prowla

I put this selector switch on my Ric...

Here's my Ric which is a bit different...

Rickenstatus??? I've got a Rickenberger!

Darn - the Hipshot bridge doesn't work, as the string spacing is wider. Also a Hipshot drop-D eXtender won't fit. I've also had a slight re-think and it's getting a pair of SD pickups. I did have the neck one on another project but I decided to use a Ric one on that.

The postage alone is more than I'd pay for that.

It looks like it's sunk into the floor.

Cut out with pliers, more like... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Telecaster-pre-assembled-wiring-electronics-CTS-pots-inc-knobs-and-switch-tips/123995321184?hash=item1cdeb27360:g:6LwAAOSwzttd4-EF

So far the best bass pedal I've tried/used/owned is the Sansamp Bass Driver DI (BDDI). I debated getting a Bass Fly Rig, but I'd need to do a good comparison. Two things prompted me to consider it: 1. my chorus pedal seems to have stopped working, 2. I've been tidying up my pedalboard and that seemed to offer a neat solution. I have a VT Bass pedal and it's OK. I tried the YYZ and liked it, but it's pricey and I don't necessarily want to sound just like Geddy Lee.

I've got a VT Bass and a BDDI; I reckon the VT Bass sounds like it's in the next room, whereas the BDDI makes it come alive!

I have an Aguilar Octamizer; the octave below has real character.

Has anybody compared the Bass Fly Rig against a SansAmp Bass Driver DI pedal? I've been thinking about whether to swap to the Fly Rig, but if the SansAmp section isn't is as good as the standalone pedal, then the convenience and other features it offers just don't matter.

And here we have the Red Baron bass... I think I'm going to do some mods to it: Swap the bridge for a Hipshot. Remove the two pickups and use them on something else I've got. Put in a single SD pickup. Replace the pickguard (maybe black). (Maybe) add a Hipshot drop-D eXtender on it. Think about whether to have more play on the Red Baron theme.

Haha! 🙂

Funnily enough, the UK distributor of Rockinbetter was/is also the UK distributor for Tokai, and goes under the name Tokai UK; thereby further contributing to the confusion! Also, coincidentally, I’m going to pick up a Retrovibe tomorrow; I have plans for it...

Shame it hasn't got a whammy bar!

"I'll just quickly tune up..."

I know - he made a half-hearted attempt at one point in a solo and that was it for the riff! 🙂

Which was fair enough. 🙂 He's now producing other kit, including a Tony Butler (Big Country) signature model and some Ric replacement parts (which don't infringe EU trademarks).

The Retrovibe Renegade was a decent modern Ric copy; the chap who got them made is a decent bass player himself and a nice bloke. (However, they also break RIC trademark and I think they're not made anymore.)

It was on the Rockinbetters too (they may have been the first MIC 'fakers). The issue with the bass' design was that it was based on a Fender scale and had 22 frets; once they stuck the body on, the bridge position was further up the body, so they made a base plate to mimic the Ric one and reach the end of the body, but the bridge itself was instead right at the end where the Ric's mute assemble sits. I remember seeing these being sold as Ric replacement bridges, which wouldn't work...

Yep, as I say, you can’t go wrong at that price.

Aha - I sensed we were talking about different things there!

OK - it looks like it from the pictures... A HB RB-414CS (hmmm - what is "RB"?): An AliExpress Chickenbacker bass. Now I would hazard a guess that the bridge, pickups, neck pickup, treble pickup surround, pickguard, and knobs are sourced from the same supplier... Here's another, a "Chris Squire" model, with dot position markers, treble pickup located differently, the same strap buttons, and I would hazard a guess the same treble pickup(?): That is the basis for my assertion that the HB is indeed a Chickenbacker with a different headstock and a tweaked body shape; on top of that, they designate it an "RB" model (they use "MM" for their Music Man copies, "TB" for their Thunderbirds, JB for their Jazz Basses, and so-on). There's no getting away from the fact that it is still a remarkable price for the instrument, but it is what it is and the styling tweaks are a case of putting lipstick on a chicken(backer).

The HB hardware is the same as other Chickenbackers. The Ric bridge is just a tune-o-matic, which sits on the tailpiece; I like the styling of the tailpiece, but it has always been a weak point (though I like light strings, so I've not had issues) and Ric have now released a new 4003 bridge/tailpiece which eliminates tail-lift. In fairness to RIC, they did try updating the design before, with a Schaller 3D, but people just kept buying the 4003 regardless.