Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Bought a 4003 brand new in may and I just changed the string for the first time, I couldn't find any Ric strings so I took GHS, 45-55-75-105 according to the Ric manual. And now there's fret buzz on every string!!!! Does anyone have any advice?
I'd like to set it up in a store but have to be sure which set of string to use. Thanks a lot!

You may have to tweak the truss rod and bridge adjustment.

Setting up a bass is an art ... I put a new set of strings on my schecter c-5 last night ... it buzzed like crazy ... I adjusted the truss rod and it buzzed with high action ... I put on heavier strings and it still buzzed ... I put the truss rod back and put on the first set of strings and raised the bridge and it is great now ... low action and very little buzz ... just the way I like it ...

So try the bridge adjustment first ... this is a simple allen wrench thing ... then go to the truss rod adjustment next ...

Thanks. To be honest, I don't really know how to do that although I'm sure I can figure it out by learning from websites and all but I might just get things worse, . I don't mind getting it fixed from a shop but I really would like to know better about thing strings thing. Anyway, did you mean that even if you really keep the same gauge you still need to set it up again?

Marc the answer is yes. There is a thread here that discusses string tension. Even the same guage string from different manufacturers have different tensions. It boils down to the core wire diameter. Higher tension strings will cause the neck to bow more, this is called positive relief. The opposite is also true. Also different strings vibrate a different amount. The best aproach with a different string, guage, type, is to set the neck relief with the truss rod first. This is to be done "carefully" and in small increments. You should never have to go very far. Wood is an organic material that is suseptable to changes in the enviroment. Some necks are fussier than others. The right amount of relief is a preference like everything. A good rule of thumb is to sight down the fretboard from the bridge and you should see a "slight" upward bow. Flat to negative will buzz on every fretted note, think about it for a while. Once the relief is set for the new string tension, move on to the bridge. Start with the G string since it has the highest tension. Raise the bridge saddle to a comfortable height that does not buzz. Repeat in decending order. Keep in mind that this may change the string's intonation so make sure the open and freted octave are still in tune. Intonation may change with different strings anyhow and will change over the life of the string, so learn how to make this adjustment. A good tuner is a must here.

Get one brand of strings you like and buy several sets ... then you won't have to keep on setting it up again and again ...

You know somebody should do a thread on setting up and adjusting a 4003 ... including pictures and explainations ... something as simple as turn it this way ...

Because even if you don't go to different types of strings you still have to adjust due to seasonal changes sometimes ...

Jeff, i may do that next time i change strings, i bet it would help many people out

Marc,
A few days after I received my latest 4003 (that was mounted with factory RIC strings), I changed the set and mounted Rotosound RS66. Even though the gauge is a bit different, I had no adjustment to do. I have low action and no buzz.
I believe the GHS don't have enough tension, and that's why you have that buzz.
If you want to adjust the bass by yourself, be very careful with what wrench you use. There's a special thing about that with modern RICs...
Cheers,
JL

Thanks for these precious posts. It sounds like I'd better learn well before doing any harm to my Ric! I'd better trust a shop for a start... although I hope I'll find a guy who genuinely knows well how to deal with a 4003. By the way if anybody knows a good place to have that fixed in London (uk..), let me know!
Owen, sure if you feel like doing a 'seting up a 4003 for dummies' that would be awesome
Marc

It took me a longtime to feel confident enough to do my own setup work on my Rick basses and this was after spending a lot of time tweaking the Fenders I owned at the time. Of course that was a 4001 which is a different animal than the 4003. If you have another bass laying around you can "experiment" with to learn all the dynamics involved that might prove helpful.

I agree that a how to video would probably help a lot of folks.

Marc, a Rickenbacker is really no different than any other bass when it comes to setting it up. Wes gave the best advice: get a good tuner, a Peterson VS-1 tuner and learn how to use it, or at least learn how to use a cheap Korg GA-30. The Korg can get your ax in better tune than at least 95% of what hangs on the store racks, but the VS-1 is minimum gear for a really close tolerance setup. You need the GA-30 in your case at all times anyway. If messing with an expensive Rickenbacker scares you, buy an OLP MM2 or SB4, whichever one you like best, and do your learning on that. I own both and they are excellent and set up very easily (don't let their low price fool you!). They come with setup tools. Use less neck relief for low action, and more neck relief for high action. Saddle height adjustment sets your buzz tolerance from the 12th to highest frets. Neck relief via the truss rod sets your buzz tolerance from the 12th fret to the nut. Do NOT use saddle height adjustment to set buzz tolerance from the 12th fret to the nut. Neck relief adjustment does a much better job there (which is where you do 99% of your playing), and yields a much lower WORKABLE action. Make sure you learn on a bass with a straight and true neck, because warped necks can't be properly setup anyway. One of the best ways to learn is to get a bass with a really good setup, then mess it up and put it back to where it was before. You KNOW it is capable of good action, and know when you get it back to perfection. Practice makes perfect.

When set up properly, string buzz tolerance will be fairly even all over the fretboard, the E string will be slightly higher than the G string, intonation will vary by the same plus or minus small amount all over the fretboard (do NOT simply set intonation at the 12th fret to match the open string one octave higher, but set ALL notes on that string to be within the same plus or minus tolerance. In short, the 12th fret intonation can be off a bit to get the others more even), and the G string will be fairly even in height over the frets from the 12th to highest fret. The E string will rise slightly in height over the frets as you go from 12th fret to highest fret. On a good instrument, even buzz tolerance and best overall intonation will snap in together. You can have a low action or high action and it will still snap in place together when neck relief and action height match each other (the Peterson VS-1 lets you see this MUCH easier). Both of my cheap OLP basses have this feature, and there is no excuse for not having it due to close tolerance CNC machining used on the necks of even the cheapest basses these days. You don't have to spend big bucks to get a good bass these days. A cheap bass that is setup properly is a much more enjoyable instrument than an expensive one that isn't. You can learn how to tweak your bass action to your liking better than 95% of the luthiers out there can do it for you. You just have to practice at it for a while.

Philip,
I have been wondering about the Spector/OLP basses. You say that you own one, is it the 5 or the 4 string model? Have you owned a Spector? Wondering how the sound compares, the pickups, etc. I have been burned on a few "lower-priced" basses, and if I am buying one off Ebay without hearing it, I would more than likely be disappointed. I do like the Spector 5's, was wondering if you could pass along some info. Also, Owen, the "RIC setup for dummies" would be greatly appreciated here! I have a 73 4001 that Jeff and I have had a time getting perfect, and those kinds of tips would surely help everyone get the most out of their precious instruments!

Steve- yeah i might make a basic webpage with step my step pics one day soon.....thats if anyone wants to see it

It is very simple to set up the neck on a 4003. The first thing I do is press the E string down at the last fret and the first fret simultaneously and look at how much of a bow there is exactly in the middle, as Paul Yan puts it there should be about one or two business cards of space between the middle of the string and the frets with the string still fretted at the first and last position.
If you have less (and you probably will because of the fret buzz and those must be pretty light gauge strings because the original Ric strings are very light also) take off the TRC, get out your 1/4 in. nutdriver and turn the 1/4in, nut next to the E string counter-clockwise about an 1/8 to a 1/4 of a turn (this is loosening the truss rod allowing the neck to bow a little more, you will have more space between the E string and the fret same way as before). I do this with the bass standing on the floor so I can sight down the neck comparing the curve in the neck with the string which of course is exactly straight. Do this until you get about one to two cards of relief on that side (with the string fretted first and last fret) and then do the G string side, and keep in mind that one side will effect the other to a certain extent. And you probably won't have to turn it very much. I too would check this before I adjusted the bridge.
To make the neck straighter turn the truss rod nuts clockwise. I always straighten the neck out manually first to take the tension off the nuts and truss rods before I tighten them. I do this with the bass standing up as before and put my right knee behind the neck and pull the neck toward me so it is straight with my hand on top of the nut and at the same time put a little downward pressure on it so it doesn't move on the floor, then I tighten the Truss rod nut. This is a must with a 4001, and optional with a 4003 but I don't take any chances. Never force anything either, that is when you are heading for trouble.
With practise you can get real good at this. Sometimes it takes several days to get it exactly right, because it will settle after a while, especially if it has been in the same position for a long time. The proof for me is when I play it, the relief can look great sometimes but play like **** and sound like **** too, I think the optimal amount of relief is different with different basses and different strings and also is personal choice. I for example hate fret buzz and I like a big sound so I might set my basses with a little more relief than another person would. Setting up a bass is an aquired art, but saves a lot of money and time and you get to set them up exactly as you like. And you can also experiment with strings if you want to.

Steve, I have the OLP SB4 4-string, and it has the exact same pickups as the Spector Performer 4. The EMG-SSD pickups on the Performer 4 were highly regarded by the testers at Bass Player Magazine in this last issue in their Bargain Bass Blitz. That model won a Top Value award. The only real difference is in the body wood and a slightly different tailpiece. Order the OLP through Music123 like I did and you get FedEx delivery instead of UPS like Musician's Friend. You have 45 days to make up your mind. Buy it through a Music123 eBay auction and save yourself $48 compared to picking up the phone and ordering straight from the store. Rarely will anybody bid against you, especially if you snipe it at the last moment. Yo have to go with OLP id you want a 5-string, or move up to the Professional series in the Spector line at $500 delivered without case. Spector Cases are $120 through MF, and you will need one as the Spector body is much narrower than a Rick bass or P-bass. It will fit in your Rick or P-bass case, but slide around a lot.

The SB4 bass is very light and plays like a dream. Sits on you lap just right or perfectly balances from a strap. I like it even better than the MM2. The EMG-SSD pickups are wound at 8K ohms, so they are more extended in the high end than HB-1 RIC pickups. Voltage output suffers in comparison though. My 4004 and SB4 make a potent combo. Each bass covers sonic terrortory (I spelled that right) that the other one doesn't. My Marshall practice amp likes the SB4 better actually, but over the RBI it makes no difference much as the RBI has extreme tone control. The hot 4004 tends to overdrive the Marshall too soon on the input. I like the SB4 better than the MM2 overall. The MM2 has a bit hotter output, but less tonal variation. Either bass would do a punk rocker proud (or a metal head, classic rocker, etc.). That Ned Steinberger styling grows on you after you use it a while. Since the SB4 should sound almost exactly like the Spector Performer 4, you can read about it in Bass Player Magazine's Bargain Bass Blitz.

www.bassplayer.com

You will need a setup on the SB4 or SB5 when you get it, and tools are included. I would tighten the truss rod before tuning up to pitch if the neck had excessive bow like both my basses did when I got them. I put over 1/2 turn on my truss rod in 3 separate adjustments during the first day I had it. Take out about half the excess bow each time, to prevent over correction. It takes the wood a while to respond to each adjustment.

My action turned out to be 6/64" (slightly more than a nickel) on the G string and 7/64" (about 2 dimes) on the E string at the 12th fret. The correct amount of relief is the amount that gives consistent buzz tolerance all up and down the fretboard. Don't get caught up in the feeler gauge ********, as each string set requires different neck relief and nobody can give that advice without having used that string set and playing it the way you do. Then you adjust the intonation. Even a cheap GA-30 tuner ($15) can get you fairly close here. You're ready to rock!

sonicmoo wrote:Bought a 4003 brand new in may and I just changed the string for the first time, I couldn't find any Ric strings so I took GHS, 45-55-75-105 according to the Ric manual. And now there's fret buzz on every string!!!! Does anyone have any advice?
I'd like to set it up in a store but have to be sure which set of string to use. Thanks a lot!

Get yourself a set of feeler gauges and a capo, capo the first fret and put your finger on the last fret at the neck joint, take a 12 thou gauge and slide it under the strings on both sides of the neck, if you have a very slight drag the neck is adjusted right for the gauge of strings you are using, you will be able to see which way to adjust the truss rods if any adjustment is needed.
Should you change the gauge of strings you may have to do it all again.