• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Ric-inspired five-string build

#21
Neck blank scarfed, routed for my usual LMII double-action truss rod, rough-tapered, and headstock ears glued on (scrap cherry from the body).

I spent a lot of time mulling over my options for doing the headstock. There's not a whole lot of info out there, but I was able to determine that vintage Ricks have zero headstock angle, and modern Ricks have a subtle - perhaps 7 degrees - headstock angle, but not scarfed. My blank would have allowed a zero angle, but I don't like zero angles. To do a non-scarfed 7 degree angle would have required me to glue some maple to the back of the blank to increase the available thickness. So I decided to just use my normal 17-degree scarfed headstock instead.

DSC00743.jpg
 
Last edited:
#22
Pickups arrived today! TV Jones Thunder'Blades:

DSC00746.jpg


I chose the Thunder'Blades because I wanted a vintage-looking chrome-laden pickup that would work for a five-string. The vast majority of chromey pickups are set up for four-stringers, but the blades on these are a full 2.5" long, which should work out well for a narrow-spaced fiver like this one. I know next to nothing about them, though. I mean, TV Jones has a great reputation in general, but I could find no sound clips or reviews of any of their bass pickups. All I had to go on was their description on their website: The Thunder'Blade "retains the Thunder’Tron clarity, yet is full, bold and smooth" (sounds like wine, huh?), and, in turn, the Thunder'Tron has "superior dynamic sensitivity and punch", with "supreme fullness and clarity". Sounds great, huh? ;)

Anyway, the objects themselves appear very well made, and the chrome is indeed lush. To my eyes, the general look is not unlike a Rick toaster:

DSC00747.jpg


I am, naturally, anxious to actually hear how the pickups perform in this application, but I am very optimistic!
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: ThaCoast
#25
Neck has been final tapered. Headstock has been thicknessed and shaped, and drilled for tuners.

DSC00748.jpg


Love those cool open-back wavy Grovers!

DSC00749.jpg
 
Last edited:
#26
What is the length dimension of those pickups?

If they're the same as RIC pickups I'm thinking that they'd be perfect fixes for 4004Cii5 basses, whose pickups were too narrow.
Of course RIC would never use other people's pickups, but it would be a good mod for anyone with one of the discontinued RIC 5 strings.

-------------------------------------------------------------
Nice looking build, I'm really curious to see and hear how this turns out.
 
#27
kcole4001 said:
What is the length dimension of those pickups?

If they're the same as RIC pickups I'm thinking that they'd be perfect fixes for 4004Cii5 basses, whose pickups were too narrow.
Of course RIC would never use other people's pickups, but it would be a good mod for anyone with one of the discontinued RIC 5 strings.
Click to expand...

Well, the dimensions are on Invalid Link Removed. They actually have several different mounts - I thought the DeArmond mount looked nice, but I was a little wary of obtaining the right pickup height with that, so I went with the standard mount.

Nice looking build, I'm really curious to see and hear how this turns out.
Click to expand...

Thanks!

I'm using white pearloid for inlays, in my own variation on the sharktooth pattern. I bought a Les Paul Custom set, and am cutting each one diagonally. It's tedious.

DSC00750.jpg


One down, eight more to go!
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Videojunkie and Robert Canfield
#32
Ha ha! Truth is, I've never tried this before, and it may very well end in disaster. But it doesn't hurt to try, right? We'll see what happens. :)
 
#35
After much tedious Dremelling and chiselling, we have this:

DSC00751.jpg


I mixed up some epoxy and set the pearloid in. I'll be able to sand them tomorrow, and we'll see how they look!
 
Last edited:
#39
Work has been absolutely insane for the past few weeks, but I did find some time in the last couple of days to work on the fretboard.

I'm using flame maple binding and 3mm black pearl side dots:

DSC00758.jpg


I didn't have any trouble with the inlays, perhaps because I cleaned out the slots good before fretting, and perhaps because I took it nice and easy with the fret hammer. I trimmed the tang from each end of each fret, so the fret ends "float" above the binding:

DSC00759.jpg


Here's how I bevel the fret ends - it's a basic file wedged into a slot in a board:

DSC00762.jpg


And here's where we are as of tonight - I'm pretty happy with this so far!

DSC00764.jpg
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Videojunkie

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back