Rotosound RS66LD don't fit in the nut on new 4003

[Berthos]

G'day guys and girls,

I have just bought a nice new Fireglo 4003. I was hoping some of you more experienced Ric owners might be able to help me with a problem I have.

I use Rotosound RS 66LDs on my Warwick Fortress and I love them!. I want to put them on my Ric too, however the A and D strings are a bit too thick to fit into the nut. Is this a common problem?

Also, the scale length on my Warwick is a bit longer than the Ric. Is the Ric considered a long scale bass? Or should I be using different Rotosounds on my Ric?

Any assistance you can provide would be appreciated.

Regards,
Rob.

[cjj]

Hmm, I've used the RotoSound RS66LD sets for years with no problems. Perhaps the nut slots were filed just a bit narrow. Most guitar repair guys can file them a bit, or you can do it yourself if you've got the tools.

The scale length for a Rick 4000 series bass is considered long scale and you should use long scale strings.

[aceonbass]

Stock RIC bass strings are .45/.55/.75/.105. The Rotos are .45/.65/.80/.105. You'll need to get the appropriately sized nut files to enlarge the A and D slots.

[cjj]

Well, that would 'splain it. They must have done a better job of filing yours than mine. Though I must admit all of my newer Ricks have the stock strings on 'em...

[Berthos]

Thank you all for your replies. I don't know that I have the guts to take a file to my new Ric though!

[86kubicki]

I've always used a set of small round files to make adjustments to the string channels on my basses. You should be able to do this yourself, but just go slow!

[cjj]

Yes, it's not all that difficult, and you're really removing a very small amount of material. Dane missed a zero on the above sizes, they should be:

RIC: .045, .055, .075, .105
Roto: .045, 065, .080, .105

So, for the D string, you need to enlarge by .010 inch, the A string by .005 inch...