Making your own 4003V63

loverickbass · Post by **loverickbass** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 6:38 pm

Has anyone ever done all the V63 mods to a 4003? I mean all of 'um, half inch spacing,pickguard,tailpiece,etc. I've got a new fireglo I would love to do.

Cole

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 6:42 pm

you can't get the gap tailpiece or the horseshoe pickup ...

you can get a toaster pickup, you can get the right trc, you can have a pickguard made ...

rickfan60 · Post by **rickfan60** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 7:06 pm

I did it to my '75 FG.

This bass used to belong to Gary Clauson. When I bought it, it had some serious neck damage and a non-working truss system. It is a perfect platform for experiments.

jnbass · Post by **jnbass** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 8:53 pm

Then ya gotta shave off the binding, dig out the triangle inlays, add walnut wings, add dot markers, cover the ROS...

You get the picture

loverickbass · Post by **loverickbass** » Wed Mar 16, 2005 1:35 am

I didn't mean it had to be perfect. You could use an "s" bass for the mods. I like the binding and inlays myself. I'm sure you could find the bridge and pickup if you searched hard enough. BTW, what ever happend to that Lollar(sp?) guy who made the horseshoe type pickup?

Wonder if it would be OK to route out that extra bit of wood to move the neck pickup closer to the neck?

Cole

admin · Post by **admin** » Wed Mar 16, 2005 1:44 am

Nice work Ted.

henny · Post by **henny** » Wed Mar 16, 2005 1:46 am

Just buy one!

There's enough out there...

One on eBay right now.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=4713&item=7308312157&rd=1

loverickbass · Post by **loverickbass** » Wed Mar 16, 2005 1:47 am

You guys are no fun!

admin · Post by **admin** » Wed Mar 16, 2005 2:14 am

J.C. I am with you. It is great fun to modify Rickenbackers by making changes to hardware and their circuits. This allows for returning the instrument to stock should you wish, while at the same time adding uniqueness.

rickfan63 · Post by **rickfan63** » Wed Mar 16, 2005 12:21 pm

I had a V63 pickguard cut out and put on my 4003MB
and it looks great. I like the vintage pickguard look better than the standard look. I also put the neck pick-up in the vintage position too to make it semi-complete. I doubt seriously if I would ever change to the vintage pick-ups, as much as I like them, because the hi-gains sound really good. I do like the horseshoe cover better though.

johnashfield · Post by **johnashfield** » Wed Mar 16, 2005 1:40 pm

I did that to my 2004 4003. Basically I just switched the neck Pup to a scatterwound "toaster" put in the half inch spacing and had the a vintage style pickguard made. I always liked how the vintage guard meets the treble pup surround. Just as a design itmakes more sense to me.

I like it a lot. I am gonna get another pickguard made because while this one is close, I had it made following the outline of the 4003 guard which is a little blobbier in places than the vintage guard. So I'll just get a new one that is closer to the vintage curves.

Checkerboard binding would be awesome, but the plain binding looks fine to me. I prefer the hi-gain treble pup to a horseshoe as well.

loverickbass · Post by **loverickbass** » Wed Mar 16, 2005 2:35 pm

John what did you use to remove the extra wood under the pickguard for the half inch job? I'm guessing a dremel tool.

I always thought that a 3 ply pickguard would look nice. Maybe a W/B/W, sorta' would go with the black letters in the TRC.

Cole

jps · Post by **jps** » Wed Mar 16, 2005 3:45 pm

On my '04 4003FL I used a drill and chisels to clear the neck pickup area for the 1/2" spacing.

Here is my Vintage interpretation on the 4003FL

It does have a vintage TRC. The toaster in the bridge pickup cavity works better for the fretless, it sounds great and I have total access to the strings which are neccesary for my fretless playing.

jps · Post by **jps** » Wed Mar 16, 2005 3:49 pm

Here is another view

loverickbass · Post by **loverickbass** » Wed Mar 16, 2005 4:52 pm

Jeff that's beautiful! That toaster in the bridge is so cool. What does it sound like with the toaster there? Oh man, I'm going to do the mods to mine. I'm kinda nervous about cuttin' on my babies though.

Cole