If I Could Change One Thing About My Rickenbacker ...

[WillyWonka]

machine screw ****** schallerish strap buttons...

[iiipopes]

Oh - I had forgotten: on my 360-12, with a 24-fret neck, at that time RIC was still using the upper scratch plate with the 21-fret pickup placing, so it bumped against the pickup instead of outlining the frame of the pickup as it does on the bridge pickup. So I took my dremel and recontoured the upper scratch plate to outline the neck pickup the same way it does the bridge pickup.

[lumgimfong]

I'd love to have rick-o-sound on my 4001v63 and 4004cii.

Trade ‘ya my 2016 ROS 4003 for your 4004!!

[thisismusicinc]

I'd love to have rick-o-sound on my 4001v63 and 4004cii.

Trade ‘ya my 2016 ROS 4003 for your 4004!!

Thanks for the offer, but what I really want is a 4004 with rick-o-sound! The 4004 is amazing. That's the only thing I'm missing on it is the stereo option. I even have been getting used to the broad fingerboard (it's from 2008)

[scoobster28]

Oh - I had forgotten: on my 360-12, with a 24-fret neck, at that time RIC was still using the upper scratch plate with the 21-fret pickup placing, so it bumped against the pickup instead of outlining the frame of the pickup as it does on the bridge pickup. So I took my dremel and recontoured the upper scratch plate to outline the neck pickup the same way it does the bridge pickup.

I am struggling to picture this. Do you have a picture of the finished pickguard? Thanks.

[iiipopes]

Oh - I had forgotten: on my 360-12, with a 24-fret neck, at that time RIC was still using the upper scratch plate with the 21-fret pickup placing, so it bumped against the pickup instead of outlining the frame of the pickup as it does on the bridge pickup. So I took my dremel and recontoured the upper scratch plate to outline the neck pickup the same way it does the bridge pickup.

I am struggling to picture this. Do you have a picture of the finished pickguard? Thanks.

Look closely at the picture. It is subtle. If you can, imagine the upper pickguard tongue with space between the tongue and the bridge pickup, but slammed up against the neck pickup. Because of the picture angle, the tongue of the upper pickguard looks closer to the bridge pickup than it actually is.

[biffnix]

If I could change one thing, it would be a properly machined tailpiece. Securing the strings in the tailpiece for string changes is such a simple and logical fix.

I ended up using JB Weld and plastic tubing in the poorly machined slots of my '22 360 tailpiece, and it works perfectly. Then, I'm no vintage fetishist, and prefer a player's practicality to any sort of "it's not original" type of worshipping. Yes, I'm aware that there are relatively simple fixes - using a capo, or just tightening one at a time, but I wanted something that seemed logical and simpler, and low maintenance. Sure, plenty don't care. But hey, you asked, right?

I suppose it's also why I never pulled the trigger until they finally made the unlacquered fretboard models... I guess they've gone back to lacquered fretboards, so there's always that to go back to for the traditionalists.

Anyway, here's what it ended up looking like. It's a pretty straightforward mod:

This is the tailpiece, installed, after the modification was complete):


This is the tailpiece prior to modification (note the plastic tubing I placed into the string slots):


This is the tailpiece after using the JB Weld to secure the plastic tubing in each slot. The tubing was cut with a slant to match the headstock-side of the slots, and short enough to allow the string anchors to be secured in the "V" cut on the tailpiece-anchor side of the slots:


Here's what it looks like after the mod, installed, looking down at the slots. The mod is invisible:


As you can see from the first photo, the tailpiece mod turned out to be completely invisible when installed. Doesn't affect tone, and just makes string changes easier.

Anyway, that's the one thing I'd change. Make the tailpiece either properly machined out of stock, then chrome-plated, or change the mold to make the string slot part solid, then drill the string holes after casting (or after chrome plating). Either would make a player's life easier, with no visible changes to the design.

Cheers.