Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hey people,
I'm new to the board but I've been to this page several times, and I recognize a few people from Alt.Guitar.Rickenbacker. Anyway just wanted to say hello.
Anyway onto the questions. Does anyone here know the dimensions of a 4003 nut? Also, I saw this question on here before but it never got answered, but did the 4001CS have the .0047 cap in it? And lastly, has anyone ever had to re-finish a fret board before?
Thanks in advance.

Nolan

Howdy, Nolan. Welcome aboard.
Quite an excellent decision of yours to come here.

I think there are some variations on the 4003 nut dimension through the years. I can only give you 2 examples:

My '98 4003: 1 23/32" X 15/32" X 3/16"
My '86 Shadow: 1 19/32" X 3/8" X 7/32"

As you can see, the nut/neck width of the '86 is considerably narrower than the '98. The top of the '86 nut has rounder edges too. I was told by a senior RIC bass owner that '80s necks are narrower (with beefier bodies) than those before and after. I can only say that there are lots of differences in details in every Rick instrument as they are all hand crafted and that's where the fun is!

I'm sure others will chime in on the 4001CS and fretboard refinish matters. Just wait for them to show up.

Hey Paul good talking to you again. I've been to this page before, but never bothered to look at the forums here. Many thanks to Mr. Kenny Howes for that one.

You're right about the variations in the 4003. The bodies are indeed beefier on the older basses compared to the newer ones. Same for the 4001 basses as well. Some were slimmer in the late 60s to 70s.

I'm in a jam. I'm installing a brass nut on my 4003s. I happened to find a blank on Allparts.com, but I'm sure its not going to fit right. Its dimensions are 1-11/16" x 1/8" x 3/16
What do you think?

Well, I'm not quite sure the brass nut blank from Allparts will fit yours as the 1/8" height doesn't seem to be tall enough. Better find something that's as close as possible to your original in dimensions. Do you still have the original nut of your baby? Better more than less as you can always trim the excess off. Maybe Warmoth and Mighty Might have something closer? I know lots of people used brass nuts on their Rick basses in the '70s and '80s, so keep looking until you find the most suitable size.

The neck profiles and body contours of my '98 and '72 4001 Fretless are quite identical. It would be sweet to find one that's a combination of the '86 neck and '98 body.

Paul and Nolan: I am never sure that when we are comparing the dimensions of the nut of instruments that we are all on the same page. As the nut is on the instrument I am reporting here the width of the nut (equal to width of the first fret for the most part) followed by the thickness of the nut (the face where the slots are made) and finally the depth of the nut (the distance the nut rises about the headstock. I refer to these as width, thickness and depth, respectively. To be honest I am not sure what the convention is.

For my 1988 Model 4003 the dimensions of the nut are as follows:
width = 1 5/8" Thickness = 3/16" and Depth = 5/16"

Welcome Nolan,
I thought I had read somewhere that the 4001CS has the cap installed, but I'm not 100% certain. I recently re-finished a 4001 fretboard with tung oil/urethan mixture. Not as good as a factory finish but I'm happy with it.

Yeah Peter, it's sometimes confusing when presenting nut dimensions. So to avoid confusion, let me rephrase...
My '98 nut: Width=1 23/32", Thickness=3/16", Depth=15/32"
My '86 nut: Width=1 19/32", Thickness=7/32", Depth=3/8".

Welcome Nolan, you'll enjoy the vast knowledge shared here. Hop on over to www.the-music-connection.com you'll be able to get an actual Rickenbacker replacement nut.

Thank you all for the warm welcome and speedy replies to my questions. The reason I asked about the nut dimesions is simple. I actually don't want another stock nut. I was looking for a brass one, which after much research I can't find one that will fit right without costing me 60 bucks. So I'm opting for bone. Unless someone knows of a place where I can get a brass nut in the size I need. Which would be for an '84. I'm turning my bass into a Chris Squire-esque bass. The horse-shoe I'm putting in the bass, is said to have come out of a 4001CS as well. Anyway I'm in the process of making my bass as close to Chris's bass as possible. I'm looking to do a headstock wing replacement, but I haven't found a luthier around my area that is capable and won't charge me an arm and a leg. Its turning out to be a really long and drawn out process.

Nolan: Please keep us posted. It will be interesting to see the transition.

Yeah I'll definately keep you guys up to speed on the transformation. Right now I've got a new Vintage Neck pickup coming. I won't have it until the end of the month unfortunately. I have the Horse-shoe on the way. A bone nut is getting installed on Saturday. Here's my next problem. The finish on my fretboard was sanded off. So, now I need to put the finish back on it. Anyone know what RIC uses for that, and how long the stuff takes until its sturdy?

Hey Nolan - you're a nerd.

Nolan,
there's some info on the neck varnish (which is a trade secret) in the archives

HAHA! A message from the great Kenny Howes! Two at that! Hey buddy thanks for getting my pickup off to me so quickly. I should have my horse-shoe pickup by Monday. Very excited. Bob where in the archives would that be. Its a big area. Any help would be greatly appreciated.