Jump to content
Why become a member? ×

Rampant Rickenbuggery!


Bassassin
 Share

Recommended Posts

[quote name='Empire Road' post='484674' date='May 10 2009, 10:16 PM']I'm not sure what you mean by the '2 neck position high gains'. I must admit the switching confuses me. Do you mean the large toggle switch or the tiny 3-way switch embedded in the finger rest? Left or right the tiny 3-way sounds the same, centre is off![/quote]
By "Hi-Gains" I mean the two pickups in the neck position - this is what Rickenbacker calls this type of pickup. One of yours has been added as a modification; the one nearest the end of the neck is the original, and somebody has installed a second pickup right next to it. It sounds like the micro-switch controls these two pickups and is presently wired to select either one or the other, or neither! It would probably make more sense if the middle position had them both on, rather than both off, though.

If you look very closely at the two pickups they're not identical, it's actually possible that the additional one (which looks fractionally larger to me) might even be a genuine Rickenbacker part, it's surprising how often real & copy components can get mixed up on these basses. As for your two strange holes in the body - I have no idea! Again, strange & inexplicable things seem to get done to instruments over the years - the bass I pictured earlier in the thread has two rivets embedded in it underneath the bridge! I have absolutely no idea what they could have been for, and I was unable to remove them so I had to grind them flat before I could screw a bridge onto the bass. Weird.

J.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

First of all, Wizbat, thanks for that. I am in Lancashire. I've just followed your links to your six strings - incredible.

Jon, thanks for the info. Yes, the one nearest the neck looks original because the hole someone has made in the scratchplate is a poor job. Also, I was wrong, the two pick-ups do not sound the same - maybe similar. But the new one is much 'hotter'. The micro switch is working but not in the central position.

Wow, only been on this forum a week and learning so much.

Thanks guys
Alan

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='wizbat' post='438083' date='Mar 18 2009, 11:21 AM']I,m absolutly chuffed to bits to say that the twins are finished!!, and that today I woke up an endorsee of shuker basses.[/quote]

Very nice - saw these in Jon's workshop when I was up there a few weeks back. Absolutely stunning!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cheers Simon!
The sixes are really working out well and I had a great gig at wakefield last night with them.

Alan, I,m in lincolnshire so I,m quite some way away for a quick visit.
If you can,t find anyone local who can help tho, let me know.

To repair the pickup correctly I,d suggest fitting two small pins into the base of the pickup near the centre of the coil and soldering each end of the coil to them then soldering new wires to the underside of the pins, much like a strat single coil pickup is wired.
A small amount of glue can then be added to the pins to secure them.
The pickup coil also looks like it needs new covering tape round the outside to protect the windings.

First things first is to put a meter the coil end wires and see if the coil is still working.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You can use a couple of small panel pins,use a very small drill bit(same diameter as the pins) and drill two small holes then, just cut the pins with wire cutters to be long enough to stick out below the pickup base by a couple of millimetres, push them thru the holes and solder the pickup out put wires to them, you should then be able to solder the coil wires to the heads of the pins.
Leave enough slack on the coil wires so you can secure them to the base with a small amount of wax or glue to stop them being snagged by anything when working on them, and use a protective tape to wrap the coil again to keep it clean.
Sweat and grease from your fingers is not good for the wax coating of the coil wires.
Have fun!
:-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[attachment=25560:greciric4.jpg][attachment=25561:grecoric3.jpg][attachment=25559:Greacoric1.jpg]You've probly seen this in the thread ... But I'll JOIN in here. LOVE 'em. [attachment=25558:grecoric.jpg] GRECO 1978 RB700N Sounding better everytime I play it too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

One of mine is NOT a Ric...

[url="http://www.crazeeworld.plus.com/kerbcrawlers/images/basses/gang_of_four.jpg"]http://www.crazeeworld.plus.com/kerbcrawle...ang_of_four.jpg[/url]

A 1976 John Birch SCDR bass, with far too many knobs, in a most fetching greenburst.

[url="http://www.crazeeworld.plus.com/kerbcrawlers/images/basses/_johnbirch_winston's.jpg"]http://www.crazeeworld.plus.com/kerbcrawle...nston's.jpg[/url]

Sounds nothing like a Ric. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='12stringbassist' post='496579' date='May 24 2009, 01:12 PM']One of mine is NOT a Ric...

[url="http://www.crazeeworld.plus.com/kerbcrawlers/images/basses/gang_of_four.jpg"]http://www.crazeeworld.plus.com/kerbcrawle...ang_of_four.jpg[/url]

A 1976 John Birch SCDR bass, with far too many knobs, in a most fetching greenburst.

[url="http://www.crazeeworld.plus.com/kerbcrawlers/images/basses/_johnbirch_winston's.jpg"]http://www.crazeeworld.plus.com/kerbcrawle...nston's.jpg[/url]

Sounds nothing like a Ric. :rolleyes:[/quote]
That's what a proper Faker should be like - a variation on a theme. And then some, in the case of 70s JBs. :)

Does it have a massively long scale? I know Ricks are 33.5", and can see the JB has 2 extra frets - but the distance from nut to bridge looks massive on the Birch? Optical illusion or do you need extra-long arms? :lol:

J.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='Bassassin' post='480716' date='May 6 2009, 10:15 AM']It should get a gig on Saturday so we'll see how it plays sounds for real.[/quote]
I've been pretty much exclusively gigging the Frankenbugger for the last month - It is f@cking great! :) Loads of compliments about my sound, and it's a real head-turner, people keep wanting to know what it is!

Jon.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Hi folks,

Glad to see this thread is still alive.

Mine is what I reckon to be a 4004L Laredo rip-off. The nice things are a) that it's neck-through and :) the colour (well, kind of). The neck is really slim too, and the hardware is okay.

The downside is the pickups. They're cheapo humbuckers for starters, and they managed to use a neck pickup in the bridge position, which results in audibly lower output for the G string.

Anyways, I was pondering to turn this into a project bass, then selling it, now pondering again. I might strip the finish and add some body contouring to the front, since I really couldn't stand contour-less basses (I guess that's the main reason why I haven't bought an original RIC yet).

Cheers,

Christian

[attachment=27284:Ricky_01.jpg] [attachment=27285:Ricky_02.jpg] [attachment=27286:Ricky_03.jpg] [attachment=27288:Ricky_05.jpg]

P.S.: I have just remembered that I had a 4003S8 a few years ago :wub: I've had too much gear over the years...

Edited by 7enderhead
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

Well, this one - recently advertised on here is mine! Freshly arrived from Hungary..

Here's a link to the previous owners Picsaweb site: [url="http://picasaweb.google.com/cecogp/RBass?authkey=Gv1sRgCK--zKC1hJT-lgE#"]http://picasaweb.google.com/cecogp/RBass?a...K--zKC1hJT-lgE#[/url]

Not much to add to those, but when i change the strings shortly I'll take some pics of the internals. It has a bit of tail lift, but it doesn't seem terminal.

The TRC sports the motif 'Electric Bass' in a familiar script. & says it was 'made in japan'. Previous owner said he thught it was 70s made. It's faired pretty well, & sounds pretty cool.

Action needs a little attention, but we'll get there!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='Bassassin' post='454181' date='Apr 4 2009, 02:57 PM']Great to see that - not too many JBs around (despite the fact they still make 'em) and would love to add one to my hoard one of these days... :)[/quote]
If you're still looking there's TWO on the 'Bay just now, not cheap - but both gorgeous, from his hey-day.
[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Original-John-Birch-Electric-Bass-/220737118661?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item3364f521c5"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Original-John-Birch-...=item3364f521c5[/url]
and
[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/JOHN-BIRCH-BASS-GUITAR-/270704606761?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item3f07407e29"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/JOHN-BIRCH-BASS-GUIT...=item3f07407e29[/url]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 7 months later...
  • 10 months later...
  • 1 month later...

.......... but this thread [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/189511-copyclone-bass"]http://basschat.co.u...-copyclone-bass[/url] is allowed to carry on going? Difference being the two none-Ricks above are clearly marked by their manufacturers name, but the ones in the thread are Chinese knock-offs claiming to be Ricks.
Does this mean links to forgeries are OK but pics aren't or do you know whether John Hall would be happy with either?

I did [i]report[/i] the linked thread, entirely because of your Rick litigation concerns, but was [i]ignored[/i].
I've made no secret of my intention to get hold of a R*****B****R and have it customised beyong being Rick or otherwise sounding; but it'd be pointless to ever post it without pics.
I know it's been clarified in the past - and very clearly - but that thread about "clones" <_< kinda muddies it up again.

Edited by Big_Stu
Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='Kiwi' timestamp='1350548858' post='1840257']
This is the kind of photo that risks pushing Mr Hall's boundaries and would be most easily managed by banning all photos of anything Rickenbacker shaped. Just sayin'.
[/quote] There are 4 genuine Rics in the picture. I'm certainly not offering anything for sale. If John Hall wants to have a dicky fit about the existence of the John Birch bass here that was made in 1976 and the Retrovibe in the last two years, then that's his own affair. He did issue Retovibe / Probass with a cease and desist order on the RV4 and RV5 and Probass complied.

If Ric still made a 5-string I'd have one (price-sensibility permitting).
The Birch I bought because I couldn't say no to it. It doesn't get out much, as the Rics seem to get all the walkies.

I don't think that any forum is, or can reasonably be, or even should be, controlled by John Hall's desires. Even the RRF has an area to discuss copies (though they generally meet with hoots of derision from nearly all concerned).

Neither of them is a faker in the true sense, either. A faker is [i]something that can be passed off as the real thing - an exact counterfeit[/i]. The basses are definitely Ric-styled basses, but the designs themselves, while featuring features very similar to copyrighted Ric shapes etc aren't really exact. But no-one with working eyes would think they were Rics!

Banning a photo of anything Ric shaped would be discriminatory against all the other makers, so you'd have to ban pics of Rics too. And if Fender got snotty about all the makers who shamelessly nicked their ideas - Fodera, Sandberg, etc etc etc, then we'd have nothing at all to look at. Just sayin'.

Edited by 12stringbassist
Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='12stringbassist' timestamp='1350597505' post='1841197']
There are 4 genuine Rics in the picture. I'm certainly not offering anything for sale. If John Hall wants to have a dicky fit about the existence of the John Birch bass here that was made in 1976 and the Retrovibe in the last two years, then that's his own affair.[/quote]
Unfortunately its not that simple. It's a problem that he can easily transfer to other parties he has issue with while there is a lack of legal clarity around the role played by forums in promotion of trademark infringement.

[quote name='12stringbassist' timestamp='1350597505' post='1841197']
I don't think that any forum is, or can reasonably be, or even should be, controlled by John Hall's desires. Even the RRF has an area to discuss copies (though they generally meet with hoots of derision from nearly all concerned).

Neither of them is a faker in the true sense, either. A faker is [i]something that can be passed off as the real thing - an exact counterfeit[/i]. The basses are definitely Ric-styled basses, but the designs themselves, while featuring features very similar to copyrighted Ric shapes etc aren't really exact. But no-one with working eyes would think they were Rics![/quote]
I agree, but his actions speak for themselves. Interesting that the Rickenbacker has an area for discussing copies. It certainly defines Mr Hall's standards and expectations more clearly for us. Thanks for that.

The only way to be clear about the matter of infringement is to pay lawyers lots of money to have an argument. Also, because its a grey area, its not just about technical compliance, the forums integrity and position on infringement issues would also taken into consideration by a judge. This is why knowing there's an area on a forum sanctioned by Mr Hall for discussing copies is useful.

[quote name='12stringbassist' timestamp='1350597505' post='1841197']
Banning a photo of anything Ric shaped would be discriminatory against all the other makers, so you'd have to ban pics of Rics too. [/quote]
It would be discriminiatory against other makers who could be accused of trademark infringement.

[quote name='12stringbassist' timestamp='1350597505' post='1841197']And if Fender got snotty about all the makers who shamelessly nicked their ideas - Fodera, Sandberg, etc etc etc, then we'd have nothing at all to look at.[/quote]
You probably wouldn't, I agree. It might also reflect very badly on Fender in marketing terms too. Would Fender care if they felt they were addressing something they felt was an injustice and a moral right? Probably not.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...