Thinking of buying ‘73 Ric

[bobyoung53]

I wouldn't do it. Their build quality is crap. Playability is truly awful. And are among the ugliest mass produced basses around....

But that tone? To die for.

Satire?

 

[bobyoung53]

Jeff, I'm looking as closely as I can with a few minutes of fiddling in Shotwell, and I'm not sure I agree. It looks to me like there are slots in screw heads oriented perpendicular to the E, D, and G strings, and one diagonally on the A string. You might have better tools for manipulating and enhancing images, though.

View attachment 4242764

You're right, I can see them, good catch. My LL '72 fretless had a screw top bridge pickup but didn't realize they used them into '73, whatever you do OP if you buy that bass don't turn the screws, ask me how i know that.

 

[rickdog]

How do you know that?

I still have (most of) the pieces of my original bridge pickup, minus the ruined winding. For the curious: the screws used as pole pieces act as spacers to hold the top and bottom of the pickup the right distance apart; the screws for the A and D poles are slightly longer than those for the E and G. Two more screws from the bottom side hold it together. There was black electrical tape wrapped around the pole pieces, and the coil was wrapped over that. When turned, the screws cut through the tape and into the winding.

 

[Thornton Davis]

My April 73 has all the "vintage goodies" including the "gap tooth" in the tailpiece. Of course I've replaced the original bridge p/u with a reissue horseshoe but not the surround.

It appears that May was the month that the factory started with the changes. By Sept/Oct all of the vintage appointments were gone.



TD

 

[Jeff Scott]

My April 73 has all the "vintage goodies" including the "gap tooth" in the tailpiece. Of course I've replaced the original bridge p/u with a reissue horseshoe but not the surround.

View attachment 4243092

TD

Fancy that! My March '73 was all stock, and I eventually replaced the bridge hi-gain with a horseshoe pickup, a rebuilt vintage '60s one. The knobs got replaced, too, as the bass had some cheap knock-off vintage style ones when I got it; I replaced those with real Rick knobs.

 

[Element Zero]

Satire?

Not in the slightest.

 

[bobyoung53]

My April 73 has all the "vintage goodies" including the "gap tooth" in the tailpiece. Of course I've replaced the original bridge p/u with a reissue horseshoe but not the surround.

It appears that May was the month that the factory started with the changes. By Sept/Oct all of the vintage appointments were gone.

View attachment 4243092

TD

That isn't the same one that got stolen years ago is it?

 

[bobyoung53]

How do you know that?

I still have (most of) the pieces of my original bridge pickup, minus the ruined winding. For the curious: the screws used as pole pieces act as spacers to hold the top and bottom of the pickup the right distance apart; the screws for the A and D poles are slightly longer than those for the E and G. Two more screws from the bottom side hold it together. There was black electrical tape wrapped around the pole pieces, and the coil was wrapped over that. When turned, the screws cut through the tape and into the winding.

I sent to Sergio at the Ric Forum years ago, he fixed it but it never had he same oomph it had before I stupidly turned the screws, I got away with it a few times too.

 

[Jeff Scott]

I sent to Sergio at the Ric Forum years ago, he fixed it but it never had he same oomph it had before...

Did you ask Sergio to put the oomph back in?

 

[bobyoung53]

Did you ask Sergio to put the oomph back in?

Nah I forgot.

 

[Thornton Davis]

That isn't the same one that got stolen years ago is it?

No it's not MD1582 which is the one that went missing in 2006. This is its sister MD1593 which is only 11 serial numbers away from MD1582. With the numbers being so close to each other both basses were obviously produced in the same run as they are identical to each other.

MD1593 resides here with me today. but I'll never give up looking for MD1582. Maybe one day I'll get lucky.

TD

 

[bobyoung53]

No it's not MD1582 which is the one that went missing in 2006. This is its sister MD1593 which is only 11 serial numbers away from MD1582. With the numbers being so close to each other both basses were obviously produced in the same run as they are identical to each other.

MD1593 resides here with me today. but I'll never give up looking for MD1582. Maybe one day I'll get lucky.

TD

Well good luck, that was a nice bass, I still remember it from the Rickenbacker Forum days. I still stop in there once in a while.

 

[Thornton Davis]

My missing MD1582

Her sister MD1593

My apologies to the OP if I've absconded with his thread.

TD

 

[Jeff Scott]

You painted the staircase railing?

 

[Thornton Davis]

You painted the staircase railing?

The time between those two photos Jeff was 16 years, and yes the wife had been busy during that time refinishing and painting the entire staircase and railings.

TD

 

[bobyoung53]

You painted the staircase railing?

You have a very good eye for irrelevant detail.

 

[Jeff Scott]

You have a very good eye for irrelevant detail.

Depends. It may not, necessarily, be irrelevant. Fine art requires one to see beyond what's in front of their noses...

 

[Jeff Scott]

The time between those two photos Jeff was 16 years, and yes the wife had been busy during that time refinishing and painting the entire staircase and railings.

TD

You have a well trained good wife!

 

[Thornton Davis]

You have a well trained good wife!

You don't know the half of it Jeff, once she's got a bee in her bonnet there's no stopping her. For the most part it's worked out well.

TD

 

[Jeff Scott]

You don't know the half of it Jeff, once she's got a bee in her bonnet there's no stopping her. For the most part it's worked out well.

TD

Yours and mine must be related!