'76 4001.. worth repairs?

[nattiep]

I don't know if I should have posted it in here or "Vibrola" but since all the bass guys live in here I'll post it here.

I've had my 4001 for years. My first great quality bass, my first $1000 purchase as well. This was what I asked for before I got my first bass. Well after playing it as pretty much my only instrument until last year when I got my jazz bass.

Here are my problems so far.

1. It's beat up. Not that that's a big problem but it has a couple spots that worry me. Namely a fall off a strap and a lot of stress lines. I don't know if they're from cold or what. (I couldn't get a good pic of it.)

2. The frets are shot. I don't know if they should be replaced or if they can be fixed or not.

3. It's NOISY. It always has a buzz or hum. It may be a ground problem or just a thing with the old single coils or something.. I don't know, I'm not a tech guy like that. It's just annoying and I want it to stop.

4. Tail lift. It's gotten pretty bad. bad enough to have it chip finish off in the corners near the mute. I don't have a pic of that because it's a bit dirty atm.

5. A bit of wood has chipped off under the TRC and not the third screw won't fit. I've had it attached with just two screws for a while.

6. I lost a screw on the back of the G tuner. I did a quick fix but it's obvious and makes tuning that one a bit tight. On the other hand the E string is the hardest to get in tune right (has been since I got it).

7. The E string in general. Open, it's fine. I don't try to use it above the 4th fret though. It's weak.

[sloop_john_b]

I would say replace the frets only if they are causing you problems with intonation or fret buzz or anything like that. No sense in messing with them otherwise, just yet.

That tail lift doesn't look too bad to me. You might just try a new tailpiece if that'll put your mind at ease.

As for the "weak" E string, maybe try some different strings? Have you bypassed the .0047 cap?

[wim]

1) shouldn't be a problem, see it as a plus that it's beat up. It's a player's bass, not a case queen. furthermore you can 'finetune' the bass without feeling bad over collector values etc..
2) Try to have a luthier fix if still possible.
3) check all the ground connections to tailpiece/treble pickup etc.. A 4001 is not that noisy, at least, mine isn't
4) That's not tail lift
5) very small repair, easily done yourself too.
6) maybe it's the nut?
7) this and nr 6 might point to a trussrod problem.

[nattiep]

I just went through the bridge pickup surround and made sure the ground was right but it still buzzes until I touch the surround. Starting to get real annoying. I've tried to record with it and the guy recording complained about a constant noise going on. It's the buzz. Where exactly is it supposed to connect with the tailpiece? The screws for the mute? Because I don't have those and if it's like that then I've found my problem.

[cheyenne]

I think the ground to the bridge is usually soldered to the bottom of the mute plate. It really shouldnt matter though, as long as its connected to the bridge somewhere. Just play around with it, and try connecting it different places.

*EDIT , and yes. Its very worth repairing. Its all minor stuff here. The most you'll look at is maybe getting the frets dressed and leveled. Thats about a $75.00 repair around here. That bridge lift is minimal compared to some I've had.

[loendmaestro]

4) That's not tail lift

Agreed. That's called the "Seventies Standard".

[rickenbrother]

1. The lines are from sudden changes in temperature, as from bringing it in from the cold to a warm room and taking it out of it's case before it slowly acclimated to room temperature. Some people love that look as it makes an instrument have that worn, well played look to them.
You've had a slip off the strap and you still haven't put strap locks on your 4001?! That's the first thing I'd be concerned with.

2.

I would say replace the frets only if they are causing you problems with intonation or fret buzz or anything like that. No sense in messing with them otherwise, just yet.

+1
The frets on my 4001S are worn like that. It's still an amazing player, just ask anyone who has played it. When it doesn't intonate properly and/or buzzes excessively, then I'll have the frets replaced.

3. I've never had a 4001 or 4003 that was all that noisy. Check all the ground connections.

4.

4) That's not tail lift

Agreed. That's called the "Seventies Standard".

+1
Most of the '70's tailpieces lift about that much. It's not a problem.

5. That's an easy fix. You can simply do that yourself with a piece of a wooden coffee stirrer.

6. You should be able to find a suitable replacement washer and screw from a hardware store like Home Depot. Bring one of each from another machine head with you.

7. Has to do with your setup and/or the string.

[nattiep]

No strap locks due to being poor. Heh. Hence the bad tuner screw and spray painted pickguard and TRC. Can't afford to replace that stuff yet.

As to the mute plate. It's not really connected. I took out the screws that controlled the height because they hurt my hand when I'd play with a pick. I've since lost them. Now that I don't play with a pick I'll have to use the strap button screws. I'll just a repair guy do that all at once with a set up and the frets because I'm not taking the tailpiece off to put the springs in place. I don't trust myself with it.

[FretlessOnly]

No strap locks due to being poor.

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Hardware,_p ... =3&xsr=200

A bit more work each time than the more expensive kind, but they work great.

[jamespaul71]

1. It's beat up. Not that that's a big problem but it has a couple spots that worry me. Namely a fall off a strap and a lot of stress lines. I don't know if they're from cold or what. (I couldn't get a good pic of it.)

no idea

2. The frets are shot. I don't know if they should be replaced or if they can be fixed or not.

not sure, they do look worn though.

3. It's NOISY. It always has a buzz or hum. It may be a ground problem or just a thing with the old single coils or something.. I don't know, I'm not a tech guy like that. It's just annoying and I want it to stop.

Ground wire at the bridge could be off, or there could simply be a lot of interference from stuff nearby.

4. Tail lift. It's gotten pretty bad. bad enough to have it chip finish off in the corners near the mute. I don't have a pic of that because it's a bit dirty atm.

Not bad, many have that.

5. A bit of wood has chipped off under the TRC and not the third screw won't fit. I've had it attached with just two screws for a while.

Many of them have this, the factory didn't have a standardized cavity size so sometimes a screw or two will have incomplete holes.

6. I lost a screw on the back of the G tuner. I did a quick fix but it's obvious and makes tuning that one a bit tight. On the other hand the E string is the hardest to get in tune right (has been since I got it).

Try to get a new screw! If its hard to get in tune, perhaps you just need to do some setup stuff... eg check neck, intonate, etc.. If the tuner is not functioning, then ensure it is and then check again to see if it was just the tuner giving you issues.

7. The E string in general. Open, it's fine. I don't try to use it above the 4th fret though. It's weak.

Again could be the neck/trussrods. Can you get a shot up or down the neck on each side to indicate how straight it is?

[cassius987]

I was really satisfied at having the chance to set my 4001FL back up into working order after buying it in fairly beat-up condition. It is also a '76. I just want to encourage you to pursue all the reasonable repairs you can because I think it'll help you bond with the bass. Since your bass isn't a cheesy mod victim like mine was you'll most likely want to keep it fairly stock.

1. It's beat up. Not that that's a big problem but it has a couple spots that worry me. Namely a fall off a strap and a lot of stress lines. I don't know if they're from cold or what. (I couldn't get a good pic of it.)

"Beat up" is the new black, to be honest... No need to stress out too much unless you really need to address it, but it can get expensive.

2. The frets are shot. I don't know if they should be replaced or if they can be fixed or not.

I'm with those who say not to replace the frets unless they are actually affect the performance of the instrument.

3. It's NOISY. It always has a buzz or hum. It may be a ground problem or just a thing with the old single coils or something.. I don't know, I'm not a tech guy like that. It's just annoying and I want it to stop.

Guitar techs usually have enough savvy to fix grounding issues and it sounds like you either aren't getting a good ground at the strings through the tailpiece mute, like the others suggested. Or else you just need to solve 60 Hz hum issues that are inherent to single coils but only manifest in some environments, which is why some people don't care whether a bass can humcancel or not. I can say from firsthand experience that converting a 4001/4003 to RWRP is fairly simple and works quite well at solving hum issues if you are indeed having them. The next time you're hearing the problem sound, rotate the bass and if it changes with orientation it's 60 Hz hum; if not it's a ground issue.

7. The E string in general. Open, it's fine. I don't try to use it above the 4th fret though. It's weak.

Probably setup related, something you should address after you get the other ducks in a row. To hear the E properly through the neck pickup you need really good amplification (it transmits very low frequencies that often test speaker cabinet limits), and to hear it properly through the bridge pickup you likely need to bypass the 0.0047 uF cap.

[nattiep]

I was really satisfied at having the chance to set my 4001FL back up into working order after buying it in fairly beat-up condition. It is also a '76. I just want to encourage you to pursue all the reasonable repairs you can because I think it'll help you bond with the bass. Since your bass isn't a cheesy mod victim like mine was you'll most likely want to keep it fairly stock.

Actually I was pretty much gonna do some the same mods you did to the FL. That pickguard is brilliant and I wanted the hipshot tailpiece.

The E string.. I don't think it's an amp problem because I can play my Fender higher up on the E and it sounds fine. Like I said with this bass though, I don't play it above the 4th fret because it doesn't sound right.

[jamespaul71]

I was really satisfied at having the chance to set my 4001FL back up into working order after buying it in fairly beat-up condition. It is also a '76. I just want to encourage you to pursue all the reasonable repairs you can because I think it'll help you bond with the bass. Since your bass isn't a cheesy mod victim like mine was you'll most likely want to keep it fairly stock.

Actually I was pretty much gonna do some the same mods you did to the FL. That pickguard is brilliant and I wanted the hipshot tailpiece.

The E string.. I don't think it's an amp problem because I can play my Fender higher up on the E and it sounds fine. Like I said with this bass though, I don't play it above the 4th fret because it doesn't sound right.

That may be a separate issue.

Concerning the E string, what seems to be going on is that the fundamental is really strong yet there are almost no harmonics. What you end up getting is the appearance of low signal, yet if you examine the signal you will see a huge and deep fundamental. What Cassius was trying to explain was that to actually hear that fundamental you need a beefy system capable of really producing the lows.

[johnallg]

I just went through the bridge pickup surround and made sure the ground was right but it still buzzes until I touch the surround. Starting to get real annoying. I've tried to record with it and the guy recording complained about a constant noise going on. It's the buzz. Where exactly is it supposed to connect with the tailpiece? The screws for the mute? Because I don't have those and if it's like that then I've found my problem.

The tailpiece grounds by a wire from the back of the mute plate to a potentiometer body in the control cavity. If the mute screws are not used, then the ground is floating and the tailpiece/strings are not grounded. The bridge surround is grounded by the eyelet with a wire that is on one of the height adjustment screws. The wire also goes to a pot body in the control cavity. The bass should be quiet unless you are close to anything with a multiprocessor running, strong AC wiring, or very close to an amp with transformers (especially tube amps).

[jamespaul71]

if its buzz check for a dimmer light circuit somewhere in the area, a ground issue is usually just a 60hz hum.