Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Uh-huh.

He had a second installed.

Jeeesh....he shoulda just kept playin' the RIC!!

he also had his jazz wired like ric-o-sound for a while ...

now he runs a mono signal into a sans amp and runs 3 outgoing signals ... one regular, one with more bass, and one with distortion ...

"... Also if you want a Geddy Lee Ric bass just get a '70s jetglo and you have a genuine article"

If RIC ever make a Geddy Lee signature model, I hope it will be a 4080!

"... He had a second installed"

Henny, I've never heard of that before, are you sure? I've read the endless discussions over at the FDP on the GL sig's thin necks and truss rods maxxed out. The guys at Fender who took care of his original '73 Jazz posted there and said that they have added washers to the truss rod nut when it was maxxing out, but not a word was mentioned about double truss rods. Have you played a GL sig Jazz? I think the neck is shaved waaaay too thin to accept two truss rod channels.

it is too bad that the JAPS do not use graphite in their necks like fender USA. I HAD A COUPLE lefty fender JAP models

First, in case you've been living on a desert island somewhere you should realize that "Jap" is offensive and considered a racial slur by some Japanese.

Second, the great majority of basses made today and basses ever made do NOT have graphite reinforcement and are just fine without it. IMHO graphite is more marketing hype than anything else.

Ilan, I've never heard anything about a second truss rod on Geddy's original either and I've read most of those same FDP discussions.

My older son has had a GL sig for a couple of years -- I think he's just sold it -- and it definitely does not have two truss rods. It's also very uncomfortable for me to play. Way too thin. And I don't think the shape of its back profile would allow 2 truss rod channels unless it were a lot thicker.

FWIW, it has a severe lack of low end, and I imagine the Badass is a major contributor. Also, whatever kind of maple that neck is made of, it doesn't look like any American hard maple I've ever seen. But it hasn't had any neck problems using Ken Smith 045-105 nickel rounds.

"My older son has had a GL sig for a couple of years -- I think he's just sold it -- and it definitely does not have two truss rods."

That's because the Sig's don't bother with it.

"graphite is more marketing hype than anything else"

Don't tell that to Joe Zon!

I played a zon the other day ... but it had frets ... very cool bass ...

Don't tell that to Joe Zon!

Let me rephrase that: IMHO the claims of benefits from graphite reinforcement rods in wood necks are vastly overstated.

That said, I don't like all-graphite necks at all. YMMV, obviously.

I am not up on Geddy Lee, Henny are you talking about his Fender Jazz, that he had another truss rid installed? If so that would be a MAJOR job, because the truss rods run right down the middle as I'm sure you know in Fenders. I would think that would be common knowledge as that would be a bizarre and risky thing to do to an old bass.
I had an American Jazz deluxe, actually two or three with graphite reinforced necks, did nothing for me or the bass for that matter that I could see, the necks weren't as strong as new Ric necks.

I tried a Modulus also but the Zon has a warmer feel and sound to it, plus NO dead spots.

Re Geddy's Jazz - I suspect we might have a confusion of terminology here. Most likely he had a double-*action* truss rod installed, rather than an extra one......

With regards to graphite reinforcement, I have some experience of this. I had a custom built boutique 6 string made with graphite reinforcement in a 7 piece maple and wenge neck. The neck was never stable (the main reason I eventually sold it). I later had a 4 string made by the same maker (admittedly far less tension etc), passed on the graphite, and it was solid as a rock. This could've been coincidence, but it certainly coloured my view slightly (although obviously the same thing can happen with different pieces of wood; you never know what you're going to get 'til it's built). I also know that the original Wal basses had graphite reinforcement , which was later discarded due to the wood wanting to move and the graphite staying put, which is what I suspect was happening with my bass. After saying that, I have nothing against reinforcement per se, and if I can find an instrument it works on, fine. The same goes for graphite necks; I've owned 3 Status basses and the necks have felt fabulous; my only gripe was the sound wasn't quite what I wanted. But the day I find a neck as stable as graphite that sounds "right", I'm there. I hate truss rods, just like the Ox did (it's therefore ironic that my 2 favourite basses both have double ones!), and for the same reasons. Luckily Ricks are pretty stable, no doubt helped somewhat by the lacquered fingerboards, although I'm sure there are other factors.