Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

No No, dont worry im not about to do it now

But can it be done without paying a professional?

My 1973 4001 has very worn frets, the low notes - the frets are almost nothing,,,,and is it me or does the 4001 have very small frets anyway - when compared to a 4003?

Im quite good/comfortable with tools, and have managed to disassemble/ reassemble, re do electronics, perform the cap mod etc....

I dont have much cash to spare and i have a feeling that getting a pro to do it could ammount to £££.

Has anyone here refretted their bass themselves with a fair ammount of ease?

I don't think that *anyone* (experienced luthiers included) has re-fretted a 4001/4003 with *any* amount of ease. The binding and finish/coating account for the reason why luthiers charge twice as much for a Ric refret (and some will refuse the job outright) as for refretting a F----r (or just about any other make of bass). It cost me about $200 (£120-150?) for a refret job on my '78 4001 a couple years ago.

I'd agree with Doug. If you want it done right, find someone who has done a Ric bass before. The binding and finish will be a nightmare.

The rosewood fingerboards are very prone to chipping and I wouldn't advise doing it unless you know what your doing. Have Arnquist or Ron Lira do the work.

im in London Uk, so i cant really do that

Owen,
If I were you I would only let a pro re-fret a Rickenbacker bass. There are too many things that can go wrong. There has to be a repairman in London who has worked on Ricks and can do it right. I would never try it myself.

Thanks Randy.........there must be,,, but i think it would get majorly expensive

The bass is really great (has been played a ton over the past 30yrs - is very beaten finish wise too)

"does the 4001 have very small frets anyway"...

I have a '73 4001 and the frets on it seem average in size; although mine are pretty worn down the width is fairly wide. I was suprised to see that the frets on my '67 4005 WB are very small, kind of like vintage Fender fretwire.

"Kind of like vintage Fender fretwire"

yes, thats how i would describe my 73

Hi Owen,
Yeah, it probably will be expensive,since the Rickenbackers have finished necks and binding as well. That's the reason I only use ground rounds or flats on my Ricks. A re-fret job on any bass is major work,but on a Rick, it's very delicate job. I hope you find someone who will do it correctly for you.

I guess I'm the minority.

My '79 was the first bass I *ever* refretted, and it came out great. It did take me two weeks worth of nights, though. haha!

Rob - whats the secret?

I don't think I'm really in the position to give out advice. I've only done two basses, so I'm pretty damn green. Plus, I do it a little differently than Don described in the other thread, and if he's been doing it for 20 years, listen to him, not me.

I also recapped a '74 SVT as my first real tube amp project, and that's like learning how to drive in a '66 AC Cobra. I guess I'm a "dive in" kinda guy. haha.

Rob

Hi Rob,
give me some pointers on recapping an SVT if you can, I just bought a late 70's head that needs to be recapped. Did you use a variac to power it up? If so, how expensive are they? And if not did you have any problems? Were you able to get the correct caps? If so where?
Also do you know anything about an 6550 to 6L6 conversion? it was done to this amp, and I want to convert it back to 6550's but I'n not sure if it is a simple rebiasing, different plate resistors, or a major rewiring job. (which I doubt) And I can't find any information anywhere about this.

Bob, send me an email at [email protected]

Rob