Scott,
They are quite similar in the gauges I use for the Chromes, 40-55-75-95, but I'd have to give the nod to the TIs. Overall I feel the Chromes to be a bit smoother feeling but that may be due to the winding difference, stainless steel vs. nickel, but the nickel will be kinder to frets, unless of course, your project is fretless.
I am considering doing some kind of project as I have all the gold hardware from my 4004Cii to use. All I need are a body and a neck. I think I want to make a fretless with these parts but I really don't know what to do about the rest. Anybody know if companies like Warmoth would route out a body for HB-1 pickups in the locations I want them?
Strings
Moderators: rickenbrother, ajish4
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tbass66
I took my 4003MG in for a setup. The winter weather and low humidity in the house has caused
the neck to bow quite alot. The tech recommended Fodera 40-100 nickel rounds. I had been using GHS Boomers 45-105 for awhile. I hope these lighter gauge strings will help somewhat. I seem to have one of the 4003's with a sensitive neck that hates being straight.
the neck to bow quite alot. The tech recommended Fodera 40-100 nickel rounds. I had been using GHS Boomers 45-105 for awhile. I hope these lighter gauge strings will help somewhat. I seem to have one of the 4003's with a sensitive neck that hates being straight.
If it ain't broke, break it, then fix it.
You should be able to adjust your 4003. They have the modern truss rod system. Unless you got a serious bow I dont know why a tech would suggest this unless he dosent have a clue.? GHS Boomers have high tension, so lighter guage strings would reduce this, but you still need to tighten the rods to compensate for the bow.
"Knowledge is Power"
Jack,
I recommend the T-I JR344 (.043-.089) roundwounds. Extremely low tension and high output. $35 a set from the Dude:
http://pub206.ezboard.com/fthedudepitfrm18.showMessage?topicID=218.topic
IMHO, it's better for one to do his own setups (neck relief, string height and intonation) than to hire a tech. A tech's "standard" adjustment might not necessarily suit your playing style and personal likings perfectly. To correct an over-relief, simply loosen the strings and turn the rod nuts clockwise (no more than a 1/4 a day). there should only be space the thickness of a business card between the 8th fret and your low E string when you fret it at the 1st and last frets simultaneously. The space between the 8th fret and high E string should be even less, literally no space. With the 4003's modern truss rod system, it should be fairly easy to get the neck "dead straight", which is recommended for a RIC instrument. The relief on my '98 and '86 4003 is .003" for the low E and .001" (almost touching) for the high E.
String heights and intonations are to be adjusted after the neck relief. Check out this thread for more infos on setups:
../6/14213.html"#EECD9C">
I recommend the T-I JR344 (.043-.089) roundwounds. Extremely low tension and high output. $35 a set from the Dude:
http://pub206.ezboard.com/fthedudepitfrm18.showMessage?topicID=218.topic
IMHO, it's better for one to do his own setups (neck relief, string height and intonation) than to hire a tech. A tech's "standard" adjustment might not necessarily suit your playing style and personal likings perfectly. To correct an over-relief, simply loosen the strings and turn the rod nuts clockwise (no more than a 1/4 a day). there should only be space the thickness of a business card between the 8th fret and your low E string when you fret it at the 1st and last frets simultaneously. The space between the 8th fret and high E string should be even less, literally no space. With the 4003's modern truss rod system, it should be fairly easy to get the neck "dead straight", which is recommended for a RIC instrument. The relief on my '98 and '86 4003 is .003" for the low E and .001" (almost touching) for the high E.
String heights and intonations are to be adjusted after the neck relief. Check out this thread for more infos on setups:
../6/14213.html"#EECD9C">
I tried to adjust the truss rods after loosening the strings more than a full turn and reached the point where the E-string side truss was as tight as I dare make it without resorting to gorilla force (using the truss wrench I bought from Rickenbacker). I doubt the bass ever had it's neck as straight as it should be. If the tech manages to get it in the ballpark (I think my E-string was at .028" when I bought it in), I will certainly try my own setups in the future. It's just way too out of spec now.
What makes some 4003 Ric necks bow so easily? And can this be remedied?
I will have my bass back this week and I'll be very interested to see just how straight they were able to get the neck.
Can I assume that on a straight neck I can rest a 3' straight edge along the fingerboard and see no space between the straight edge and any of the frets?
What makes some 4003 Ric necks bow so easily? And can this be remedied?
I will have my bass back this week and I'll be very interested to see just how straight they were able to get the neck.
Can I assume that on a straight neck I can rest a 3' straight edge along the fingerboard and see no space between the straight edge and any of the frets?
If it ain't broke, break it, then fix it.
I see your situation now, Jack.
Man, must be a scary feeling reaching the "point of no return"!
Yes, I would hand it to a capable luthier who knows Ricks well enough for such an operation.
Did you buy your 4003 new or used?
Yes your reasoning regarding the 3' straight edge is correct, but I seldom check relief with my 3' since the strings have to be at correct pitch for such measurement and they do make for great straight edges when in tension.
My '98 4003 (bought NEW in 2002. She stayed in the backroom of the shop for 4 years) and '86 Shadow (bought in '03) both have more relief at frets 3,4 and 5 than anywhere else on the necks. On both, there's about .020" relief on the 4th fret while it's only .003 on the 8th fret. Such phenomenom causes notes on frets 3-6 more prone to fret buzz when the strings are set low or picked/plucked hard.
Been wondering why RIC bass necks are like this since I got my 1st RIC bass...
SO I'VE GOT A QUESTION FOR EVERYONE READING THIS THREAD:
"Do your 400X basses have more relief around the 3rd and 4th frets than anywhere on the necks?"
Come on, my friends. Lets do a "relief survey"!
Man, must be a scary feeling reaching the "point of no return"!
Yes, I would hand it to a capable luthier who knows Ricks well enough for such an operation.
Did you buy your 4003 new or used?
Yes your reasoning regarding the 3' straight edge is correct, but I seldom check relief with my 3' since the strings have to be at correct pitch for such measurement and they do make for great straight edges when in tension.
My '98 4003 (bought NEW in 2002. She stayed in the backroom of the shop for 4 years) and '86 Shadow (bought in '03) both have more relief at frets 3,4 and 5 than anywhere else on the necks. On both, there's about .020" relief on the 4th fret while it's only .003 on the 8th fret. Such phenomenom causes notes on frets 3-6 more prone to fret buzz when the strings are set low or picked/plucked hard.
Been wondering why RIC bass necks are like this since I got my 1st RIC bass...
SO I'VE GOT A QUESTION FOR EVERYONE READING THIS THREAD:
"Do your 400X basses have more relief around the 3rd and 4th frets than anywhere on the necks?"
Come on, my friends. Lets do a "relief survey"!
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cabsav
'scuse my ignorance, but... don't you need to physically straighten the neck before you adjust the trussrods? ie: (rustic technique) put the 7th fret over your knee, hand around the 1st fret with the body in the air to take the bow out of the neck, and then tighten the truss nuts? i've heard that's (roughly) how to set an older neck... is tht suitable in this situation?
Paul, I bought my bass used from Ebay. She's been a joy to play even with the high action, but since I've been playing her more lately I decided it was time to get her into spec. I also wanted to get the tech's comments as to any problems getting her setup correctly.
If it ain't broke, break it, then fix it.
Jonathan,
Good question. (One's never ignorant if he asks.)
The necks of RIC instruments made before September 1984 need to be manually straightened. The rods can't move the necks. The rod nuts only function as "bottle caps" that keep the rods from moving after you straighten the necks. Ricks made from Sep. '84 and on have the modern rod system that can move the necks on their own when tightened...praise the lord!
Jack,
So your baby came with her neck in excessive bow?
Did the seller mention it in his description?
Good question. (One's never ignorant if he asks.
) The necks of RIC instruments made before September 1984 need to be manually straightened. The rods can't move the necks. The rod nuts only function as "bottle caps" that keep the rods from moving after you straighten the necks. Ricks made from Sep. '84 and on have the modern rod system that can move the necks on their own when tightened...praise the lord!
Jack,
So your baby came with her neck in excessive bow?
Did the seller mention it in his description?
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jwr2
A perfect neck with a slight bow should be a perfect arch with the lowest point at the 10th fret with both ends fretted, 1st and 20th, my 78 is like this, my 79 (that I screwed up is not, it is almost perfectly flat down to the heel and then there is a little bend that is not supposed to be there). Most of my others are correct.
The rustic technique sounds very physically hard and dangerous to me, I stand them up on the floor on a rug with a little downward pressure so they won't move, put my knee behind the top of the body and push back with my hand at the first or second fret, that way you can control the amount of backpressure you apply to the neck as you turn the truss rods, and you can also see your progress without moving the bass. (and it won't slip off your knee and fall on the floor.) What you are really doing is taking the pressure off the truss rods as you adjust them. It may take several to many adjustments over a long period of time to get a really bowed neck straight again, but it can be done with patience. (which most luthiers don't have patience for) Yogi Berra taught me that one.
The rustic technique sounds very physically hard and dangerous to me, I stand them up on the floor on a rug with a little downward pressure so they won't move, put my knee behind the top of the body and push back with my hand at the first or second fret, that way you can control the amount of backpressure you apply to the neck as you turn the truss rods, and you can also see your progress without moving the bass. (and it won't slip off your knee and fall on the floor.) What you are really doing is taking the pressure off the truss rods as you adjust them. It may take several to many adjustments over a long period of time to get a really bowed neck straight again, but it can be done with patience. (which most luthiers don't have patience for) Yogi Berra taught me that one.