Wobbly Saddle Problem

[spongebob]

I have a 2010 4003.....

I've done some searching on here, but couldn't find a fix for this - a lot about warranties, but not much else!

Got a problem with one of the bridge saddles - A string - noticed the other day a clicking noise, and under investigation it's really loose and vibrating!

Any idea how I tighten this up?

There's a few screws down there, and I don't want to dive in and tamper with the wrong one, and screw things up!

Any idea which screw, and do I need a specialist tool? Can I do this as novice?

Any help please!

[cassius987]

You can shim the saddle with wax paper on the underside (taking the bridge out) so it can't move. Aluminum foil works too, just make sure to use pieces not too thin (fall out) or too thick (can't get in between the saddle post and bridge).

Alternatively you can look for some of the new machine-made saddles that came out "full time" around July-August 2010 (have been slowly working into production for a year apparently) that fit to the bridge as tight as tight can be. I bought four for my 2007 4003 when I wanted to re-notch it and was very pleasantly surprised at the saddles being such a perfect fit, so I asked about this on RIC.com and the first sentence of this paragraph is what I found out.

[harrek]

I had this on my 4001C64 and solved the problem with the help and guidance of forum member Ken Joseph.
Just got a very thin piece of brass, cut it to the shape of the saddle, and then cut a hole in it so the saddle
post would fit through it. Very much like the wax paper solution suggested except I think this is much more
stable and permanent. I can leave Ken to comment further on the procedure if needed.

[1STNAMEBASSIST]

I may have to try that. What did you use, brass shimstock?

[spongebob]

That's great.

The alluminium foil trick looks like an easy fix?

I'd appreciate a basic explanation of how to go about this.....I'm not too technical so please be gentle!!

[paologregorio]

Joshua, would a piece of aluminum cut from a can work for shim stoc as well? I've used this type of "shim stock" for other similar shim repairs. Just curious.

Cheers, and good luck with the repair, gents!

[cassius987]

Joshua, would a piece of aluminum cut from a can work for shim stoc as well? I've used this type of "shim stock" for other similar shim repairs. Just curious.

Just about anything cut to the right thickness that is slightly malleable will do the trick I bet. The issue with a can is, it may be too thick, but it probably depends on the saddle. Some have wide gaps, some have tiny gaps, so that affects the size of the shim.

The alluminium foil trick looks like an easy fix?

I'd appreciate a basic explanation of how to go about this.....I'm not too technical so please be gentle!!

You've just got to think about how the bridge is configured--it is a "pyramidal"-looking saddle that has a post beneath the surface feature, through which a bolt is passed to adjust the string length with the help of a spring for tension. The areas of concern are the bridge surface (is there air under the "pyramid"?) and the post in the bridge channel (is there air between the post and the sides of the channel?). It is hard to correct the first issue without doing something "ugly", and it is not that important to correct if you go the other route anyways. When you shim the post in the bridge channel you just need to jam a space-filling material that is sturdy (especially water resistant as you don't want this stuff to corrode over time) so that the saddle can no longer "wobble"--because you have limited its range of motion in the channel.

The reality of it is, the post wobble is a *symptom* of the saddles being drilled too low, which is the *cause* of the problem. So you are basically treating a symptom. The new saddles fix the issue altogether because there is no gap between saddle and bridge.

[harrek]

I may have to try that. What did you use, brass shimstock?

Send a PM to Ken Joseph here (ken_j). I'm sure he would be happy to describe what he used on
mine and what he did. It certainly fixed my problem completely.

[SamBailler]

To the OP - you're in the UK and it's a 2010 model. Any warranty on this? You probably paid anything between £1500 and £1800 and you have to fiddle about with shims of brass, aluminium, wax paper.....?

It's defective, send it back.

[spongebob]

I know...it's a pain!

Ric warranty isn't valid here, and it was bought nearly 8 months ago, so supplier wouldn't be interested!

My other 4003 needed the bridge pup rewired after purchase as it was kaput.....I suppose as Ric owners we kind of get used to experiencing and reading about QC issues....

I'm going to have a tamper based on the help above, so hopefully that'll fix it - it's not a major issue, so I'm not too worried.....

Thanks to all above for assistance.

[Low End Lover]

I'm having this problem with the "A" saddle on my Jan. 2010 4003, too. Cassius, did you order the replacements directly from Ric?

LEL

[cassius987]

I'm having this problem with the "A" saddle on my Jan. 2010 4003, too. Cassius, did you order the replacements directly from Ric?

LEL

Yeah. In late July.

[OdysseyMike]

I just recently ordered some of the new saddles ric has been making for my 4001c64s which had all lopsided saddles. They now all sit perfectly flush with the bridge and were super easy to fit/install. They also made it so I could lower the action a bit, now that they are flush with the bridge instead of sticking up and at an angle. Thanks for sorting out the saddle wobble problem ric! My bass plays better than ever.

[cassius987]

I just recently ordered some of the new saddles ric has been making for my 4001c64s which had all lopsided saddles. They now all sit perfectly flush with the bridge and were super easy to fit/install. They also made it so I could lower the action a bit, now that they are flush with the bridge instead of sticking up and at an angle. Thanks for sorting out the saddle wobble problem ric! My bass plays better than ever.

Sweet. Exactly my experience when I got the new ones too.