String gauges....again.

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Laird
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String gauges....again.

Post by Laird »

I've been using GHS Bass Boomers M3045 (45-65-85-105) for over 30 years and on my '79 4001 for at least the last 20. No issues, completely stable. I'm now the owner of a brand new FireGlo 4003S made in May of 2017 :D . So has anyone had any issues with the GHS 45-105's on their new Rics? I gotta say, after forty+ years of playing I don't care for the lightness of the 55 and 75 gauge strings. After perusing various threads on here I'm aware of Ric's roughly 150 pound stock set tension. The GHS come in at 186.5 pounds (slightly lower due to scale length). If I widen the nut slots and adjust the truss rods accordingly is a set with this much tension going to give me warranty problems if I need to make a claim in the next five years? And speaking of truss rods, there seems to be red paint or clear red lacquer on the nuts and threads. Please tell me this is not Loctite from the factory. I think the updated/modern bass will probably tolerate the M3045 set at least as well as the '79, but it would be nice to know what Rickenbacker defines as too much tension beyond phrases like "recommended ranges". Do they mean the range of 45-105 generally, or specifically 45-55-75-105?
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jps
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Re: String gauges....again.

Post by jps »

Laird wrote:I've been using GHS Bass Boomers M3045 (45-65-85-105) for over 30 years and on my '79 4001 for at least the last 20. No issues, completely stable. I'm now the owner of a brand new FireGlo 4003S made in May of 2017 :D . So has anyone had any issues with the GHS 45-105's on their new Rics? I gotta say, after forty+ years of playing I don't care for the lightness of the 55 and 75 gauge strings. After perusing various threads on here I'm aware of Ric's roughly 150 pound stock set tension. The GHS come in at 186.5 pounds (slightly lower due to scale length). If I widen the nut slots and adjust the truss rods accordingly is a set with this much tension going to give me warranty problems if I need to make a claim in the next five years? And speaking of truss rods, there seems to be red paint or clear red lacquer on the nuts and threads. Please tell me this is not Loctite from the factory. I think the updated/modern bass will probably tolerate the M3045 set at least as well as the '79, but it would be nice to know what Rickenbacker defines as too much tension beyond phrases like "recommended ranges". Do they mean the range of 45-105 generally, or specifically 45-55-75-105?
We can't answer that, here. You are asking us to validate your choice and that you may never have any issues. :D
Laird
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Re: String gauges....again.

Post by Laird »

Understood. Perhaps not the best question as no one can really speak to Ric's policies but them. So leaving the warranty issue aside, do any fellow forum members who own the recent iterations of 4003S models use GHS M3045 Bass Boomers (45-65-85-105) ? If so, how are they holding up after widening the nut and neck adjustment? Everything staying put without tail lift, or the neck angle pulling up at the neck pickup cavity? I got my first 4001 in 1976 (MapleGlo) and just love 'em. My new 4003S is a dream come true for me and although I'm fairly certain it'll be fine, I do want to proceed with caution. That said, 45-105 at 186.5 lbs doesn't seem that extreme although they do seem to have higher tension than the equivalent gauged sets based on manufacturer published data. Daddario EXL 165 are lower at 174.2 Unfortunately I prefer strings with silk at the machine head so they don't chew the finish off the string post. GHS L3045 are 140.8 lbs (40-95) but I'm thinking that a 95 E string dropped to a D will be pretty flappy.
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Isaac
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Re: String gauges....again.

Post by Isaac »

For myself, I think I'd prefer 45-55-75-105 to 45-65-85-105. It seems to me that it would make for a more balanced set. Certainly tension-wise and, I'd expect, tone-wise as well.
ghettoshelf
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Re: String gauges....again.

Post by ghettoshelf »

I have a 70 4001 and an 05 4001 C64S. Both have Dan Markley stainless round wound 050-110. No problems at all. Sometimes the older hairpin truss rods don't like the heavy strings. I had a 76 that would bend the truss rods within a day of putting strings on. I finally replaced the rods and strung it up with 45-105 rounds and sold the bass. It was fine with the 105 but not 110s. The modern truss rods, although I've never had them out of my bass seem a lot more stable. I had a 2014 4001 for a little bit and it was fine with the heavy strings.
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iiipopes
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Re: String gauges....again.

Post by iiipopes »

Back in the '80's I played Boomers 45-65-85-105 on the '76 4001 I owned at the time with old style truss rods with no problems. Now, on my 4002, I prefer Progressives in 45-60-80-105 (or sometimes a Pressurewound 44 to tame twang), as I prefer that feel.

Remember that roundwound strings, due to the gaps in the windings, have less mass than flat wound strings of the same gauge. So any "regular" gauge round wound strings should never be a problem.

Also remember that the scale is 33 1/4, not 34 inches on which the tension measurements are based. Tension varies as the square of the scale length, so the actual tension on a Rickenbacker bass neck is 33.25^2 / 34^2, or about 96% of the rated tension.

The new style truss rods are stronger than the old-style truss rods.

In other words, for most conventional sets that have @ 45 for the G string, tension on the neck is a non-issue.
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jdogric12
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Re: String gauges....again.

Post by jdogric12 »

He can't speak to the RIC warranty questions, but if I were you I'd contact Jason Mendelson at BassStringsOnline.com (yes, he and I really have the same name, and yes, we really are two completely different people) and ask him about gauge/tension. He's really good with that kind of info.
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