Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hi. I oen a 4003SPC (Blackstar) and have decided that its about time it got a refret (some areas are practically fretless) and a change out of the tailpiece due to some taillift going on.

I plan to assist a luthier friend in doing this ourselves (I want to learn how to do it too) so am planning on sourcing all bits myself.

In regards to the frets, having hunted around a bit it would appear that most folks recommend using the stewmac #0148 OR #0155 for Ric basses. Is this the same with the 4003SPC? Are there any particular differences between them I would need to be aware of in regards to using these on my Blackstar bass ie. the longer Tang on the #0148 is fine to fit compared with the shorter tang of the #0155? What would be the reasoning behind fitting either size?

Is there a particular dealer in the UK that anyone can recommend that stocks the STEWMAC fretwire or will it be US based only?

Also, there is a reasonable amount of taillift going on and before it gets too bad I plan on replacing the entire tailpiece with a new one and refurbing the current one and storing it away so I still have all the original parts. I am reluctant to add the 2 additional screws (as the 4003SPC does not have the extra screw holes at the back) and wondered if the replacement tailpiece would be sturdy/strong enough to not have taillift (or anything else) happen to if i dont fit those extra screws? Would it be advisable to add the 2 extra screws anyway?

I hope to keep the bass as original as possible but some things just need to be done.

The tailpiece i`ll be ordering will be http://www.rosetti.co.uk/Product/Ricken ... iece-01160 as I believe it should be a straight swap out with all the screw holes matching up (minus the 2 additional ones of course).

I hope to not have to refinish it in any way as overall it is in pretty great condition considering how often it has been played - there are very few marks on it other than general wear caused by being played a lot.

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

I’m in the process of doing a refret myself. This is on a 1996 4001V63. On this bass, even after serious leveling of the fretboard the fret slots still had plenty of depth. I don’t have experience with other RIC basses, but I believe you don’t need to worry about tang height at all.
Here is my fret selecting story If it can help.

The candidates I came up with (height x width):
StewMac #155: .050” x .080” / 1.27mm x 2.03mm
StewMac #148: .039” x .084” / .99mm x 2.13mm
Dunlop 6230: .043” x .080” / 1.09mm x 2.03mm
Dunlop 6190: .043” x .084” / 1.09mm x 2.13mm
Jescar FW37080: .037” x .080” / .94mm x 2.03mm
Jescar FW43080: .043” x .080” / 1.09mm x 2.03mm

The original frets from my bass were .080” wide. Pretty hard to measure the height as they have been levels on top, but they could have been .037” tall.
So, I first tried Jescar FW37080. They did feel very nice and close to original, but I got a little bit worried about them ending up quite low after fret leveling and refinishing the fretboard.

StewMac #155, noticeably taller than original frets, which I would not have been satisfied with myself, so these were out of the question for me.
StewMac #148, slightly wider than original frets. But not that much tall than the Jescar frets I already tried.
Dunlop 6230, good size, but the quality of these frets didn’t look so good. The crown looked like it had been grinded into shape.
Dunlop 6190, slightly wider than original frets, but good height. I’ve been satisfied with these frets on another bass previously. The 6190s are nice and smooth, and not the same rough quality as Dunlop 6230.
Jescar FW43080, perfect size (for me).

I considered using Dunlop 6190 which I already had lying around, but ended up with Jescar FW43080. Googling around I’ve read lots of good things about Jescar frets, and some claim they are the hardest and longest lasting “nickel silver” frets out there. Also, Jescar is easy find pre-radiused (actually, I think it’s hard to find them in straight lengths).

http://www.ToneTechLuthierSupplies.co.uk sells Jescar frets pre-radiused from a coil which is nice. They have Jescar FW37080 (which might be a bit low). They also have Jescar FW50085 (.50” x .085” / 1.27mm x 2.16mm) which is larger than what I wanted. They did not list the FW43080 I was looking for.
http://www.PhiladelphiaLuthierTools.com sells Jescar FW43080 in precut lengths and 9.5” pre-radiused. (Can also be found on ebay by searching “jescar fretwire”.)

Thanks Wiker. Most useful information. I`ll be chatting with my tech friend tomorrow afternoon about this so hopefully he`ll be able to advise on whats the best way forward regarding the frets.

My only concern really over the frets is whether or not my bass, being a limited edition type thing, had any other changes to the size/style of frets over a more standard RIC. I dont think it has but some "official" confirmation would be nice before ordering/starting work on my baby.

As for the tailpiece lifting, it is possible to flatten it back out, and if you look at the one at Rosetti's, you will see two holes on the back flatted area. You can add those to your tailpiece and it WILL NOT lift again. There are a couple threads here explaining how. Gary Clausen (sp?) has the original one with pics on his progress.

Thanks John.

Ive read those threads about the tail lift and the (slow) process of repairing the existing tail pieces. I will most certainly be repairing my existing one but have been considering replacing the tail piece with a new one if they are made stronger than my original one is purely because i dont actually want to add the 2 extra (screw) holes to my bass.

Anyways, i`ll be looking in to ordering up the bits a pieces i need to do this work over the next month or so. I`ll post how things go once its all finished.

#148 will give you the closest to originals. They're only a few thou wider and the height is best for leveling Rick-style.

It will be challenging to pull the old frets and install new without at least a re-varnishing of the board...

Cheers JJ. Thats exactly the info i was looking for. I`ll be ordering them up forthwith.

I am concerned that its going to be tricky to refret without doing any damage at all to the finish. I would prefer to not do it at all but its just not right to play as it is now and i dont see the point in having a bass, any bass, that i wont/cant play.

That said i really really hope i can avoid doing much/any damage to the finish on the fretboard. The signs of wear that are on it look natural and i dont mind them but would prefer not to ruin them by needing to refinish it due to clumsyness during refretting.

Anyhoo, offshore for a month soon so i`ll order up the parts and get on to this on my return to terra firma in a month or so.

bassmekanik wrote:Cheers JJ. Thats exactly the info i was looking for. I`ll be ordering them up forthwith.

I am concerned that its going to be tricky to refret without doing any damage at all to the finish. I would prefer to not do it at all but its just not right to play as it is now and i dont see the point in having a bass, any bass, that i wont/cant play.

That said i really really hope i can avoid doing much/any damage to the finish on the fretboard. The signs of wear that are on it look natural and i dont mind them but would prefer not to ruin them by needing to refinish it due to clumsyness during refretting.

Anyhoo, offshore for a month soon so i`ll order up the parts and get on to this on my return to terra firma in a month or so.

Aberdeen, offshore...how's the oil drilling? Cold and rainy, I'd imagine...

The varnish on the fretboard should be scored with a sharp X-Acto knife on either side of each fret, down to the bubinga, so you can pull the frets without tearing up the finish. Then, when you're done setting the frets, and before leveling, go over each fret with a fine artist's brush and clear nail polish to seep and fill the base of each fret. Then and only then should the frets be leveled. They don't have to be crowned, however...frets with flattish tops are a Rick characteristic.

bassmekanik wrote:Thanks John.

Ive read those threads about the tail lift and the (slow) process of repairing the existing tail pieces. I will most certainly be repairing my existing one but have been considering replacing the tail piece with a new one if they are made stronger than my original one is purely because i dont actually want to add the 2 extra (screw) holes to my bass.

Anyways, i`ll be looking in to ordering up the bits a pieces i need to do this work over the next month or so. I`ll post how things go once its all finished.

All black tailpieces are equally prone to lifting. No difference.

johnallg wrote: All black tailpieces are equally prone to lifting. No difference.

Yeah, I had come to the same conclusion.

jingle_jangle wrote:

bassmekanik wrote:Cheers JJ. Thats exactly the info i was looking for. I`ll be ordering them up forthwith.

I am concerned that its going to be tricky to refret without doing any damage at all to the finish. I would prefer to not do it at all but its just not right to play as it is now and i dont see the point in having a bass, any bass, that i wont/cant play.

That said i really really hope i can avoid doing much/any damage to the finish on the fretboard. The signs of wear that are on it look natural and i dont mind them but would prefer not to ruin them by needing to refinish it due to clumsyness during refretting.

Anyhoo, offshore for a month soon so i`ll order up the parts and get on to this on my return to terra firma in a month or so.

Aberdeen, offshore...how's the oil drilling? Cold and rainy, I'd imagine...

The varnish on the fretboard should be scored with a sharp X-Acto knife on either side of each fret, down to the bubinga, so you can pull the frets without tearing up the finish. Then, when you're done setting the frets, and before leveling, go over each fret with a fine artist's brush and clear nail polish to seep and fill the base of each fret. Then and only then should the frets be leveled. They don't have to be crowned, however...frets with flattish tops are a Rick characteristic.

Yes. Its cold and very wet (or very cold and wet, you choose).

Discussions with my friend had come to a similar conclusion with regards to deeply scoring either side of the existing frets to hopefully minimise any damage to the finish. Thats a handy tip for the nail polish to be added too, not something i had considered. I take it that prevents any debris from the leveling entering in between the new frets and the existing finish.

I had checked out my friends work on other guitars he has refretted/repaired (he did an amazing job on a friends broken head-stock SG 6 string), and I am hugely impressed with his level of finish. It would seem refrets are a bit of a speciality of his so I am quite confident this should go well.

Fingers crossed at least