Woodinblack Posted March 3, 2014 Posted March 3, 2014 [quote name='Skybone' timestamp='1393857629' post='2385078'] Have any of the Rockinbetter owners changed the scratchplate on theirs? [/quote] I am considering doing it on mine. I wasn't really planning on keeping it that much but getting kind of used to it and as Mr Hall has determined that I am not going to sell it, I put the seymour duncan in it, which is a great but not far enough up so the low string is quieter than the others and there isn't enough room to move it over at all (even though the pickup is a bit smaller than the previous). So I thought I might give it a try trying to make one. Then I am going to do the stereo mod.
NightGoat Posted March 3, 2014 Posted March 3, 2014 [quote name='Bassassin' timestamp='1393787366' post='2384381'] Just to add a bit more confusion to the mix, it wasn't only the Japanese factories making high-quality, accurate copies. Italian manufacturer Gherson made a very nice neck-through bass with twin truss rods (quite easy to ID, though) but for me the proper widcard is Brazilian acoustic guitar builder Giannini, whose 70s Fakers were near-indistiguishable from the best-quality MIJ examples: [url="http://hisonic.blogspot.co.uk/"]http://hisonic.blogspot.co.uk/[/url] Regarding Japanese factories, I could reel off a list of about 20-odd who were making & exporting copy guitars under various different brands in the 70s, and I'm confident there were any number of other, smaller manufacturers doing the same thing. All of them were copying the popular American instruments of the era, so it's entirely reasonable to assume they all made Rick 4001 copies. We will never be able to identify them all! J. [/quote] I am still digging a little bit into the local Dutch brand ¨Gerrinez¨ also one of those vague brand names where there is little to find about. I still think it is possible that on a day in the 70s a local music shop here in the netherlands ordered a batch of 4001s copies from some japannese factory and sold them with the ¨Gerrinez¨ brand.
Bassassin Posted March 3, 2014 Posted March 3, 2014 [quote name='NightGoat' timestamp='1393871666' post='2385343'] I am still digging a little bit into the local Dutch brand ¨Gerrinez¨ also one of those vague brand names where there is little to find about. I still think it is possible that on a day in the 70s a local music shop here in the netherlands ordered a batch of 4001s copies from some japannese factory and sold them with the ¨Gerrinez¨ brand. [/quote] I remember Gerrinez being discussed on one of the vintage guitar boards - can't remember which one, though. I think you're right, it was a dealer called Gerritsen, if I remember correctly. J.
chriswareham Posted March 4, 2014 Posted March 4, 2014 My Rickenfaker lust is now completely sated, as I've taken delivery of one that ticks all the boxes in terms of aesthetics. It's a black Greco with checked binding, but it doesn't have as nice a neck as my Jolana D Bass:
Musky Posted March 9, 2014 Posted March 9, 2014 You don't see many of these about, even though they've been available for a while - one of the Czech made 4004 copies. Personally I think it would look nicer without the fancy facing.
Bassassin Posted March 9, 2014 Posted March 9, 2014 Gorgeous, that. You'd have to lose the selector switch & wire it v/v/t or stick a pan pot in, though. J.
waldflote8 Posted March 9, 2014 Posted March 9, 2014 oooh, that's very nice. What is it branded as ? (Bach ??)
Musky Posted March 9, 2014 Posted March 9, 2014 [quote name='waldflote8' timestamp='1394381709' post='2390847'] oooh, that's very nice. What is it branded as ? (Bach ??) [/quote] Yep, that's the one.
waldflote8 Posted March 10, 2014 Posted March 10, 2014 Just looked at their website,.. dangerously close to Brno,.. (one of my regular haunts)
Skybone Posted March 11, 2014 Posted March 11, 2014 What's the RickenFaker opinion regarding replacement pickups and their sounds? Do they get near that Ric sound, or are they a different beast altogether?
waldflote8 Posted March 11, 2014 Posted March 11, 2014 Comparing with my 4003s; my two fakers (Shine + mystery faker in previous posts) do a good basic Ric sound. Unplugged I notice a bigger difference, the real thing sounding tighter and more solid,... I suspect this will make for a bigger difference at volume. The SDs in the Shine sound pretty decent. (I have various string sizes on them too I should add)
Musky Posted March 11, 2014 Posted March 11, 2014 [quote name='Musky' timestamp='1394365434' post='2390638'] You don't see many of these about, even though they've been available for a while - one of the Czech made 4004 copies. Personally I think it would look nicer without the fancy facing. [/quote] Wow, that ended up selling with just a single bid - £160!
Iheartreverb Posted March 25, 2014 Posted March 25, 2014 I have a copy that I'm soon approaching an electronics upgrade on. Pickups are fine (either Ric or Classic Amplification) but do you guys convert the wiring to Ric spec or keep it as it is? Obviously Ric's have that extra 0.47 cap in there that (on newer models) can be taken in and out of play. Mine is just wired up with 2x 0.47 on the pots where they should be.Does that mean technically I'm going to be the same as when the cap is out of circuit (with more bass response as intended?). Is it worth fitting the extra one? Do you guys use 330k Ric spec caps? I'm thinking of going all 250k as I prefer a darker sounds and less harsh treble, would this work?
alberobello Posted April 13, 2014 Posted April 13, 2014 [quote name='Meddle' timestamp='1397067593' post='2420367'] Slightly off-topic post here, but what is with Rickenbacker fanatics' hatred of people who sell relatively new Ricks on Ebay? I've noticed this twice, one with a white 4003 (the special Sno Glo model) and one with a 4003W this year. In both cases the seller is asking a lot, but this behavior is frowned upon with lots of butthurt "I hope they aren't an authorised dealer" talk thrown in. Given the US-centric fanbase, I thought they would all be massive fans of free-market capitalism. I don't see the issue here (other than somebody is trying to make a quick buck off a limited edition Rickenbacker, but so what?). [/quote] You have a point, i smelled the same thing
chriswareham Posted April 13, 2014 Posted April 13, 2014 [quote name='Meddle' timestamp='1397420532' post='2423797'] Oh, I have a Retrovibe RV5 I can contribute towards this thread at some point when I get the camera out. [/quote] Would you be willing to provide a review for my Rickenfaker website (http://www.rickenfaker.info)?
nick Posted April 21, 2014 Posted April 21, 2014 [size=4]I've newly acquired this 70's Maya 4001s C64 style in a trade. [/size] [size=4]Restrung with Pyramid black tapewounds - sounds great! [/size] [size=4]This is identical to one I had a few years ago, but sold on to an American collector. At the time couldn't get on with the Ricky shape, though it was a fantastic bass. [/size] [size=4]Gonna give this one a go, see how I get on - maybe I'll keep it. [/size] [URL=http://s1087.photobucket.com/user/nickonbass69/media/Basses/Maya005_zps83b9f274.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j476/nickonbass69/Basses/Maya005_zps83b9f274.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
NightGoat Posted April 25, 2014 Posted April 25, 2014 (edited) @Nick: That is a very intersting looking bass!! Looks a lot like my unknown japanese made 4001s copy. For a while now I am trying to find out how she was Branded or where she was made and when? I am very curious if the body on your bass is made of 2 or 4 parts? And if there is a little red stamp in the cavity behind the scratchplate ? So, if you are going to peek behind the scratchplate and you find a little red stamp ¨Hanko¨ underneath the knobs, please let me know! Thanks, Edited April 26, 2014 by NightGoat
Bassbadger Posted May 1, 2014 Posted May 1, 2014 Hi Meddle, Nice work on the wiring mods. I totally agree about the 2 tone pot point and I have plans to make different use of the 4 knobs in future! Just for the record your bass is a Vantage 5 rather than RV5. I did make a small number of RV5 basses which were more like Mr Hall's shape but that "iconic" headstock on a 5er meant lots of head dive, so I stopped. That and being asked to of course! David [quote name='Meddle' timestamp='1397498980' post='2424540'] Sure why not. I've modded mine though: I never see the purpose of two tones on an instrument. If you can be bothered with '50s Les Paul wiring then you can balance them slightly, but in general each tone control works as a master control, so other than being able to switch from a bright-toned to a dark-toned pickup there is no real point, in my book. So, one tone control became a coil split for the MM pickup and the extra pot you see is a bass-cut on the bridge pickup. This way I can get Rickenbacker tones (come at me, John Hall) by switching in an extra 47nF in series with the bridge pickup. I broke out the Forstner bits and added a side-mounted jack. [/quote]
chriswareham Posted May 2, 2014 Posted May 2, 2014 My new faker - the first version of the Retrovibe Vantage 4: A previous owner put a fake Rickenbacker truss rod cover on, which I'm going to replace with a blank one. They also added a hand rest over the bridge pickup, similar to the one on that was originally on my Jolana D Bass. That had to come straight off, as it was right where I play with a pick. Sound wise, it's more like a Jazz bass to my tinnitus afflicted ears. The build quality is very good, better than the Rockinbetter I once had, and it plays very nicely too.
kodiakblair Posted May 3, 2014 Posted May 3, 2014 Hey Chris I know what you mean about build quality. I've a couple of Retros, an Evo and the Zygote both very good basses. Slimmer neck on the Zygote. Just wondering about your pickups though, the ones on mines Damn they're loud. Are you finding the same ? I'm gonna lower them and see if it helps,mind you it's easier just to roll the volume back. Braw looking Bass, Dave from Probass certainly did his homework when desigining them. Enjoy your Bass
chriswareham Posted May 4, 2014 Posted May 4, 2014 [quote name='kodiakblair' timestamp='1399108287' post='2441047'] Just wondering about your pickups though, the ones on mines Damn they're loud. Are you finding the same ? I'm gonna lower them and see if it helps,mind you it's easier just to roll the volume back. [/quote] It sounds pretty loud, more like an active bass than a passive! Not an issue for me as I use a compressor when playing at rehearsal or gig volume, but I certainly noticed the difference at home where I plug straight into my amp. I'm going to use the Retrovibe as a backup to my Jolana, so it's going to be visiting the Bass Gallery for a set up to be able to tune to drop Bb.
John Schoen Posted May 20, 2014 Posted May 20, 2014 Look what the postman delivered here today: [URL=http://s5.photobucket.com/user/John_RSC/media/Faker/DSCF0071rc_zps635d40aa.jpg.html][IMG]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y151/John_RSC/Faker/DSCF0071rc_zps635d40aa.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [URL=http://s5.photobucket.com/user/John_RSC/media/Faker/DSCF0072s_zps8e40aa39.jpg.html][IMG]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y151/John_RSC/Faker/DSCF0072s_zps8e40aa39.jpg[/IMG][/URL] A Chinese interpretation of the 4004LK, Lemmy's bass. Plays well, sounds good, looks good, I am a happy camper.
chriswareham Posted May 20, 2014 Posted May 20, 2014 [quote name='John Schoen' timestamp='1400611698' post='2455496'] A Chinese interpretation of the 4004LK, Lemmy's bass. Plays well, sounds good, looks good, I am a happy camper. [/quote] Oh. My God. Where did you get it from and how much did it cost?
Bassassin Posted May 20, 2014 Posted May 20, 2014 Spectacular! I knew these existed, previously I'd only seen these scraggy little Ebay pics from about 5 years ago: [sharedmedia=core:attachments:35315] [sharedmedia=core:attachments:35316] So - how much, and where from? I want one! J.
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