Introducing the Al Cisneros Signature 4003S

[Isaac]

The reason I ask is that my daughter, who has more of an artist's eye than I, thinks it might look good if the pick guard and TRC matched the inlays. Can the pearloid stuff be obtained and, if it can, can a pick guard be made from it?

[Isaac]

This might work: https://www.amazon.com/IKN-Pickguard-Ma ... 044&sr=8-2

[sloop_john_b]

There is a member here who had a pickguard made at one point to match the inlays, and I believe it was this material from Pickguardian:

https://www.pickguardian.com/options/ma ... #mg_ld_193

[FretlessOnly]

The reason I ask is that my daughter, who has more of an artist's eye than I, thinks it might look good if the pick guard and TRC matched the inlays. Can the pearloid stuff be obtained and, if it can, can a pick guard be made from it?

Isaac: Give Tony Dudzik at Pickguardian a try. He does top shelf work and is of rock solid integrity. The best way to get the right fit is to mail him your plastic and he'll duplicate it in whatever material you choose. Scroll down and check out the Green Pearloid here: https://www.pickguardian.com/options/materials/#mg.

Tony has made several guards for me and I've always been very pleased. I know that shipping your plastic to him isn't probably putting a smile on your face, but I've done it with several basses and it always works out fine. I don't think he can duplicate the Rickenbacker name on the TRC, however.

[Isaac]

My current plan is to try to do it myself. I'll see how that goes.

[Dirk]

Another happy Pickgaurdian customer here. I don't know your tool and skill level, but working with pickgaurds can be challenging.
For the money it's an easy choice for me.

Dirk

[Isaac]

Another happy Pickgaurdian customer here. I don't know your tool and skill level, but working with pickgaurds can be challenging.
For the money it's an easy choice for me.

Dirk

It seems as though it ought to be fairly simple. What am I missing? What kind of challenges would I be facing that I apparently haven't thought of?

[Dirk]

Well let's see, getting the proper material, cutting the shape, drilling the holes exactly, and beveling the edges is challenging.

So you need a bandsaw for the rough cutout.
Drill press to drill your screw holes.
Laminate trimmer or router with a proper bit for cutout and or edge beveling.
Lots of slow careful sanding so consider a spindle sander, you could use that to bevel perhaps.

Now I'm not saying all the tasks couldn't be done with hand tools, it can but will take a good while.
A sanding block will help if you have the patience to do it manually.

I know it sounds like it should be simple, it's surprising how it's not.

Good luck,
Dirk

[Isaac]

Thanks. I expect that it will take some time, but I'm retired, and time is my greatest asset!

I don't have any of those tools, but I know a guy who does.

And anyway: “The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.” — Bertrand Russell

[Dirk]

Well there you go, the worst case scenario is you don't use what you made and you contact Pickguardian.

Take your time, and ask your friend with the tools for advice. A nice sanding block can help with the edge beveling.
Dirk

[Isaac]

So, what does the 4003AC sound like in the mix?

Glad you asked!

Here I am, playing a virtual concert with The Deep Woods Band at the Whiteside Theater. FOH sound is direct from a Digitech BP355 set for clean with compression.

https://youtu.be/HNkMXSiaIto?t=876

[jps]

As mentioned elsewhere, playing this kind of music on a 4003AC invalidates your warrantee.

[Isaac]

Well, I bought it second-hand, anyway!

[Korladis]

Because there is already so much distortion in his bass playing that it kills any tone the bass may have.

Completely disagree. Rickenbackers don't sound the same as other basses with distortion. They sound much better. Do you think that guitarists shouldn't play with distortion, either?

I like distortion on bass. Muse's Hysteria comes to mind. But all of the time? Nope.

I play my Rickenbacker basses into overdriven tube amps. They are distorted all the time. I switch to the quieter toaster neck pickup if I want a "cleanish" sound.

[henry5]

I play my Rickenbacker basses into overdriven tube amps. They are distorted all the time. I switch to the quieter toaster neck pickup if I want a "cleanish" sound.

It’s funny, the toasters on my vintage basses are noticeably louder than the bridge pickups (and no, it’s not a cap issue). I always find it weird playing newer basses when the bridge pickup is louder.