Aluminium Br/Tail (BTP) Debate re:Tone Sustain+Stability

[cassius987]

Matt, the bridges and tailpieces frequently become available. I've never bought one myself but I check the boutique sometimes, usually for pickups or small parts but I browse the other sections. Usually when they're out of stock it's because they're doing a run of the instrument that uses that part so they don't have any left over. If you check weekly you should have no trouble getting one. Or try calling Customer Service and asking about it. I did that to get truss rods once and it was easy and fast.

[MaplegloMatt]

Thanks for the info. I'll keep an eye out for them. Also, as my post count increases, I'll soon be able to check the marketplace here on the forum.

[teeder]

The current 7.5k toasters are very close in sound to the mid 60s ones. I wouldn't fancy having to do a blindfold A/B test.
The 60s ones degauss a little bit, but not much really.
Rickenbacker really got the scatterwound toasters right...

emac.

I agree 100%. I replaced the hot toaster (which I didn't like at all) in my V63 last year. I tried both a '60's toaster and a new scatterwound, and the new one sounded every bit as good.

[cassius987]

My friend Derek bought a '60s Toaster from Australia a couple of years back and we ABed against one of my modern ones and indeed I could barely detect a difference. The only thing I could tell was that his had a Hofner-like punch that mine didn't.

[jps]

I replaced the hot toaster (which I didn't like at all) in my V63...

Same here, a few years ago, along with the DF/RR horsey, recently.

[teeder]

I was wondering what you put the HS in. I bet that bass sounds great!

[jps]

I was wondering what you put the HS in. I bet that bass sounds great!

Yes, and it looks great, too.

Capped, of course.

[BAD RONBO, KiLLeR DWaRfS]

My friend Derek bought a '60s Toaster from Australia a couple of years back and we ABed against one of my modern ones and indeed I could barely detect a difference. The only thing I could tell was that his had a Hofner-like punch that mine didn't.

i found the new toaster i put in my buddy's '74 sounded a little dark and not as much gain as my '73 toaster which is more clear and crunchy. would be nice if RIC would lower the fretboad back down to the body plane as you are limited to the maximun height of the neck pickups under the pick guard. further the fretboard off the body, the higher the strings, thus further from the magnetic field.

[cassius987]

i found the new toaster i put in my buddy's '74 sounded a little dark and not as much gain as my '73 toaster which is more clear and crunchy. would be nice if RIC would lower the fretboad back down to the body plane as you are limited to the maximun height of the neck pickups under the pick guard. further the fretboard off the body, the higher the strings, thus further from the magnetic field.

After playing a brand new 4001C64S, I'm willing to bet that could also be because the '73 has 1/2'' spacing and the '74 (I'm assuming) has 1'' spacing.

[BAD RONBO, KiLLeR DWaRfS]

the 1 " spacing occured in mid '75 around april/may as i've been documenting '75 serials to narrow it down. the '74 was a 1/2 ".

[jamespaul71]

My friend Derek bought a '60s Toaster from Australia a couple of years back and we ABed against one of my modern ones and indeed I could barely detect a difference. The only thing I could tell was that his had a Hofner-like punch that mine didn't.

i found the new toaster i put in my buddy's '74 sounded a little dark and not as much gain as my '73 toaster which is more clear and crunchy. would be nice if RIC would lower the fretboad back down to the body plane as you are limited to the maximun height of the neck pickups under the pick guard. further the fretboard off the body, the higher the strings, thus further from the magnetic field.

yeah I think I made a post about that here long ago. It does seem to make a big difference in the way the pickup operates.

[cassius987]

I'm actually really glad the fretboard is where it is. As it is now it's possible to get a very even action, around 1/8'' across the whole neck. If they lowered it the action would be a lot worse, or they'd have to countersink their bridge.

I guess you could get more height out of the Toaster if you removed the screws that hold it together and replaced them with flat-headed ones, and took out those rubber grommets. You'd gain 2-3 mm.

[BAD RONBO, KiLLeR DWaRfS]

joshua, keep in mind the older basses had the fretboard resting on the body. my MJ jetglo had the diecast zinc tail piece and low action . the button top neck pickup cover screws were pressed up against the underside of the pickguard with no grommets.

my MD with the aluminum tail piece had low action , fretboard on body,and also had the toaster cover screws pressed under the pickguard.

this construction also make the bass feel thinner as the whole of the instument looks like it is constructed in one plane. (an optical illusion, of course.) this construction was probably why the rear pickup surround was scalloped so the strings would not interfere with it, (and the strings were lower to the body) and why the later basses had the flat surface surround and slightly raised up off the body fretboard. they would then go back to the scallop for vintage visual pleasures.

[wints]

So many variables in this debate. The aged wood/finish issue, hardware, electrical hardware, and then the good old fashioned function that provides the raw input, that being playing style, via pick, fingers, or....

And, as ever, very subjective!

[henry5]

I think there are all sorts of factors and each individual instrument sounds different regardless. Even allowing for the different pickup placement I expected my newly acquired '71 21 fretter to do a decent impersonation of my '72 given that pretty much everything else is the same but it doesn't sound remotely like it.

Not to derail the thread but does anyone know if you can get lower action on the Hipshot than on the stock bridge?