking about and I'm pretty sure it can come off. Doesn't that whole part rise and fall with the thumbscrews?
slowburnaz
Commercial User
Bought it last last year (11/18), and it arrived early this year, actually.
It's both the D & G strings, now that I sat down and started playing it just now.
Maybe it's just me, and I dig in a bit too hard... but this doesn't happen on any other bass I own.
It's really just that the angle of the string over the saddle on the D & G strings is shallow enough that those particular saddles end up having the least amount of downward pressure.
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That may be how they see it, but I still disagree with the thought process - 1) Adopting a new bridge design with different mounting points (holes/spacing/screws), requires a re-tooling/re-programming of their CNC machines and build process, whereas a new bridge with the previous mounting points does not. Using the previous mounting points would also avoid modifications for anyone who buys the bridge for an older/existing bass. It's about simplicity vs. complexity - they are adding what seems to be unnecessary complexity, even for the new basses they produce. 2) Why bother selling the new bridge separately unless they want to make money from it? And if you're going to bother, why not make it easy, like Hipshot has - thereby making more money and having more satisfied customers?
IMHO, when it comes to being customer focused, and making the customer experience highest priority - Rickenbacker just doesn't get it. And their disconnect is willful, which makes it worse. The complaints about their basses are well known, common, and shared among many of their customers, and yet they still don't bend.
