480 RIC guitar conversion to bass??

beatlefan · Post by **beatlefan** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 6:43 am

I saw a post from someone looking for a 480 guitar on the wanted forum and was just wondering if a practical "conversion" could be done for someone wanting a "short-scale" 4000 series bass? Body shape being bassed on the 4000, why not???

Thoughts? Comments? Derisive laughter?

..or has this been covered previously in the archives?

jaymi · Post by **jaymi** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 6:54 am

Derisive laughter.....rotflmao....the neck would have to be changed at the very least and since those are bolt on....

You get the idea.

dice · Post by **dice** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 7:30 am

I THINK THERE IS LESS TENSION ON A BASS NECK THEN ON A SIX STRINGER,AT LEAST THAT'S WHAT MARK ARNQ. USED TO SAY! IT SOUNDS LIKE A MESSY CONVERSION THOUGH...

dminer · Post by **dminer** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 7:48 am

There's been a couple of 330/360 bass conversions done and some pics were posted here a while back...it seems feasible, use a dano short scale neck or maybe a warmouth paddleheadstock neck, but, I don't think that warmouth makes a short scale neck....still, a lot of work for a mongrel 480 bass.

beatlefan · Post by **beatlefan** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 7:52 am

I just remember someone here a good while back asking if RIC ever made one....oh well....

There WAS a mention somewhere here on the RRF that there were a few short scale basses made in the early 70's?? If I recall correctly.....

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 8:08 am

and you guys thought I was crazy ...

ken_j · Post by **ken_j** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 9:17 am

For you Jeff it would have to be a 5 stringer!

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 9:33 am

or an 8 ... or a 10 ... or a ...

ilan · Post by **ilan** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 10:09 am

Want a short scale Ric 4001? Try this. Use the low 4 strings from a 5-string set, tune to BEAD, capo at 5th fret. You now have a short scale 4001.

henny · Post by **henny** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 10:11 am

I have ALWAYS wondered about that, Ilan.

ilan · Post by **ilan** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 10:16 am

Try it, it's easy. Personally I don't like short scale basses, some of them sound good but my left hand feels cramped.

ilan · Post by **ilan** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 10:23 am

Actually you can use a medium gauge set and capo at 3rd fret. Or if you are really lazy you can just detune the bass by 1½ steps and decide to never go below 4th fret and never use open strings...

bails · Post by **bails** » Fri Jan 14, 2005 11:48 am

Chris Ballew from "The Presidents Of The United States Of America" used to use a standard guitar, fitted with only two bass strings tuned to C# and G#, and he called it a "basitar". I'm not actually sure which C# or G# they were, but in photos, you can see he removed the other four tuners, and placed the two strings in position 3 and 4 on the neck. I'd say more of a gimmic than a practical instrument!

aceonbass · Post by **aceonbass** » Fri Jan 14, 2005 2:48 pm

OR....you could move the bridge back a few inches to improve the low end. Of course this would require a new fret board and re-fret along with filling some holes on the face of the body and coming up with a bigger pickguard to cover the mess. The bolt on neck is NOT an issue as all of my 3000's are bolt on necks. Just do what I did and customize a 3000 into a4000 series style bass. Look in the end of the Archives under"Pictures of Your Rickenbacker Bass" to see pics of my basses.