Listen to the open E, as compared to the others, and let me know what you hear or think you hear. Thank you!
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What do you hear in this Rick 4003 Clip?
- Thread starter deliciouspesto
- Start date
The E string is quieter than the other strings.
It's a known problem with some Ricks, and there have been many threads about it over the years.
A friend of mine (who built basses entirely from scratch) once voiced his opinion that the low-volume-E was caused by the unusually large truss rod channel (Ricks have two truss rods) in the Rickenbacker neck. His belief was that there was too much wood missing from the Rick neck, and that this showed in the lack of E-string volume.
He also mentioned that he had owned a number of SINGLE-truss rod Rickenbacker copies, and that none of them had the low-volume-E-string problem.
To the luthiers here on the forum does this theory seem a likely explanation for the problem?
It's a known problem with some Ricks, and there have been many threads about it over the years.
A friend of mine (who built basses entirely from scratch) once voiced his opinion that the low-volume-E was caused by the unusually large truss rod channel (Ricks have two truss rods) in the Rickenbacker neck. His belief was that there was too much wood missing from the Rick neck, and that this showed in the lack of E-string volume.
He also mentioned that he had owned a number of SINGLE-truss rod Rickenbacker copies, and that none of them had the low-volume-E-string problem.
To the luthiers here on the forum does this theory seem a likely explanation for the problem?
My Ric has the adjustable pickup poles, does yours? If it does, just take the allen wrench and raise the E string pole up a bit.
PS: I love Ricks check out my avatar so I hope nobody accuses me of trolling.
BTW, new Rickenbackers have individually adjustable pole-pieces on the pickups. I haven't tried a new Rick yet, but I'm sure this probably fixes 95% of the problem.
BTW, new Rickenbackers have individually adjustable pole-pieces on the pickups. I haven't tried a new Rick yet, but I'm sure this probably fixes 95% of the problem.
There was something else about the E, crank it and take a listen. You will hear a metal WOOW when it is plucked... that sound resonantes from inside the body it seems... if I had a microphone I would record the back side of the bass so you could hear it. None of hte other strings cause this resonance or whatever it is.
edit- And no, I dont have adjustable pole pieces... Even if I did, the E sounds different... The recording was from the neck pickup, if that helps.
Hey guys, I will try to post another example demonstrating that sound. I think it may be related, but it is different to the volume of the E string. It sounds as though something inside is vibrating... But i dont know for sure. Anyway, please take a listen to the first clip again if you can and I'll try to post a better one soon. Thanks.
Ok here is a new clip, with some compression so you can hear it. First is the open A, sounds tight right? Then I hit the open A a few times. Listen to the weird metal sound... I hear that sound be coming from the body, its quite strange sounding. Is the pickup microphonic and picking up that sound then? Its so annoying... What do you guys think?
That metallic sound seems normal for a Rick. I've never owned one myself, but I've kind of always associated that weird metallic hollow sound to be part of it's charm.
I've heard similar sounds from my own bass. It seems to only occur on the E string and is much more prominent when playing near the bridge. After switching to a fresh pair of strings, I accidentally recorded a related anomaly that sounds almost underwater, like a fish note, which I have attached for you to listen to.
The only problem I hear is the volume drop on the E string. Everything else sounds normal to me. I can here the metallic sound on the open notes, but I think that's how it's supposed to sound. It reminds me of the rick sound I've heard on a lot of recordings. I've never owned a rick though, so I can't say for sure.
That sounds like it, its like a the sound of a spring on a door sort of... springy reverb.
Projectile, if it were consistant for the other strings then maybe I would say its not a problem.. but its just the E that that it happens.
It could also be the string itself if the core is not fixed propery it will rattle within the string itself. This problem sometimes occurres in the bigger strings. Try another one to check? Other than that the damper springs in the bridge can rattle or give resonance.
I've got a Ric 4001 (hence my avatar). Speaking personally I've never noticed any problem at all regarding a quiet E. I keep the p/ups pretty close to the string though (low action, high p/ups, etc). Not sure if that helps in any way.
Not the string, I just put a fresh one from a new set of TI's... there goes some more money down the drain.
