Bridge lift on the 4003S/5 SPC - advice, please!
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jeff_ulmer
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jeff_ulmer
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Thanks for the compliments.
Dane, I think I remember a discussion on these in an old (probably archived) thread in which JH said that there were five or so made, but as special orders, not as part of the Blackstar series.
I forgot to mention that it has no mute pad (assuming it came with one, of course), and actually no springs for the mute pad. I just picked up some spring material during lunch (Ace Hardware comes through again!) and I'll have that part resolved tonight. I have some foam material that would work as a mute pad, but I've not yet decided whether to fix that. I will need to get a bridge pickup cover, as it did not come with one and I prefer to have them on my basses - just a personal preference, mind you.
Dane, I think I remember a discussion on these in an old (probably archived) thread in which JH said that there were five or so made, but as special orders, not as part of the Blackstar series.
I forgot to mention that it has no mute pad (assuming it came with one, of course), and actually no springs for the mute pad. I just picked up some spring material during lunch (Ace Hardware comes through again!) and I'll have that part resolved tonight. I have some foam material that would work as a mute pad, but I've not yet decided whether to fix that. I will need to get a bridge pickup cover, as it did not come with one and I prefer to have them on my basses - just a personal preference, mind you.
It is better, of course, to know useless things than to know nothing. - Seneca
I don't use my mutes either but I like to detail them to the extent of chrome plating the bar and using the skinny foam pieces from the sides of the pickup pads as a mute. It's easier to adjust the intonation from the front with the skinier pad and works better should I decide to use it without stuffing the cavity so tightly.
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DriftSpace
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Re: Bridge lift on the 4003S/5 SPC - advice, please!
...6 years later...
I just wanted to add my success story to this thread for future reference. This was done using a few clamps, my "lifted" black 4003 tail, a routed-out board (to match the routing on the tail of a 4003), my kitchen oven, and a little patience. The most helpful technique detailed in the previous posts was the occasional "heat-treatment." I did this by putting the oven on its lowest setting, letting it heat-up, turning it off, placing the board/clamp/tail contraption in the oven (sorry I don't have photos, but the previous posts from Gary are good enough), and leaving it overnight. I did this treatment about once a week for the last month, leaving the tail clamped at all times, and occasionally tightening the clamp every few days.
I went from this:
To this:
(All damage to the black coating was pre-existing; it is not from clamping.)
If I desired to make this into a 7-screw:
Instead of using a template, I personally would use a small bit to drill up from the bottom using those outer-two shapes in the bottom row of casting circles (indicated above) as a reference for center. Use a nail or some kind of punch to get the bit started. When the bit breaches the opposite surface I would flip the tail and drill down from the top/face, using the smaller drill hole as a guide for the larger/screw-sized bit. Counter-sinking to match the factory holes would follow. I know for a fact that this is where the 6th and 7th screws go, as I purchased an OEM black 7-screw tailpiece from a fellow forumite, and the holes were in the middle (well, mostly in the middle) of those circles.
(Unfortunately I don't have a photo of the underside of the OEM 7-screw tail because it's with my bass being refinished by Paul W. This is also why the repaired tail is not actually depicted on a 4003.)
Anyhow, thanks a lot for the detailed tutorial, Gary; you've helped save another piece of discontinued RIC hardware from the dumpster!
Onward to the marketplace!
I just wanted to add my success story to this thread for future reference. This was done using a few clamps, my "lifted" black 4003 tail, a routed-out board (to match the routing on the tail of a 4003), my kitchen oven, and a little patience. The most helpful technique detailed in the previous posts was the occasional "heat-treatment." I did this by putting the oven on its lowest setting, letting it heat-up, turning it off, placing the board/clamp/tail contraption in the oven (sorry I don't have photos, but the previous posts from Gary are good enough), and leaving it overnight. I did this treatment about once a week for the last month, leaving the tail clamped at all times, and occasionally tightening the clamp every few days.
I went from this:
To this:
(All damage to the black coating was pre-existing; it is not from clamping.)
If I desired to make this into a 7-screw:
Instead of using a template, I personally would use a small bit to drill up from the bottom using those outer-two shapes in the bottom row of casting circles (indicated above) as a reference for center. Use a nail or some kind of punch to get the bit started. When the bit breaches the opposite surface I would flip the tail and drill down from the top/face, using the smaller drill hole as a guide for the larger/screw-sized bit. Counter-sinking to match the factory holes would follow. I know for a fact that this is where the 6th and 7th screws go, as I purchased an OEM black 7-screw tailpiece from a fellow forumite, and the holes were in the middle (well, mostly in the middle) of those circles.
(Unfortunately I don't have a photo of the underside of the OEM 7-screw tail because it's with my bass being refinished by Paul W. This is also why the repaired tail is not actually depicted on a 4003.)
Anyhow, thanks a lot for the detailed tutorial, Gary; you've helped save another piece of discontinued RIC hardware from the dumpster!
Onward to the marketplace!
Re: Bridge lift on the 4003S/5 SPC - advice, please!
You're welcome, Sean! 
It is better, of course, to know useless things than to know nothing. - Seneca
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RicOSoundMan
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Re: Bridge lift on the 4003S/5 SPC - advice, please!
OUCH!!! I have never seen anything like this 
Might be a dumb question but how long does it take to do this????
Just Wow!!!!! I really thought it was a joke type photo...
Might be a dumb question but how long does it take to do this????Just Wow!!!!! I really thought it was a joke type photo...
My Ric Basses are:
76' 3000 MG ---09' 4003 MG
77' 3001 MG ---92' 2060 FG
77' 4001 Jetglo---93' 2060 FG
Other
08' Fender "Geddy Lee" Sig. Jazz Bass
82' Kawai F-II-B
76' 3000 MG ---09' 4003 MG
77' 3001 MG ---92' 2060 FG
77' 4001 Jetglo---93' 2060 FG
Other
08' Fender "Geddy Lee" Sig. Jazz Bass
82' Kawai F-II-B
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DriftSpace
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Re: Bridge lift on the 4003S/5 SPC - advice, please!
Andrew,
I think I did it over the course of a few weeks. The time spent on the treatment should probably be proportional to the amount of lift; Gary spent a while repairing his tail because the lift was more severe than mine, as you can see from the photos earlier in the thread.
I can't say enough how crucial the heat treatment was; the clamps were so much easier to tighten after the thing had been cooling in the oven overnight. If anyone ever has to do this, just remember to rout-out a cavity in your plank to accomodate the bridge recess and mute, and make sure that the plank is dead flat; if it's not, you run the risk of your tailpiece conforming to the shape of the plank. It's also important to maintain even pressure all around.
I think I did it over the course of a few weeks. The time spent on the treatment should probably be proportional to the amount of lift; Gary spent a while repairing his tail because the lift was more severe than mine, as you can see from the photos earlier in the thread.
I can't say enough how crucial the heat treatment was; the clamps were so much easier to tighten after the thing had been cooling in the oven overnight. If anyone ever has to do this, just remember to rout-out a cavity in your plank to accomodate the bridge recess and mute, and make sure that the plank is dead flat; if it's not, you run the risk of your tailpiece conforming to the shape of the plank. It's also important to maintain even pressure all around.