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Posted: Sat Sep 16, 2006 5:19 pm
by jwr2
Quote: "First I want to start off by saying that drilling a big hole in my bass was pretty scary and I'm glad it's over."
so how do you think I feel when I drill a hole in somebody else's bass ...
Posted: Sat Sep 16, 2006 5:45 pm
by zoomduck
Jeff ...." use the Force "
Posted: Sat Sep 16, 2006 6:36 pm
by markbass99
Jeff- I guess the first one is always the hardest, I'm ready to do another one since I'm gassing for a black Laredo now. I wouldn't even attempt to do someone elses, I don't have the guts or the nerve, but I'm guessing there's people out there that are glad you do.
Posted: Sun Sep 17, 2006 2:43 am
by cheyenne
Not my cup of tea,,,but I respect your courage and vision.
Posted: Sun Sep 17, 2006 3:49 pm
by markbass99
Scott, I know it looks strange because of the way the top peg heads appear to be pushed towards the end of the headstock, but it's starting to look better to me the more I look at it. I really wanted a bass with a B string since I sold my G&L 2500 a couple of years ago, and I wasn't going to convert a rick unless it was inexpensive. A regular standard five string is too wide for me to be comfortable playing, it's a blast having a fully functioning lightweight five string with a compact neck, it's very guitar-like in its compactness.
Posted: Sun Sep 17, 2006 4:45 pm
by jwr2
Mark: ... you have to realize most Ric bass players are 4 stringers ... they don't have the love of the low B like we do ...
and it is nice to have the low b on a neck that is left hand friendly ...
Posted: Sun Sep 17, 2006 5:29 pm
by markbass99
Jeff- I've been playing stuff like Alter Bridge, if you don't have a low C,C#,D on your fret board you're not going to get the job done. I really like shaking the room with those notes in a musical context.
Posted: Sun Sep 17, 2006 9:17 pm
by zoomduck
Amen to the low B !.... I was playing my Afterburner 5 at rehersal one night and one of the female singers said " that bass feels good ! " I said ...gets you right in the stomach ? she said "and a few other places too !
Posted: Mon Sep 18, 2006 1:58 am
by jwr2
low notes are distinctly masculine and sexy ... women love it ...
Posted: Mon Sep 18, 2006 3:51 am
by ilan
"... I said ...gets you right in the stomach? she said 'and a few other places too!'"
Don't know about 5 strings but I'm definitely changing one of my 4-stringers to B-E-A-D tuning.
Posted: Mon Sep 18, 2006 10:24 am
by zoomduck
Enjoy Ilan !
Posted: Mon Sep 18, 2006 11:23 am
by xakattack
looks AWESOME!
Posted: Mon Sep 18, 2006 12:08 pm
by markbass99
Thanks Zack. I decided to take Jeff Scott's advice and upgrade the bridge since this one's a cheesy fender style barrel bridge and has no place on a rick. A Hipshot "A" style bridge is too wide because of the base plate dividers incorporated in the design, but if I take the saddles and mount them on this base plate there will be a tad wider string spacing with side to side adjustment of the individual strings. Hipshot's sending me an extra saddle and I already have the four that came on the bass courtesy of Mr. Scott, I'll post pics of the result when it all comes together.
Posted: Mon Sep 18, 2006 12:26 pm
by jwr2
the best bridge for that bass is the Kahler adjustable ...
Posted: Mon Sep 18, 2006 2:41 pm
by aceonbass
That looks really good Mark, even better than I thought. Without going to the expense of a luthier with filling ad re-drilling of holes, it's the best solution I've seen yet to tuner placement. I'm curious as to why you used Hipshots though. I would have gone with Schaller M4's just 'cause that's what RIC uses. One note on string spacing. While some cut the nut using the same center to center spacing, the way I do it is to have the same distance between each string. This spaces out the E and A sting a bit more making it easier to make the adjustment. I actually just re-use the nut, filling in the A and D slots and re-cut the middle three after I've widened the E string slot towards the outside, again, giving me more room. I also don't have to shim it when I'm done.