4003V2 Tailpiece- ROCKS- but not in a good way...

[Bighouse]

So, I just received my new tailpiece and, since I'm not prepared to install it yet for a week or more, thought I'd give it a good look-over. The item that attaches the strings to the body needed some attention. There were edge burrs on the underside that would have left some nice impressions on my Mapleglo, so I took some very fine wet/dry paper to it and smoothed the surface, as well as eased the edges that would come into contact with the body. I also took the time to polish the metal some so when installed, from the open end on the tailpiece it would look nicer than grey cast material and now looks a bit more like chrome.

Then I examined the tailpiece itself. And found a few issues:
1. The chrome isn't very uniformly plated on the surface. The area where the muting thumbscrews mount is rather pitted and not a smooth as the heel of the item. The pitting is also quite evident in the area where the saddles go. I'm sure it won't affect playability, but I thought the entire thing would come with a nice uniform mirror chrome finish. Oh well!
2. The double stick tape that's used on the mute foam is pretty useless. The foam simply won't stay stuck to it. Guess I'll try a different double stick, or maybe some superglue- thoughts?
3. And this the point I'm most disappointed about...it rocks. Literally, not musically. When I place it on a flat surface, in any orientation, the opposite corners sit low and it rocks back and forth diagonally. If I force the unit flat at the mute bar end, the heel at the "E" string side is high by about 1/16". That's actually worse than the amount of visible tail lift on my original tailpiece. Do these come "pre-warped"???

Not sure what to do. Expected more for the price. I purchased from Chicago Music Exchange. Should I contact them for a replacement, or is this going to be typical for all the V2 units?

Let's see if this link works for viewing it:
https://share.icloud.com/photos/0b0eP1h ... KAkPAtxI2w

[Bighouse]

I spoke with someone in the service department and he said that some warping is typical and that it might even be beneficial to not harm the paint finish around the perimeter of the tailpiece when it gets screwed down to the bass face. He also said all tailpieces come from the same casting- so there shouldn’t be any real differences between them. He said to go ahead and use it, so after my fret leveling tools arrive this week, I will be replacing my original tailpiece with this new one.

[lumgimfong]

So where do the string ball ends go? It just looks like it is all open on the tail end. Like no holes for the strings to go thru.

[Bighouse]

There's a separate piece that the threaded bolts to adjust the saddles with (springs on the outside) and the string pass through. There are four new screws that attach this piece to the body of the bass. The tailpiece itself doesn't have any tension applied to it at all now.

[espidog]

I must say, this is very dispiriting news, Robert. I will certainly be in no hurry to purchase a V2 tailpiece, having seen your video.

It is just possible, I guess, that the lack of flatness on your example might be a one-off: might have come about as the result of an accident - i.e. the casting being dropped on a hard surface while still "warm" before being chromed. It would be very useful if other forum members who've just bought a V2 could check their own to see if they rock too. The rough, pitted finish in visible areas of the top surface, though? That's just plain shoddy.

What is it with RIC and cast items? From the infamous exploding 'R' tailpiece to this tawdry effort, it's a pretty shameful story.

ADDED LATER: I think you have serious grounds for complaint here. I visited the RIC product page for the V2, and the photos there (click/tap them to see them full-size) show an immaculate casting with no uneven surfaces or pitting. If they could produce a decent example then, why not now?

http://boutique.rickenbacker.com/4003v2 ... p_786.html

[Dirk]

You might consider a more permanent solution to the mute issue. I'd use contact cement, coat both surfaces, let dry, press together and not worry about it for years. Double stick is a temporary fix, Alien Tape might work.

[Bighouse]

You might consider a more permanent solution to the mute issue. I'd use contact cement, coat both surfaces, let dry, press together and not worry about it for years. Double stick is a temporary fix, Alien Tape might work.

Great idea. I’ll do this.

[Bighouse]

I must say, this is very dispiriting news, Robert. I will certainly be in no hurry to purchase a V2 tailpiece, having seen your video.

It is just possible, I guess, that the lack of flatness on your example might be a one-off: might have come about as the result of an accident - i.e. the casting being dropped on a hard surface while still "warm" before being chromed. It would be very useful if other forum members who've just bought a V2 could check their own to see if they rock too. The rough, pitted finish in visible areas of the top surface, though? That's just plain shoddy.

What is it with RIC and cast items? From the infamous exploding 'R' tailpiece to this tawdry effort, it's a pretty shameful story.

ADDED LATER: I think you have serious grounds for complaint here. I visited the RIC product page for the V2, and the photos there (click/tap them to see them full-size) show an immaculate casting with no uneven surfaces or pitting. If they could produce a decent example then, why not now?

http://boutique.rickenbacker.com/4003v2 ... p_786.html

As much as I want to think that mine is a one-off, I suspect it’s probably the standard issue. So I will use it, knowing that once installed it will have a pre-lifted tail on it. At least it’s only cosmetic- and the lifting won’t interfere with the playability or string connection to the body.

I would love to hear from anyone else, though, who may have a boxed one sitting around and compare the plating and the rocking on it to others. It does make me wonder if the ones that get through inspection with high quality control get used on new instruments and the second tier quality units get sold as retrofits in the boutique store, or from retailers.

I wonder if I should post the video to YouTube to get a broader viewing of it? There are several videos up there about installing the tailpiece, and none of them touch on these imperfections.

[lumgimfong]

Here is the chrome on my hipshot. The only area of question is the chrome if gets a little light where the strings enter the tailpiece.

[Bighouse]

Here’s how the string retainer attaches to the body.

[lumgimfong]

So you had to install 4 new screws just for the retainer?

[Bighouse]

Yup. And four new ones for the tailpiece as well. So, all in all, you need to make EIGHT new holes.

[Bighouse]

Polished up my treble PU and even 3D printed a custom treble bezel!

Not looking too bad for 40 years old!

[lumgimfong]

Wow!! Nice treble bezel!! Impressive!

[Bighouse]

Thanks! I could have sanded out a bit more of the 3D printing filament path, but I like a bit of the process revealed on the product. I had considered putting a thumb rest on it- but I could always add it latter and reprint.