The search for enlightenment....

rickenbrother · Post by **rickenbrother** » Mon Oct 02, 2006 5:37 am

I had intended to remove a set of reverse tuners from one, maybe two of my 4001 basses. I don't like them much, but I know other guys do. John Minutaglio is very welcome to have a set. They do have the usual wear of a set from the 70's or early 80's
Great work, as usual Ted.

rickfan60 · Post by **rickfan60** » Mon Oct 02, 2006 7:05 am

Would you consider a straight up trade for a modern set?

jps · Post by **jps** » Mon Oct 02, 2006 7:25 am

"Jeez, that "R" tailpiece is a major pain in the *** to work with. It is clearly more about aesthetics than function"

That is what I thought too, back in the mid '70s, which is why there are these holes here.

The chrome top knobs are correct, I just prefer the vintage knobs as the index line is much easier to see on darkened stages.

rickaddict · Post by **rickaddict** » Mon Oct 02, 2006 8:38 am

Outstanding work, Ted. Those inlays look fantastic!

jnbass · Post by **jnbass** » Mon Oct 02, 2006 9:19 am

you can see 'um a mile away!

ealdrett · Post by **ealdrett** » Mon Oct 02, 2006 10:04 am

Ted,
That bass now looks so beautiful. Wonderful work.

And about the name, it was named after my FIRST wife who supported me in my music career and purchasing the bass.

And for the record, that was my very first Rickenbacker instrument that I've owned.

John M., now you just need a decent case for her. The one that came with her was just not deserving. Try Ameritage for a more suited case.

rickenbrother · Post by **rickenbrother** » Mon Oct 02, 2006 10:26 am

Ted, I will take pictures of the reverse tuner sets and email them to you when I get home from work tonight.

rickenbrother · Post by **rickenbrother** » Mon Oct 02, 2006 10:51 am

...and I'm not concerned about what I'll get in return from John Minutaglio.

rickfan60 · Post by **rickfan60** » Mon Oct 02, 2006 1:04 pm

Thanks Edgar and thanks for sharing the Kathleen details. It was important to me that that this one look right in the end. The old girl has a pedigree after all. I am hoping that this will be the start of long and happy chapter of her life. The inlays are slightly larger than they are supposed to be but it is hard to tell unless you compare it directly with another old Rick. I can't wait to get home and reinstall the neck pickup and play her through an amp!

Thanks Joey: The tuners I have to offer are very clean and new looking.

johnallg · Post by **johnallg** » Mon Oct 02, 2006 1:29 pm

Great work Ted - I see many more projects in your future! Maybe it will get to the point, both in quality and volume, where you can ditch the IT work and just work on Ricks!!

kcole4001 · Post by **kcole4001** » Mon Oct 02, 2006 2:37 pm

Wow! That's pretty fantastic work Ted!
You should be very proud to be able to accomplish work of that quality.

rickenbrother · Post by **rickenbrother** » Mon Oct 02, 2006 3:17 pm

Ted, I sent you that email with pics.

rickfan60 · Post by **rickfan60** » Mon Oct 02, 2006 7:49 pm

I put the neck pickup back in to test and found that the electronics need some attention. The jack is not working well and the wiring under the pickup is a bit messy. Anyway, she sounds pretty good. The pickup placement on the 4005 is hardly ideal. The bridge pickup is way too close to the saddles. An inch or so forward of its present position would probably have been better.

rickfan60 · Post by **rickfan60** » Tue Oct 03, 2006 9:27 am

I reviewed the ebony board and found that the frets vary and are not strictly one scale. Some are right where they should be but others are 1/16" off or more! Some line up exactly with a 34" scale and others are 33 1/4". Weird. Perhaps the luthier was experimenting with alternate tonic dimensions in an attempt to reach deeper into the mind - or maybe he was just stoned.

rickfan60 · Post by **rickfan60** » Wed Oct 04, 2006 1:13 pm

While playing it yesterday I noticed that the bridge saddles were adjusted way back on all 4 strings. After checking the intonation, I found that the G and D were right on but the A and E strings were slightly sharp. There is no room to move the saddles back any farther so I am thinking I might move the bridge back about 1/4". This will bring the saddles closer to the center of the bridge and allow for the E and A strings to adjust properly. With the saddles so far back the front screws of the bridge have very little pressure on them and they rattle loose pretty quickly. The bridge looks like it is riding a wheelie. If I move it back a bit, the pressure would be more centered and the bridge should sit squarely.