Rickenbacker Maintenance

[Jeff Scott]

...TI rounds, which are much lower tension than most strings out there.

Are there any lower tension string sets out there, I didn't think there were? I love the Jazz Rounds on my '73 4001, even after 6 or 7 years being on the bass. Sure, it has lost some of its brightness but they still have a wonderful meaty, grindy tone to them.

 

[bholder]

What's a "set up"? I guess I need to Google it.

Making sure neck relief, intonation, and pickup and string height are set to the player's preferences.

See: ALL BASIC SETUP QUESTIONS ANSWERED HERE

 

[Snowglo]

Making sure neck relief, intonation, and pickup and string height are set to the player's preferences.

See: ALL BASIC SETUP QUESTIONS ANSWERED HERE

I was being a complete smart @$$!

I apologize for my sense of humor.

 

[bholder]

I was being a complete smart @$$!

I apologize for my sense of humor.

Ok, I'll apologize for being dense and trying to help!

 

[jbd5015]

Are there any lower tension string sets out there, I didn't think there were? I love the Jazz Rounds on my '73 4001, even after 6 or 7 years being on the bass. Sure, it has lost some of its brightness but they still have a wonderful meaty, grindy tone to them.

They definitely loose their shimmer after about 4 to 5 months if its your only axe. I havent actively searched for anything lower tension. I just gave them a shot based on reviews. Changed my technique considerably over D'Addarios XLs and GHS Boomers. They are just easier to play for hours on end. Havent felt the itch to try anything different. Excited to try them on the ric! Glad to hear that you are a fan of them too! They seem like a no brainer for all-purpose high quality strings. I think some people dont set-up their bass properly for them, and dont take the time necessary to tone down on attack. They dont require much work to get the grit and grind!

 

[JMacBass65]

What's a "set up"? I guess I need to Google it.

Ask this guy

 

[RichardT2112]

Does anybody else on earth experience the nightmares this guy rants about? He sounds even more bitter than me when I bought my first American Fender in '99. Jeez!

Way back in the early 90's I found one in a pawnshop and tried it out for grins and giggles. I pretty much fell in love with the thing and bought it and over the next couple of years I owned it I never had to make any adjustments like I've had to with most of my basses since when the weather starts to change in spring/fall.

As for the guy who posted that video, he had what seems like one inconvenient experience with a Ric and has since spent a lot of time/effort bashing them. I've had bad, and I mean show stoppingly bad experiences with various basses and amps but I won't bash the brand they came from and in some cases would still recommend them as 1 item isn't indicative of the quality of an entire company's product line.

 

[Trabeen]

Once on either equinox I'll remove the cover and tickle the truss rod nuts with a cassowary feather, that is the extent of any maintenance required on any Ricky that I've owned since 1975 or thereabouts. Solid stuff in my experience, indeed.

 

[StudioGC]

Once on either equinox I'll remove the cover and tickle the truss rod nuts with a cassowary feather, that is the extent of any maintenance required on any Ricky that I've owned since 1975 or thereabouts. Solid stuff in my experience, indeed.

"Tickle" "Nuts" "Feather" all used in the same sentence....is this really Talkbass?

 

[Ric5]

So lately I've been really gassing for a Ric 4903 or 4003s. My question is, are these basses any more difficult to maintain (i.e. Setup, keep in tune, more impacted by humidity) than say a Fender Jazz bass or G&L, Stingray, etc. ?

I know some of the older RICs seemed to require a lot more babying. Is this still the case?

The bridge tailpiece is a little more difficult to adjust and there are 2 truss rods rather than one. So slightly more to do to adjust a Rickenbacker. If you get one made before 1986 then have a qualified professional adjust the truss rods for you. Improper adjustment can damage the bass, but any Rickenbacker made 1986 or later has modern rods that work just like a Fender.

 

[JMacBass65]

The bridge tailpiece is a little more difficult to adjust and there are 2 truss rods rather than one. So slightly more to do to adjust a Rickenbacker. If you get one made before 1986 then have a qualified professional adjust the truss rods for you. Improper adjustment can damage the bass, but any Rickenbacker made 1986 or later has modern rods that work just like a Fender.

And be sure to vet the professional. Lots of people out there call themselves professional, and they aren't. I'd interview them, make sure they are familiar with Ricks, and possible ask for references.

 

[Korladis]

So lately I've been really gassing for a Ric 4903 or 4003s. My question is, are these basses any more difficult to maintain (i.e. Setup, keep in tune, more impacted by humidity) than say a Fender Jazz bass or G&L, Stingray, etc. ?

I know some of the older RICs seemed to require a lot more babying. Is this still the case?

No. Mine is an older one, and aside from knowing how to adjust the truss rods (loosen, adjust neck manually, retighten to hold the neck there), it is not at all difficult to maintain. It actually hasn't needed any adjustments in years, so it seems less affected by weather and humidity and such than other basses. Stays in tune about as well as any other bass with schaller tuners.

 

[Zooberwerx]

Does anybody else on earth experience the nightmares this guy rants about? He sounds even more bitter than me when I bought my first American Fender in '99. Jeez!

I watched and embraced with a grain of salt. The thing that bothers me is the rant about the broken strings with no post mortem reflection or resolution. Basses do not break strings...this is usually the result of improper installation, wrong string set, and occasionally a sharp or abrupt contact surface all of which are easily corrected. Instead, he throws it in a dumpster. Genius!

Riis

 

[mapleglo]

I watched and embraced with a grain of salt. The thing that bothers me is the rant about the broken strings with no post mortem reflection or resolution. Basses do not break strings...this is usually the result of improper installation, wrong string set, and occasionally a sharp or abrupt contact surface all of which are easily corrected. Instead, he throws it in a dumpster. Genius!

Riis

Or windmill power chords...

 

[Korladis]

I watched and embraced with a grain of salt. The thing that bothers me is the rant about the broken strings with no post mortem reflection or resolution. Basses do not break strings...this is usually the result of improper installation, wrong string set, and occasionally a sharp or abrupt contact surface all of which are easily corrected. Instead, he throws it in a dumpster. Genius!

Riis

Yeah... to me that was one of the most hackish moments. Because as you said, string breaking is very easily corrected.

 

[lug]

Yeah... to me that was one of the most hackish moments. Because as you said, string breaking is very easily corrected.

Yep, one must simply smash a bass against a steel dumpster to insure that said bass never breaks another string. That man is a genius!