The "Ric Sound"?

[superdick2112]

Actually, that bridge design did not show up till the early '60s.

You, sir, are correct.

I thought some of the late '59 4000s had the 4001/4003-style bridge we are discussing, but it appears that even through 1960, the original 4000 bridge was still in use.

None the less, the modern 4001/4003 bridges are getting quite long in the tooth, and while I do appreciate their chrome-plated classic beauty, I for one would like to see an updated version.
Something along the lines of Fender's new "high mass" bridge used on their American Standard series, but with the timeless & classic Ric styling in there as well. Ric has stated they are working on a modern bridge, but changes happen slowly in Ric land.

 

[superdick2112]

BTW Jeff, great avatar - is that beautiful JetGlo 4005 your bass? If so, you are a lucky man!

 

[cassius987]

Three Rics with stock bridge, no tailpiece lift, no trouble intonating it. I don't get what the big deal is.

All of my Rics have stable necks but my 2010 4003 is by far the most rock solid--I mean, it literally needed no work from the factory! WTH! Unheard of.

 

[ampegfuzz]

I had a terrible bridge on my 78. Not only was it lifting, a lot might I add and almost to the point of no downward pressure, the saddles would rattle, the saddles had extra groves worn in them, and the saddle adjustment screws were after market Phillips head screws. Total junk, granted all but the pull up was caused by bad repairs over the years. I just put a brass hipshot on it and it already has problems. The saddles wiggle when i play. I can't win.

 

[Billy3000]

I had a terrible bridge on my 78. Not only was it lifting, a lot might I add and almost to the point of no downward pressure, the saddles would rattle, the saddles had extra groves worn in them, and the saddle adjustment screws were after market Phillips head screws. Total junk, granted all but the pull up was caused by bad repairs over the years. I just put a brass hipshot on it and it already has problems. The saddles wiggle when i play. I can't win.

If you said that the other problems were caused by bad repairs did you consider that maybe the bridge lift was also caused by bad repairs or bad setups?

 

[ampegfuzz]

No because IMO with the neck being in good shape the bridge just failed

 

[Billy3000]

No because IMO with the neck being in good shape the bridge just failed

Do you have a picture of this? I don't really quite understand what people are talking about with the bridge lift. I'm in the market for a Ric right now so I would like to know what to look out for.

 

[ampegfuzz]

It's already off but ill see what I can do

 

[68Goldfish]

My 05 4003 had a small amount of tail lift. I did the coin/washer under the bridge trick and it straitened it right out. Plus I swear it made me E string sound better when fretted.

 

[electracoyote]

I had a terrible bridge on my 78. Not only was it lifting, a lot might I add and almost to the point of no downward pressure, the saddles would rattle, the saddles had extra groves worn in them, and the saddle adjustment screws were after market Phillips head screws. Total junk, granted all but the pull up was caused by bad repairs over the years. I just put a brass hipshot on it and it already has problems. The saddles wiggle when i play. I can't win.

One of my more knowledgeable TB'ers correct me if I'm wrong:

There was a run of stock bridges that were made of a slightly softer material. I believe they were usually painted black, as the softer metal held the paint job better? At any rate, it was a limited run and the issue was corrected. Those are the bridges most likely to experience severe tail lift.

And the Hipshot replacement bridge does not rattle if adjusted correctly. Period. If your Hipshot rattles, you need to adjust further or find someone who can. The grub screws must make contact with the bridge plate, and all the hex adjustment screws must be locked down tightly.

 

[cassius987]

There was a run of stock bridges that were made of a slightly softer material. I believe they were usually painted black, as the softer metal held the paint job better? At any rate, it was a limited run and the issue was corrected. Those are the bridges most likely to experience severe tail lift.

You're mixing two different things. One, aluminum was the original material until some time in the very early 1970s IIRC. It did not lift. But zinc has better tone according to some, like Leo Quan, so Ric went with that, and it is what began tail lifting, being slightly weaker than aluminum. Like was said above it only happens to some, not all, and there are a number of factors besides zinc/aluminum.

The other thing you're thinking of: black tailpieces were zinc that had been powder coated, and powder coating almost always made the metal weaker. This caused much worse tailpiece lift so these often had two extra screws. Some people think all Ric bridges should have the extra screws.

And the Hipshot replacement bridge does not rattle if adjusted correctly. Period. If your Hipshot rattles, you need to adjust further or find someone who can. The grub screws must make contact with the bridge plate, and all the hex adjustment screws must be locked down tightly.

And the action must be set higher than necessary if you are not into medium action. Which is why I disagree with your opening sentence on this one. If you like low action, this bridge is not for you. I have talked to people at Hipshot about it myself, at length a couple of times. They knew what I was talking about and claim to have some redesigns in the pipeline.

 

[electracoyote]

You're mixing two different things. One, aluminum was the original material until some time in the very early 1970s IIRC. It did not lift. But zinc has better tone according to some, like Leo Quan, so Ric went with that, and it is what began tail lifting, being slightly weaker than aluminum. Like was said above it only happens to some, not all, and there are a number of factors besides zinc/aluminum.

The other thing you're thinking of: black tailpieces were zinc that had been powder coated, and powder coating almost always made the metal weaker. This caused much worse tailpiece lift so these often had two extra screws. Some people think all Ric bridges should have the extra screws.



And the action must be set higher than necessary if you are not into medium action. Which is why I disagree with your opening sentence on this one. If you like low action, this bridge is not for you. I have talked to people at Hipshot about it myself, at length a couple of times. They knew what I was talking about and claim to have some redesigns in the pipeline.

And there you have it. Thanks cassius.

However, I have lazer-low action on my Ric with the Hipshot installed, no rattle.

 

[Coolhandjjl]

....black tailpieces were zinc that had been powder coated, and powder coating almost always made the metal weaker....

The heat curing stage of the powder coat process weakened the metal slightly.

My '09 4003 MG arrived from the dealer in museum-like quality. They really are works of art, superb examples of both great design and function.

 

[MK1]

I did the coin/washer under the bridge trick and it straitened it right out. Plus I swear it made me E string sound better when fretted.

What is the coin/washer trick? Do you just slide a coin or washer in the gap or us there something else to it?

 

[daveman50]

What is the coin/washer trick? Do you just slide a coin or washer in the gap or us there something else to it?

Yeah, there's a lot more too it. I suggest you go to the Rickenbacker Forum & you'll get more details on this than you want. The coins/washers go under the bridge, in the recess, to prevent the screws from pulling the plate material down, which is what causes the "lift" in the less severe cases.

 

[68Goldfish]

Yeah, there's a lot more too it. I suggest you go to the Rickenbacker Forum & you'll get more details on this than you want. The coins/washers go under the bridge, in the recess, to prevent the screws from pulling the plate material down, which is what causes the "lift" in the less severe cases.

Exactly. The best way is to remove the bridge and then use some modeling clay to determine the the thickness of spacer needed. See, the bridge sits inside a hole and sometimes the hole is too deep and overtightening the screws can sort of taco the thing and make the ass end lift up off of the body. So the cure is to make sure there's no dead space under the bridge with spacers that are usually washers or shims.

 

[Fender32]

Thats the ric tone in my head still working on it my self. My best results have been solo'd bridge pup cranked bass on the amp. What amps did he play though back in the day

I thought that he was mainly a Marshall guy, but in this clip he is using a MusicMan stack ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QQWTe12j6k&feature=BF&playnext=1&list=QL

I think you can easily see where his tone comes from though - he strums the strings really hard with his pick, right over the neck pickup.

Bruce Foxton of The Jam plays in a very similar way and has a very similar tone - whether playing on his Ric, or his '70s P Bass ...

Ric clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ipGhzrIi3s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuxjT2-e8lg

That second clip is just great, IMO. I wish I could play like that and sing backing vox at the same time .

Rick sound is the total opposite of the P-bass sound,
works great in certain situations but after owning 3 ricks they just didnt have the kick you in the chest and sweet low mids I was looking for and never looked back as they are great basses but John hall is obnoixious and his basses are way over priced.

Flame suit on and ready!

I think that I've just contradicted you with what I wrote above, CG. Sorry!

 

[superdick2112]

And the action must be set higher than necessary if you are not into medium action. If you like low action, this bridge is not for you.....

Joshua, I have to disagree with you on this point. With the Hipshot bridge on my 4003, I have the action set lower than was possible with the factory bridge at it's lowest setting. Yes, the saddles were wobbling, but that can be fixed with a few simple adjustments. I figured out a way to cock the saddles slightly to the side to eliminate the wobble while still keeping the action very low.

 

[MrBasseyPants]

I am building a "custom" Rickenbacker using an Ibanez ATK 300 body and some vintage pickups I have. In-scale, the neck pickup will be about an inch closer to the bridge and the bridge pickup will be about 3/4 inch closer to the bridge.....how do you think this will affect the tone versus a stock Rick? Obviously, the body and neck are completely different, but assuming just pickup placement....what do you think the change in sound will be like?

 

[Staccato]

First of all, your wife is awesome and you should do all you can to ensure a long and happy marriage to this person.


Anyway, lots of people think Ricks are "one-trick-ponies," because they're just used to hearing the really bright, clanky, trebly sound from them. They can sound very different, however. Paul McCartney didn't have that tone, despite playing extensively with Rickenbackers.

Also, Ric5, that's very true about the D and G having more fullness than on a jazz or p-bass. Definitely something I like.

A BIG +1 for your wife in this equation!