Hi folks.
I have this Rickenbacker 4001 bass, which I bought second-hand quite a few years ago. I never played much with it as I was already used to play a very different bass (an Ibanez Axstar, strung BEAD). Also, the Ric has been very mistreated by its previous owner, which made it a pain in the *** to use; what with the electronics being all messed up.
But I recently played with it again for a show : I had a solo to make for which the BEAD setting of my other bass was simply too low.
And I fell in love again. Now I can't understand how the beautiful growl of this bass has eluded my attention all those years.
But, as I mentionned, it's been badly mistreated. And I'd like to put it back in shape.
I know I could surely find all the info I need all over this forum. But I was wondering if someone here would be willing to tutor me as I go along.
For one thing, it really does need a lot of work. And I've never worked on an instrument before. So I feel I'd be more comfortable having someone who could coach me and give me advice on a case by case basis.
Of course, I'd appreciate someone who's used to do that kind of thing.
Here's what I figure it needs done, in order of priority :
-First, I'd like to identify the serial number and year of the bass.
-Re-wiring : The wiring inside is rusty, and the soldering badly done.
-Cleaning, maybe changing, the PUs : Also seems to be some rust in there.
-Shielding the PUs : It picks up a good amount of interference. (Plus it tends to feed. But I don't know if shielding would help with that...)
-I also heard the neck PU (I think) could be modded somehow on these basses. I'd like to know a bit more about that...
-Changing a few parts : The tuners, the pickguard, the PU switch, a few screws here and there.
-Adding a thumbrest would be nice.
-Sanding and re-finishing it : I don't know what went through that guy's head when he covered it thick with some kind of fake-wood varnish !
-Possibly doing something with the space where the "muffler" (?) goes. (Sorry : I'm a francophone from Montreal.) Maybe adding a tuner there...
Apart from that, the action is nice, and it plays rather well (amazingly, considering all what I've just said).
So, would anybody here be interested in accompanying me through this project ?
The way I see it, it could be nice to have an ongoing thread detailing all the steps taken to take my beaten Ric back to shape...
Thanks in advance for your replies.
(BTW - I'm fairly new here. Actually just discovered the forum a couple days ago. So please forgive me if all this info already exists somewhere I haven't had the chance to see it yet.)
Newbie saying hi. Also needing some help... a lot of help.
Moderators: rickenbrother, ajish4
Look on the jackplate, you will see the serial number there. If it's fairly new, there will be the two last numbers of the year manufactured above the stereo jack. If not, two letters. On the bottom of the mono output, there should be at least 4 digits which is the serial number. To decode the two letters, go to: http://www.rickenbacker.com/script/sn-cgi-2.pl
Make sure to type the whole serial number with no spaces here.
When you said "muffler", I'm guessing you mean the string mute area of the bridge?
On anything else you want to do, go to "Ask a Rickenbacker Luthier" section. There, a great guy named Mark Arnquist can help you a great deal with any modifications or general repair. I heard he's quite busy now, with all the repairs that he's doing, and the holiday season.
Yeah, this is a great place to hang out. I hope you enjoy this, and learn alot from this. Welcome to the club!!! Happy Ricking!!!
Rob.
Make sure to type the whole serial number with no spaces here.
When you said "muffler", I'm guessing you mean the string mute area of the bridge?
On anything else you want to do, go to "Ask a Rickenbacker Luthier" section. There, a great guy named Mark Arnquist can help you a great deal with any modifications or general repair. I heard he's quite busy now, with all the repairs that he's doing, and the holiday season.
Yeah, this is a great place to hang out. I hope you enjoy this, and learn alot from this. Welcome to the club!!! Happy Ricking!!!
Rob.
Hi and welcome...you can date your bass with the serial # by going to the homepage here and then click database and then serial #.
As far as wiring, Mark Arquist(who is very busy) has a hand drawn diagram of the 4001 wiring, and Rickenbacker International has the downloadable schematic.
There are several places that offer ric replacement parts,Rhoades Music, Pick of the Ricks, Northcoast music ect.
For do it yourself refinishing try the Guitar Reranch http://www.reranch.com/ ...read refinishing 101 and all of the post on the board to get a good idea and then go for it.
Sergio from this board seems to be a pickup wizard and would probably be happy to help...
Go through the archives and search for specific answers to questions and you'll probably find the answers to many of your questions. Once again welcome aboard and good luck with your project. David
As far as wiring, Mark Arquist(who is very busy) has a hand drawn diagram of the 4001 wiring, and Rickenbacker International has the downloadable schematic.
There are several places that offer ric replacement parts,Rhoades Music, Pick of the Ricks, Northcoast music ect.
For do it yourself refinishing try the Guitar Reranch http://www.reranch.com/ ...read refinishing 101 and all of the post on the board to get a good idea and then go for it.
Sergio from this board seems to be a pickup wizard and would probably be happy to help...
Go through the archives and search for specific answers to questions and you'll probably find the answers to many of your questions. Once again welcome aboard and good luck with your project. David
-
jwr2
You can get replacement parts here
http://www.the-music-connection.com/ricpart.htm
with a screw driver and a solder gun you can replace any or all of the hardware.
Refinishing is for experts ... most ric refinish projects are mapleglo aka blond aka natural ...
http://www.the-music-connection.com/ricpart.htm
with a screw driver and a solder gun you can replace any or all of the hardware.
Refinishing is for experts ... most ric refinish projects are mapleglo aka blond aka natural ...
-
raman
Thanks for the welcome guys. 
I'll check out the serial number tonight, I will also try again to post in the "Ask a luthier" forum. (I can't seem to post there... Maybe because I didn't check that box when I first registered ?...)
And thanks also for pointing me towards the relevant info.
All very much appreciated.
I still hope to find someone I can contact on a regular basis for when I encounter problems as I'm progressing though.
But maybe you're right : Maybe just starting a thread in the "luthier" section, and posting questions there as I go along will work just as well. (I'll see if I can ask Mark Arquist too.)
[-The reason why I thought about doing this on a one-on-one format is, from experience on these forums, for every one question you ask you get several contradicting answers... And, well, I'm starting form scratch and I really--but really--don't want to mess this up.]
In any case, I'm sure this'll be a fun project. That's such a nice bass! : I hope I can give her back her shine and youth.
I'll check out the serial number tonight, I will also try again to post in the "Ask a luthier" forum. (I can't seem to post there... Maybe because I didn't check that box when I first registered ?...)
And thanks also for pointing me towards the relevant info.
All very much appreciated.
I still hope to find someone I can contact on a regular basis for when I encounter problems as I'm progressing though.
But maybe you're right : Maybe just starting a thread in the "luthier" section, and posting questions there as I go along will work just as well. (I'll see if I can ask Mark Arquist too.)
[-The reason why I thought about doing this on a one-on-one format is, from experience on these forums, for every one question you ask you get several contradicting answers... And, well, I'm starting form scratch and I really--but really--don't want to mess this up.]
In any case, I'm sure this'll be a fun project. That's such a nice bass! : I hope I can give her back her shine and youth.
-
jwr2
I have a '74 ric that started out as black then got painted red then got stripped to maple. Also somebody tried to make a jazz bass out of it, different bridge and different wiring ... 2 vol and 1 tone. Also the ric-o-sound was broke, and a tuner was bent ...
But the neck was great and the refinish job was pretty good. So I restored it ... replaced most of the chrome and plastic and screws and electronics. I leveled the frets and put on a new nut.
A ric is a good bass to restore because you have a quality insrtument under all of the scratches and stuff. As long as the neck is good and the wood is not chopped up.
My '74 has super low action and a classic ric sound.
I cleaned up a ric for a friend and he was very happy ... it is now his favorite bass ...
So Ric's do take well to restoration.
But the neck was great and the refinish job was pretty good. So I restored it ... replaced most of the chrome and plastic and screws and electronics. I leveled the frets and put on a new nut.
A ric is a good bass to restore because you have a quality insrtument under all of the scratches and stuff. As long as the neck is good and the wood is not chopped up.
My '74 has super low action and a classic ric sound.
I cleaned up a ric for a friend and he was very happy ... it is now his favorite bass ...
So Ric's do take well to restoration.
Yeah, my '76 4001 had all this sloppy gunk all over it, dead strings, and a wad of animal hair in the treble pickup!?!?! It was about half the size of my fist. Scary. After a good cleanup, I have a wonderfull bass.
Raman, I suggest replacing the treble hi-gain pickup with a horseshoe pickup. That's what I did with my 4001, and I love it.
Raman, I suggest replacing the treble hi-gain pickup with a horseshoe pickup. That's what I did with my 4001, and I love it.
-
raman
Hi guys. Once again, thanks for the replies.
And thanks to Jeff for the encouraging news.
The serial, above the mono input is OA.
But there are only 3 digits under the stereo one : 282.
I typed the whole thing (OA282) in the Ric Service page, and it said the bass was manufactured in 1975.
(I was afraid it was a fake when I read it should have 4 digits and saw mine didn't...)
And thanks to Jeff for the encouraging news.
The serial, above the mono input is OA.
But there are only 3 digits under the stereo one : 282.
I typed the whole thing (OA282) in the Ric Service page, and it said the bass was manufactured in 1975.
(I was afraid it was a fake when I read it should have 4 digits and saw mine didn't...)
-
raman
I was thinking about putting in some Ibanez DFR pickups...
NO,NO : It's a joke. Please don't ban me from the site !
Really, I don't know if I'll change them. I need to do the wiring first, shield the pots, and then, depending how it sounds, I'll see if they need to be changed.
They do need to be cleaned up though. Hopefully that'll be enough.
And if I do need to change them, well, I'm not sure. Just this morning I was reading on the 4003's and 4004's which seem to be improvements on the 4001's...
But I'll be doing a lot more research before I can decide. (It'll also depend on availability.)
Just curious, btw : What do you make of the Ric's year ?
NO,NO : It's a joke. Please don't ban me from the site !
Really, I don't know if I'll change them. I need to do the wiring first, shield the pots, and then, depending how it sounds, I'll see if they need to be changed.
They do need to be cleaned up though. Hopefully that'll be enough.
And if I do need to change them, well, I'm not sure. Just this morning I was reading on the 4003's and 4004's which seem to be improvements on the 4001's...
But I'll be doing a lot more research before I can decide. (It'll also depend on availability.)
Just curious, btw : What do you make of the Ric's year ?
-
jwr2
for my '74 Ric restoration ... I bought 2 new mono jack and took out the malfunctioning ric-o-sound stuff ... I got a prewired volume/tone/toggle assembly from Mike Parks ... http://www.the-music-connection.com/ricpart.htm ... I put in 2 new 4003 high gain pickups without a capaciter ... this gives it a hot full sound ... this is a little hotter and thicker sounding than your '70's pickups ...
There are a few different types of Ric bass pickups ...
1 - you have the old vintage 60's horseshoe and toaster pickups.
2 - you have the reissue horseshoe and toaster pickups.
3 - you have the high gain from the '70s
4 - you have the high gain from the late 80's to present.
All of them sound different.
The horseshoe and toaster make a classic sound with the capaciter added. The new pickups are similar but not indetical to the old ones. For instance the magnets on the new toasters are longer.
The 70's high gain pickups were hotter than the toaster and horseshoe pickups.
The 4003 high gain grom the late 80's to now are even hotter and thicker sounding, they are wound different.
I prefer the newest Ric pickups. For those of you who think this is too thick, then turn up the treble and high mids and cut your 250k on the eq ...
A nice combination is the new hot pickup in the bridge and a toaster in the neck.
Another nice combination is a 70's high gain in the bridge position and a new 4003 in the neck.
I personally only like the capaciter with the horseshoe pickup ... for all of the rest I remove it.
There are a few different types of Ric bass pickups ...
1 - you have the old vintage 60's horseshoe and toaster pickups.
2 - you have the reissue horseshoe and toaster pickups.
3 - you have the high gain from the '70s
4 - you have the high gain from the late 80's to present.
All of them sound different.
The horseshoe and toaster make a classic sound with the capaciter added. The new pickups are similar but not indetical to the old ones. For instance the magnets on the new toasters are longer.
The 70's high gain pickups were hotter than the toaster and horseshoe pickups.
The 4003 high gain grom the late 80's to now are even hotter and thicker sounding, they are wound different.
I prefer the newest Ric pickups. For those of you who think this is too thick, then turn up the treble and high mids and cut your 250k on the eq ...
A nice combination is the new hot pickup in the bridge and a toaster in the neck.
Another nice combination is a 70's high gain in the bridge position and a new 4003 in the neck.
I personally only like the capaciter with the horseshoe pickup ... for all of the rest I remove it.
Hi all,
I'm also a newbie here. Mine is a '98 4003FG. I love it!
It's interesting that Jeff mentioned a Toaster neck PU and a Hi-gain bridge PU should make a good combination because I've been toying with the idea of changing the neck PU to a 7.4k Toaster.(20% for the "legendary" sound that I haven't experienced in person yet, 80% for the sake of "look", I have to admit.)
I however found that the output level of my hi-gain neck PU is at least 1/3 lower than that of the bridge hi-gainer already. is this normal? (Average distances between polepieces and strings:Neck--4/32, Bridge--3/32.) So I'm afraid that a 7.4k Toaster would yield an even lower output.
I know I could lower the Bridge PU to balance but that would make the bridge PU's sound less "in your face".
Has anyone done the mod and is willing to share his/her experience/impression sound-wise?
Also, has any of you senior owners of RICs performed pickup and control cavity shielding? How good are your results?
Please chime in.
I'm also a newbie here. Mine is a '98 4003FG. I love it!
It's interesting that Jeff mentioned a Toaster neck PU and a Hi-gain bridge PU should make a good combination because I've been toying with the idea of changing the neck PU to a 7.4k Toaster.(20% for the "legendary" sound that I haven't experienced in person yet, 80% for the sake of "look", I have to admit.)
I however found that the output level of my hi-gain neck PU is at least 1/3 lower than that of the bridge hi-gainer already. is this normal? (Average distances between polepieces and strings:Neck--4/32, Bridge--3/32.) So I'm afraid that a 7.4k Toaster would yield an even lower output.
I know I could lower the Bridge PU to balance but that would make the bridge PU's sound less "in your face".
Has anyone done the mod and is willing to share his/her experience/impression sound-wise?
Also, has any of you senior owners of RICs performed pickup and control cavity shielding? How good are your results?
Please chime in.