Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I find a hole in the horn not aesthetically pleasing to my eye ...

the 4004cii5 made by Ric has the same nut and bridge spacing as a Musicman 5 string bass ... that is industry standard ... I prefer a little narrower ... especially at the nut ... 1 5/8" for me is perfect 1 7/8" pretty good ... 2" a little too wide ...

When I convert a 4004 4 string bass to a 5 string bass I use an off the shelf Carvin 5 string nut ... it does have to be shimmed about 1/16" or 3/32" for height ... but the width is perfect ... when I convert a 4003 I use a Carvin 6 string nut and I have to shim it and the I cut off the part for the high C string ... this makes a slightly narrower nut than I would use for the 4004 ...

The 4004 makes a better 5 string for spacing and playing ... the 4003 makes a better 5 string for tone and overall sound ... I prefer the single coil bite slightly to humbuckers ... but I love the lack of hum on the humbucker pickups ...

I wonder what a low B string is going to sound like with dual toasters, I might find out today if my strings come in, I'm waiting on a .045-.120 set. Jeff, I have to applaud your efforts in pioneering this type of conversion as you certainly have been an inspiration to me.

Mark ... thanks ... I did the conversions mainly to suit my own needs ...

The toaster and high gain pickups are wonderful pickups ... I think the hb-1 pickups are best suited for a 4004 ... especially in the bridge position ...