Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

aceonbass wrote:None of the new RIC 4000 series saddles fit the bridges properly, and that includes the ones found on NEW basses. They sit above the bridge at least 1mm and wobble like Weebles.

Not true as of early 2009/late 2008. They are flush as flush can be. And I got some more saddles to replace the ones on my 2007 and they also sit flush. They're perfect.

My July 2008 had a tiny bit of Weeble wobble ("microscopic" if you will), but my 2007 wobbled like a super-Weeble. Ohhh it made me angry. That's when I went down the long road of replacement bridges. But yeah... my 2009 came perfect-o from the factory in every way, bridge included.

That's good to hear.

Dane, as a customer, I appreciate your extra efforts to make them saddles sit still. And like you, I hope the problem gets solved as soon as possible and everyone will be happy.

Just for technical reference, here's a comparison pic with a post-2001 saddle on the left and a pre-'
2001 on the right. The screw hole is located too low on the post-2001 saddle.


A post-2001 saddle standing high on the bridge while its pre-2001 neighbors behave themselves. The extra 1mm height also means that the string height can't be adjusted as low as with the pre-2001 ones.


My observation is that the wobbling is caused, besides the height mismatch, by the saddle's underpost not being wide enough to fit the inside edges of the bridge's slots. I wrpped the underposts with 2 rounds of narrow strips of aluminum foil to stop the wobbling of a 2007 4003 BBR that I once owned. It worked out pretty well as long as I didn't go for a low "plays like butter" action.

Don't worry guys, unless I lucked out three times in a row (2008 4003FL, 2009 4003, and spare parts sent a month ago), the new saddles are like pre-2001 saddles. They sit flush just as pictured.