Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Oh, you mean the buchered bass!

It's actually pronounced "bu-Cher-da" . . . hehehehe.

Hey, come on, guys. Nothing he's done isn't reversible. I am hopefully going to check it out on Tues. Very cool guy who's selling it. He's so into me getting the right bass for me that he wants me to try it out at a gig.

Jeff, you have the Hipshot bridge? Any comments on it?

And thanks for the comment, Jason!

If he has routed it out for the bad *** the hipshot might not cover the routed area,I had this problem, you might have to fill the routed areas.

All I know at the moment is "The original routing slot remains unaltered so a stock bridge would fit right on". Any easy way to tell when I see it if the Hipshot or a stock bridge would not cover it?

The bad asses in many cases are not forward mounted above the mute slot therefore the original rout needs to be extended back toward the strap button the farther back the bad *** is mounted the chances of the stock tailpiece covering the rout is slim.

Because the stock tailpiece angles back sorta like a v and the bad *** is square it may leave the corners of the square rout exposed.

It also depends on which badass was used I or II I believe the II is wider therefore the rout is wider.

If the the II was used I would look closely how it was mounted If the regular was used, I got away with it by a hair.

with a schaller roller bridge you dont need to rout . two of the mounting screws will also line up with the two outside original holes . you just have to make one new one in between . Put your self a fancy Geddy like surround and walla !!mod free .

or should i say rout free.

We are talking about a rout that already exists read the tread and look at the pic.

Sure thing Ken

Actually Ken,looking closely at the pic it looks like a bad *** II but it doesn't look as if its routed , not sure if the II is flat enough or what, you may be in luck.

You will no doubt have to remove any wood they might have used to prop it up though.

Wait till you get the bass then see what were looking at.

For $600. you cant beat it.

Welcome to the Forum, Hazmat.

I agree that $600 is still a good price.

Jeff wrote:

... hey I used to be a Unix system administrator ...

At least that wasn't "a eunuch's system administrator ...".

Interesting on the bridge. I definitely don't think I would want to leave the Badass, mainly for aesthetics. I'll talk to the guy (as I said he seems like a really cool guy - we have friends/musicians in common) and find out details on it. He said something about a guitar tech screwing up the original bridge years ago by trying to set the intonation. Either way, if I have any doubt I will have someone look at it. There are some great techs here in NYC. Or I could just lift it up myself.

Another question: at this price, would you guys pass if the fret wear is excessive, or is it still worth it if it needs to be refretted? I figure it shouldn't be an issue either way, since it's a 30 year-old bass and I would think it would eventually need refretting anyway.

Gary: no eunuchs here... *shifty eyes*

Not that there's anything wrong with that.
(Seinfeld reference)

I have been looking at some pics here, and I have a feeling that the worst that was done to the bass for the Badass is new screw holes. I think they would be covered up. Here is the bass with the Badass on it, and here is the Hipshot.

Seeing where the mountings come in compared to where the knobs/screws are on the pickguard, I think that even if new holes were bored out for the Badass, the Hipshot would cover them up. Otherwise, wouldn't the Badass just lay flat on the bass?