Removing Mute Pad

[nextcliffburton]

How would removing the Mute Pad from the bridge effect a 4001. Would it make it more noisy pickup feedback or what? I know people may be asking why would you do that, but I'm thinkin of doing the pickup swap in there and wanted to know if it would change the overal tone/sound of the ric if you took out the mutepad.

[cjj]

It won't change the sound at all. The only thing it will do is make it so you can't use the mute pad, which is supposed to give you a thumpy, upright bass sort of sound.

[cassius987]

1. Remove strings.
2. Remove bridge.
3. Remove tailpiece bolts.
4. Lift tailpiece.
5. Twist CCW on the twist knobs that hold the metal baseplate and grounding element that the mute rests on.

It can diverge here.

For easy replacement, no ground-wire fuss:
6. Remove mute foam and replace the baseplate and twist knobs.
...but what's the point of this removal if you just replace the baseplate? I can't think of any.

Otherwise you'll have to cut or unsolder the ground wire and do a Fender-esque ground method by keeping the wire in contact with the tailpiece somewhere... use electrical tape to hold it in the right location. This is also how to do it for a Hipshot bridge (which is easier to keep in contact with).

[ram]

or just lower it so it doesn't come into play...?

[johnallg]

He wants to add a pickup in the mute cavity. You'll need to remove it and the metal plate it sits on to accomplish this. As Josh states, make sure the ground wire is re-attached to the tailpiece.

[gearhed289]

I removed the whole assembly from my 4003S/8. It gets those pesky height adjustment thumb screws out of the way. Just remember to sandwich the ground wire securely between the body and tailpiece.

[nextcliffburton]

I'm super excited to do the mod once I get my insurence money to get a new ric. I'm mostly gonna use it for when I use distortion but I wonder how it will sound clean. Do you think the Pickup will make tapping harmonics come through alot clearer with distortion on it?

[deargdoom]

I'm super excited to do the mod once I get my insurence money to get a new ric. I'm mostly gonna use it for when I use distortion but I wonder how it will sound clean. Do you think the Pickup will make tapping harmonics come through alot clearer with distortion on it?

It might do, but it won't make you play & sound like Cliff Burton.

[nextcliffburton]

I'm not looking to sound like Burton, even though his tone was so nasty adn gritty but I love it! I just want something that will make the Distortion sound more like a lead guitar so i thought this might help. A fun experiment

[cassius987]

I'm mostly gonna use it for when I use distortion but I wonder how it will sound clean. Do you think the Pickup will make tapping harmonics come through alot clearer with distortion on it?

1. Now is a good time to be buying a Ric, used or new. Prices are good, new Rics generally seem to be exceptionally high in quality for the 2009 year.

2. Done properly, a Ric bass (I'm thinking about a 4003 or 4001 here) can be made to sound as clean or cleaner than lots of other passives because of where the pickups are placed. The new Hi-Gains are incredibly good at this "clean, articulate" sound that goes well with arpeggios, etc.

3. Listen to a person who has been where you are coming from (myself): before you commit to a mod, get used to the stock configuration [so that you can fully appreciate it before bypassing it]. I'm a double-Toasters man myself but I still keep one of my basses totally stock. What the soloed treble pickup of a post-2006 4003 can sound like will surprise you in a very good way, without the cap on. Also, Scott Pope showed me how the treble pickup in the mute cavity sounds (using an external pickup applied to my bass in that position), and I was not a fan.


My suggestion is to get a newer Ric bass (2007 is a fantastic year and you can save some $$$ buying a couple years used) and try that out all on its own. Then, if you'd really love to do the Cliff Burton thing, by all means do it but know what you're getting into: some soldering and general time spent working on and messing with your bass, for a result that you may or may not like. To test the sound out, when you get your pickup, wire it to a jack and plug it in to an amp. Then hover the pickup over the mute cavity and play. That's what it will sound like.

[nextcliffburton]

I heard 2008 necks are like the vintage 70's ric necks adn the 2009 models are more thick, what do youthink is the best year to get? The color I really want is Burgundy but unfortunetly it looks like the last year they did that was 2002 I think.

[cassius987]

The best? That's 100% about your preference. I like my thicker-necked 2009, but I also have a 2007 and 2008 and enjoy those very much as well. The 2008 definitely is the thinnest but I don't actually feel more comfortable playing it.

I'd get a 2006 or 2007 because those are middle-of-the-road bordering on thin, but not extreme like a 2008.

[jc-sz]

I think Burgundy was stopped some time around the 80's, so you'll unfortunately have a hard time trying to find one... and as far as I've seen, they turn out to be quite expensive, because it's such a nice color, and so hard to find. I personally love that color, and I don't see it on the ebay often (ok, i'm not checking everyday neither).

I was really really sorry when I heard about your loss.

Going on to the pickup thing, I think you should follow what Joshua is telling you, it makes a lot of sense to me. You have to ask yourself whether you really want to mod you Ricky, specially if you get a newer one, or one that is in very good condition.

Good Luck with the insurance and the quest to find the new chosen one

Cheers!

*Edit: I just read the post about the Burgundy being a COY in 02, sorry about that, in any case it doesn't mean it was in production all the time, so good luck finding one of those!!