Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hi.. New guy to the forum here, and proud owner of a beautiful '08 4003 MID. My bass was made the first week of April of this year and it already has TP lift! I've searched all the threads I could find about Rick bridge/tailpiece issues, and I don't want to start another round of "flog the dead horse", but I still have one particular question, and would like solicit the esteemed opinions of some of the members here who have experience with the infamous "Dipstick" replacement bridge..

First off, I don't have any desire to perform any mods to make the stock bridge/TP assembly work properly... Not that I'm shy about modding, I've built and customized plenty of guitars and basses, but it just seems like an heroic effort to make a flawed design function the way it should... I love the way the stock TP looks, but I think the simple solutions are always the best ones.. The simple solution for me is to put a bridge on there that's easy to intonate, is fully adjustable and won't bend under string tension..

Having made my intentions clear, here's my question... Or rather, my problem... I've been debating back and forth whether to install the aluminum Hipshot bridge, or the one made of brass... My 4003 is one of those that has a weak E string.. It sounds kinda diffuse... Lacking the edge and definition that the other strings have... When I was coming up, brass was always the way to go for clarity and sustain.. I'm not really concerned about increasing sustain, but I would like to make the E sound tighter than it does without making the other strings noticeably brighter.... Some have said that the brass bridge makes the bass sound darker.. I don't want that, either... I suspect that the aluminum, due to it's rigidity, would make the strings sound considerably brighter, but it may be the best choice for putting an edge on the E string...

The more I think about it, the more I get into "analysis paralysis" and was wondering if anybody had any specific opinions about how the brass bridge compares to the aluminum one? I've always wanted a Rick bass for the distinct tone it has, and I don't want to mess that up too much.. (I already have a Jazz bass.. I don't want my Rick to sound like a Jazz bass..) But I don't want it to sound too clangy and metallic, either.. I just want the E string to have a little more bite.

Any opinions would be greatly appreciated...

Welcome aboard, Ed, and congrats on your new MID 4003.

I would like to know how much lift is happening. If it is just a little, that the end metal is just off the wood a bit, I would suggest the "washers under the 3 screws" first. What I have seen and experienced, is when these three screws are tightened down hard into the over-routed recess, the back end of the tailpiece will start to lift. Add string tension and more lift happens. Get thin washers of various thicknesses that will pass the tailpiece screws and fill in the void so the "preload" for taillift cannot happen. Then string her up and see if that lets the tailpiece lay as it should, and if that also cures the lower output of the E string. Lastly, when restringing, make sure there is no lateral twists in the string, that it is untwisted from bridge saddle to nut. Sometimes lower output can be the string not being able to vibrate unrestrained due to twist.

As to the Hipshot questions, I will say the original cast RIC tailpieces were from aluminum. Past that I will defer to those that will chime in with actual experience with either aluminum or brass Hipshots.

I've heard people say that the aluminum would best preserve the sound of the original bridge while also giving more sustain and a louder e string. The brass version is supposed to give a darker sound. I've never tried one myself. This is just what I've learned here on the forum.

fireglo wrote:I've heard people say that the aluminum would best preserve the sound of the original bridge while also giving more sustain and a louder e string. The brass version is supposed to give a darker sound. I've never tried one myself. This is just what I've learned here on the forum.

As was what I read also (same posts no doubt!) but it's more authoritative to hear it first hand so I didn't add that. But there it is.

I went with a brass Dipshit bridge on the BronzeGlo Abomination and have no comparison to the aluminium one but I will say it is a nicely engineered piece.

I would do the washers suggestion first and then if that doesn't work maybe call RIC and talk to them about it just so that you run all the stock parts-based solutions to their conclusion before going with the after market solution.

alanz wrote:I went with a brass Dipshit bridge on the BronzeGlo Abomination and have no comparison to the aluminium one but I will say it is a nicely engineered piece.

I would do the washers suggestion first and then if that doesn't work maybe call RIC and talk to them about it just so that you run all the stock parts-based solutions to their conclusion before going with the after market solution.

Very good point Alan. I guess I'm just so used to these tailpiece posts that I didn't think of calling Customer Service. Sean is right also, a picture of how much lift would help. Also, Ed, you still have the factory RIC strings on?

Welcome Ed! Regarding the weak E string, have you adjusted the pickups and polepiececs to get the best string balance? I had to make some significant adjustments, primarily to the polepieces to balance the strings, but then, that is why the pickups are adjustable.

Welcome newbie rickster . I have used both the brass and aluminum Hipshots . I love them ! I could not hear a difference in the tone but could really feel the difference in the weight ! . I really like the aluminum . Rickenbacker should make a deal with Hipshot and give everybody a Working product .

Welcome Ed!
I went with the aluminum version on my V63 and love it! It sounds like a Rick should, is easier to adjust, and didn't add any weight. I prefer the look of the original factory piece, but this is a workng bass, so function won out.

Thanks for the responses guys.. I actually did raise the E pole piece.. Well, on the neck pickup, anyway... I still have the cover on the bridge pup.. I didn't notice, nor was I expecting much of a difference... Raising the pole piece may make the string a little bit louder, but what I'm looking for is more definition.. A harder edge.. More ring..

I've also got stock strings on there too... I may want to try out some other kinds of strings.. I just hate dropping $35 for a set of strings when I've got brand new ones on there... (I'm not cheap! I'm thrifty! ) Actually, I've got a couple of sets of DR High Beams I was gonna try out on two of my other basses.. Maybe I'll put a set on the Rick instead...

Here's a pic of the tail-piece, so you can see the lift.. I'm sorry, my camera sucks at taking close-ups (or maybe it's me.. I dunno..) But you get the idea..



Isn't that about a *****? I had read about the TP lift problem before I even bought my Rick, but never bothered to check it till now... I assumed that this happened to basses after several years... Not FOUR MONTHS after it was built! maybe it came outta the factory that way, I dunno...

Thanks for the suggestion of the washer fix, but I still think I'm gonna go with the Hipshot bridge... There's still other problems with the stock bridge that I could do without.. The Hipshot takes care of everything in one fell swoop... I was mainly having trouble deciding between brass and aluminum... I was leaning towards brass before, but if there's not much of a tonal difference between the two, and the aluminum bridge preserves the Rick tone better, I think I might go with the aluminum bridge..

That is not bad lift at all and I believe it is caused by the deep rout and the three too-tight screws under the bridge itself. The washer fix will most likely solve this. Its cheap and easy and you were going to change the strings anyway.

Since you're thrifty, try the D'Addario EXL-170 set of strings for about $18.

Once again, JA pwns! Had to throw some geek lingo in there!

johnallg wrote:That is not bad lift at all and I believe it is caused by the deep rout and the three too-tight screws under the bridge itself. The washer fix will most likely solve this. Its cheap and easy and you were going to change the strings anyway.

Since you're thrifty, try the D'Addario EXL-170 set of strings for about $18.

Well, "bad" is a relative term.. The fact that it's lifting at all is what bothers me, and it'll only get worse over time.. Besides, the TP lift isn't the only problem with this assembly... Otherwise, I'd just throw some washers on it instead of throwing a $125 aftermarket part at it, as Dane put it.. What compounds the problem is the lack of adjustability. difficulty in intonation, and the fact that zinc is just an inferior material when compared to brass or aluminum.. I've never heard or read of a luthier singing the praises of zinc as a bridge material.... except that it's economical.. I have a feeling that a rigid metal like aluminum will solve the problem of the mushy E string...

I appreciate everyone's advice on how to salvage this piece, but honestly, after paying nearly $2k for this bass, I'm a little dismayed that there should be anything that needs replacing or re-engineering... Rickenbacker should have fixed these problems decades ago.. Like I said in a previous post, I prefer simple solutions to complicated ones... If it turns out I'm not satisfied with the Hipshot, I can always turn it around on eBay with no harm done.

BTW, I'm not up on geek lingo... What does "pwns" mean?