Help Wanted: Ric Project
Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2008 3:35 pm
...or "How I'm Spending My Summer Vacation."
Restoring (more or less) a Rickenbacker bass. I hope.
This bass belongs to friend of mine. I can't remember off the top of my head how long she's owned it but I know it came to her second hand and it's doubtful that the previous owner would have performed these modifications to the instrument.
Modifications: From what I can tell, nearly everything. Bartolini pickups and wiring harness, replacement jack plate, WD pickguard, bridge, brass(?) nut, and Schaller tuners. Actually, I think there are maybe only two or three stock parts still on the bass.
No model number on the truss rod cover and the closest thing to a serial number I can find is the partial code on two of the pots: R13781 (the remainder of the number is obscured by solder).
Finish: After some poking around on the internet, I was fairly certain this was a ruby finish which would date the guitar to about where we'd assumed (early 80s). But there's a catch: overspray on one of the truss rods and the rout for the battery (just below the neck pickup cavity) was done before the guitar was painted.
Thanks to some wear and tear, I can see bare wood and a silver coat which should be consistent with this finish. I also managed to turn up what I think is a coat of gray just beneath the ruby which, again, should be consistent with what I've read about this finish.
So, this could be a factory finish with some professional touch-ups when it was modified or a complete refin.
Restoring (more or less) a Rickenbacker bass. I hope.
This bass belongs to friend of mine. I can't remember off the top of my head how long she's owned it but I know it came to her second hand and it's doubtful that the previous owner would have performed these modifications to the instrument.
Modifications: From what I can tell, nearly everything. Bartolini pickups and wiring harness, replacement jack plate, WD pickguard, bridge, brass(?) nut, and Schaller tuners. Actually, I think there are maybe only two or three stock parts still on the bass.
No model number on the truss rod cover and the closest thing to a serial number I can find is the partial code on two of the pots: R13781 (the remainder of the number is obscured by solder).
Finish: After some poking around on the internet, I was fairly certain this was a ruby finish which would date the guitar to about where we'd assumed (early 80s). But there's a catch: overspray on one of the truss rods and the rout for the battery (just below the neck pickup cavity) was done before the guitar was painted.
Thanks to some wear and tear, I can see bare wood and a silver coat which should be consistent with this finish. I also managed to turn up what I think is a coat of gray just beneath the ruby which, again, should be consistent with what I've read about this finish.
So, this could be a factory finish with some professional touch-ups when it was modified or a complete refin.
