Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hi guys,

Iittle problem with the mute assembly on my 4003... The screw-in pin has fallen out of the bottom pole and now wont screw back in again. Am i going to have to take the whole bridge off to screw it back in again? I presume there is something that has come loose inside that takes the other end of the thread... Can see a spring loose in there too.

Thanks!

Yep, the screw came out of the plate that the mute pad sits on. The easiest way is to take the tailpiece off and reassemble the mute. And watch those adjusters in the future!

If there is room (depth) in the cavity you can put nuts on the ends of the adjusting screws below the plate and use red Loctite to keep them from coming off, this way you can't totally unscrew the adjusters from the mute pad plate. Either way, you are going to have to take the tailpiece off the bass to put the screw back on the plate.

I have bought basses with the mute loose like that, and as the two Jeffs have stated, the only good way to fix it is to loosen the strings, remove the bridge, and screw the mute adjusting screw back into the mute base plate.

I removed the upper mute screw from my new 4003 as the knurled bit was slowly sawing through the side of my hand when playing with a pick. I'm now thinking i was a bit hasty as i "think" i can hear occasional rattling of the mute or spring assembly. I still have the original part and was wondering what is the best way to re-install this, but also removing the top part of the adjusting screw so that it doesn't rub on my hand.

Anyone else done something like this? I see that the screw is the same part as used in the Vintage Strap Button?

Could i use a new style strap button? Or is there any other flat headed screw i could use in this part of the guitar.

If you get a piece of wire about 5" long and make a hook at one end you can poke it under the mute plate by using the gap in the tail beneath the strings.Then pull the mute plate towards the screw/bolt enabling you to get the thread to bite.Just fiddle about to get the spring lined up beforehand and drop the bolt through it.
If you can,get the other mute screw/bolt near to the end of its thread so that the mute will level out when you offer it up to the bolt for the thread to make a straight contact without burring it.
I have done this a few times and its fiddly but not as much trouble as taking the strings off and the whole tail apart.
If that doesnt work for you then you can think about taking the tail off.