Poor Sounds for E String from 4003 - sound clip...

[jps]

Welcome, Mattia!

The tail lift should not be the issue, as I had a '73 4001 with a fair amount of lift, the E string sounded just fine on it.

[cangaroo]

Hey thanks ...

I asked this because i've read more than once that a tail lift reduce the angle between the strings and the bridge saddles, thus slightly modifying someway the sound of the bass.

[rickaddict]

Hi there.

I'm having a similar problem, but in a 4001.
I noticed that it have a "hollow" E string (lack of mid-bass freqs), compared than other Ricks i can hear on the web (i'm using D'Addario Chromes Flats which parially solved the problem compared to roundwounds).

Seeing that i have a rather notable tailpiece lift (about 2,5 / 3 mm) i was wondering how much would influence the sound to install a new straight tailpiece.

Thank you

Welcome Mattia! Is your 4001 stock? If so, then it has a bass-cutting capacitor in the circuit of the bridge pickup. Most 4003's don't have one. Since 2006 or so, RIC has been putting the bass-cut cap back in the circuit, but you need to pull the tone pot out to get the thinner tone. Most players (myself included) like their bass to sound like a bass and leave the tone pot pushed in.

So my suggestion is to pull your pick guard and look at the wiring. If you see three capacitors (two .047's and one .0047) then use a jumper wire to bypass the .0047 cap. Your bass will sound louder and fuller, and your audience will thank you for it!

See more complete instructions on this mod at www.joeysbassnotes.com

[cangaroo]

Hi rickaddict, thank you.

I already know the cap thing, but it's not an issue of this type. I guess it's a setup / resonance thing.

I was simply comparing the sound of my 4001 with other 4001's i can hear here and there and i noticed that it seem that the E (and A) string lacks of some harmonics i can hear on other ricks. Maybe it's just a matter of adjusting the truss or changin string type (now i just installed D'Addario Chromes Flats)

I think soon i'll install a toaster on neck position, from what i read it should have a more deep response on bass frequencies.

Thank you

[rickenbrother]

Welcome to the forum, Mattia!

The next time you decide to change the strings, give your 4001 a complete set up, if you are comfortable with working on a 4001.

In the mean time, check all of the screws on your 4001. Make sure they are all snug. Don't kill tighten them. Finger strength snug with a small screwdriver is fine for the small screws and hand strength with a medium sized phillips screwdriver is enough for the bridge screws. Make the strap bolts are snug also.

[cangaroo]

Well rickenbrother, i'll check for the screws.

I'd like to do a full setup by myself.

I've done already full setup (truss rod adjustment) on cheaper basses (my mexican jb), but i'm really afraid to do it on a 4001, having read a lot of stories of warped necks and so on ... maybe there is some thread on this forum on how to do a homemade tra ?

Thank you

[rickenbrother]

... maybe there is some thread on this forum on how to do a homemade tra ?

There are two places for you to read about doing a homemade tra on a 4001. One would be the link that Jeff Thomas provided for you, four posts above. The other would be here:

Anatomy Of A Rickenbacker Bass Part 3 - Truss Rods

[cangaroo]

Hi Joey,

i followed first tra step of your website (keeping the bass on lap, pressing first and last fret), i think the space between the string and the frets (at 9th fret) are 1mm circa (slightly less on the E side) ... i don't know it this is what you call the width of a paper.

What should i do now ?

[cassius987]

Just yesterday I made my wife hold my bass and pluck the strings to experience the unparalleled level of resonance--it feels like you're riding in a car down a bumpy road (in a pleasant way). She actually said she thought the E-string was the loudest and most resonant, which I would have to agree with. Rics are simultaneously considered to be the basses with the weakest and the strongest Es on the market... it's nuts. No other bass has made this many polarized reviews, at least from what I've seen.

[cangaroo]

No other bass has made this many polarized reviews, at least from what I've seen.

In my opinion, it's perfectly natural : even in Rickenbacker basses there are difference in sound between the same model. Like i was saying, i heard a lot of basses with strong and full E string, and bass like mine with a weaker E.

[rickenbrother]

Hi Joey,

i followed first tra step of your website (keeping the bass on lap, pressing first and last fret), i think the space between the string and the frets (at 9th fret) are 1mm circa (slightly less on the E side) ... i don't know it this is what you call the width of a paper.

What should i do now ?

Read further on!

[cangaroo]

Read further on!

ok so now i should

1) clamp the bass
2) "With the strings in tune and the body clamped to the workbench, loosen the truss rod adjustment nuts enough so are just a small distance the bearing plate, which looks like a metal plate behind the nuts. Then tighten the nuts so that they are just touching the bearing plate."

... can you clarify this second point ? thanks

[rickenbrother]

The plate is the flat piece of metal behind the truss rod nuts that the two rod go through at the headstock.
Were is says to tighten the nuts so they are just touching the bearing plate, just turn the nuts clockwise so they are making contact with that plate.