Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

ken_j wrote:The continuity of the neck through would most likely affect sustain. As we all know there are many other factors to this including the bridge, wood type,etc... I am certainly not saying more sustain is better than less, just different.

In my experience bolt-ons sustain as much or more than neck-throughs. Neck-through, if anything, makes the sound of each note a lot "richer"/more complex to my ears, but I have yet to hear an instance of it really adding sustain greater than what a good bolt-on will have.

I was tempted to buy this too.
I'd leave it as mapleglo as it is, never mind the battery cavities. They're not too weird.
Good luck with the project!

ken_j wrote:The continuity of the neck through would most likely affect sustain. As we all know there are many other factors to this including the bridge, wood type,etc... I am certainly not saying more sustain is better than less, just different.

My Martin Keith Elfin 5 fretted bass has the most sustain of any bass I have ever played. The B string, especially, will rings for minutes and stay at a fairly constant volume for a majority of the time. It is truly awesome to hear. Note the construction of it:

aceonbass wrote:What are you gonna do about the aftermarket AllParts tailpiece/bridge assembly? I don't think the battery boxes will affect the tone either. In fact, as long as a good preamp was used, I'll bet the setup sounds good with the Barts.

I'm not now, nor have I ever worried about the tone... As long as the wood is resonant, it'll be fine... Ultimately, I think this "piece of wood" resonates well, and sounds good, even acoustically. It's the integrity/strength of the neck-through-body I was worried about... Plus the repair scars...

Due to the mods to accommodate the Barts and battery boxes, it will drop in value no matter what I "do" to it... So, my biggest decision at this point, is the future finish. I already have my fave RIC color (FireGlo)... So, I'm thinking custom colors now.

Anyway, the so-called "aftermarket, AllParts" tailpiece/bridge assembly is available (I can't tell this one from OE, honestly), as are the Bartolini p'ups (with wiring and battery boxes), and several treble p'up surrounds (all made from pickguard material)...

Please PM me if interested.

I was pretty close to pulling the trigger on that one. The dealer worked pretty hard on the price but we were about $100 off so it never happened! I think that's an awesome project bass and believe the rear routing isn't too bad of a fix but a solid color would be preferred. Or just go with an oil finish and wear its scars with pride. Good luck on your project!

Well,it sounds like you have already removed the barts,(?) I might have tried rewiring them for passive use to get somewhat closer to the "natural" sound of a Ric (if that was an option) . If your other Ric is equipped with modern hi gains,you might want to consider the toaster/RIHS combination,or a pair of hb1's for some tonal variety. Good luck,i love to see modded and rodded Ric's,all 3 of mine are,to varying degrees. If this were mine,i would go for a 50's style pick guard and the toaster/ horseshoe,and keep the mapleglo.

Scott, another option for the battery compartment could be to fill with a maple plug, then routing the body and plug a bit oversized and make an nice grained maple "plate" to glue in. It would fit really tight. I'm not too sure you could make it to be lineless so it wouldn't show even under a solid finish. Paul W would be a good one to input here on this.

woodyng wrote:Well,it sounds like you have already removed the barts,(?) I might have tried rewiring them for passive use to get somewhat closer to the "natural" sound of a Ric (if that was an option) . If your other Ric is equipped with modern hi gains,you might want to consider the toaster/RIHS combination,or a pair of hb1's for some tonal variety. Good luck,i love to see modded and rodded Ric's,all 3 of mine are,to varying degrees. If this were mine,i would go for a 50's style pick guard and the toaster/ horseshoe,and keep the mapleglo.

The Barts are out... Couldn't locate the Bart install thread for this bass on TB forum...

I already have the wiring and Toaster p'up to install. I chose the push/pull pot for the treble p'up as well. Bought the wrong treble p'up surround though. Must rectify that. Still need the white plexi guard too...

I believe MapleGlo is the OE finish... Thinking I might just sand it a little, and paint right over it... After repairing ("plugging") the battery box hole, that is. Contemplating a dark color... Purple or dk blue metallic, or JetGlo... I've had too many instruments in MapleGlo already, and a bit tired of it... Though, properly done, I could return this to MapleGlo later if I want...

It's stripped of hardware now, and I'm ready to begin sanding... However, I'm going to "search" CV - which is "conversion varnish" - right? What, exactly IS conversion varnish? And, can I simply paint a lacquer over it?

Photos to follow...

CV, Conversion Varnish is a two part, catalyzing, polyurethane varnish. This means you mix the 2 parts together just before spraying and it hardens through a chemical reaction instead of just via the evaporation of solvents.

I'm not sure about spraying lacquer over it though...