Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

What is hovercraft for?

I have found that the Pyramid bass set was quite satisfactory on my 4003.

On my 12 and 6 strings the sound and playability after considerable tweaking of the truss-rods and nuts was disappointing. The compressed round wounds have served me well. Also, the D'Addario Chromes are quite good if you need the flat-wound sound and they are readily available.

Lastly, for the boomers, trying to bend Pyramids can cause you serious connective tissue damage to your hand to which I can attest. Also, the anti-inflammatory medication is no picnic either.

This all goes to prove that, if you are not careful, your lifestyle can hurt you.

What is hovercraft for?

P Y R A M I D

Someone got through with that little ditti!

Actually, 'hovercraft' was what the RIC Forum moderator started calling the compressor which must not be named after Jinglebells started wearing out its welcome. Here's a link to one of the RIC Forum threads that I found so amusing. It really gets going at the bottom of the second page, and onto the third page. When I first read this, I laughed till I had tears streaming down my face.

http://www.rickenbacker.com/forum_view_thread.asp?thread_id=769&forum=Just_Guitars&thread_name=compressors

Keep in mind that not only did the moderator edit the name of the compressor, but also the attempts of people trying to explain how to figure out the name. It really is hilarious.

Now, i don't get it - what's crafted by hover and why the bells are jingling?

Sadly, the person in question's physical complaint deteriorated until the jingling progressed to the dreaded flubbery "good morning jungle balls" and had to take the hovercraft to a doctor at the Incan pyramid to reverse the pentahedron condition before it became a dreaded heavily tensioned clangy dodecahedron situation. The healer sacrificed an already dead horse and I woke up in Kansas in black and white, but I don't live in Kansas, so it must've been yet another dream.

I need to avoid those anchovy-raisin pizzas before bedtime. Maybe drinking shots of malted vinegar wasn't such a good idea, either.

>330-12 in tune better. True?
no

>Pros and cons?

Pros:
- i currently have these on my 360/12WB, i find they ring/sustain better than any
of the others ...i made up a set of TIs, though i find them good, i rate them #2
- they last a long time

Cons:
- stiff, higher tension ...sound great on a 12, but forget about bending ...i dont
recommend them on a 6 (i'd go with TIs)
- some say they had to change the nut...i didnt have this problem

i personally love the sound of pyramids,and the feel,but after reading about the dreaded tail lift here,i noticed that it was happening on my 4000.(strings had been on for about 3 years),freaked out and put a set of dr sunbeams on it.of course,now my bass sounds like chris squire instead of macca but i like the change.i now have a set of pyramids on a set-neck ibanez artcore bass-no bridge/neck issues so far..

Woody:

TIs will give you the McCartney sound without the high tension. The Jf344 set is the one to get. I made the switch from pyramids to TIs, and I love them.

If beaches have balls, why not jungles?

Thanks for the replies. I'll stick with something else.

The reason round wounds go dead is because the space between the windings captures all the finger gunk. Flatwounds last longer because there are no spaces for the gunk to collect. They will, however, acquire flat spots over time where the string meets the fret and that will mess with the intonation. Look for yourself at the under side of your old flats.

This is also the reason why Elixirs last longer than other coated strings. They coat the entire string so gunk doesn't collect. Other companies coat the winding which still leaves spaces.

As I've recommended before, Lem-Oil from Dr. Stringfellow, wiped on the strings occasionally (I do it every couple of hour's play time) and worked into the strings with some vigorous rubbing in a direction parallel to the strings, goes a long way toward extending life of both flat and round wound strings. The oils collect in the spaces between windings and prevent "schmutz-clog" from finger dirt, oil and other stuff nobody ever talks about, but the CSI people build careers on.

No kidding.