The Rickenbacker Club Part Seven

[8MilesHigher]

GG7 ---- it's been hours since you posted here. Been following your thread here with all the drama on the one you returned to MF.

Did your new JetGlo arrive today and are you happy with it ?? Don't keep us in suspense like this !!

 

[2nd Wind]

When I finally get this 4003 purchase concluded successfully, I am very likely going to pull that bridge off there soon and put a BadAss II on it instead like I had on my original 4001. That should remove the threat of any finish crack issues should that still be a possibility with that bridge design.

Got the idea for the BadAss II upgrade from seeing Geddy Lee's 4001 back in the day. Seems to work great for him to this day! I think his 4001 was made around the same time as mine was, except mine had the checked binding which I don't believe his has.

You will need to drill holes into that nice new JG finish...... Just saying. And the original rout will show without a cover of some sort. You'll need to address that and keeping the bridge low enough to have workable action still.

And I agree with you about the bubinga over the Caribean rosewood.

 

[woodyng]

Geddy would probably put a hipshot bridge on nowadays. No drilling,or filling in holes not covered by the badass....get the aluminum one,tho,not the brass. Does anyone happen to know if the schaller bridge RIC uses on the 4004's will fit on the 4003 without modification?

 

[GG7]

GG7 ---- it's been hours since you posted here. Been following your thread here with all the drama on the one you returned to MF.

Did your new JetGlo arrive today and are you happy with it ?? Don't keep us in suspense like this !!

Hey 8Miles!

Sorry to leave ya hanging.... I finally got some UPS tracking data on the replacement. It will be here on Tuesday afternoon, so I will post back then about it regardless of what condition it is in.

 

[GG7]

You will need to drill holes into that nice new JG finish...... Just saying. And the original rout will show without a cover of some sort. You'll need to address that and keeping the bridge low enough to have workable action still.

And I agree with you about the bubinga over the Caribean rosewood.

Yeah... I have been thinking about that since I posted this BadAss Bridge idea after suddenly remembering what I had to do with my 72 to get one on there. I now recall it was kind of a hassle. But it sounded great with that bridge on there!

I might look into the other suggested design instead, or just leave it stock.

Still bumming over the loss of the Bubinga fingerboard, but maybe I will get lucky and score one of the randoms that occasionally get made with their previous Bubinga stock.

The damaged 2011 bass must have been one of these, since they were supposedly phasing out Bubinga as long ago as back when that bass was made.

I am going to try to view this second one with an opened mind. Trying to prepare myself for the difference and the reality that this new 4003 IS NOT going to look exactly like my previous 4001. Short of the checked binding, the damaged 2011 really did, which made that whole thing that much more painful.

 

[GG7]

Geddy would probably put a hipshot bridge on nowadays. No drilling,or filling in holes not covered by the badass....get the aluminum one,tho,not the brass. Does anyone happen to know if the schaller bridge RIC uses on the 4004's will fit on the 4003 without modification?

Thanks for the tip! I will look into that! Might just leave it alone for a spell first and see how this second one plays and make sure I don't see anything funky with the tailpiece.

That was primarily my impetus to replace the stock bridge. Didn't want this second bass to suffer the same finish disaster that that poor 2011 did!

 

[Kopfjaeger]

Yeah... I have been thinking about that since I posted this BadAss Bridge idea after suddenly remembering what I had to do with my 72 to get one on there. I now recall it was kind of a hassle. But it sounded great with that bridge on there!

I might look into the other suggested design instead, or just leave it stock.

Still bumming over the loss of the Bubinga fingerboard, but maybe I will get lucky and score one of the randoms that occasionally get made with their previous Bubinga stock.

The damaged 2011 bass must have been one of these, since they were supposedly phasing out Bubinga as long ago as back when that bass was made.

I am going to try to view this second one with an opened mind. Trying to prepare myself for the difference and the reality that this new 4003 IS NOT going to look exactly like my previous 4001. Short of the checked binding, the damaged 2011 really did, which made that whole thing that much more painful.

Hey, you never know! My 4004 has an ebony fretboard that was made from left over 4002 ebony from 20 years ago.

Sepp

 

[GG7]

Good point Sepp!

The suspense is killing me! lol!

 

[BassGen]

Yeah... I have been thinking about that since I posted this BadAss Bridge idea after suddenly remembering what I had to do with my 72 to get one on there. I now recall it was kind of a hassle. But it sounded great with that bridge on there!

I might look into the other suggested design instead, or just leave it stock.

Still bumming over the loss of the Bubinga fingerboard, but maybe I will get lucky and score one of the randoms that occasionally get made with their previous Bubinga stock.

The damaged 2011 bass must have been one of these, since they were supposedly phasing out Bubinga as long ago as back when that bass was made.

I am going to try to view this second one with an opened mind. Trying to prepare myself for the difference and the reality that this new 4003 IS NOT going to look exactly like my previous 4001. Short of the checked binding, the damaged 2011 really did, which made that whole thing that much more painful.

Just sayin....
Kinda sounds like you have your thoughts/hopes set impossibly high so I'm putting my money on you finding enough flaws that you declare the bass unplayable.

Not trying to dis on ya but just seems like nothing will be good enough.

 

[GIBrat51]

Thank you for the number, sir.

 

[GIBrat51]

All this talk of defective tailpieces designed as though they had been intended to lift and crack the finish can make one wary...

Does anyone have anything else to say about these basses and their seeming self-destructive tendencies? I like rickies, but I don't own a single one. I've always been paranoid due to all the horror stories...

There's an old newspaper adage that goes "good news don't sell papers". People are much more interested in (and remember) bad news. No one will remember me posting that my basses are fine; but they will remember the post about the pickups catching fire on one of them. Why? Just human nature, which is why you remember "all the horror stories".
If you want a Rickenbacker, by all means get one. For sure, try to get yours hands on it first, and inspect it closely. Yes, you might have to pay more, but how much is peace of mind worth to you? Buying anything sight unseen is always a risk. I don't fault anyone for trying to save a buck, and I'm not making light of anyone's misfortune- especially where a new Rick is concerned! I'm not made of money, either, but I can probably afford to take a chance on something off the UPS/FedEx truck more than most. Just don't ever forget that it is taking a chance; but also, that the odds are very much in favor of "it's fine".
And, No, Rick tailpieces were not designed to self destruct. As several other people have said, they were originally designed with 2 more screws in the back of the tailpiece, and that would almost certainly have kept the current problems from happening. Also eliminated the Dreaded Tailpiece Lift, too. For cosmetic reasons, those screws were deleted - you can definitely see them, and they are kinda ugly in the middle of all that chrome. Still, in hindsight, probably a mistake to remove them, with nothing to put in their place.
All of this current fiasco is a result of several minor things (if you want to call factory quality control "minor") combining to make a problem that's much larger than the sum of the parts. RIC should definitely do a better job QC'ing the tailpiece casting, but as with every other manufactured item, once it leaves the loading dock, they really have no control over it. And that's where the risks of buying sight unseen start. As for the brittleness of the new finishes, Rickenbacker didn't really have a lot of choice; state and federal law says what kinds of paint a manufacturer can and can't use. Bottom line, I'm afraid, is still caveat emptor. (And, by the way; both of my Ricks are just fine, and with just the correct amount of Tailpiece Lift.)

 

[GG7]

Just sayin....
Kinda sounds like you have your thoughts/hopes set impossibly high so I'm putting my money on you finding enough flaws that you declare the bass unplayable.

Not trying to dis on ya but just seems like nothing will be good enough.

There is a 99% chance I am keeping this bass short of it having some kind of major problem which I doubt is going to happen.

The chances of me getting another 2013 4003 for near dealer cost is pretty much zero, so for that kind of $$ I am willing to live with pretty much anything, short of a broken neck, or a huge gouge in the finish that runs the length of the body.

In other words... I'm keeping this one. Cosmetics aside... I am buying this to record with, so it isn't going to matter to anyone else what it looks like. This bass will never be used on a gig as long as I own it. I am strictly a studio player these days.

Just gives me an excuse to find a used 4001 or 4003 with the Bubinga board to add to my collection. And there is always that SLIM chance that the board on this one will knock me out or it will be a Bubinga board from their old wood stock.

As I mentioned before...I really don't care for the color or the texture of Carib Rosewood. I think it would make a nice body trim wood, but I don't care for "BUSY" fretboards. I'm more traditional in that regard. Thats why I always liked the Rick boards... They were understated and unique in their red color. No other guitar brand had fingerboards like Rickenbacker. Now they have lost that unique distinction.

These new ones are often overstated in color with a very busy grain pattern that remind me of wood grain you would see on a salad bowl, or the style of wood you would use to put down on your kitchen floor. In fact, Carib Rosewood is extremely popular in the hardwood flooring industry. Has been for years. Never thought I would own a guitar with it on the fingerboard.

But again... I am far more concerned with how the bass plays and how it sounds than how it looks, and in that regard I have no fear whatsoever that I will love it. Especially for the awesome low price I am getting this for. There is some romance involved with an "Ugly Duckling" relationship with an instrument, if it does turn out to be an ugly 4003.

 

[BassGen]

Fair enough GG7. I am looking forward to hearing how she looks on Tuesday. If that doesn't work out, I have a 2001 JetGlo 4003 that could become surplus.

But my 2011 MapleGlo is going no where. This is my "forever" bass now.

 

[JLY]

Mine came with the Carib Risewood and it is beautiful to my eye, I love it! The grain is spectacular. I will post pictures and get a number when I figure how to do it on this IPhone!

 

[FunkHead]

Can I please get a number? Thanks

 

[GG7]

Fair enough GG7. I am looking forward to hearing how she looks on Tuesday. If that doesn't work out, I have a 2001 JetGlo 4003 that could become surplus.

But my 2011 MapleGlo is going no where. This is my "forever" bass now.

Thats sweet!

I mentioned in another post... The Carib Rosewood works perfectly with the natural finish version, and in some cases even with the FireGlo and the Blue, but to me, it just doesn't pop on the JetGlo basses like the Bubinga does. Something about that red against the black, white and chrome that looks so classic to my eye.

Do you have any photos of your JetGlo?

 

[GG7]

Mine came with the Carib Risewood and it is beautiful to my eye, I love it! The grain is spectacular. I will post pictures and get a number when I figure how to do it on this IPhone!

Would LOVE to see it!

 

[thiocyclist]

Does anyone happen to know if the schaller bridge RIC uses on the 4004's will fit on the 4003 without modification?

No way. There's a massive mute rout that would be exposed. And a lot of the real estate where the screws would go is also sunken which might cause structural issues. I wish they'd drop that mute from the design already; leave the tailpiece alone if you want but don't rout out a bunch of wood so people can try other tailpieces if they want.

 

[Nick901]

Can I please get a number? Thanks

496

Welcome to the club!

 

[Jaymi]

There is an easy way to make a wood piece that fits in the holes so a flat bridge can be used.