Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Was there ever made basses with slanted frets?

Lars: This is a most interesting question. I have never heard of one made by Rickenbacker. I suspect that the advantages would not be that great but for a six string bass in which chords might be played, who knows.

The slanted fret system is made by a company called "Novax".

Currently Dingwall, who are a Canadian company make basses with the Novax fanned fret system. Fanned frets are supposed to be better for intonation, and also for establishing a more even tension over the strings.

http://www.dingwallguitars.com/html/products_afterburner.html

Rickenbacker produced some 6 string electrics with slanted frets.

I was thinking about Rickenbackers. I've seen quite a few pictures of Rickenbacker guitars with slanted frets, but never a bass.

Lars, I seem to remember seeing a 4001 bass with slanted frets back in the 70's in a music store. I know I've played a couple of guitars with the slanted frets, but I'm quite sure I've seen a bass setup that way.

I also remember playing with the convertible 6/12 string gizmo at a music store back then.

There's a photo from the 1973 NAMM show on the RIC site with the caption: "slanted fret versions of the 340, 360, and 4001" ... you can't see much of it though.

I doubt that many were made.

They look a bit weird to play to me. I wonder how easy they are to adapt to ? Leland Sklar plays a Dingwall. He is a tremendous player and a really interesting guy to listen to being interviewed. There is a great interview on www.mikevisceglia.com. He is Suzanne Vegas bass player and he's interviewed a number of great players on his site, all interesting.

Yeah Lee Sklar is great, he has played with'em all!
I doubt that any forumite have a 4001 with slanted frets? Or a 4005? That would be interesting.

He has a great workingmans attitude to session work. Really no frills, get the job done well and with no fuss. I believe he has or had a signature Gibson bass with twin P-bass EMG pups in it.

Yeah he did have a Gibson signature bass. His main bass is made from a generic kit P-bass body (I think it's a Charvel), with two sets of EMG P's, installed "backwards" (the bass string unit is closer to the bridge, unlike a real Fender) and an old Fender P neck, reshaped like a Jazz neck. The neck was refretted with small mandolin frets.

That's right. In the gallery from the seventies on Ric's website, there's a picture from the 73 NAMM as you say David! Too bad the picture is so lo res. Looks like the PUs are not slanted as they are on the guitars.

I know the slanted fret guitars aren't popular. But what about basses? A slanted fret 4001 or 4005 would be a strange and obscure part of the Rickenbacker bass history, thus very collectable.
IMHO.