Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I have only just had time to photo CS#2.
I will be taking a few with the two CSs and the FG V63 in a day or two.

Here are a few pics of the finish so you can get an idea of why I dont have a problem re-finishing this particular bass.

The finish has lots of blemishes.
The bridge doesnt sit flat on the body because when I checked it with a straight edge it became clear the the body is not flat and level.
So to get that right she would need a re-finish anyway.
The fretboard is a few degrees lighter in hue to my first CS and I will post some further comparison pics soon.
She sounds great in spite of any technical problems cosmetically.
She is getting her first two rehearsals tonight and tomorrow and I think I might use this one for Long Distance Runaround/The Fish at The Robin2 at Bilston Wolverhampton on Wednesday.
A couple of months ago I decided to do a note for note Yessongs version of The Fish with all the wah wah stuff and its great having a spare bass to rip into and not worry about breaking or wearing the strings out which was my main concern with that number.
I played it in Derby and at the last gig in Rotherham and it seems to go down well if a bit of a shocker!
It seemed like a better idea than the other bass solo that was more like the version Chris plays these days.
I do like the white V63 by the way and I would have bought that if I had got the chance but my project is to go back in time to the late 70s and re-create the Maurice Gibb bass purely for my own playing pleasure.....and its going to look great!

In aviation that bridge would be deemed "negative lift" I think!

Have the body "shaved" down level. That would make it even more like Chris's original.

i've got a CS in w/ Paul W. currently.

as it is my only one of the series, i'm having it restored - but if i had more than one in need of attention, i'd definitely consider something unique as well.

in other words - go for it.

Pete, is there a difference between the fretboards on those two CSs? One looks more grained. Almost like one is the vermillion and one is bubinga. Colour me curious.

Bummer that the ink on the pickguards don't stand the test of time.

Hi John,
The fretboard on CS#1 is really dark purple almost black.
CS#2 has a lighter brown board with some knots in it and its very similar to Wints RM.
Its not bubinga just a lighter piece of vermillion.
I will do some better pics with the two boards next to each other.
Used #2 all rehearsal last night...totally filthy mean tone!!!
I expect the weight will be somewhat lower after the body gets flattened and the overall finish will have to be sanded right down to the wood too.

Thanks Pete. Why I ask is my '93 V63 fretboard looks more like vermilion than bubinga. Headwings are definitely walnut though.

cheyenne wrote:Question.

When the body gets "flattened" or "shaved" how will that effect the overall string height adjustment at the bridge?

The reason Im asking is that I almost always toss a small shim into the heel of the neck pocket of my bolt on Fe**er type basses to fine tune the setup. It amazes me how little a shim you need to make a dramatic difference.

I know this isnt the same mod,,but somewhat related in my point. It makes sense that if you drop the body surface, you'll have to raise the action at the bridge to compensate.

In a nutshell, I guess what I'm trying to say is,, I'd really be careful as far as how much material is taken off the top.

It will also alter the distance from the neck pup to the strings.

Good point John.,, both pups for that matter.,, could cause major problems for the 'shoe. If you raise it high enough for the shoes to clear the strings, you might be hitting the pole pieces, and vice versa.

cheyenne wrote:Good point John.,, both pups for that matter.,, could cause major problems for the 'shoe. If you raise it high enough for the shoes to clear the strings, you might be hitting the pole pieces, and vice versa.

I don't think it will affect the horseshoe - the distance from the shoe to the poles would not change, and there is a lot of length to the height adjusting screws. But the neck pup is limited in how high it can go, and if the guard is lowered when maple is removed, it would lower the neck pup with no chance to raise it. They are already height challenged....