79 RIC 4001 Tailpiece Swap

[novausa]

Hello again fellow Ricksters!

Found a tailpiece for my 79 bass but have a queston.
Is it safe to remove the strings without fear of damaging the
neck? Should the neck be clamped stright?
What is a good cleaner for the Pots and Jacks while i'm in there?
Thanks

[jps]

You ca safely remove the strings for a while. Just don't do it for a long period like days, etc.

[rickfan60]

Yes, It is perfectly safe to remove the strings. If they are going to be off for an extended time - 3 weeks or more - you may want to also take the tension off of the truss rods. Tuner cleaner from electronics shops will work on the pots.

[novausa]

OK, Thanks for the help (jps),(rickfan60)!
I'll try to have all parts at hand when I start this tuneup.

What do you guys think about that push-pull treble tone control pot mod?
You know...the .0047 cap. deal. Yea ya know! Is it worth it?

Thanks again

[rickfan60]

I removed the bass-cut cap from all of my Ricks (except for the one in my '63) because I prefer to have some bottom in my bass sound. For me there is no reason to have the cap at all (sounds too thin) but some players like it.

[rickenbrother]

What do you guys think about that push-pull treble tone control pot mod?
You know...the .0047 cap. deal. Yea ya know! Is it worth it?

That's a matter of personal preference really. If you would more tonal options from your bass it might be worth it. Or ans Ted said you might just want to remove or bypass the .0047 cap.

[jingle_jangle]

I'm jumping in here with a cautionary note about tuner cleaner.

Electronics stores (including the ubiquitous Radio Shack) sell two kinds of tuner cleaners--cleaner and cleaner/lube. For pots, It's probably better to use the cleaner/lube. Pots are internally-lubed at the factory, and this lube cakes and oxidizes over long periods. Originally, it's put there because the wiper (center terminal) on pots, as they move over the pot windings, spread the lube constantly over the windings to prevent tarnishing of same, which then gives you that ol' "scratchy pot" syndrome.

Merely cleaning the pots with cleaner will work in the short term, as it will liquefy a bit of the old lube (depending upon how far gone is actually is...) and spread it around a bit. If you use too much cleaner, it could expose the windings to further corrosion; best to use the cleaner/lube, which is made for just this purpose--to freshen up pots and remove the scratchiness.

[rickfan60]

That is a good point. I am particularly hesitant to use anything on pots because I had one fall apart after applying a shot of cleaner. My '66 Höfner had a scratchy pot so I hit it with some tuner cleaner from my local TV repair shop (remember those?). After a few minutes the pot stopped working and little bits of debris were rattling around inside. I suppose that experience is more an exception than an rule but it still makes me think twice before squiring anything in there. In recent years I have tried a cleaner / lube that seems to work OK - no damage so far.

I have heard that some people acutally disassemble pots and clean and lube the parts by hand.

[rickenbrother]

I'm assuming you should be as cautious as you can be with the cleaner lube and not get it on the finish. When I've used cleaner/lube, I covered the area near the pots with a cloth to avoid getting it on the body.

[jingle_jangle]

The cleaner/lube I use (Radio Shack #64-4315) has a solvent that's not harmful to finishes, per se. But it is a good idea to cover the guitar with a couple of rags. Reason? It's very cold as it leaves the can, expands, and evaporates. You don't want to submit the finish to thermal shock on this level.

[novausa]

As usual you guys come through with good ideas!
When I make the tailpiece swap, i'll have all controls out of the body.
That will eliminate the possible finish damage.
I'll grab a can of radio shack c/l and try that.

Can scratchy jacks be cleaned up with the same stuff?
I know my guitar cord is good, maybe jacks need cleaning too.

Thanks again!

[jps]

The jack's contact areas can be cleaned with an eraser, actually. You may also need to bend the tangs in a bit to make a more solid contact with the plug.

[rickenbrother]

An eraser does work well on the jacks contacts. If you did use the Radio Shack c/l, it's best to spray it on a lint free foam swab, then wipe the contacts with it.

[novausa]

Sounds good, i'll give it a try.
Thanks