I am surprised at the strict Ric warranty stringset terms.

[jps]

A straight edge against the top pic at the edge along the neck where the fingerboard meets the white color of the neck shows that the neck is straight as an arrow...

I made those photos know that they would be useful evidence more than ten years after later.

[cassius987]

My 2008 4003FL is a big wimp, as much as I love it.

I wonder if this has to do with the fact that they were starting to make the necks thinner around that time.

I can't say for sure. The neck is a little bit wider than my tough-as-nails 2015 4003S, and the profile is a bit deeper and "C" shape vs. the shallower "D" of the 4003S as well. Not to mention one-piece vs. two. My guess is the two-piece construction was a huge leap forward for stability and quality control, and that has enabled the uptick in consistency of the neck profiles we've seen lately.

[12stringbassist]

Don't use a heavy gauge pick either, or your warranty card evaporates.

[Laird]

And for even more string gauge enjoyment, I ordered 12 sets of bulk strings in the factory specified gauges of 45-55-75-105 for my brand new 2017 4003S. I've used GHS Bass Boomers 45-105 for over 20 years so I don't really enjoy the lighter A and D of the Ric supplied set. But in an effort to maintain the warranty on my new bass I thought I would leave the nut unmodified until the expiry and live with a lighter set until then. Imagine my suprise when the bulk D string would barely fit into the nut. So tight that you really can't slide it back and forth even before winding it on to the tuner. Once installed it hangs up during tuning. Using digital calipers, I measured the bulk string in several places along it's length. .055 right on the money. Then measured the stock Rickenbacker branded D string that was supplied from the factory. It measured .053 So even purchasing strings in the suggested size won't work unless you modify the nut, as the Ric strings aren't .055 as advertised and the stock nut is too tight for an actual .055 string. Yay.

[lumgimfong]

I wound up using Chromes ECB84 40-100 set. I filed the A and D nutslots with guaged nut files to fit.
Brightest flatwounds I have played on it. I like this set.

I also installed new custom pickguard and totally new harness with HB1 humbuckers. Great sound - no noise!!
Also Hipshot ultralite tuners.

[Gilmourisgod]

If there is another bass manufacturer that makes string sets a warranty issue, I'm not aware of it. I remember being told, quite forcefully, by the guy who sold me my 79' 4001 (E.U. Wurlitzer of Boston) "Don't put roundwounds on it, it'll void the warranty". My bass CAME with flats! This must have come from Ric corporate at the time, though in that case I think they were worried about soft fretwire. Like everybody else in those days, I walked out of the store with a brand new set of Rotosound Swing Bass rounds for it.... which chewed up the frets in about three years. Now they use harder fretwire so rounds are apparently OK. Any bass that is unable to withstand the tension of commonly available flats needs some re-engineering. Since I've never heard of anyone having trouble using flats, which seem extremely popular on this forum, I can only surmise this is the usual river of horsesh*t that seems to flow out of JH's mouth. I can't wait until this bozo retires, maybe his son can redeem the company's tattered reputation for truth, quality control, and customer service. It's painful watching a brand I love being sold by a company with so little respect for it's incredibly loyal customer base.

[aceonbass]

I tried a set of RotoSound flats on my old 3001, and the neck kept bending overnight every time I had it straight. So I took them off and put on a stock set of current RIC roundwound strings. I've also had D'Addario Chrome flats on current Ricks, but although the current necks are fine with the tension, I could tell it was higher, and didn't like the feel of them. The original RIC bass flatwounds were definitely a low tension string and felt and sounded quite good.

[Laird]

To each his own but personally, I have no use for flatwound strings. Or any other ground/half/pressure/tape whatever strings. To me they just sound like I'm buying a set of dead strings right out of the package. I started playing bass in the early seventies and had my first Ric by around '76. I've played live and done many, many sessions over the last 40 plus years. Every style of music from banquet room gigs in posh hotels playing jazz standards for middle aged corporate types (who all want Stones and CCR by the time the third set rolls around and they've had a few) to authentic country (not new Bro country) Hank Williams era stuff. And back in the day when nightclubs actually had a band from Monday to Saturday night, covers of current rock of the day where we drove a huge truck to each gig and set up our own P.A. and lighting for the week. Roundwound strings on a Pre or a Ric did all those gigs. Laid back or ballad stuff I use finger style. Same with Steely Dan type tunes. Anything rockin from corny old Loverboy to Queensryche or any up tempo piece where definition is required it's a Fender medium pick all the way. And a venue larger than one's own bedroom or practice space will be a real eye opener. A small town civic arena or larger club like the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver and a bass strung with flatwounds and played fingerstyle through a big P.A. is gonna be unintelligible murk. But like I said, to each his own. By 1975-76 most of us had moved on from the flatwound "mimic the upright" thing and embraced the instrument as a bass guitar not a horizontally held electric bass viol that goes flub blub blub. Even Paul McCartney called himself a bass guitarist when interviewed and also eventually embraced roundwounds (for at least a while).

So I remember the Ric factory supplied flatwound era. The purple/lavender silks and the "can't use anything else" warranty as well. Now that Ric has finally caught up to the roundwound string they're still pulling the same nonsense. They toss out stuff like "within specified ranges". What ranges? They won't actually specify the max tension. When I purchase the exact gauges they specify they don't fit the laser cut nut because their own string is not really .055 it's .053

I love Rics, and have owned more than a few since the 70's. Currently it's just my '79 and my new 2017 4003s. But they're alot like dating a runway supermodel who does crack and her whole family cooks meth in a trailer.

I've decided to just go downtown to the luthier I use and get him to slot the nut for GHS Bass Boomers Medium M3045 (45-65-85-105). I'll adjust my own neck relief and intonation and be done with it. Is it the most balanced combination of tensions? No...but it is the most common combination of pre-packaged gauges across nearly all manufacturers and after decades of use, all other gauges feel weird to me. YMMV.

[jps]

Ugh!

[Laird]

Right. As long as it comes from one of the "gurus" it's sage wisdom and advice. I did say "To each his own". Aaannd.... YMMV. So like most forums, all that matters is that ya post what everyone wants to hear and confirm the current choices of the day with glowing reviews. So here ya go:
I love 10 year old flats on a top of the line Sadowsky 5 string that's been converted back to a four string with drop tuning and had a 7th string added.
Only use Eden or EBS cabs loaded with twenty bullet tweeters and one 8" for bottom end.
I use a pedal board with at least ten effects that change eq and compression for each different song. It's output goes DI to the board where the soundman wants to kill me.
It has no tuner. But it has three mute pedals in case the soundman forgets to use his channel mute when I slap and pop in open E (all the time).
I save tons of money on guitar straps cuz I cut each one in two so I can wear my bass like a bow tie.
All my basses feature active pre-amps in case my pedalboard or rack goes out. That way I can still make 6-12-24 db boosts for the delight of the FOH guy.
I think nothing of delaying a whole block of booked and paid for studio time and having other union players get paid to wait because I refuse to play without my really expensive oxygen free low capacitance 2.5 ft cable.

Thanks again. And stop taking this all so seriously. Wow.

[rickenbrother]

They also told me to use only roundwounds in 45-55-75-105 gauges or the instrument's warranty will be voided.

This is an old policy that has not been been in effect since not too long after Rickenbacker became RIC.

John Hall himself had posted here several times, that as long as the neck is adjusted properly, you an use just about any set of strings you'd like on a 4003 made after September '84.

I even use other brands and gauges of strings on my old 4001's, because I adjust the necks properly.

[rickenbrother]

I wound up using Chromes ECB84 40-100 set.

That's the best Chromes set, in my opinion. The other Chromes sets have string to string tension that is too out of balance.
I have the ECB84 set on two of my Ricks.

[scoobster28]

Anyone remember the late 90's when everyone was snapping 12er necks with Pyramid flats, unaware of the higher tension?

Actually, it was more the "R" tailpieces that would crack (explode?) from the tension. My guitar has a new R-piece because of it. I learned my lesson. If bending the neck also occurred, I am thankful I got off easy by just buying a new tailpiece.

[squirebass]

...But they're alot like dating a runway supermodel who does crack and her whole family cooks meth in a trailer.

I want to know more about the supermodel!
I'm sure the crack and meth help to keep her slim!

Happy Holidays, y'all!

[jps]

Happy methane gas to you, too! Er, I mean the super model.