Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hey all
I completed the restoration of my CS on Friday night, with installation of a new set of truss rods from POTR (thanks Chris!). Yesterday was a perfect day for some outdoor photos, so I did just that. Hope you enjoy them...
Some of you might remember this bass... I bought it from a guy in Japan in September. It had spent most of its life on display in a Tokyo nightclub. Cigar/cigarette smoke did a number on the finish, but it was a low number early production CS so I went for it. Here's a link to our own discussion thread:
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=397468
I'll continue this thread detailing the whole process. I took a ton of pics, and quite a bit of work went into every detail. Hopefully the pics show some of those details?

Cheers
Sean

Some more pics:
Original 1963 shoes and aluminium baseplate, and "lipped" bobbin with filister head screws. Reads right at 6K.

BEFORE PHOTOS:

That looks much better. There's some very nice maple on show now. Congrats.

How does it smell now???

I remember this bass when it was on the Net sometime ago.

You did a BEAUTIFUL job on it!!!!! Is that the orifinal pickguard??? I ALSO want to know how it smells

Gorgeous bass!!!!!!!!!

Lefty4003s8




Do not drink from the toilet when taking Lyrica

I am glad you got the photo posting figured out.

Looks great, Sean!

Thanks for the compliments guys.
The bass smells great now! Once I got down to bare wood, and let it air out for a few days, all traces of the smell were gone.
The pickguard was custom from Tony (Pickguardian), and has just the right amount of transparency to look like a mid-sixties pickguard.
The tuners aren't C64, they are original nickel-plated tuners that I've been holding on to for years... to mount them I followed the CORRECT procedure (Thanks Paul W.!). Here's a pic:
Dane - I could have touched up the neck PU route with a Forstner, but since it's under the pickguard I didn't bother. Same for the truss route extensions.

Some of the things that were done:
Replaced treble RIHS with original 60s unit
Replaced tuners with original 60s tuners
Replaced nut with Tusq slab blank
Full level/crown/polish
Replace truss rods with new Ric (shrink tube)
Replaced screws with vintage correct nickel-plated round head slotted (where appropriate)
Replaced original (HOT) toaster with new Ric scatterwound 7.4K toaster
Replaced backpainted pickguard (ruined anyway, as they covered the signature!) with Pickguardian model (drilled for tug bar)
Replaced bridge with new Ric C64 and polished saddles to a high gloss (also drilled out bridge adjustment holes)
Installed aluminium baseplate under new bridge w/dimples for mating with bridge adjustment screws
ADDED THE CAP!!!!!

The bass had a killer neck contour already, and now that all this work has been done she plays wonderfully. The new truss rods are only a couple twists past finger tight, and the neck is DEAD flat. Since I did the level/crown/polish the action is stupid LOW, and buzz free.
She's a dream, and the sound... WOW! The original treble pickup adds such a depth of tone... even when playing mono (yes it's wired for stereo) in the middle position you can hear two distinct sounds. It's THE SOUND... you know the one?
I'm VERY pleased with how well this came out!

jps wrote:I am glad you got the photo posting figured out.

Looks great, Sean!

No I ended up just attaching them... the Photobucket route was getting me frustrated! Thanks though!

aceonbass wrote:One nice detail would have been to use a Forstner bit on the neck pickup wire route...

Not sure if you're aware but Ric has been doing just that on the C64 basses. I just didnt want to bother on my CS as it would go unseen anyway. Here's a pic of a C64 I had briefly...

That is beautiful!

That is simply a work of art, a resuscitation !!! Great work ! You should be proud of it !!! She is now very unique !

xsubs wrote:ADDED THE CAP!!!!!...........and the sound... WOW! The original treble pickup adds such a depth of tone... even when playing mono (yes it's wired for stereo) in the middle position you can hear two distinct sounds. It's THE SOUND... you know the one?

Totally!

I have a magnetic HS PU and a 7.4K scatterwound toaster in my 4001V63. Sounds wonderful.

jps wrote:

xsubs wrote:ADDED THE CAP!!!!!...........and the sound... WOW! The original treble pickup adds such a depth of tone... even when playing mono (yes it's wired for stereo) in the middle position you can hear two distinct sounds. It's THE SOUND... you know the one?

Totally!

I have a magnetic HS PU and a 7.4K scatterwound toaster in my 4001V63. Sounds wonderful.

So.......WHERE does one find/acquire a magnetic HS PU these days??? And, how much would one expect to pay for it????????

Lefty4003s8



Do not drink from the toilet when taking Lyrica

Excellent and well done. Great bass!