Feeling rather deflated...

[Paolo]

...I love my new Ric,i really do.It's a gorgeous instrument.In fact,i love it so much,that i wish it would fit under my pillow so it's not too far when i go to sleep

However,last night was the 1st time i took it to rehearsals & played it nice & loud through my reasonably small rig...Unfortunately,it's suffering from quiet/flat/dull/lifeless E String Syndrome.I've done plenty of research into said "Syndrome" (including a rather long thread in this very forum),and it seems to be a very common problem.Also,there's a fair amount of people who can't actually cure this problem no matter what they try.I had my Allen keys & screw drivers with me last night just in case i needed to alter settings.I raised the bridge pick up,i lowered the A & D poles,i raised the E pole,i lowered the pickup,i begged it to sound nice...to cut a long story short,i tried every combination & nothing worked,the E string sounds truly horrible.The other strings sound fantastic though,no doubt about that.Full of life,punchy,bright & yet growly.
I am gutted,i really am.I've wanted a Rickenbacker since the last ice-age,but now that i've got one,i'm rather disappointed with this annoying problem.

In case anyone out there has a simple solution,i play through an Ashdown EB12 EVOII with a 1X15 Ashdown extension cab,& it's strung with DR Hi-beams 45 65 80 100.

Thanks for listening

[rickaddict]

This is probably a useless post, but have you tried a different brand/gauge of strings since this problem developed?

A couple years ago I had a 2007 4003 with the most dead E string I had ever heard on it. I couldn't believe it could be so bad. But once I changed the strings, the problem went away.

[cheyenne]

I'd try a different set of Hi-Beams first.

Then look at pole piece alignment of the pickups in relation to the strings. I've had 2 4003's where the E pole piece on the bridge pickup didnt line up accurately with the string. It tended to be off center toward the A string. I took the bridge pickup and rotated it 180 degrees and reinstalled it and had no problems after that.

Sounds crazy, but its worth a try. It worked for me twice.

[2112]

ROTOSOUND!!!!!

[rickenbrother]

Paul, is this happening when both pickups are on, does it get better if just one or the other pickup is on and does it sound dead on all of the notes the of E string or just when you play it open?

This is most likely corrected with a pickup adjustment or just an E string change as others have already mentioned.

I'm still waiting to be presented in person with a 4003 that has this problem.

[reaction]

Hi Paul -
It's been 5-6 years since I had this issue, so I'm hoping I'm remembering correctly... I believe the solution that was suggested to me (and worked) was to make a slight adjustment to the truss rod on the E-string side. I can't remember for sure which direction the twist was - but it was a very slight twist of the rod, nothing that was really noticeable action-wise when I was done.
On another occasion, I just had a bad E-string and replacing the strings fixed it.

[BAD RONBO, KiLLeR DWaRfS]

i used rotosound for a long time and were well known for dead e strings, and at the $44.00 a set i was paying in the late '70's,in new brunswick, canada, it used to pea me off. i changed brands and rarely had a problem again.

[cassius987]

There's already a lot of good advice out there about this. All I will add is that I have had really puzzling issues with my Rics (and other basses) before and sometimes even thought, "Well, it's just the bass." But it always turned out that it was anything but that--usually some external factor or a setup issue. Stick with it.

By the way, I have it on good word that TI JF344s are fairly prone to dead E, as far as flats go. When I was using them the E was fine, but that was only one set, and a friend went through two or three sets with dead E (before switching, quite happily IIRC, to Chromes).

[Renfield]

ROTOSOUND!!!!!

+1

[GATSBY]

There's already a lot of good advice out there about this. All I will add is that I have had really puzzling issues with my Rics (and other basses) before and sometimes even thought, "Well, it's just the bass." But it always turned out that it was anything but that--usually some external factor or a setup issue. Stick with it.

By the way, I have it on good word that TI JF344s are fairly prone to dead E, as far as flats go. When I was using them the E was fine, but that was only one set, and a friend went through two or three sets with dead E (before switching, quite happily IIRC, to Chromes).

TI will replace any bad string 1800 644 5268
Henry

[rickenbrother]

i used rotosound for a long time and were well known for dead e strings

I stopped using Rotosound strings in the early 80's because I became unhappy with sound of the E and A strings.

[FabGearHead]

I had the same problem with my '96 4001V63. I bought some SIT Powerflats and strung it up and it fixed the problem. They are one of the very few Flatwound bass string sets still made with a pure nickel wrap. They are good strings for me...



Jim

[ricaddic]

As far as T I J344 flats I use them on all three of my precisions, and all 4 of my jazz basses and also on my 4001C64 and have never encountered any dead E string problems, as far as rounds I use the Curt Mangan Ric set on 2 of my 4003's my 4004 Larado and 4004Cii, and and get a better E string response with those rounds, plus I get a more balanced sound with the toasters in the neck position, on my 4001V63 and and on my other 4003 I use Dean Markley blue steel med light rounds and get not only the best and fullest Estring response but a much fuller and thicker response on all 4 strings..

[Rickenhands]

I had a lower volume E string issue just as you. I took my new Ric to a pro for setup, as I'm utterly useless when it comes to the technical aspects of any electric instrument. So, please keep my knowledge level in mind if you read ahead.

When I picked her up after he was finished, he told me that they found out if you lower the poles too much, the pole bottom can actually separate something from something within the pickup, and potentially lessen its effectiveness/render it useless. Now, I'm sure I'm not saying/presenting this correctly (obviously), but I just thought I'd throw that out there (also keep in mind it could be an issue with my bass only). Anyway, he lowered the poles and adjusted pickups using side screws, and I now have possibly the most balanced string sound I've ever had (incidentally, this is what John Hall suggests). The E sounds deliciously fat, as do the others. I'm very pleased, and I've not changed the factory strings, as they sound great to me.

Good luck to you, my friend. I know how it is to want your Ric within reach 24/7, and I know you'll get your sound.

Peace.

[VRICKY63]

I bet a nice two ton brass Hipshot tailpiece would fix it. The Hipshot aluminum tails cured dead spots on 2 of my basses.