Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

What kind of nuts do you use on your 4003 bass and why?

I have a 4003. Just wondering what is out there besides the stock bakelite, though I like the bakelite.

Backstory:
I filed the nut on my Guild Starfire bass and it plays so much better. Thought I would do the same on my 4003 as the nut is a bit too high. In case I bungle the job, I was thinking over options for a replacement, but didn't know what diffs there would be between nut types, and what sounds good on a 4003 bass.

I went with graphite on one of my Ricks that I swapped out the nut on. And I don't really notice a tone difference...but I wasn't trying to change the tone.

The reason I'll occasionally have a new nut made is that the newer Rick basses (when was it...maybe about 1997 and newer?) have a slightly wider string spacing. I prefer the old string spacing (although they were hand filed so they varied a bit) because my first Rick was a 1980 4001. With the newer string spacing I find my fingers too close to the edges of the fret for my tastes. Having the G string inboard a little from the fret edges (maybe 1/8 of an inch or so) is more comfortable for my finger pads and also reduces the possibility of me pulling the string off the fretboard when I'm playing aggressively.

What is the nut string spacing on the earlier models? Was the fingerboard at nut narrower too?
I slide off the neck on the g string sometimes, too.

lumgimfong wrote:What is the nut string spacing on the earlier models? Was the fingerboard at nut narrower too?
I slide off the neck on the g string sometimes, too.

Early models were 1 5/8" IIRC

I'd say the fit/installation of the nut trumps nut material.

I second what Drew said. Material not as huge of a deal as the fit and setup is.

I've used both the stock Ric bakelite available through Pick of the Ricks, and a brass one by Axemasters. The bakelite one has the huge advantage of perfect factory string spacing and a traditional look. Brass looks cool, but doesn't make any real difference in tone, and it has to be polished periodically. The Bakelite ones look identical to what's coming out of the factory, in other words, way too high, and unpolished. I had to file about 1/8" off the BOTTOM of the bakelite nut to get it close to correct, then only minor adjustments on the string notches to get the right nut action. The bakelite polishes up beautifully with micro-mesh pads. I took it right up to 12000, nice satin sheen. Bakelite also seems to have a slightly waxy consistency that acts self-lubricating, doesn't seem to bind on the strings.