Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Just bought a 77 4001 and it has mostly been a dream. However, the intonation is off on my G string above the 12th fret (sharp). Does a saddle adjustment require a professional? I know 4001 adjustments are tricky and I have no intention of screwing up my new purchase!

You can do it yourself but it does require time and patience. Other options with easier intonation would be the new babicz bridge which is a drop in replacement or a different assembly like the hip shot.

You can use a professional or do it yourself. The original bridges are a pain to adjust. I recall having to detune the string so I could get a tool in there. Make the adjustment. Tuning the string and the checking the intonation again. The new version 2 bridge is a breeze to adjust. I replace the original on my '74 4001 (tail lift started to get worse), best $200 dollars I ever spent.

Can you post a photo looking straight done on the bridge so we can see the positions and orientations of the saddles, thanks?

Here’s a straight-on pic of the bridge…G string is where I’m having the issue.

scarmic5 wrote:Here’s a straight-on pic of the bridge…G string is where I’m having the issue.

40D08E79-2F64-4F13-AFC4-D23E3CDBE1B5.jpeg

Thanks. You can remove and flip the G saddle 180º to allow for flatting® the string more. This should take care of the problem. If not, some filing of the post that the adjustment screw goes through can be rounded a bit to allow for more travel along the slot in the bridge. BTDT

jps wrote:

scarmic5 wrote:Here’s a straight-on pic of the bridge…G string is where I’m having the issue.

40D08E79-2F64-4F13-AFC4-D23E3CDBE1B5.jpeg

Thanks. You can remove and flip the G saddle 180º to allow for flatting® the string more. This should take care of the problem. If not, some filing of the post that the adjustment screw goes through can be rounded a bit to allow for more travel along the slot in the bridge. BTDT

Thanks, I’ll try it out!

Re. adjusting intonation on the old RIC bass bridge:
As we all know, it's a PITA because the height of the rearmost "hump" of the casting makes it impossible to get a standard straight-shaft screwdriver in at the correct angle for the screwheads, and the one thing you DON'T want to be doing is loosening the entire saddle bar in order to tilt it. You can kinda turn the screws, but not having the screwdriver properly seated can result in ruining the crosshead of the screw. For this reason it's a good idea for owners of pre-V2 basses to buy a set of right-angled screwdrivers (they only seem to come in sets). Here's a typical example - I'm not recommending this particular set, it's just for illustration purposes:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/6027951648?iid=312472873623

Ken, I have one of those and still loosened the string to facilitate the adjustment. The V2 tailpiece/bridge is far far easier to accomplish all of the adjustments!

Agreed, you still have to loosen the string for the saddle you're adjusting, but it's a lot better than having to loosen all four strings and tilt the saddle bar, knocking the whole assembly out of whack.

It has always baffled me why it took RIC so long to get round to re-designing the 4000 series bridge/tailpiece into something sensible. It ain't exactly rocket science!

While turning the saddle around will give you more adjustment to intonate the string, the string will also end up closer to the edge of the fretboard because it's not in the center of tbe saddle. You can gain quite a bit of additional travel by removing the saddle, grinding some material off of the back of the saddle foot, then rounding off the corners to conform to the shape of the saddle slot.