Exactly, Ted! From my own experiences and what I've read on this forum, the bridge/tailpiece does seem to be a point of concern for a lot of people. I myself am still debating whether to get a Hipshot replacement, as no new bridge is forthcoming from RIC.
I've used Mark Walker's 'coin trick' for the moment as I don't fancy drilling the tailpiece and then finding it doesn't work for me.
The coins seem to do the trick, although the 'dead' spot I have is still there, just not as bad. Sustain and punch are indeed brighter. My 'E' string seems to vary according to type of string and neck position. It's only one dead spot too. As you know, I've changed rods, so it's not them. I think it's one of the things 'wrong' with my Rick.
Apart from all these problems I wouldn't part with her. Not after all the stress I've gone through. LOL. Any tip to make the Rick a better instrument to play is indeed, 'public service'.
Tailpiece observations....
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bassduke49
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bob_the_bass
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I am obviously in the minority here but I think the low output E has more to do with set up on the old 4001's than anything else as I've cured it many times. All my new 4003's have nice loud E's right out of the box although I can set them up and have a weak E (by mistake) and then fix it again. I may try the holes with long allen screws into the wood on a new one to see if they sound even better as it is an invisible mod and several people here seem to have had good luck with it. I always knew that this 79 I had sounded and played great but couldn't pinpoint the exact reason as it also had a wooden bridge put in and no varnish was left on the neck as a result of a re-fret and this was before I bought it. As far as dead spots go try some of the old $10,000.00 Fenders, talk about dead spots but they sound and play great, there is no perfect bass. Dead spots on rics can usually be fixed with a good set up. most of my Rics are free of dead spots and if I have one it is out of the norm and I notice and fix it right away. One big reason for dead spots I have found is too much of a bow in the neck.
I've had my Rick setup professionally and by myself and there is one dead spot that will not go away. I've tried loads of different things, but it's something I can live with. It doesn't affect the playability or sound.
Personally I think its down to the bridge. Same as a weak 'E' string, but this can sometimes be cured with a trussrod tweak.
Personally I think its down to the bridge. Same as a weak 'E' string, but this can sometimes be cured with a trussrod tweak.
What d'ya mean... the bass is TOO loud!
Every stringed instrument will have its less prominent notes. You just hope that they won't be so dead that they make the instrument unpleasant to play. I have tried many approaches with my varied 4001s over the last 25 years, some simple some more drastic. Several of my 4001s back then got Badass bridges and still had the problem. No one thing does the trick. There is no magic bullet. I think each instrument has be considered individually.
RIC tried a few things too like moving the neck pickup a bit and adding lead weights under the fingerboard. Perhaps even the different head shapes / sizes over the years were part of the strategey. I don't know. Some otherwise fine instruments just do not respond to any amount of setup or rod tinkering. The tail piece mod explored by Chris and others, while more extreme than a rod tweak, may be a way to coax more punch out of the non-responders. I have not yet drilled into the body. The sound of my '80 seems to have improved but I want to give it more time before deciding either way. Perhaps I will lengthen the screws and drill in about 1/4" later.
RIC tried a few things too like moving the neck pickup a bit and adding lead weights under the fingerboard. Perhaps even the different head shapes / sizes over the years were part of the strategey. I don't know. Some otherwise fine instruments just do not respond to any amount of setup or rod tinkering. The tail piece mod explored by Chris and others, while more extreme than a rod tweak, may be a way to coax more punch out of the non-responders. I have not yet drilled into the body. The sound of my '80 seems to have improved but I want to give it more time before deciding either way. Perhaps I will lengthen the screws and drill in about 1/4" later.
I agree with everything you said Ted, there is no perfect instrument and there are many different things that can be done to improve the basses if they need it. I also don't know if drilling into the body will make any difference from the screws just setting on the wood, I think that the Allen screws will transmit the sound into the body whether there is a hole or not but I'm interested in your opinion if you do drill little holes for the screws. I do think the holes are great for keeping the bridges standing up straight though.
A pro guitar tech would probably never think of stacking coins under the bridge.