The Rickenbacker Club Part Five

[Jaymi]

I have played at church so the strap is actually upside down at this point. I did not realize it was there when I took the pic...when I put the 3rd blackstar there, I will pull the strap so all you see is the 3 basses...

 

[cassius987]

Aesthetic cross? Are you talking about a Celtic cross or something? Those, too, have Christian (as well as pagan) symbolism. You really can't wear a symbol or logo without adopting its message because few people are going to take the time to ask you why you wore it or what you think its particular message is...

/babble

 

[DJJazzV]

J[DEL]ust picked this up on the way home from work today. Another "Right place at the right time". Fantastic shape. The original owner brought it into the shop about 45 minutes before I got there.
It's a 1989, I'm assuming a JG BT 4003. What a great thin neck! Makes me not miss the '77 I stupidly sold about a year ago. It's very punchy, slightly deeper bass than other Rics I've owned or played..
I can't find a lot of information on this configuration. Doesn't seem too common. Black hardware, black binding on the body and neck, stereo jack, triangle inlays. The only issue with it is that the bridge is lifting. It's obviously been that way for quite a while. Plenty of dust under it. It's lifted about 7/64". Plays, sounds, and records great.[/DEL]

SORRY! I had to return the bass. Apparent truss rods issue. For the price I paid, it wasn't worth it. Only the first 4 frets or so would be flat, and the rest stayed slightly curved. The 24" ruler proved that point. Very soft neck as well, so I just couldn't trust it for that price. Low action, but it could have been lower. Not possible in it's current state.

 

[rodl2005]

Wow! Nice one! I really like the slightly different Rics. This one's a beauty. I like the Cheyenne too.
Tho have neve played one. :-(

 

[2nd Wind]

40 lbs per string is common. For reference, my 4001FL is unplayable with strings less than 37 or so lbs tension per string, such as TI JF344s. It gets crazy backbow that can't be fixed, because the truss rods are already so slack. I think that bass wants at least 45 lbs tension per string (fairly high) to get any relief in the neck at all.

Josh, with how the rods work in a 4001, you should be able to take the backbow out of the neck and hold it where you want it with the rods. Whether you move the bass from upbow or backbow is immaterial - the rods would still hold it in place when they are tightened up.

 

[2nd Wind]

... I like the Cheyenne too.
Tho have never played one. :-(

Very light weight and a very contoured body for edge and arm relief. Otherwise they sound almost the same as a Cii. I love mine.

 

[2nd Wind]

DJJazzV, you assume correct, 4003 JG BT. She is a beaut. Black tailpieces suffer from extreme lift as the metal is not as hard as the chromed ones. Something about how the chroming process anneals the metal? The only solution is to straighten it back out and drill two holes where RIC did (for a while in the later 80s) to keep it in contact with the body. I had the same problem with my '91 4003S MG BT. I added the screws.

 

[cassius987]

Josh, with how the rods work in a 4001, you should be able to take the backbow out of the neck and hold it where you want it with the rods. Whether you move the bass from upbow or backbow is immaterial - the rods would still hold it in place when they are tightened up.

The rods aren't really even doing anything now that I took them all the way to slack when I tried TIs. It's all wood at this point keeping the neck stiff. Crazy, I know. I'm not sure I can add any relief or push it in a way that wouldn't damage the neck.

 

[Bigfoot92]

Fantastic looking Rick man, congratulations.

 

[Jaymi]

I like the BT basses most! Has to do with some minor changes they made in producing these but they made a huge difference in the tone and feel of the basses....Great Score!!!

 

[Coolhandjjl]

.....Black tailpieces suffer from extreme lift as the metal is not as hard as the chromed ones. Something about how the chroming process anneals the metal?....

Close. Ric used a standard powder coat process to paint their metal hardware black. That process uses high heat at the end. The heat is what caused that particular metal to loose some of its strength.

 

[Coolhandjjl]

The rods aren't really even doing anything now that I took them all the way to slack when I tried TIs. It's all wood at this point keeping the neck stiff. Crazy, I know. I'm not sure I can add any relief or push it in a way that wouldn't damage the neck.

Joshua, I know you are usually up on all the correct procedures and stuff. Did you see Joey's video on 4001 truss rod adjust? In your case, I wonder if you could remove the truss rods and put them in upside down? In my head, I can visualize that hairpin style rod actually assuming a curved shape all by itself, when it is tightened and the loose rod is compressed between its welded end and the bearing plate.

 

[cassius987]

Not a bad idea, perhaps something to try if I ever get desperate... For now, I'll live with it. It plays fine with big enough strings.

 

[DJJazzV]

DJJazzV, you assume correct, 4003 JG BT. She is a beaut. Black tailpieces suffer from extreme lift as the metal is not as hard as the chromed ones. Something about how the chroming process anneals the metal? The only solution is to straighten it back out and drill two holes where RIC did (for a while in the later 80s) to keep it in contact with the body. I had the same problem with my '91 4003S MG BT. I added the screws.

Thank you very much for the information. Your Ric looks great like that. I'm certainly not having a problem with the lift on it. Still sounds and plays great. I'll have to decide what to do about it eventually, but it's not an issue right now.
Would it be a big deal to have the nut replaced? The E and G strings are a little too low at the nut. The previous owner apparently cut the grooves a little too deep. All the frets are in great shape. Not really played much at all.

I like the BT basses most! Has to do with some minor changes they made in producing these but they made a huge difference in the tone and feel of the basses....Great Score!!!

Thank you. I must agree with that statement. I have an '06 Amber FireGlo Ric, and they are certainly different in many ways. Both great, but I easily prefer the BT '89. I paid a higher price than I wanted to, but so far, I think it's well worth it. Certainly a premium bass.
Thin neck, slightly less "mid-rangy" tone with punchier bottom, hot pickups, and it's perfectly balanced. I have also had a '77, and a few others from the 90's and 2000's, (not at the same time, of course), and this '89 BTJG is the best of them all. At least it is to me.

Thank you all for the bass compliments. It is such a mean Ric, in tone and appearance.
Is there a best resource to try to find out how uncommon this bass really is? I've only been searching for 2 days now, but I can't find a lot out there.
This link has some good photos of a BTJG:
Invalid Link Removed

 

[kcole4001]

.......Would it be a big deal to have the nut replaced? The E and G strings are a little too low at the nut. The previous owner apparently cut the grooves a little too deep. All the frets are in great shape. Not really played much at all. .....

You could build those slots up with super glue and baking soda and colour with a black sharpie, then recut the slots.

Or you could buy a new nut from RIC or a dealer such as Pick of the Ricks for $3.00, but then you'll have to either cut the slots down to where you like it or shave of the bottom of the nut to reach your prreferred setup nut height.

 

[DJJazzV]

You could build those slots up with super glue and baking soda and colour with a black sharpie, then recut the slots.

Or you could buy a new nut from RIC or a dealer such as Pick of the Ricks for $3.00, but then you'll have to either cut the slots down to where you like it or shave of the bottom of the nut to reach your prreferred setup nut height.

Wow. Thank you very much. Choice A certainly sounds like a lot of fun, but I just ordered a nut from Pick Of The Rics. Perhaps I'll give your suggestion a try first.

 

[DJJazzV]

I suppose I should officially ask for a number now, if I already don't have one. The '89 has me hooked on Rics again.

'06 Amber FireGlo (COY) 4003 & '[DEL]89 JetGlo BT 4003[/DEL] (SORRY, the '89 got returned due to a possible truss rods/neck issue):

 

[Jaymi]

I suppose I should officially ask for a number now, if I already don't have one. The '89 has me hooked on Rics again.

'06 Amber FireGlo (COY) 4003 & '89 JetGlo BT 4003:

Coolness 376

 

[Bigfoot92]

Hey guys!

My Rick finally arrived, here's the pics:

(sorry for the crappy cell phone pics, i don't have a camera)

My 4003 was made in the seventh week of 2011, according to Rickenbacker's serial number decoder. I'm really happy with it!

Can i get a number?

 

[greggster59]

My 4003 Fireglo is scheduled to be delivered today. I can hardly sit still.