Adjust double-trussrod for RIC 4003 bass?

augustus · Post by **augustus** » Wed May 28, 2003 8:23 am

Hi...
recently, I put on new roundwound string(45,65,85,105) to my 4003 bass.
but it seem to me that I need to re-adjust
the double trussrod... but before, I adjust them..
I was curious about the other 4003 owner,
how much relief do you give a gab between top of the 7th fret and bottom of the string on E-string while you press down on 1th fret position and last fret position on E-string.
how much relief does your 4003 need?
and what gage of the roundwound string do you use for your 4003?

ojobob2 · Post by **ojobob2** » Wed May 28, 2003 8:33 am

the 4003 trussrods are easily to do, and i personally look for the relief at the 12 fret. To be honest, i never pay any attention to the measurements, i just set it until the thing plays right.

As for strings, i use Rotosound swing bass, guage 45 , 65 , 80 , 105.

I find that most basses (rickenbackers especially) that lighter guages are too floppy and buzzy, and a heavier guage (ie 50 - 100) impossible to play.

robj · Post by **robj** » Wed May 28, 2003 9:05 am

I don't measure either, I pay attention to the amount of adjustment I made to the truss rods tension and re-adjust accordingly until it feels and plays the way I want it to from the lowest to the highest notes.

Large tension changes may result in having to adjust the string heights at the bridge. If you aren't experienced in making these adjustments, some sort of measurements would probably help a lot.

Go Slow. I know of a few people who have chased their tails first adjusting the rods, then the saddles, then the rods, then the saddles.....
I would guess someone like Mark Arnquist has some metrics he uses to start with.

ojobob2 · Post by **ojobob2** » Wed May 28, 2003 9:09 am

setting up basses (especially my rick) ****** me off. Till i understood how to do it through trial and error, now im not affraid to do it myself

dave4004 · Post by **dave4004** » Wed May 28, 2003 9:15 am

On any bass, RIC or otherwise, I fret at the 3rd and 15th frets and look for relief no more than the thickness of a business card at the top of the 8th fret. Works for me.

robj · Post by **robj** » Wed May 28, 2003 9:17 am

That's how I learned too Owen. I got tired of paying the tech at the music store to do it and then it was always a compromise on how I wanted it to play versus how he thought it should play.

I use 45 to 105 DR High Beams or Roto Sounds on my 4003.

augustus · Post by **augustus** » Wed May 28, 2003 9:24 am

thanx for all of your great kind re-posts.
it was my first time to post in here.
thank you again...
^^

ojobob2 · Post by **ojobob2** » Wed May 28, 2003 9:24 am

Robert- same with me, except when i got my rick used, it was set up really badly. I took it back under warranty, and they did a great job.

Unfortunatly , that bass was strung with 50- 105's (too heavy) so i changed to rotos (45 - 105) and was back to square one.

I spent ages fiddling and got it right- im glad i figured it out myself

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Wed May 28, 2003 10:53 am

I too do it by sight and feel, I sight down the neck from the head stock to see how straight it is, then adjust the rods accordingly. I turn one a little bit, then the other a little bit. I try to apply approximately the same amount of torque to each rod, although it seems to me that the E string side usually needs a little more than the G. The harder you play, probably the more relief you will want in the neck, you don't really want it perfectly flat, and you don't want a canoe either. I press the E down at the first and last frets and check the middle to see how much of a bow there is, (also the same with the G). As a rough guess I like about 1/16 on an inch in the middle. You will affect the sound also, with a lot of relief you will get a big sound up the neck, with little relief you will get a more thin sound up the neck. I like the big sound, and I can sometimes play hard, and usually use my fingers as opposed to a pick, so I have maybe a little more of a bow than some players and also maybe a little higher action on most of my basses. I have one Ric, a 4001 with a very straight neck, original Ric round wound strings (light to me)and low (again for me) action, this bass plays very fast, but I must be careful or I play too hard and get fret buzz.
I think the more you do it, the easier it will get for you and you will be able to set your basses up the way you like them.(and save money in the process) The last thing is to sight down the neck to check the last 7 or 8 frets where the neck joins the body, with very heavy gauge strings this part of the neck can bend, I don't know if this can be fixed and the truss rods won't really help much. A little bend here translates into big neck problems. I don't know if this is a problem with 4003's but it was with some 4001's. But if you use normal strings, you shouldn't have this problem.

robj · Post by **robj** » Wed May 28, 2003 12:11 pm

My 4004C was a bit of a challenge to get the relief just right, she just didn't want to cooperate for some reason. I spent a lot of time getting it right but it was well worth it, she is one great playing bass.

Over the years my playing style has changed a lot and I don't dig in nearly as hard as I used to (fingers, pick and typewriter style). I let the amp do the heavy lifting now, and a fairly flat neck profile is what works best for me. Back in the day I kept the action pretty high and a fair amount of tension on the neck.

I agree that the sound of the notes do change relative to the tension on the rods.

ojobob2 · Post by **ojobob2** » Wed May 28, 2003 1:28 pm

this is my take, the rickenbacker is quite a sensitive bass to adjust.

I have found that the action can be slightly high - making the bass not feel as nice as it can do, or too low, giving a lot of buzz and "clank" around the 10th/12th fret.

If you work at it, with just the right ammount of relief in the neck, and with the bridge set to a good height, - the bass will play incredibly smoothly and effortlessly with no buzz. That is unless you really whack those strings.

I think that unlike a guitar, the only way to play hard and avoid buzz is to raise the action high.

high enough that your bass becomes a chore to play

dougp · Post by **dougp** » Wed May 28, 2003 2:37 pm

I agree with Owen that a slightly-high action is good for a bass that is to be played hard (as I play mine!).

Although I think it would be impossible for me to *ever* consider it a chore to play a Rickenbacker bass! <g>

But seriously, I use a 45-65-85-105 set. I've tried to use a 45-65-80-105 set, and I just wound up breaking A strings at every other rehearsal (like I said, I play hard).

ojobob2 · Post by **ojobob2** » Wed May 28, 2003 11:16 pm

YOU ACTUALLY BREAK BASS STRINGS?????????

I didnt think that was possible, thats nuts!

robj · Post by **robj** » Thu May 29, 2003 5:47 am

I broke the D on a 4000 I had in the early '70s. I did it at a gig and had no spare string, man I sweated my way through that last set. Of course I began to carry a spare set in my gig bag after that, and have never broken a string since. I have to admit my playing was a little on the manically physical side then.

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Thu May 29, 2003 9:33 am

I had a burr on my bridge on a Tele bass and didn't know it. I played a one set opener for the area's biggest band at that time (1975) on a common in a town near worc. Ma. Needless to say there were a LOT of people there. The band I was in at the time did a lot of covers along with our originals. We decided to do a non-stop Who set, merging one song into another complete with Entwhistle bass solos, etc. During the first song, I broke my D string! Try to play the Who, especially the solos without a D string. I never forgot it, and that was the last time I broke a string. And yeah, my playing is lighter now. I bought a brand new P bass in 1971 and wore out the first two or three frets at the end of the neck near the pick guard (with flatwounds) I played so hard. I sold the bass in 73 for $150.00 and a few months later someone was trying to pass it off as a 64. With the P bass and flatwounds I used to wrench the sound out of my bass.