Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hey there, All! Gil, here (a.k.a. "Charlie Goodnight")... recent purchaser of a GORGEOUS 4001v63 from Jeff Scott (thanks again, Jeff!)...

Last night I was putting some new strings on the bass, and decided to play with the mutes in the bridge a bit; since I'd never really messed with them before.

No sooner did I do so, then one of the mute screws (on the G-string side of the bridge) fell out! I tried and tried, but couldn't get it to go back in... it's as though the screw hole is stripped.

Needless to say, I want to get this into a shop asap for repair... but, with an instrument of this quality and value; I'm not going to take it to any old repair shop.

I LOVE SF Guitarworks in San Francisco; though it's a hassle to get to; as I live in Berkeley (across the Bay)... but, I find myself wondering if anyone here in the Forum could recommend someone in the Bay Area who specifically works on Rics; and could remedy my problem. Thoughts?

I recall Jeff telling me that there are some great folks in the area who might be able to offer some advice...

Help me Ric Forum! You're my only hope!

~C.G.

I'm sure that Jeff mentioned me, as I generally work on nothing but Ricks. Send me a PM. I'm sure I can help!

Chris, you must have unscrewed the mute screw too far! It is easy to put back in to the mute plate but unless someone here has a cool trick you need to take the tailpiece off the body. This is real easy to do, so I would not go pay a repair person to do this, all it is is a few screws (and strings) that have to be removed to get to the mute assembly.

Take the strings off the tuning keys (they can stay on the tailpiece, just push them to one side making sure not to scratch the body or hardware; the strings will slide out from under the horseshoes through the gap between the two shoes. The bridge itself (the piece with the saddles on it) will just pull out, it is basically free floating in the tailpiece; note which direction it sits in the tailpiece so you can put it back in place the same way.

Remove the 5 screws holding the tailpiece to the body and carefully pull the tailpiece off the body (place a towel on the body to protect the finish) but do not go too far with it ( 2 or 3 inches) as there is a wire soldered to the underside of the mute assembly that grounds the tailpiece to the wiring harness in the control cavity. You will most likely find a spring loose somewhere in the routing as the two screws that adjust the mute are spring loaded to keep tension on the mute plate to prevent rattling. Slide the spring back onto the screw and then fit the screw into the threaded hole on the end of the mute plate and screw it back into place.
Finally, put the tailpiece back into place being careful to guide the ground wire back into it's hole while doing so, then put the 5 mounting screws back in. I don't recall whether I put washers in the cavity where the saddle area of the tailpiece goes, this helps with minimizing excess force on the tailpiece in that area. Do not crank down on the 5 mounting screws, just snug them up a bit, then put the bridge with the saddles back on the tailpiece in the same orientation that it was in originally and put the strings back on the tuners.

Max: Hey, piece of pie.
Curnow: Cake, piece of cake.
Max: Easy as cake, yes?
Curnow: Pie, easy as pie.

jingle_jangle wrote:I'm sure that Jeff mentioned me, as I generally work on nothing but Ricks. Send me a PM. I'm sure I can help!

Who are you? Do I know you?

Paul is THE expert to take a Ric in need of help to and you are right in his neck of the woods so don't hesitate to contact him, just like he indicated. He is also a great guy to work with and will treat you right.

If you want to do a little diagnostics on your own in case this is a relatively simple fix you should take the tailpiece off and make sure the threads are really stripped before arriving at that conclusion. In my experience it's nearly impossible to rethread the baseplate to the bolt with the tailpiece attached to the body. In about 15-20 minutes you can slacken the strings, back the tailpiece screws out, check everything under the hood and (if the baseplate threads are okay) rethread the bolt to the baseplate, and have everything put back together neatly. If nothing else you'll have gained an understanding of the mechanism under the "teeth" of your tailpiece and can diagnose your situation better before taking it to a pro. If the threads need some light oiling, Paul would be the guy to ask about what is safe for your finish.

EDIT: Looks like Jeff beat me to it!

Yikes, Jeff! ...I'm too nervous to do all of that myself! I'm just scared I'll screw something up! ...however, with your instructions in hand, I might be able to take it to someone who could do the job for me (with little in the way of cost).

...and so, do you not know the Jingle_Jangle fella?

Hope you're well!!!

~C.

cassius987 wrote:Paul is THE expert to take a Ric in need of help to and you are right in his neck of the woods so don't hesitate to contact him, just like he indicated. He is also a great guy to work with and will treat you right.

If you want to do a little diagnostics on your own in case this is a relatively simple fix you should take the tailpiece off and make sure the threads are really stripped before arriving at that conclusion. In my experience it's nearly impossible to rethread the baseplate to the bolt with the tailpiece attached to the body. In about 15-20 minutes you can slacken the strings, back the tailpiece screws out, check everything under the hood and (if the baseplate threads are okay) rethread the bolt to the baseplate, and have everything put back together neatly. If nothing else you'll have gained an understanding of the mechanism under the "teeth" of your tailpiece and can diagnose your situation better before taking it to a pro. If the threads need some light oiling, Paul would be the guy to ask about what is safe for your finish.

EDIT: Looks like Jeff beat me to it!

Ah-HA!!!

You guys are awesome... thank you!!!

Charlie Goodnight wrote:...and so, do you not know the Jingle_Jangle fella?
~C.

We have some history!

Paul is great, you're in good hands with him. Better check with Dalia, first, though.

Here is a recent photo of Paul so you will recognize him.

jps wrote:

Charlie Goodnight wrote:...and so, do you not know the Jingle_Jangle fella?
~C.

We have some history!

Paul is great, you're in good hands with him. Better check with Dalia, first, though.

Here is a recent photo of Paul so you will recognize him.

And, WHICH Rickenbacker model is Paul playing in that pic.?????






Do not drink from the toilet when taking Lyrica

jps wrote:

Charlie Goodnight wrote:...
...Here is a recent photo of Paul so you will recognize him.

WOW, you have great photo studios in the US!!!

jps wrote:

jingle_jangle wrote:I'm sure that Jeff mentioned me, as I generally work on nothing but Ricks. Send me a PM. I'm sure I can help!

Who are you? Do I know you?

About as well as I know you, Charlie... +

I'm gonna have to update that photo...the cow died...

jingle_jangle wrote:

jps wrote:

jingle_jangle wrote:I'm sure that Jeff mentioned me, as I generally work on nothing but Ricks. Send me a PM. I'm sure I can help!

Who are you? Do I know you?

About as well as I know you, Charlie... +

I'm gonna have to update that photo...the cow died...

Har!!!!

Charlie Goodnight wrote:Yikes, Jeff! ...I'm too nervous to do all of that myself! I'm just scared I'll screw something up! ...however, with your instructions in hand, I might be able to take it to someone who could do the job for me (with little in the way of cost).

...and so, do you not know the Jingle_Jangle fella?

Hope you're well!!!

~C.

Can you use a screwdriver without:

a) swallowing it and choke to dead
b) impale yourself or one of your familly member
c) poke yourself in the eye
d) electrocute yourself

if all the answers to the above questions are ''no'' then you can do the job yourself without any fear of any damage whatsoever.

A little late to this (in AZ marrying off a daughter to a great guy), but another idea I'd try is using a heavy paper clip opened up 90 degrees and getting it under the mute bar (in the teeth area of the tailpiece) and lifting it in place and starting the screw again. You will need to get the spring in there also.