2010 4003s

[mikko]

I'm not saying who, but I was flat out told by someone at RIC a couple years ago that their supplier made them wrong. I don't know why they weren't sent back, but it took till last year for a new casting to be made.

They weren't sent back but they were sent forward to customers. My new bass said just "BLONK BLONK" on two lowest strings. Shouldn't be too hard to notice in final inspection (I believe there's some kind of quality check for every instrument before they leave factory). Of course this kind of problem is easy to fix just like I did with my other 4003. I put a piece of an old library card under the saddles, but new instrument should be in working condition without any DIY tricks.

[rickaddict]

Yep...8 years worth of bad saddles is just not good.

I solved that problem by buying a few old, un-filed NOS bridge/saddle sets that I found on ebay. But that was before RIC started making them correctly again.

The mute is also something that I think should work when the bass leaves the factory. The problem I've had with them is that the stock pad is just too big. If it is too long (which it always seems to be), then instead of only being in the mute housing, it extends beyond, squishes up against the underside of the area where the screws are (the screws will be very hard to turn), and prevents the mute bar from fully raising. Also, the stock pad is too wide which further inhibits it's movement. It's hard to explain. A picture or diagram would be worth a thousand words, but I don't have one. It's a very simple device. Consider taking it apart, trimming the pad, and re-sticking it with double sided tape if you can.

As for the saddle/warranty issue...I'd just buy new saddles if RIC can't send you a set under warranty. Sending your bass back to Germany would probably be more expensive, more risky, and you'd have to be without your bass for weeks.

[rickaddict]

...but new instrument should be in working condition without any DIY tricks.

I agree.

[cassius987]

...but new instrument should be in working condition without any DIY tricks.

I agree.

+1. And I like working on guitars; it's just the principle of the thing.

[coolingitdown]

Shouldn't be too hard to notice in final inspection (I believe there's some kind of quality check for every instrument before they leave factory). Of course this kind of problem is easy to fix just like I did with my other 4003. I put a piece of an old library card under the saddles, but new instrument should be in working condition without any DIY tricks.

Yeah, thing is, mine is a January 2010, and when I received it, the saddles were all snug as could be (In fact, EVERY part was snug as could be. I stripped out the heads on the neck pickup adjustment screws trying to LOOSEN them! I've since replaced them.). I changed the strings out for flatwounds, and when I went to set the intonation, the screws, as stated, were very tight. After I managed to get them loose and adjusted the intonation...saddle wobble on all 4 saddles, more severe on the A and D.

All that to say, they wouldn't have noticed the problem on final inspection as it only reared its ugly head after an intonation adjustment.

I was told by customer service to ship the bass to them. I said I would drop it off, given I live a 10-minute car ride from RIC headquarters, and was told that they are not set up for a drop off and that I'd have to ship it. So I chose to spend the money it would have cost to ship the bass on new saddles, new neck pickup adjustment screws, and a couple of RIC stickers!

[mikko]

The problem partially solved. I sent the ´10 4003JG back to where I bought it from. They couldn´t fix it because they couldn´t get any parts and the most importantly, the neck/fret board was faulty. E-string side was OK, but G-string side was wavy. They couldn´t get me a replacement bass so they gave me my money back. I think I´ll try once more but this time I buy it locally so I can check it before buying. Local music shop said they should get some Ricks within the next four years. Maybe even earlier. I´m happy with my ´03 4003JG until that day.

[jps]

Four years?????????

[aceonbass]

You returned your bass because your store couldn't get any replacement saddles ? If that was the only problem you had with the bass, why didn't you just get someone here in the States to order some from RIC and sell them to you? I just sent a set of new saddles I modded for 5-string use to Australia. I often sell and trade RIC parts to forum members worldwide. I don't do it for free, but it beats the heck out of dealing with importers that don't stock parts.

[mikko]

Saddles weren´t the only problem. There was something wrong with the neck also. E-string side was OK but G-string side was wavy. I couldn´t adjust it so I returned it for warranty repair. They couldn´t fix it so they gave me my money back. It is also a matter of principle, I´m not buying parts for a brand new instrument which has a full warranty.

About waiting time for new 4003; yes, it really can be four years. "Something between 1 month to 4 years" said importer company. I´ve been waiting for 1 year now so only max 3 years left. In 2009 I contacted reseller in UK and they said they can put me in waiting list but it will take at least 2 years before they get any new instruments.

[jaymi]

the 2010 4003 that I have sitting here is the deadest piece of wood I have played in a long time...it does not speak like most of the others I have had/played...I am quite disappointed and now I remember WHY the last NEW Rick I bought was the blackstar in 89....not trying to step on toes or any of that, just disappointed with this one...

[weemac]

Sometimes a guitar can take a few years to syncronise with itself.
I remember comparing an 04 4003s/5 with my ex 91 4003. My bass had dead strings and was still more crisp and all there than the S/5. I'm sure that S/5 would be a cracking guitar now.
Another case is a friend got a recent PRS custom and I compared it to my 92. Mine seemed a bit quieter (plugged in) but alot more alive and resonant. The funny thing was I remember when I first got my PRS custom from "Sounds Great" in Herald Green, Cheshire that it sounded exactly like my friends new one but has mellowed and sort of locked in, in the past 17 or so years...
Many folks said that 70s fenders were kind of awful but listen to them today and they are now really happening guitars.

A few years can make a big difference!

[aceonbass]

Jaymi, has your 2010 4003 been set-up properly? Have you gone through and verified all the electrical and mechanical components are within specs? One thing I do when I work on a customers bass is "blueprint" it. I take it apart (which I'm doing anyway with a major mod) and sometimes without ever identifying the problem, by the time the instrument goes back together, the problem's gone.

[rickenbrother]

If this thread continues as if it's a complaint department, it make reach it's final destination or it might just go POOF.

[jaymi]

Jaymi, has your 2010 4003 been set-up properly? Have you gone through and verified all the electrical and mechanical components are within specs? One thing I do when I work on a customers bass is "blueprint" it. I take it apart (which I'm doing anyway with a major mod) and sometimes without ever identifying the problem, by the time the instrument goes back together, the problem's gone.

I have looked through it. It is not going to be here long. The neck profile is not to my liking.

[mikko]

Jaymi: can you measure the width of the fretboard, let's say from 1st and 12th fret for example. I never measured mine (I had no intention to get rid of my 2010 4003 so I thought I can measure it later) but I always had the feeling it's different from my -03 4003. I'm just wondering if it only felt like that because of different neck profile. 2003 models, if I've understood right, have rather fat necks (which I like very much).