1980 - 4001 Pickguard
Moderator: jingle_jangle
1980 - 4001 Pickguard
Would anyone know why the Rickenbacker factory would not stock a white pickguard for my 1980-4001 bass? My local Sam Ash dealer called them today and they were told they stocked only 4003 pickguards. Any suggetions ? Could they have spoken to an inexperienced sales rep ?
Yes ...the problem with older rick pickguards is that they were literally one offs!
A sheet of plexiglass was layed on a table and a template was traced out onto it .
This then went over to the wood shop and was band sawed out .
The next set was to have some one on a drill press ,drill all the screw holes.This was done by eye and without the use of drill guides.
This is where the dicrepancies come from .Plus the templates are not all the same.
there were several when I worked there and that was due to changing cavities in the basses.Which was due to human error on the pin routers and/or wear and tear on the plywood jigs we had.
Also the perimeter of the guards was rough cut on the pinrouters and then went to the flap sander .This could change the exterior shape and as each batch was done this way ,there are /were small variations in each batch.
I must assume that with CNC tooling and all the art work now on a CAD file ....they must all be the same.
I would hope that the hole patterns is nailed down and the perimeter is the only area of fluctuation .
If you look at any of the Rick books ,you will notice this .All of them have drifting screw holes and knob placement.
As to why don't they have this guard?......
two guesses
1-they just are out of stock at the moment
2- which pattern is the one that you have and how is it to be made so that what ever you have works?
They would need a tracing and a duplicate would then be made.
I suggest you have some one that has the plastic and the know how make you a custom one.
for [email protected]
He does great work and is no threat to the factory and in fact is an ex employee of Electro String Corp.----the makers of Rickenbacker instruments.
A sheet of plexiglass was layed on a table and a template was traced out onto it .
This then went over to the wood shop and was band sawed out .
The next set was to have some one on a drill press ,drill all the screw holes.This was done by eye and without the use of drill guides.
This is where the dicrepancies come from .Plus the templates are not all the same.
there were several when I worked there and that was due to changing cavities in the basses.Which was due to human error on the pin routers and/or wear and tear on the plywood jigs we had.
Also the perimeter of the guards was rough cut on the pinrouters and then went to the flap sander .This could change the exterior shape and as each batch was done this way ,there are /were small variations in each batch.
I must assume that with CNC tooling and all the art work now on a CAD file ....they must all be the same.
I would hope that the hole patterns is nailed down and the perimeter is the only area of fluctuation .
If you look at any of the Rick books ,you will notice this .All of them have drifting screw holes and knob placement.
As to why don't they have this guard?......
two guesses
1-they just are out of stock at the moment
2- which pattern is the one that you have and how is it to be made so that what ever you have works?
They would need a tracing and a duplicate would then be made.
I suggest you have some one that has the plastic and the know how make you a custom one.
for [email protected]
He does great work and is no threat to the factory and in fact is an ex employee of Electro String Corp.----the makers of Rickenbacker instruments.
So you too want yours "ALAPWOB"?!?!
Thanks Mark, I thought I would just waltz in and order one. Who knew it would be such a project !
The Rickenbacker sales rep said that they did have a pickguard for a 1975 4001. I ordered that one , hoping that the screw holes would be in line with the ones on my bass. If they are not, would you suggest drilling new holes ? My current pick guard is very weathered (from playing on the beach in the Ft. Lauderdale area for years) and detracts from the beauty of my guitar.
The Rickenbacker sales rep said that they did have a pickguard for a 1975 4001. I ordered that one , hoping that the screw holes would be in line with the ones on my bass. If they are not, would you suggest drilling new holes ? My current pick guard is very weathered (from playing on the beach in the Ft. Lauderdale area for years) and detracts from the beauty of my guitar.
Weathered?
Is it just scratched?
If so it can be buffed out ....no reason to get a new one!!!
[email protected] aka DR on this site will explain this ....
If not then I will.later anyway.Don take it away.
Is it just scratched?
If so it can be buffed out ....no reason to get a new one!!!
[email protected] aka DR on this site will explain this ....
If not then I will.later anyway.Don take it away.
So you too want yours "ALAPWOB"?!?!
Dr. here;
If your old guard is weathered and a bit scratched, first, remove it from the bass along with everything mounted on it. Then, go to an auto body paint supplier and pick up a bottle of Meguiars Mirror Glaze # 5.Get a small piece of terrycloth[like a worn washcloth you are ready to toss out].Pour a little # 5 on the cloth, or the plastic guard, and Rub! then Rub some more! Faster,using a circular motion.After a few minutes, take another clean cloth, and buff off the residue. Then, to really clean it up, take it to your kitchen sink, and run some warm water over it after using a small amount of dish detergent[biodegradable if you have it]. Then rinse the suds off, and buff dry with a clean towel.You may still have some superficial surface scratches, but they will have become minimized
in appearance, and the plastic will shine again.
No need to take 2 and call me in the morning now...BTW, this polish is Also the main stuff I use on All my guitars for tweaking the finish as well.My favorite potion, bar none.
If your old guard is weathered and a bit scratched, first, remove it from the bass along with everything mounted on it. Then, go to an auto body paint supplier and pick up a bottle of Meguiars Mirror Glaze # 5.Get a small piece of terrycloth[like a worn washcloth you are ready to toss out].Pour a little # 5 on the cloth, or the plastic guard, and Rub! then Rub some more! Faster,using a circular motion.After a few minutes, take another clean cloth, and buff off the residue. Then, to really clean it up, take it to your kitchen sink, and run some warm water over it after using a small amount of dish detergent[biodegradable if you have it]. Then rinse the suds off, and buff dry with a clean towel.You may still have some superficial surface scratches, but they will have become minimized
in appearance, and the plastic will shine again.
No need to take 2 and call me in the morning now...BTW, this polish is Also the main stuff I use on All my guitars for tweaking the finish as well.My favorite potion, bar none.