The Rickenmodder Club

[cassius987]

All of mine but one are modded, but this one is modded the most.

Bought it sort've abused, someone put a P Bass pickup in between the other two pickups (did a really crummy job with the routing), and then filled it in with wood glue. So this is a mod of a mod of a mod... or something. Anyways, it features new Toaster pickups (thinking about Bart 6RTs) in the custom pickguard, and I have just recently routed the neck pickup so it can use 1/2'' spacing which is a really cool sound (picture does not reflect this). The wiring harness is the only thing that's stock I guess, though I'd like to get a stock bridge for it as the Hipshot leaves me cold.

Word on the street is I'm number 7.

I'm a pretty big participator at Rickenbacker.com's forums section and I've never gotten any flak for any of the mods I've done there, but I guess I don't really broadcast them that much either. Mostly I enjoy that forum because there is a lot of good discussion.

 

[J Hud]

Our little club seems to be developing quite nicely!

1 - J Hud
2 - Ric5
3 - Chopper
4 - Engine 207
5 – Rickenboogie
6 – kcole4001
7 – Cassius987
8 – Tarrbot
9 – S4001
• Honorary Member in Good Standing – Andysalina5

 

[J Hud]

All of mine but one are modded, but this one is modded the most.

Bought it sort've abused, someone put a P Bass pickup in between the other two pickups (did a really crummy job with the routing), and then filled it in with wood glue. So this is a mod of a mod of a mod... or something. Anyways, it features new Toaster pickups (thinking about Bart 6RTs) in the custom pickguard, and I have just recently routed the neck pickup so it can use 1/2'' spacing which is a really cool sound (picture does not reflect this). The wiring harness is the only thing that's stock I guess, though I'd like to get a stock bridge for it as the Hipshot leaves me cold.

Word on the street is I'm number 7.

I'm a pretty big participator at Rickenbacker.com's forums section and I've never gotten any flak for any of the mods I've done there, but I guess I don't really broadcast them that much either. Mostly I enjoy that forum because there is a lot of good discussion.

I don't generally like big overwhelming pickguards but I understand the necessity of yours and I actually like it. Love the twin toasters too!

 

[Ric5]

Here's 4003s5 modified to be like a 4001v63/4001c64s bass. It was sanded down and the edges rounded a little more than the average "s" model. The oil finish really brought out the growl in this bass.

Here's the same bass with black trim.

 

[Ric5]

Here's a 4004ci turned into a 5 string bass.

 

[Keith Guitars]

Not looking for club membership...but here's my little memory:

My first full-scale bass was a '79 4001 in JetGlo.
I paid $500 for it from a local store, with OHSC.

At the time, I was chasing a sound that would have been better found in a Warwick or Stingray...but who knew that at the time?

SO, over the years, that poor bass ended up with:

-Schaller tuners (angled backwards like a Warwick)
-Badass II bridge, on custom aluminum baseplate to cover the original footprint
-Series/parallel switch
-Treble pickup cap bypass switch
-EMG BQC 3-band semi-parametric EQ
-27v (!) offboard power supply, feeding power in through
the Ric-o-sound jack

Poor thing still didn't sound like a Warwick, although it did sound pretty wild and certainly unusual. I never found a mixing board that could handle its direct signal!

Though I eventually sold it (after restoring the wiring to stock),
the experience of modding that bass had a lot to do with my eventual choice of profession - call it an independent study /crash course in wiring.

If you ever cross paths with a Ric that has a small drill hole between the upper two control knobs, and a Badass II with a trapezoidal aluminum bridge sub-plate, it might be my old bass!
IF anyone here has it, I'd love to see a pic.

Cheers,
Martin

 

[Engine207]

Not looking for club membership...but here's my little memory:

My first full-scale bass was a '79 4001 in JetGlo.
I paid $500 for it from a local store, with OHSC.

At the time, I was chasing a sound that would have been better found in a Warwick or Stingray...but who knew that at the time?

SO, over the years, that poor bass ended up with:

-Schaller tuners (angled backwards like a Warwick)
-Badass II bridge, on custom aluminum baseplate to cover the original footprint
-Series/parallel switch
-Treble pickup cap bypass switch
-EMG BQC 3-band semi-parametric EQ
-27v (!) offboard power supply, feeding power in through
the Ric-o-sound jack

Poor thing still didn't sound like a Warwick, although it did sound pretty wild and certainly unusual. I never found a mixing board that could handle its direct signal!

Though I eventually sold it (after restoring the wiring to stock),
the experience of modding that bass had a lot to do with my eventual choice of profession - call it an independent study /crash course in wiring.

If you ever cross paths with a Ric that has a small drill hole between the upper two control knobs, and a Badass II with a trapezoidal aluminum bridge sub-plate, it might be my old bass!
IF anyone here has it, I'd love to see a pic.

Cheers,
Martin

Martin...photos or it's all just a dream from my rare full-night's sleep...

...and Jeff, do you re-fabricate the bridges yourself? I have no love for Ric bridges, but you do a brilliant job!

 

[J Hud]

Though I eventually sold it (after restoring the wiring to stock),
the experience of modding that bass had a lot to do with my eventual choice of profession - call it an independent study /crash course in wiring.

Cheers,
Martin

Well, we should all be glad that you did that and chose your current profession, because this is way boss!
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[kcole4001]

I think you may have to make Jeff the Vice President of the club!

He's certainly modded more Ricks than anyone else.

I'd love to have that V/C modded s5 in post #24. Very nice.
I don't think I've seen that one before.
I prefer the white/chrome combo.

 

[RickenBoogie]

There's alot of really cool basses here, lots. That oil finished sanded down number looks fantastic, and I've been a fan of Jeff's 5 string mods for a while already. Good stuff.

 

[cassius987]

I don't generally like big overwhelming pickguards but I understand the necessity of yours and I actually like it. Love the twin toasters too!

I agree, although using this guard has caused the look of the Gibson Ripper/Grabber-style pickguard to grow on me. It's a really good way to get away from that Horseshoe-style pickup as well, which is not a problem for me but can sometimes seem obnoxiously big. Part of that original late '50s aesthetic I guess.

The dual Toasters are one of my favorite things about this bass besides its perfect neck and the condition of the fingerboard. They are wound 6.8 and 7.5 k (neck and bridge respectively), so they still retain some different tones, and due to its placement, the bridge pickup is "growlier"/"burpier". I actually like the bridge pickup on this bass for Jaco-esque stuff, although I still don't do it quite as bright as he did.

 

[cassius987]

Here's the same bass with black trim.

Probably my favorite Rathenbacker.

 

[cheesybass]

I've never joined one of the many clubs here, but what the heck, gimme a number! The mods on my old '73 aren't as extreme as some of the other examples here, but it's all about what works for the individual, right? The mods are:

No finish on fret board, toaster pick-up, tortoise pickguard, 60's style knobs, cap bypass mini toggle, Hipshot bridge (thank you Hipshot!), Treble Bezel from Tube Ampology (thank you Tube Ampology!).

Kudos to all the modders! Enjoy your work.

 

[Crumbs]

Some really cool mods here, afraid I don't have a Ric myself. Stupid question here, but have those five string Rics on the first page been modified from 4 strings to five?

 

[kcole4001]

Jeff R is well known for his 4-2-5 mods, which are exactly what you'd guess: changing 4 string basses to 5 string basses with a few choice hardware changes/modifications.
Check his site for more detail.

 

[J Hud]

I've never joined one of the many clubs here, but what the heck, gimme a number! The mods on my old '73 aren't as extreme as some of the other examples here, but it's all about what works for the individual, right? The mods are:

No finish on fret board, toaster pick-up, tortoise pickguard, 60's style knobs, cap bypass mini toggle, Hipshot bridge (thank you Hipshot!), Treble Bezel from Tube Ampology (thank you Tube Ampology!).

Kudos to all the modders! Enjoy your work.

Hey Chessy, you're #10!

 

[J Hud]

I think you may have to make Jeff the Vice President of the club!

He's certainly modded more Ricks than anyone else.

I'd love to have that V/C modded s5 in post #24. Very nice.
I don't think I've seen that one before.
I prefer the white/chrome combo.

Excellent point!!

Jeff, you want in on the VP role?

 

[Robert Sjea]

I got a Ric humbucker from my buddy who runs their floor. Not sure I like it - bridgeposition. Quite an interesting factory they have - some machines, but mostly a lot of little people working in various rooms in various stages of production. Major eye candy lying around all over the place.
Here's my '73. Pic has the horseshoe (?) pickup in it, which I wish I had kept or at least sold for double what I let it go for.

 

[Bigjohn]

I love you guys and encourage you to keep it up.
In fact, do it harder!
Get out those drills and routers, slap in those pickups and bridges and make those funky pickguards and brackets!
Because the more you guys hack up old Ricks, the more my unmodified 1974 4001 is worth.

 

[Tarrbot]

Some really cool mods here, afraid I don't have a Ric myself. Stupid question here, but have those five string Rics on the first page been modified from 4 strings to five?

The 5 string with the black pearloid pickguard is a factory five string. It's a 4003S/5. Jeff has a mapleglo further up this page that is also a 4003S/5.