SLOPPY WORK NEW 4003

[geofio]

Just purchased this new 2015 4003 Mapleglo, i was getting crackling from the output jack!!! have a look at the workmanship here at the mono output is this laziness or what ?? as if they just could not be bothered finishing the woodwork off properly just chuck the output jack in it will be fine with all these shards of wood in the way!!!! get a grip Rickenbacker this is shoddy at best.

[casinoman]

Honestly, that doesn't really strike me as bad workmanship really...

[ram]

if you are talking about the wood burrs where the drill popped through, my '74 4001 has similar...I never considered it to be poor workmanship. But that's just me.

[jdogric12]

There is no way to get all the little bits of wood out of a guitar. Shouldn't it be fine if you just blow some compressed air in there? Most people who have been around the block here know I'm anything but a RIC fanboy, but even I think your axe-grinding seems a bit over the top in this case. IBTL

[Boogie]

I would rather use something (plastic teaspoon from Mickey D's?) to scoop the shards a bit further away from the jacks, then use masking tape to lift the stuff off of the cavity until they are all gone. If the use of compressed air is a must, do wear safety goggles at least. Once airborne, that stuff may not be too friendly to human eyeballs, especially if one's face is really close to the area to be blown by compressed air.

Whenever I get a new guitar, I always open up the control cavity to check the wiring anyway. I wouldn't mind doing a bit of cleaning up like that. Of course, if the cavity were also spray-painted and the shards became a painted lump of obstacle stuck close enough to the jack to impede it, I would not be too thrilled.

[aceonbass]

I think the real issue here is that the built up sawdust/wood shards caused interference with the mono jack once clearcoat was sprayed over, which will need to be removed with something harder than a plastic spoon. I usually get in there with a Dremmel to clearence the area around that jack because it's a tight fit, even when the woodwork is perfect. One of my harness designs utilizes two stereo jacks, which fit much better, and are actuated by a push-pull pot that changes them from mono to stereo.

[geofio]

The wood is not loose it is fixed and sticking up from and it is stopping the jack plate from connecting properly hence the intermittent crackling. I don't have an axe to grind it is a FACT they didn't do this correctly, defend Rickenbacker all you want but i think this is shoddy work. to be honest i am past caring. No other Ric i have had has ever had this and i have had plenty of them so i know it is not normal, stop defending them when they screw up or they will continue to do things like this. fixed it myself, the point is i shouldn't have had to it should have been made properly in the factory in the first place.

[geofio]

Correct Dane spot on.

[geofio]

I had to use a dremel to remove this stuff , there is no way a spoon would remove it!!!! problem sorted but my point is some newbie to Ric's may well not have understood the problem here i had a good idea something was wrong at the jack , when i pushed a jack plug in to the socket it did not feel right there was no confirming click that it was seated properly as Dane has said the wood stopped the jack from pushing all the way in to the socket and the two contact plates were just touching and no more sometimes the would not touch hence the crackling from the guitar. there is no crackling now so that was the cause .

[Boogie]

The wood is not loose it is fixed and sticking up from and it is stopping the jack plate from connecting properly hence the intermittent crackling. I don't have an axe to grind it is a FACT they didn't do this correctly, defend Rickenbacker all you want but i think this is shoddy work. to be honest i am past caring. No other Ric i have had has ever had this and i have had plenty of them so i know it is not normal, stop defending them when they screw up or they will continue to do things like this. fixed it myself, the point is i shouldn't have had to it should have been made properly in the factory in the first place.

Sorry to hear that the shards were indeed sprayed over and had become fixed.

Looks like the affected jack is the Ric-O-Sound one. I am surprised that the bass passed QC with the intermittent crackling.

[geofio]

it is the mono jack output you are looking at in the pics. that is where the issue was.

[jdogric12]

Ah, that was unclear in your original description. I agree with your assessment. What happened when you contacted your dealer about getting a replacement?

[DriftSpace]

Ah, that was unclear in your original description. I agree with your assessment. What happened when you contacted your dealer about getting a replacement?

That photo was pretty clear, and it sounds like he fixed the problem with a Dremel himself; I'm sure the warranty is voided now.

[geofio]

contacted Rickenbacker directly, to point this out sent the pictures so will see what they say. was really pointing this out so that if anyone else gets a a new bass with a crackling output jack this may well be the cause not something you would first think of as you expect the bass to be finished and assembled properly , not something you can take for granted it seems. i have fixed the situation myself now zero issues it is a good bass great tone and ring so don't want it replaced or anything, just disappointed at the poor quality control once again from Rickenbacker.

[geofio]

The warranty is meaningless to me in the UK, if i have a problem i fix it myself.