Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

my 4001c64 arrived last night. very beautiful instrument. I was pleased that the wood grain shows nicely through the FG and as my son says "it doesn't sound like other basses". yep...thats the point.
I am concerned however that the bridge is lifted off the body like its warped, I've read other posts about lift after changing the strings, but this is right out of the box. how concerned should I be? will this get worse?
also there is a paint defect, how hard is that to repair? if i send it back to rickenbacker to warranty repair can it be blended ? has anyone had experience with paint repairs?

David; I picked up mine the wed. before Christmas, turned out to be a great surprise considering I was not expecting til April, but I have the same lift and can slide a bus. card a good inch up the lift, but that is not really my concern, I can't get the neck on mine ruler flat, when I try, the D and G strings buzz on the first 4 frets, the hi side truss nut just barely has any tension on it and when I try to flatten the bass side it effects the hi side as if there is a hump in the fingerboard, anybody have any ideas? I've kept the ric strings on, and have ordered more, the bass sounds fabulous, but the buzz, I also don't think I have the action to low as I get 3/32' to bottom of G to top of fret at the 20th, and same on the E at 20th

I wouldn't be concerned about that amount of lift, that is really negligible compared to a lot of others.

As far as the neck is concerned on yours Richard, you may need to have the frets leveled, that's all. The rods on my 4001V63 are barely tightened, that is not an issue as long as the bass plays fine.

Jeff; I've thought about leveling and will probably give it a try...thanks

How about trying some higher-tension strings?

if it is new then it is a warranty issue ... if it is used you can get a replacement tailpiece from Ric ... normally I would say add 2 screws ... but this bass is too pretty for that ... or get the hipshot replacement bridge ... or wait a few more days and see if John Hall has a new bridge to release ...

Beautiful bass David. If it is under warranty all of your questions should be directed toward RIC customer service. IMHO that amount of bridge lift is nothing to worry about.

My higher-tension string idea was obviously directed toward Richard, not David!

David- I agree with Ted. I wouldn't worry about that much lift in the tailpiece. The new ones are much stronger than the old ones(that were famous for pulling up.)

Richard- My 4001C64S has the sweetest fretboard (straight from the factory) of all my Ricks. It also has a VERY straight neck with very little tension on the 'rods. Hence, the higher tension string rec. Before taking a file to a brand new Rick, I'd say its worth a try.

Thanks Jeff; My gtr player thought that also about the strings, but I kind of like the ric strings, but I'll give my D'addario's a try before the file and see what gives..cheers

thanks for all the response,
its a new bass, my first Ric bass, I just didn't know if this was normal or average for a new bass, sounds like it's nothing to worry about. I've heard rumor of a new tailpiece I'll just wait and see.
I'll call Ric later today and ask about the paint.
this is a great playing bass, this is the sound I've always wanted, I played a G&L for years nice bass but the 4001C64 has the sound and neck feels more conformable to my hand.
I am very pleased with the bass over all I really lucked out the wood is very nice.

Congrats, David. She's purdy!

Wow, I always thought they came that way.
The tailpiece on my 4001 is up about 1/16" and has always been since I can remember (which unfortunately only goes back to the mid-80s - the 70s were a little too good to me).

Anyways, is there any reason to fix it besides looks? Would it change the tone at all to have a bridge that fully contacts the body? Will it possibly get worse?

David, that's an absolute beauty.

My 1975 4001 has about that much lift on the bridge, even after having some very high tension strings (Fender 9050 ML's) on it for a few years. I really think that much lift is inconsequential regarding sound...

Ed, my '75 has the same lift- no noticable detriment in sound quality.

In case you haven't seen the most extreme case of bridge lift (on my 4003S/5SPC), check out this thread:

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