The Rickenbacker Bass Bridge

dead_in_okc · Post by **dead_in_okc** » Mon Jan 26, 2004 9:29 am

Decided to adjust the intonation and action more to my liking on my V63 today..I figured,this should be easy...GEEZ....what an understatement!!!...I'm use to Fender basses... I finally got it all happening,(2 freakin' hours later)...Wow...what a learning experience...Am I just spastic or what? Any tips for the future? I expect this will have to be done every time I change strings....

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Mon Jan 26, 2004 9:55 am

Loosen the string and it's MUCH easier. I bought angle screwdrivers to do mine and realized all I had to do was loosen the string and use a small gauge straight phillips head, it's a snap that way, and won't strip the screw.

dead_in_okc · Post by **dead_in_okc** » Mon Jan 26, 2004 10:44 am

Hi Bob, I did loosen the strings a bit..I guess maybe not enough..the screws wouldn't budge...I think this is probably the first time it's ever been adjusted...I finally had to loosen them enough to pick up and slide the bridge out...after a few turns,they all moved freely..I'll be buying angle screwdrivers tomorrow for sure though..I was just wondering if I was doing something wrong..Thanks...

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Mon Jan 26, 2004 11:12 am

I find the only way to do it is to REALLY Loosen the strings and remove the bridge from the tail piece and adjust it then retighten the strings ... and then repeat until it is right ...

God how I love the 4004 bridges ... no wonder Geddy opted for a Leo Quan mod ...

jps · Post by **jps** » Mon Jan 26, 2004 1:54 pm

I'm still waiting for Rickenbacker or Hipshot to come out with a good drop-in replacement. John Hall says he has a prototype of such a bridge on his desk. Please let us get this bridge as there will be a lot of happy RIC customers!

keb · Post by **keb** » Mon Jan 26, 2004 4:46 pm

Count me as one who would definitely be happy! Granted I haven't had to mess with the intonation much since I've been using pretty much the same brand and gauge of strings for about 10 years... but I wouldn't shed a tear if the mute assembly went away.

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Mon Jan 26, 2004 7:37 pm

The current Ric bridge / tailpiece looks absolutely beautiful ... but it is hands down the hardest to adjust of any bass on the market ... also the current design contains the obsolete mechanical mute and the current design makes hand muting cumbersome ...

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Tue Jan 27, 2004 4:41 pm

With the string completely loosened I have absolutely no problem at all with a small straight phillips, the reason I don't use the angle ones is that with them it is too easy to strip the screw. With a small gauge straight phillips you can give it enough pressure so that it doesn't slip, and with the string completely loosened, they turn freely (at least if they are not frozen up from disuse)

jnbass · Post by **jnbass** » Tue Jan 27, 2004 4:59 pm

we need new bridge that'll fit a 1/4lb Jazz p'up, easy to adjust and retro fit to older units.

ANybody got a Bridgeport milling machine? Better yet CNC (musicfactory?) w/CAD-CAM capability!

ken_james · Post by **ken_james** » Wed Jan 28, 2004 5:59 am

Wayne,
If you're having trouble with the bass take it to Honest Ron's guitars on 10th & May, he's been doing my Ric repairs for 20yrs. His website is: www.honestronsguitars.com

dead_in_okc · Post by **dead_in_okc** » Wed Jan 28, 2004 6:29 am

Dedgoat...Thanks for that info...I was wondering who I could trust for anthing that might come up in the future that is 'Ric' related,that I can't handle myself...I got the bridge working correctly after I slid it out...after a couple of turns, the saddle screws turn easily now...but it's good to know there's a pro out there that knows how to work on Rics..I definitely wouldn't trust it to just any repair guy...Much thanks again for the link...

ken_james · Post by **ken_james** » Wed Jan 28, 2004 8:37 am

He's been the primary luthier in town for years, does work for some guy named Garth,Benny Garcia, and a certain english fellow named Pete. But seriously check out the site (it's undergoing some updating) and look at his repair facility, it's like 50,000 sq feet of lumber and cast iron wood workig equipment. He also does nitro refins.