Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Thanks Guys,
It was the Jazz Bass test that did it! My Geddy Lee with one pickup soloed actually hummed louder than the Ric,according to my Wife.Im still not to psyched about the hum but turning the treble down a bit seems to help.Now Im off to remove the pickup cover and play some more.You Guys are the greatest! It was nice to see you all pull together for a Ric newbie.The Smurf Bass remains.
Brent

*sniff* I just love happy endings!

Heyyyyyy! Glad to know it turned out right for you, Brent. Enjoy your Rick to the maximum.

Fabulous!
Welcome back from the Twilight Zone, Brent.

Now while we're on the topic of 60 hz hum, will some one please explain the proper step-by-step procedure of shielding a RIC bass. I mean...really detailed.

Good deal, Brent!

It helps to turn off all fluorescent/neon lights, TV's and computer monitors and slowly rotate yourself until the hum diminishes!

(Actually, I'm only partially joking!!)

You're quite right, John. Even a perfectly shielded guitar picks up interference from TV sets and PC monitors. (Provided these are located very near the guitar, of course.)
Paul, I'll get back to you soon.

A very useful Rickenbacker modification is putting copper or aluminum foil on the back side of the pickguard ... I do this to my rics ... it will help sheild your ric pickups a little and can help with hum.

Hey ... here's a nice trick ... If you take your jazz bass and turn the volume on the bridge pickup down and turn the treble up then you can make your jazz bass sound similar to a Ric ...

Geddy Lee has been doing this for years ...

It helps if you use 1/4 pound Seymour Duncan pickups as well

Here's a better idea. Turn both volumes down on that Fender.
Nigel

Hear! Hear!

LOL!

come on Guys ... the jazz bass and p bass are good designs like the 4000 series is a good design ... the problem with fender basses is the the cheap knock offs like squire with poor workmanship and cheap materials ...

I build my own fender style basses ... I buy quality parts and assemble them myself ... I can make a pretty good bass that way ...

I played a squire ... AHHHH!!! it was awful no sustain ... a plywood body .... a true piece of S*** ...

I still love my Rics but I use my p and j style basses for some stuff as well.

My Mexican J-bass is a piece. The A-string buzzes incessantly because the bridge is messed up; it's also a 21-fret dead spot. The connection between the neck pu and the pot is shot, meaning the pu is cosmetic only. The neck itself has a weird bow to it. Ugh.

OTOH the American fenders can be nice.

Hey funny that you guys brought up Fender basses here.

Today my friend returned to me my American Fender Jazz Bass Plus( natural "blond" finish, maple neck/fingerboard, no pickguard, black knobs, active Lace Sensor pickups) that he borrowed for a couple of months.

I was happy to see her back home. However, she still can't beat the playabilaty and design aesthetics of my 4003FG...not to mention the unamplified sound that's no where near as loud and sustained as the RIC. Rickenbacker basses simply rule, hands down.

P.S.-Sergio, take your time. I humbly await.

I agree the necks on the mexican basses are bad ...

I read on another site that 80% of the Fender Jazz five strings were below average to poor players because of funky necks and floppy B strings ...

I bought a Mexi-jazz bass V on ebay the neck was bowed and lame I had to replace the neck and pickups ... Thats wht I build my own ... quality control ... The Geddy Lee basses are usually pretty good ... but I played on of those that was beat up and had a defective tuner ...

You gotta love the quality control of Ricenbacker