Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

As some of you may know Im restoring a ric, It originally had a fender-type bridge installed.

I've just got my 4001 original bass bridge in the mail today, I've replaced it on my bass etc.

One problem, How do you set the action on this thing?
Currently its set so low the strings are hitting the frets.

I've never had a Ric bridge before and quite frankly its confused the hell out of me!


Any help would be much appreciated

Scott: You're scaring me! It shouldn't be confusing.

You should have a bridge with 4 string saddles that rests on the tailpiece. There are allen screws at either end of this bridge. Turning these allen screws will raise and lower the action.

Do you have all of the parts? This exploded diagram may be useful:

http://www.rickenbacker.com/pdfs/btailpiece.pdf

I thought as much, My problem must be somewhere else instead then.

Is there anything I need to know installation wise or should I just screw in place?

Unless the body wood has been tampered with in any way. It should just be a case of fixing it to the body using the original holes. There is no problem with adjustment as the design of the unit is so basic. String height with the allen screws and intonation with the small slot head intonation screws, which to be fair are a bit of a fiddle. There is an excellent Paul Yan mod though which can overcome the problem. Must get around to doing that myself one of these days.

The tailpiece you bought has a third screw hole that should not be there in the middle,thats why I withdrew from the auction.

The reason I ask ia because at the moment I have 2 problems.

1, Even with the strings at what appears to be a suitable action, They still sound (for a lack of a better word) dead - EG there bearly ringing at all.

2, The bridge doesnt sit perfectly flat, The underside of the bridge paddle space is touching the wood preventing it from being completley flat.


I think I may have purchased a dud

Could you post a photo, Scott?

These are the only pics I can get as my camera is almost out of battery.
Not the best quality, sorry:

http://img169.imageshack.us/img169/4286/10003997py.jpg

http://img169.imageshack.us/img169/4174/10004000me.jpg

The pics aren't the best quality, but from what I can see, the bridge sits a bit low in the tailpiece. Maybe if you replacing the bridge height adjustment screws with longer ones would help. The heel of that tailpiece comes up much more than others I have seen.

It looks to me like your strings might be making contact with the foam string mute. Try backing down the big thumb screws.

Is this an all-parts tailpiece assembly?

Bad....Bad dog!

I dont see how the strings WOULDNT come into contact with foam... I'll try it now anyway..

I just looked at the photos again. In the first photo is the tailpiece mounted on the instrument? I thought it was just sitting on a table the first time I looked. If it is mounted, it too high. Are there spacers/washers under it or something? Or was the cavity in the body filled in by whoever installed the last bridge?

The whole tailpiece should sit flush on the guitar's body. There should be a route in the body that the tailpiece sits in.

Looking at the first photo it appears to me that the tail piece is nowhere near flush with the body. You may need to take a router to the body if it has been filled in for the non-Rick bridge.

Id try to supply some better pics before getting out the router. The bridge dosent look stock to me.

There should be a cavity routed under the tailpiece where the bridge and mute assemblies go... this allows the whole thing to sit flush with the body.

Did someone fill this in to mount a fender type bridge on?

I had to do this on one of my basses when I put a Badass II on it. You can see the filled in cavity here, marked by the arrow:



If this is the case, you will need to remove where they filled it in.