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The Rickenbacker Club Part Five

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#101
superdick2112 said:
I float the thumb as well, thus my choice of the "standard" bezel. That, and I just didn't like the look of the cove or the thumb rest. Be careful not to scratch your great looking Fireglo finish on the install - I taped four pieces of heavy paper around the hole after I removed the surround in case I butter fingered it on the install.

btw, lol at your new sig. - beats your old "pot stirrer" sig.
Click to expand...

Haha, yeah I figured I'd stop the shenanigans over here, and changed it.

I'm about a week or so off of taking The Ric all apart again to shield and install new stereo/mono jacks. I figure I'll just make one order from POTR for the bezel and pre-wired jacks and do it all at once.

I think I'll have put 300.00 and about 10 hours worth of work into this Ric by the time I'm done. I think it will be well worth it once everything is done.

I hate taking it apart though because then I don't get to play it:D
 
#103
cassius987 said:
Why the new jacks? If the current ones are "fussy" usually they just need a bit of TLC.
Click to expand...

Yeah the mono jack was really noisy when I got it, but after plugging into it a few times and some deox, it's a lot better. It still has some loud crackling and popping if I move the cord wrong, so I just figured since I was taking everything apart anyway, I'd replace them. Especially since they come prewired and are only 25 bucks.

If there is something I should look at though to correct it, I'd appreciate the help.
 
#104
Well, if it's noisy, I can't say 100% what that is because I've never had that problem arise even with my 1976. But I have had them go "tight" where it's hard to plug in and that's usually because I've gone messing around under the hood and the jacks have rotated a bit, making the tips press up against the wood a bit... typically you just need to rotate them back, and/or bend the tips into the original position they would have had. This is also how to fix the Ric-O-Sound internal switch on the mono jack if it is always touching the mono tip (which it should not be doing). Again I have done this to myself by poking around too much under the hood. The one Ric I have never really messed with (my first) has never given me these problems.
 
#105
willsellout said:
Yeah the mono jack was really noisy when I got it, but after plugging into it a few times and some deox, it's a lot better. It still has some loud crackling and popping if I move the cord wrong, so I just figured since I was taking everything apart anyway, I'd replace them. Especially since they come prewired and are only 25 bucks.

If there is something I should look at though to correct it, I'd appreciate the help.
Click to expand...
Make sure your cable plugs are full 1/4" and not the mm smaller ones. That will cause crackling when the cable is moved, so that is why I suspect that. Getting a new jack harness will not solve the problem if it is the diameter of the cable plugs.
 
#107
Well, just got my first Rick one week ago - it's a new Jetglo 4003. Always wanted one, but somehow made it 35 years as a bass player before it happened! Awesome bass, I had a gas at rehearsal on Saturday. My band mates love it as much as I do - for one thing it looks super cool but especially the sound!

I had only picked one up in a music stores a few times in the past. So this was a very new experience. I put Rotosound flats on it, and minimal setup - lowered the nut, and adjusted the bridge slightly - everything fell into place very easily. No neck adjustment or intonation needed.

I did not realize just how different a Rick is from other basses (I own Fender, G&L, Tobias, Warwick, Music Man):

- Wider at the nut
- Narrower at the 12th fret; makes more difference than I would have thought, playing riffs and leads above the 12th fret seems easier / more comfortable
- Amazing thick tone on the G string, and on all the strings when playing higher on the neck
- I was expecting to use it mostly with a pick, but also love the sound when played with fingers
- In spite of what others have said about new Ricks, this one does not have a slim neck. Feels more like a 5 string than a 4, not just the width but also depth front to back.
- As some have remarked, the E string is weak. Not a dead spot though, I think it's purely electronics. I'll try adjusting the pickup pole pieces.
- Heavier than I expected at 9lb 6oz. Balance is very good though.

Can't wait for our next rehearsal. Our drummer asked me to be sure to bring the Rick back next time, but it didn't really need to be said - sweet bass!
 
#108
cavemanbass said:
Well, just got my first Rick one week ago - it's a new Jetglo 4003. Always wanted one, but somehow made it 35 years as a bass player before it happened! Awesome bass, I had a gas at rehearsal on Saturday. My band mates love it as much as I do - for one thing it looks super cool but especially the sound!

I had only picked one up in a music stores a few times in the past. So this was a very new experience. I put Rotosound flats on it, and minimal setup - lowered the nut, and adjusted the bridge slightly - everything fell into place very easily. No neck adjustment or intonation needed.

I did not realize just how different a Rick is from other basses (I own Fender, G&L, Tobias, Warwick, Music Man):

- Wider at the nut
- Narrower at the 12th fret; makes more difference than I would have thought, playing riffs and leads above the 12th fret seems easier / more comfortable
- Amazing thick tone on the G string, and on all the strings when playing higher on the neck
- I was expecting to use it mostly with a pick, but also love the sound when played with fingers
- In spite of what others have said about new Ricks, this one does not have a slim neck. Feels more like a 5 string than a 4, not just the width but also depth front to back.
- As some have remarked, the E string is weak. Not a dead spot though, I think it's purely electronics. I'll try adjusting the pickup pole pieces.
- Heavier than I expected at 9lb 6oz. Balance is very good though.

Can't wait for our next rehearsal. Our drummer asked me to be sure to bring the Rick back next time, but it didn't really need to be said - sweet bass!
Click to expand...

Why does a Ric take so long for us to buy? I had a similar thing - you can read about it in my blog (I think, based on your story, you'll dig it).

Invalid Link Removed
 
#109
Fletz said:
Why does a Ric take so long for us to buy? I had a similar thing - you can read about it in my blog (I think, based on your story, you'll dig it).

Invalid Link Removed
Click to expand...

Thanks for sharing your blog post! As to your question; maybe there's a perception that a Rick won't be as versatile as something more mainstream? It has such a distinctive look and sound that people might think it can only do hard edged rock sounds? You don't have to look any further than McCartney to prove that wrong... but it's interesting that folks who love these basses take many years to pull the trigger on getting one!
 
#115
Fletz said:
Why does a Ric take so long for us to buy? I had a similar thing - you can read about it in my blog (I think, based on your story, you'll dig it).

Invalid Link Removed
Click to expand...

Great story, thanks for sharing!

cavemanbass said:
Thanks for sharing your blog post! As to your question; maybe there's a perception that a Rick won't be as versatile as something more mainstream? It has such a distinctive look and sound that people might think it can only do hard edged rock sounds? You don't have to look any further than McCartney to prove that wrong... but it's interesting that folks who love these basses take many years to pull the trigger on getting one!
Click to expand...

I'll say it again, anyone who thinks a Ric is a one trick pony, simply doesn't know what they are talking about. My Ric covers as much ground as I'd ever need, really.
 
#118
2nd Wind said:
Make sure your cable plugs are full 1/4" and not the mm smaller ones. That will cause crackling when the cable is moved, so that is why I suspect that. Getting a new jack harness will not solve the problem if it is the diameter of the cable plugs.
Click to expand...

The cable in question is a Planet Waves cable. Which cables are 1/4"?

I'll have to measure tomorrow, I didn't even think of the cable.
 
#120
willsellout said:
Very nice! If I ever run across a deal on a Midnight Blue Ric, I might turn it into a 5'er...that would be rad. I'm a huge fan of tight string spacing, so it would probably be a great fit.
Click to expand...

The spacing on a 4003 4-2-5 will be about 14mm. But I can get a 4004 to be about 16mm. The stock 4003s5 was about 13mm.

Here's a picture of a 4003s5 modified to have the wider spacing.

Picture%20037.jpg
 
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