Ric5
Inactive
- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
- 30,452
- Disclosures
- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
Learning to be a good bass tech and setting up your own basses is a good skill to have.
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Ric 4003 NBD Letdown
- Thread starter Pbass4003
- Start date
Learning to be a good bass tech and setting up your own basses is a good skill to have.
Chris set my MG up with TI's. I requested low action so he filed the nut down perfectly and adjusted the neck very straight. Awesome job. You're in for a treat.
It sounds like you took the right approach to get a perfect Ric. I got lucky because My MG is very playable and no cosmetic issues. FireGlo's a beautiful Colour. You are gonna be a happy camper when you get it. I had a 4 hour Blues Jam on mine today through my Hartke LH1000 With Abe Reid(Somewhat of a legend in NC). What a Blast! Tons of Growl. I ended up with tone Knobs set about 7 out of 10 & Both Pickups on full.
Happy New Year,
Gerry
Ric5
Inactive
- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
- 30,452
- Disclosures
- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
Doing a basic setup and tweaking the nut is a basic skill that bass players should have. Then you can be your own bass tech and save yourself a lot of money and also have your basses set up well with low action for the rest of your career.
Geeze man we get it. If this "Chris" person seems to be offering a setup before sending the bass whats so wrong with him accepting it? Sure basic set ups should be something a typical musician knows how to do, but come on, you dont have to be so passive aggressive about it.
Actually, I think it's great that some people admit they can't do it. There's too many people trying to do it themselves that shouldn't be. At least without a little guidance. ie; raising & lowering the bridge under full string tension. It would seem obvious that it's a terrible Idea But......When the screws strip out that person rags on RIC for their cheap bridge
. Same with stripped out truss Rods. Take the tension off the strings and neck and the truss rod nut moves effortlessly. Too many untrained people with access to wrenches IMO.
The original problem of any instrument over $1,000 (MSRP) leaving the factory in less than playable condition should really not be happening for many reasons. QA is failing big time, but this also indicates the build techs are not trained properly and/or are dissatisfied with their jobs... both should be replaced immediately.
However, IMHO, I would be cautious of buying any professional grade instrument (especially bass guitars, guitars, etc) via mail order. The extra money one shells out when buying from a local dealer means (usually) an in-house set-up and/or repair from an authorized (i.e. factory trained/certified) repair tech is being provided. Hopefully, instruments with problems described in the original post would not even hit the sales floor!
I would not purchase a bass mail order unless it was some sort of very limited edition available from only a few choice dealers, a custom shop special order, or a vintage instrument.
However, IMHO, I would be cautious of buying any professional grade instrument (especially bass guitars, guitars, etc) via mail order. The extra money one shells out when buying from a local dealer means (usually) an in-house set-up and/or repair from an authorized (i.e. factory trained/certified) repair tech is being provided. Hopefully, instruments with problems described in the original post would not even hit the sales floor!
I would not purchase a bass mail order unless it was some sort of very limited edition available from only a few choice dealers, a custom shop special order, or a vintage instrument.
Dude, I always do my own setups unless I'm unfamiliar with the components. Rics are made a bit differently than I'm used to and Chris is a Rickenbacker dealer and tech. If the price includes the initial setup it is a no brainer. For instance, I didn't previously know that a Ric neck should set straight.
But, thanks for mentioning the value of DIY.
Ricks have all the same stuff any other bass has, just like most cars have the same basic things needed to drive one safely.
It's all pretty simple, really.
Ricks have all the same stuff any other bass has, just like most cars have the same basic things needed to drive one safely.
It's all pretty simple, really.
Except they have two trussrods to deal with. A bit disconcerting if you've never seen such a design before, especially on such an expensive instrument.
Anyway I would pay money to see the look on your face if you had to get in and drive a car with two steering wheels, one for the front wheels and one for the back.
Now just hit the freeway. It's a car, it's got pretty much what any car has.
Easy really. Lol!
Easy to stump you I guess. Two truss rods is nothing. Just tighten and loosen and see what happens like anything else. You are overthinking it.
Okay, what car is this you are talking about? I am up to it.
BTW, your analogy leaves much to be desired.Dual truss rod instruments have been around for longer than many TBers have been alive. Rickenbacker may have been the first (I am not certain of this) but when a company as prestigious as Alembic (among others) adopts the idea that says a lot for the validity of the concept, don't you think?
This thread is starting to make me wonder how many bassists it takes to change a light bulb.
Happy New Years to all in the fellowship of Bassists! 🎈🎈🍻🍻🍻🎈🎈🎸
Happy New Years to all in the fellowship of Bassists! 🎈🎈🍻🍻🍻🎈🎈🎸
Now, here is a great analogy.
Happy New Years to all, and let us all try and keep an open mind and learn from one another.
My New Year resolution is to try harder to accept that not everybody possesses the same abilities, that some people aren't wired to do certain things, and not everybody can learn how to do something they aren't wired to learn. It happens. I have a buddy who I've spent nearly every Sunday with for the last 10 years playing Playstation golf, and for some reason he'll never be as good as me. I never play the game without him, so no advantage there. I'm just better at it than he is.
It's the same situation with bass setups. Some people will never be able (or even willing) to learn how. My (adult) son can do almost everything better than I can, but he can't seem to grasp string changes on a guitar.
Happy New Year
It's the same situation with bass setups. Some people will never be able (or even willing) to learn how. My (adult) son can do almost everything better than I can, but he can't seem to grasp string changes on a guitar.
Happy New Year
Lately, it seems like there has been an abundance of Ric threads saying "I got my new Ric today. __________, __________, and __________ were screwed up, so I sent it back." A week or two later it's "I got my replacement Ric today. This time __________, __________, and __________ are messed up. I'm sending it back." A couple of weeks later it's "I got my second replacement Ric, and it's got the exact same problems in the same places as the first one. I think they sent me back the first one. The packaging even looks identical." It almost seems like they are trying to see what they can get away with. I almost bought one during the big blowout. Glad I didn't.
If you paid for a Corvette, would you accept a Camaro with a Corvette sticker on it? Exactly.
If you paid for a Corvette, would you accept a Camaro with a Corvette sticker on it? Exactly.
You're still getting a Ric.
Paying for a new Corvette, but getting one with a scratch on it may be more appropriate.
