Fretless 4001: intonation/setup issue, need help

Setup, repair and restoration of Rickenbacker Instruments

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aceonbass
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Re: Fretless 4001: intonation/setup issue, need help

Post by aceonbass »

The pre slotted nuts from RIC are for the modern necks, which tend to be a bit wider than the older 4001's, so if used on your 4001, the E and G strings will be a bit close to the edge of the fingerboard. Buying any nut, and then fining the bottom is far from precise. I'd fill the original slot with the previously discussed mixture, then file with properly gauged nut files. Be sure to tape off the fingerboard so no glue gets on it.
Nel Nobody
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Re: Fretless 4001: intonation/setup issue, need help

Post by Nel Nobody »

aceonbass wrote:The pre slotted nuts from RIC are for the modern necks, which tend to be a bit wider than the older 4001's, so if used on your 4001, the E and G strings will be a bit close to the edge of the fingerboard. Buying any nut, and then fining the bottom is far from precise. I'd fill the original slot with the previously discussed mixture, then file with properly gauged nut files. Be sure to tape off the fingerboard so no glue gets on it.
All right! Thank you very much, I'll go and do that then!
I'll keep an eye on the thread, but if there's nothing new, I'll get back once I'm done. (Unless I end up having some doubts at some point during the operation proper, ha ha!)
Nel Nobody
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Re: Fretless 4001: intonation/setup issue, need help

Post by Nel Nobody »

Nut_07.png
So, here I am. I got the files and worked the slots down by a decent amount. I guess I could still go further down, but it's hard to tell for me, the strings are low enough that I can't really measure their height anymore. Also, since I already removed roughly 0.5mm on each slot, I'll take a short break rather than risk getting carried away. Do I even need to go further down, though?
And I guess I'll also have to shave the crown on the side of G string, since from what I read it should only reach to half the height of the string.

More importantly though, the problem we discussed, about the notes near the nut having worse intonation than those closer to the bridge is certainly improved if not outright fixed.
I'm also noticing an improvement in the overall intonation of the E string, insofar that I don't need to screw the saddle onto the back of the saddle mount in order to get the intonation I had at the start of the thread.

However, the finger position I have to adopt to get the correct pitch for each note is still as previously illustrated: generally situated around the bridgeward edge of the triangular inlays, not on the fretlines. So, the overall issue of not being able to intonate this bass correctly is not yet fixed.
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