Rickenbacker Snakebite

[ptensioned]

We're in the midst of doing some "rearranging", too, in our living room (so far most of the trim is torn out - we did that yesterday - and the plaster and lath from the walls and ceilings should be mostly down by late tomorrow, not to mention the inner and out foyers, and a good chunk of the stairwell, many doors are gone for refinishing as well.......................), so my copy of the book is out, at the moment, too. What kind of rearranging are you doing?

Ha! In our case, we don't need quotation marks around rearranging. We're trying to declutter, so did a big purge of stuff. This meant getting rid of a pile of books and relocating some shelves. And no, none of the bass books went, be they about Rics or Fenders...

Have fun with your "rearranging". Last one we did was a new kitchen, and we've got a new roof coming soon. As long as there's no dust, I can manage, but as soon as walls start coming down, I get cranky. And every time I have to hire someone, I make sure to remember this:

Link Removed

 

[bobyoung53]

You get used to that after a while and they look much better without a bezel IMHO, people played them for years without bezels although a lot of them were 4001's which don't have the cutout.

 

[bobyoung53]

I got rid of mine for two reasons.

First, I play in different spots depending on the tone I want. The cover just gets in the way of that and limits options. None of my Fenders have covers for the same reason.

Second, probably the single most disappointing aspect of finally getting my 4003 (I had wanted one for ages) was discovering the cover is a cheapo piece of faux-chrome plastic. I couldn't wait to be shot of it.

They have always been plastic since they changed the treble pickup to a high gain sometime in the late 60's, there was a guy years ago who said he had seen some metal ones but I've never seen one, nor heard of one except for that person. I take them off right away for the same reason you do.

 

[bobyoung53]

While you're at it you might as well get yourself one of these. Otherwise that thing will never intonate properly.

I just think it's so cool how you have to spend so much $ for an instrument and then spend more time & $ "fixing" it, don't you?

I've owned many a Ric in my time and have never had trouble intonating them, it is a PITA but once you get it done you don't have to do it again unless you change to a drastically different string.

 

[Joe Kyle]

+1 million for the treble bezel. I had the pickguardian surround on my first Ric, but MUCH prefer the bezel.

As an addendum to this, I love my cove style bezel, but I find that my Ric is uncomfortable to play, as i'm used to a bit more of a gap between the body and the strings, say, as is on my Stingray.

I would love to be able to dig my thumb down in the well on occasion (wording!) and really dont care if theres a gaping hole on my instrument.

That being said, remove the bezel, and you get the snakebite unless you do what Ric5 does and grind/paint it, or go a swap route. That said, the pickguardian surround (total plastic, no metal) is the same issue as the cove, still doesn't give me the depth i want when floating.

Maybe I'm just weird/overthinking things......

 

[Korladis]

While you're at it you might as well get yourself one of these. Otherwise that thing will never intonate properly.

I just think it's so cool how you have to spend so much $ for an instrument and then spend more time & $ "fixing" it, don't you?

False. The stock bridge intonates just fine. The problem with it is that it's a pain to adjust. Once it is adjusted, it stays there. Unlike the Hipshot, in my experience. Honestly thinking of switching back to the stock bridge on my 4001 because of the Hipshot's saddle wobble and tendency for the bridge height adjustment screws to loosen.

It's not "fixing" the instrument. It's modifying it. My 4003S has the stock bridge and is my best sounding instrument. My 4001 has the cover and plays just fine. It's not "broken."

Amazing how with Rics everything is a "fix". With most other brands it would be considered a "mod"....

I prefer the cover.

But I agree. I consider all these things being discussed to be "mods," rather than "fixes." As I quite like the stock 4003 and 4003S.

 

[fourlow]

Part of playing an instrument is learning to play THAT instrument. I own a few 4001/4003 basses, covers are off them all. Some have bezels, some don't. If you are getting bitten when you play a certian way, stop doing that, change slightly to fit your instrument. That is what has worked for me and as a by prouduct this usually ends up in me finding a new sound from the bass, new territory to explore while learning a new hand position. I will say that after learning the instrument without a cover or bezel... I could now easily remove the 2 bezels and it would be a non-event.
I will also say that I for one am happy that RIC settled on chromed plastic for the cover, my bass don't need any non-essential weight. Smart call not cheaping out in my mind.
I love different basses because they put my mind and my playing in different spaces. When I play a RIC, it puts me in that place and its a gnarly, snarling place where for me I can play with abandon and get agressive with my right hand while the bass just begs me for more. A very different headspace than other basses put me in and I love the Ric for that.

2 cents.

Beauty bass sir.

 

[hubberjub]

Part of playing an instrument is learning to play THAT instrument. I own a few 4001/4003 basses, covers are off them all. Some have bezels, some don't. If you are getting bitten when you play a certian way, stop doing that, change slightly to fit your instrument. That is what has worked for me and as a by prouduct this usually ends up in me finding a new sound from the bass, new territory to explore while learning a new hand position. I will say that after learning the instrument without a cover or bezel... I could now easily remove the 2 bezels and it would be a non-event.
I will also say that I for one am happy that RIC settled on chromed plastic for the cover, my bass don't need any non-essential weight. Smart call not cheaping out in my mind.
I love different basses because they put my mind and my playing in different spaces. When I play a RIC, it puts me in that place and its a gnarly, snarling place where for me I can play with abandon and get agressive with my right hand while the bass just begs me for more. A very different headspace than other basses put me in and I love the Ric for that.

2 cents.

Beauty bass sir.

It's my guess that I'll eventually learn to play it as it was meant to be. But for now, I just need to learn to play the bass, period. I've got a long way to go.

 

[fourlow]

It's my guess that I'll eventually learn to play it as it was meant to be. But for now, I just need to learn to play the bass, period. I've got a long way to go.

Brother, I love your candor and your honesty. Good on ya! Give her a bit of time. I'm very jealous of you starting on the bass it took me 20yrs of wanting to play. Grab a bezel, play that bass, avoid the sharp bits and let the music flow!