Ric 4003 fretless project finished at last

[Beedster]

As Vinnie said, it's been emotional

This started out as a 'budget' project but has ended up being a pretty costly process. Body/neck, wiring and pots (inc VTC) bought new from Colin Beswick a couple of months back, tuners, bridge, PUPs, jack plate, truss cover, PUP cover, all colected through ebay over the last 8 weeks or so.

All parts original Ric with the exception of PUPs (SDs), bridge PUP surround (Pickguardian), and straplocks (Schaller).


The verdict......?


It's a f***ing blinder

I started with original Ric strings and a Hipshot Ric bridge and to cut a very long story short have ended up with an original Ric bridge with La Bella Deep Talking Flats via TIs, Roto nylons and rounds. The bass produces a tone I simply haven't managed to get out of any other bass before - think Floyd's 'Money', Beatles' 'Taxman', Jam's 'Start' - it's just got that powerful, middy and really instant punch that even the best Precision I've played doesn't get close to. Having said that, last night we jammed Whole Lotta Love and White Room, and I could dial in that powerful bassy late 60's/early 70's bass tone to perfection. The Ric VTC is completely different to Sadowsky's VTC - whilst Sadowsky's seems to be about dropping the highs, Rics drops the lows - and using this on the bridge PUP whilst dialling in a little bit of neck PUP gives me a tone to die for. I love how tight even the floppiest of strings feel on this bass (TI Jazz flats feel like La Bellas), and I also love how playing between the PUP cover and bridge sounds COMPLETELY different to playing between the PUP cover and neck. I haven't played another bass since this finally came together, and although I'm sure the novelty will wear off, I know that it's changed my expectation of how other basses should perform.

The down side, well, it's a lot harder to get the intonation right in comparison with my Precision and Jazz, but I think that's as much to do with the La Bellas and the Ric bridge as it is with the bass. I'm also playing really high action which seems to just feel and sound right with this bass which no doubt doesn't help! And that's the whole down side.

I'll take some better pics soon but for the time being some poor quality stuff from my phone

[attachment=34576:Image0082.jpg][attachment=34577:Image0084.jpg]
[attachment=34578:Image0087.jpg][attachment=34579:Image0102.jpg]

Edited October 16, 2009 by Beedster

[Clarky]

Congrats Chris! Thats a fabulous construction job you have done there and a beautiful end result. Makes me reminisce about my old 1980 Fireglo 4001 (which I coincidentally sold to Colin Beswick) which had a neck like a brick but was very comfortable for me and was the first bass I gigged with my punk band.

[retroman]

She's a beaut :wub:

Mapleglo Ric's give me terrible GAS. You've made a lovely job of her

I love my '80 Jetglo 4001 to bits, and would never part with it

[GreeneKing]

I'm really glad that you're feeling the Ric love Chris, get a good one and they really sing don't they.

[silverfoxnik]

That's bloody gorgeous Chris!!

I started playing bass properly in bands as a teenager on a Hondo Ric copy and then scraped enough cash together finally to buy a proper Ric, which I kept for a few years.. They are very unique instruments and I'm not suprised to hear what you're saying about the tone!

Do you think the fact that they're thru neck makes a difference?

[Rayman]

Nice. That's a sexy looking Rick there sir.

Question about the action....Surely the action needs to be quite low on a fretless, to keep the intonation in check? Don't know mind, never had a fretless for more than 5 minutes. I fancy a fretless Jazz, Jaco style, so I just wondered how important the action was?

[Darkstrike]

Lovely work mate, congrats!

[Prosebass]

Hi Chris

looks superb mate good to see another fretless , you'll start liking Percy Jones next

As regards the intonation do you mean you are struggling with it or the setting up is difficult ?
With an high action the best way to set the bass up is get the harmonic and the fingered note at the 12th fret ( or where the 12th fret would be) the same.
This may give you an open string that is slightly flat due to the mechanics of stretching the string with fingered notes but is better overall and a slightly flat open string sounds better in a band situation than going even a little sharp.

[stinson]

Lovely job, congrats. Its the non contoured body that made me shift mine years back, used to shred the inside of my wrists. Always regret it as they look and sound superb.

[Beedster]

Hey guys
Thanks for the posts above. really appreciate them. Re intonation, the setup is OK, it's just that playing with a higher action, on heavier strings, on a wider (in fact substantially wider neck) with a poor bridge (original Ric), doesn't help a guy who isn't the best at intonation in the first place.

The solution?

Initially I put the Hipshot back on and strung it with rounds and it sounded..... bloody horrible! Way too much sustain and zing and nothing like enough thump and grunt.

So...

I left the Hipshot on and restrung it with the LaBellas and BINGO, the tone, and I mean THE tone, just awesome awesome awesome thumpy toneful retro sexyness. I love the resistance I get from the strings that makes me work just that bit harder to articulate the notes, I love the fact that played over the neck PUP I still get a classic thumpy P-Bass tone but played behind the bridge PUP it is just punchy in 'yer face cut through the mix scare the drummer humble the guitarist heaven, and I love the way this bass seems to be just the right shape, weight and playability. Very happy indeed

Anyone wanna buy a Ric bridge

[wateroftyne]

Nice!

You don't see many of them eh? A friend of mine used to play a fretless Ric...



(photo courtesy of [url="http://www.rikwalton.com"]Rik Walton[/url])

[Clarky]

All sounds fabulous Chris - just one thing I don't understand, its not Olympic White?

[Raggy]

That looks awesome, well done Chris.

[SS73]

Awesome, cracking job and you really got it finished quickly, so nice when a plan comes together.

[Musicman20]

Looks great....wish I could hear it!!!!

[Beedster]

Rehearsed it on Wednesday and didn't really like the sound with the La Bellas, just a little too dark and thumpy and very hard to get the articulation I'd like. Spent most of last night restringing with various sets and have found myself back with the original Ric strings which Colin sent me with the body. Although I didn't like the feel of them at first I realised that I'd never used tham in anger and I'm surprised at how full yet punchy the tone is, which is odd 'cos they feel like they're made of rubber! Anyway, it's gonna be interesting to see how they cut through the mix next rehearsal.

Finding the bridge PUP is louder than the neck PUP. It's not problematic, but is evident perhaps to the same degree as retro-installed J-PUPs tended to be quieter than original P-PUPs in 70's Precisions. Is this normal with Rics?

Edited October 23, 2009 by Beedster

[Darkstrike]

[quote name='Beedster' post='634641' date='Oct 23 2009, 05:26 PM']Finding the bridge PUP is louder than the neck PUP. It's not problematic, but is evident perhaps to the same degree as retro-installed J-PUPs tended to be quieter than original P-PUPs in 70's Precisions. Is this normal with Rics?[/quote]

I find the same with my SD Rick pickups.

I was thinking of popping in a cheap toaster pickup, at some time, though I do like the SD neck pickups tone.

I did try wiring the bridge pickup in parallel, the output matched much better, but the tone lost its snarl.

[dmz]

Great job !

Here's hoping you can record a wee sample of what it sounds like as was mentioned earlier.

Interesting to note the tonal differences between the Hipshot and original bridges.

I'm still gassing after a montezuma brown 4003 with gold pickguard/truss-rod cover and toaster neck pick up - one day.

Now you NEED a fretted one

[SS73]

[quote name='Beedster' post='634641' date='Oct 23 2009, 04:26 PM']Finding the bridge PUP is louder than the neck PUP. It's not problematic, but is evident perhaps to the same degree as retro-installed J-PUPs tended to be quieter than original P-PUPs in 70's Precisions. Is this normal with Rics?[/quote]

It is, not sure if its the windings too but the main problem is getting the neck pup high enough, on mine it was so vague i really couldn't use it, it just sounded pant's. The problem is the small screws in the pup that sandwich it together, they hit the scratch plate, I very very carefully drilled 4 relief holes from behind without breaking through, the pup sits flush upto the underside of the scratchplate now raising the pups height, it now sounds full and warm.

[MB1]

MB1.
...That looks Great! Chris....Fretless?/ neckless?.......had to look twice in that first picture with that background!

[Col B]

Hey buddy, she looks absolutely awesome now,, I am chuffed to bits for ya. youve done a fantastic job..I bet she sounds beautiful as well. Take care mate see ya soon, colin beswick

[Beedster]

[quote name='Col B' post='651520' date='Nov 11 2009, 12:31 PM']Hey buddy, she looks absolutely awesome now,, I am chuffed to bits for ya. youve done a fantastic job..I bet she sounds beautiful as well. Take care mate see ya soon, colin beswick[/quote]

Hiya Col, thanks for the post, and thanks for helping me out with the bass. It's a bit of a Marmite Bass in some respects, I love it one minute and find it frustrating the next. It does a reasonable vintage Precision tone (although better than a few Precisions I've played to be honest), can't sound like a Jazz at all, doesn't really like roundwounds and has a neck like a baseball bat on steroids. But..... what it does it does so well, and no other bass I own (or perhaps have played) can get close to that classic cutting yet smooth tone, kinda like a chocolate coated chilli! I've just strung it with some Pyramid Golds and they really have added an entirely different level of tone.

Looks bloody awesome as well