Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

So Jeffrey, what did you use to bend them with? Any tools involved? Did you stick a leather belt in your mouth to keep your teeth from shattering as you grimace with fear? I do like the look a lot better, more correct to the originals.

Dear John Hall ... I want the dumpster bass ...

That would look real good with the couchglo backdrop, huh?

Those things are thick and very strong, you must have had to use a vise.

I would be afraid of the chrome peeling. Consider yourself lucky.

As I did not have much available to me at the time I used a couple of pliers and pulled like hell! Next time I will set up some system with clamps that I can just turn the screws on and get them to move apart. Another way would be with some kind of wedge and tap that in between the sides of the shoes. As far as the chrome coming off, that doesn't seem to be a problem, and if it does, I'll just get them replated.

Jeff is no girly-man...
His pecs must be massive

(said with an AHNOLD like accent)

The specs were upgraded awhile back and the last couple of batches of C Series basses have included horseshoe magnets with that historically accurate bend pattern.

It's quite easy to bend these without damage. Just use a piece of 1" or 25mm polished rod stock, force it between the sides of the horseshoe with a padded vise until the diameter is even with the open end of the magnet, and when the rod is removed, the sides spring back to the correct position.

All of our existing inventory, plated and raw, was modified this way, and the dies for new production adjusted accordingly.

I'm assuming the same technique would also work on a v63 pickup as well.

Yup.

This is one of the great things about Rickenbacker, they listen to their customers!

Thanks John.

Is the reason that Ted's original "shoe" shattered, because it was an actual magnet and therefore was brittle?

Chances are that Ted's shattered shoe came from a Hawaiian steel and the bad karma of destroying one of those lovely old guitars just caught up with him.

The originals did have tungsten in the alloy which would make it somewhat harder and more brittle, but I think the shock of a drop is quite different than the slow bend I mentioned.

I could try bending an old magnet but personally it's not worth the karmaic risk to me.

Yes! Thanks for supporting the "do not destroy the old steels" position John.

(lovingly gazes at his Console 508)

Happy New Year and welcome back, John!

So how was China? Were you able to get through the whole trip without thinking about guitars?!