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Wondering if I should return my Ric

#102
guy n. cognito said:
Disagreed again. Most I've tried (new, not used) need significant setup. ANY bass will need adjustment when strings are changed. All frets need to be replaced at some point if you actually play it.

"Tinkering", known to most as normal adjustments, are necessary on all basses. And they are more difficult on a RIC.
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I have a bass that I "actually played" for 20+ years that didn't need frets replaced. That's ridiculous. Also what Ricks are you playing? Every time I have played one at GC or Sam Ash it has felt the exact same. We will have to agree to disagree my friend.
 
#103
Mantis Tobaggan said:
I have a bass that I "actually played" for 20+ years that didn't need frets replaced. That's ridiculous. Also what Ricks are you playing? Every time I have played one at GC or Sam Ash it has felt the exact same. We will have to agree to disagree my friend.
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What's Rics? The ones sold at my local, high end music store.....
 
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#107
Pirate Captain said:
Does everyone have a "that bass?" One that they love the sound and look of, but just don't like playing it? Mine was an Aria Integra SB...I've owned three and always sold them...just to buy another a couple years later.
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Yes. At the moment it's an American Standard Jazz bass. Love everything about it except for the skinny nut/neck profile. I'm looking for a nice vintage profile rosewood fretboard P bass neck to swap.
 
#108
guy n. cognito said:
Disagreed. The dual truss rods (completely unnessary) require a tool that typically does not fit and must be modified before the simplest adjustment can be made. The pickup cover can't be removed without completely removing the pickup (and I know a few guys that don't have the skill to do that right). Bridge design is faulty and often needs modification or replacement to function. Pickups must be dramatically modified or replaced to be hum cancelling. Lacquered, bound frets and a luthiers nightmare when they need replacing.

I would agree they are set and forget. Once you go through all that to get it set, you want to forget you did it. ;)
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Disagreed...Any 1/4 socket will work...the pickup cover is easy to remove(yes the pup needs to be removed but, its a minor task).
Bridge is not faulty..not the easiest to work but certainly not faulty..
Pickup mods are not dramatic to make them hum cancelling..there's a step by step right here on this site,search for RPRW(or maybe it's RWRP) mod..I did it to my 4003 and it works great..it's removing a couple screws and swapping a couple wires..takes minutes to do.
The frets are not lacquered..the lacquer is filed off after its sprayed and any luthier worth his weight in salt can do a re-fret(there's lots of Gibson's and other brands with neck binding)..I also believe that Ric uses a harder alloy in their frets now so it would take many years of constant playing to wear them out..
Ric's are truly a set and forget instrument..I have a "82 4001 that has never been touched as far as set-up goes..I have always used the same brand and gauge string..the dual truss rods have a lot to do with that..in fact the only mod that the bass ever had was the removal of the bridge pup cover and a bypass wire on the .0047 cap(which is easily reversible)..because I wanted to..
I realize to some these sound like daunting tasks but, in reality they're really not..it really depends on the person and how much they want put into it..with that said, they really don't NEED these mods..I'm not going to sell anyone on a Ric,either you like them or you don't..different strokes yadda yadda..I will say what some others have said..give it some time..
 
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#111
rekesbass said:
Any 1/4 socket will work...
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Point well taken, it's no big deal, but you'll have better luck with a "thin-walled" 1/4" nut driver...based on the many complaints I've heard, the standard version may not fit in some Ric TR cavities.

The thin-walled version is just as easy to find for around the same price, $3-$5.

I also hear this flimsy complaint a lot about Ric not including a truss rod adjustment tool. It's probably for the best. Almost every truss tool I've seen "included free" is a useless fragile POS, and some of them don't even fit right. If you want to work on your bass, buy yourself some decent tools and stop using that pot metal crap from the manufacturer. I'm glad Ric doesn't include a sketchy tool like some other manufacturers or bump the pricing on their basses just so they can pretend they "gotcha covered" when that don't got me covered at all.
 
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#112
I think Ric's sound cool and I would love to try one out. Unfortunately I never have seen one in any music store in my neck of the woods and I don't know anyone that has one that I could road test. But I have cycled plenty of basses through my stable and if you're not digging it just let it go. If you miss it buy another. No big deal, that's the fun of the chase.
 
#114
iamprowla said:
You can put a D-tuner on one (if you can find one and if the machines aren't too close together).
And, of course, you can tinker around with running pickups to separate amps (via pedals).
If it's an older one you can see if the vintage/modern pot is an option to tinker.
You can replace the treble pickup (I have an SD on one, with series/parallel & single coil switches).
You can replace the neck pickup (but I wouldn't).
Bartolini do a supplementary pickup which goes in the string mute cavity. (I've sometimes wondered about putting an E-Bow or Gizmo type thing in there!)
Some people add more pickups, including a "humpbacker" to fit between the treble pickup and the bridge.
You can replace the bridge.
You can change the pickguard/scratchplate.
You can split the pickguard/scratchplate to allow access to the controls without having to take the whole thing off (like a 4003(?)).
You can put a surround inside the treble pickup mount to close off the surrounding hole after you've taken off the cover (which you must do, unless you have one with the horseshoe magnets). The slot-in items there usually have a thumb rest.
You can add a thumb rest across the top edge of the pickguard.
You can add shielding to the body cavities.
You can replace the strap buttons with schaller-compatible straplocks.
If you like soldering irons you can modify the output jacks to 2 x mono instead of mono/stereo.

Apart from that, there's not much you can tinker with... :)
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I didn't say there wasn't anything you could do to a Rick; I said there wasn't much use tinkering with one. Most of what you list, to me, isn't "tinkering" it's modifying. There's a difference. Changing the jets in a stock carburetor is tinkering. Yanking it off, and replacing it with a big Holley double-pumper is modifying. And, by the way; don't know about yours, but both my Rick basses - and my 330 guitar - already have Schaller compatible buttons..:)
 
#115
guy n. cognito said:
This. Even then, many have complained that those STILL don't fit, and they have to modify the bass to make it work......
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Well, of all the Rics sold, I'd say those are a small fraction, but that's definitely a QC issue and a puzzler when it happens. No one should ever have to route out their TR cavity so they can get to the rods.

Rics might be a little more prone to this because they stuff two rod adjusters into such a small space. Just another one of the little quirky oddities that make them so lovable!
 
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#116
GIBrat51 said:
I didn't say there wasn't anything you could do to a Rick; I said there wasn't much use tinkering with one. Most of what you list, to me, isn't "tinkering" it's modifying. There's a difference. Changing the jets in a stock carburetor is tinkering. Yanking it off, and replacing it with a big Holley double-pumper is modifying. And, by the way; don't know about yours, but both my Rick basses - and my 330 guitar - already have Schaller compatible buttons..:)
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OK, then you can turn those peg things at the top to get it in tune.
And rotate the black round things at the bottom to make the sound a bit different.
Very limited options for tinkering!
:-)

(Nope, mine did not have straplocks.)
 
#117
I think the case for adjusting and modifying a Ric is being grossly overstated. I am pretty retentive about setups and this bass takes no more or less time than any other.

There was a one time effort to remove the pickup cover and install the bezel, and took a whopping ten minutes.

IMG_0146.JPG
 
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