Ok guys, i have my 1973 4001....

ojobob2 · Post by **ojobob2** » Thu Sep 04, 2003 11:47 am

Bob- `my bridge is tight, i had to practically take the bass apart. So i put it back together properly

The Neck is quite beefy in terms of depth, and does get a bit bigger towards the body joint - not much - but more more so than other ricks ive tried. The fretboard is pretty thick too, all in all its one beefy 4001.

The treble pickup is the button top variety - and it has a heavy thick metal baseplate. There is also no grounding wire that loops around the height screw, i guess with a metal base its unneeded

leftybass · Post by **leftybass** » Thu Sep 04, 2003 3:39 pm

Since we are talking about truss rods, I have a related question...

I am in the throws of refurbishing my 1972 4001LH, putting it back to original spec as close as I can.(It has all the old-style appointments like crushed-pearl, checker-binding, clear finger grip etc....) The bass has no strings on it at present and the neck exhibits a slight back-bow...I am getting close to re-assembling it. My question is this: Should I go ahead and loosen the rods now, or wait and loosen them while the bass has string tension on it after I put it back together???

ojobob2 · Post by **ojobob2** » Thu Sep 04, 2003 4:18 pm

Well, id loosen them whilst there are no strings, just for secutity..but tthe bass i just recieved had totally slackened off strings and tight rods. Im pretty sure its been in the case for a long time (Rust everywhere)

But the Neck is ok

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Fri Sep 05, 2003 9:34 am

Yeah, I loosen the truss rod while there are no strings on it, I always do, unless it's just for a few minutes. I even change one string at a time when I put new strings on. Just loosen them enough so that it's straight, which ideally should be so loose you can turn them by hand. I would tighten them back up again right before you put the strings on it, if you do that correctly you will be able to loosen them a bit after you have it tuned to pitch. Make sure you put back tension on the neck as you tighten them, you don't want the truss rods to do the work, just hold it into place.

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Fri Sep 05, 2003 9:37 am

Owen, there should be some kind of ground wire in there somewhere, my 72 has the big aluminum plate and there still is a ground wire in the usual place, that's a very easy repair.

ojobob2 · Post by **ojobob2** » Fri Sep 05, 2003 10:01 am

Bob, theres not a wire! I was puzzled at this - i checked on the pickup underside where the ground wires are soldered together - theres no sign of a broken off wire.

The bass had the the over strings cover present when i got it, and i think its never been removed as it was covered in green oxide from sweat etc, and the magnet is unusually clean for a bass this old.

If i tap the metal surround it "pops", so its definatly grounded

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Sat Sep 06, 2003 9:20 am

That is wierd Owen, do you have a three prong plug on your amp? Does your bass do this everywhere when you tap the metal parts, such as the bridge, or strings? It should all sound the same. Do you have a multimeter? If so check it to your output jack ground, it should be pretty close to a dead short. 1 ohm or probably a lot less. If it is open it is not grounded. You can also check it to the bridge or the strings, should be similar. Usually a pop indicates a bad ground. With a good ground your bass should be quiet unless you are near lights or something.
The ground wire is usually soldiered to one of the pot cases and comes through a little hole on the control cavity side of the treble cutout.

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Sat Sep 06, 2003 9:22 am

It's not part of the pickup circuit, that would probably make it noisy as hell, although I'm not positive about the noise.

ojobob2 · Post by **ojobob2** » Tue Sep 09, 2003 10:57 pm

Bob - ALL uk appliances are grounded. Except , obviously, stuff with plastic cases

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Wed Sep 10, 2003 8:27 am

Yeah the same here in the US, but I mean that I think the ground wire would come from the pot cases in the control cavity and come through a little hole from the control cavity in to treble pickup cavity, and go directly to the lug, but I'm not positive about that it may also go to the ground side of thew pickup wiring, I'll look this afternoon at my 79.

ojobob2 · Post by **ojobob2** » Wed Sep 10, 2003 9:02 am

Bob - the metal pickup base has a ground wire soldered to it, (that of course would be nessecary to make the pickup work) and so the base is grounded,,that means the height screws and surround are grounded too as they all contact

theyre may have been a ground wire that broke off,,but the "lightbulb" washer is also gone, and i dont seem to need the wire anyway.

Those metal plates are a far better idea than the plastic ones, as my 4003's height adjustment screw holes have stripped (i have to use broken toothpicks to add grip)

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Wed Sep 10, 2003 9:08 am

Oooh, I never had my 72 apart, that is how they did it then? Is it noisy?

ojobob2 · Post by **ojobob2** » Wed Sep 10, 2003 9:08 am

oh yeah and i am back in London, and my bass sounds great!

I have also managed to totally repair it, i reglued the fretboard split, fixed the bad tuner, and even re - aligned the rods so they aint all bent down. They are working fine

ojobob2 · Post by **ojobob2** » Wed Sep 10, 2003 9:12 am

no its silent......

use MSN and ill tell you all about it....haha

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Wed Sep 10, 2003 9:14 am

I enjoy doing that stuff, fixing the old 4001's.
Did you bypass the cap? How do you like the sound compared to your 4003?