by Jay Bass » 17 Dec 2012, 21:29
Hi
The standard models are very expensive , i have owned 401 & 4003 Ric bass in the past
and have to say bass wise ,everything taken into consideration,cost , playability, reliability, sounds etc
The fender basses win hands down.Better sounding , more reliable , and relatively cheap for a basic model.
Also fender basses are far easier to service,refret ,adjust , replace the neck even .
The Ric Necks truss rod dont work the same way as conventional fender truss rods, you have to straighten the neck
manualy with clamps etc then lock the truss rod, the truss rod itself doesnt adjust the bow of the neck like a fender
unfortunately to do this you have to remove the strings, which takes all the tension out of the neck, so you can only guess
when adjusting the neck ,as when you restring the neck is put back under tension.
i have seen damage caused by people trying to adjust the neck on a Rickenbacker by tightening the truss rod
all this does is eventualy snap the top insert.
so anyone with a Rickenbacker be careful if you are going to adjust the neck.
but The Ric basses do look good !
Regards
Jay