Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

"Jps, thanks for the confirmation. I really didn't think so too, but I had to have the "elders" confirm that for me as well."

***Jps is an "elder"!***

On the bottom of the tailpiece in the area at the rear, there are two circles in the casting. Center your drill bit there. carefully drill through from the back with a small bit, then flip it over and switch to the appropriately sized countersink bit. Be careful and neatness counts!

My bass has the five screw tailpiece, and I have some lift. I did have pyramid flats on it for 4.5 years, which I'm sure is what caused it.

My '80 4003, this bridge does not lift.

John Hall has stated that those are very high tension strings. Time for your tailpiece to get screwed Timothy.

'the "elders"'

We are from a planet called Elder; it is 4.3 light years from here on the other side of the Milky Way (you Earthlings call it that anyway!).

Dale? Dale's not here man.

No! I'm Dale!

"John Hall has stated that those are very high tension strings. Time for your tailpiece to get screwed Timothy."

I'm now using TI flats, which have a lot less tension. I've thought of trying to straiten out the lift, but I'll just leave it as it is for now. I did the washer mod, and the bass plays and sounds great.

Hi...
I believe I started the washer mod...but anyway.. i used #10 washers to make up the space between the bridge and the wood inside the routing for the bridge... in some basses I put 2 washers for each of the front 3 screws...
As for the tail lift.... i put the tail in a huge arbor press and slowly bent the tail straight..then I went "beyond" straight... This way i put a "pre-load" in the opposite direction..So the back of the tail bends inward toward the body..so when you screw down the back screws in the tail...it then straightens it and then it now lays flush to the body, but with a "pre-load" in the opposite direction... Now The bridge sits flush

Chris

To answer your question... No I haven't done any finish damage as you described.. If it's bent just right...then you have a rise off the body almost towards the middle of the tailpiece, if you can picture that..putting in the screws brings it down flush...So now you have the "pre-load" working in your favor against the strings..
SOmething I noticed when i had the tailpiece in the arbor press...
The metal was "springy" .....
As I slowly applied carefull force and released the arm of the arbor..the bridge "sprung" back a bit...So keep that in mind....
That only solves half the battle...
The other problem is the dead space between the body and the front of the tailpiece, below the front 3 screws....As you tighten those 3 front screws, the bridge sinks a bit, thus placing a force that "raises" the rear of the tailpiece from the edge of the routing...That is why the washers are important... To get an idea of the spacing your dealing with, get some PlayDo or modeling clay and put it under the bridge and place the bridge into position with screws, then remove the clay to measure the spacing....
The spacers made the guitar sustain better....
Another trick I borrowed, is to replace the 2 bridge height adjusting hex screws with much longer ones...I drill those resting holes through the tailpice just a 1/4" into the body, then i dropped a tiny flat piece of brass in the bottom of the hole... The tiny piece of brass keeps the screw from diging further into the wood body... Then the bass sustains mucho better and much more woodier tone...

Chris

I've been putting washers under the bridge and longer bridge adjusting screws down into the body for about 5 years now. I also flip the bridge around so intonation can be adjusted from the front and then clearance the part of the tailpiece behind the "teeth" to gain access for adjustment.

Yes... I believe it was Dane that i spoke with that told me the idea of drilling down into the body for the height adjusting hex screws...best trick ever...now Dane is teaching me a new trick...reversing the intonation screws...very cool....

You have learned well glasshopper.

A classic case of tailpiece lift if I ever saw it. Two screws and a bridge mod would make that bass sustain and intonate better.