Buzz at first 3 frets

[Dankology]

I picked up a 4003s a few weeks ago and haven't spent a massive amount of time playing it yet.

 

I've found that there's quite a lot of fret buzz at frets 1-3 on the E (and to a lesser extent when digging in on the A). The action is reasonably high - the E is about 4mm at the 12th fret. The neck seems uncommonly flat but that seems to be how it is designed to be.

 

Having only recently ventured into the realms of truss rod adjustment, I am well out of my depth with a dual-rodded neck that is apparently meant to be set without any relief.

 

Please could I have some pointers towards figuring out how to reduce the buzz?

[Baloney Balderdash]

It does sound like a classic case of a neck that needs some relief, and that it is buzzing specifically on the first 3 frets suggests to me that it might even have a slight back bow, and I bet if you figure out how to adjust those dual truss rods properly, which unfortunately I can't help you with, and give the neck a proper amount of relief, not only will the fret buzz on the first 3 frets disappear, but also you will be able to lower the action considerably, still without fret buzz.

 

4mm action at 12th fret would be unplayable to me, and is to be considered really high action, and as far as I am concerned not reasonably high, but rather unreasonably high action.

 

I personally prefer just ever so slightly bellow 2mm at 12th fret low E string and about 1.5mm high G string at 12th fret (which is a bit bellow the guideline measurements that Fender recommends in their official setup guide).

 

An instrument at that price point ought have good enough fret work to handle that if it has otherwise been adjusted and set up correctly, my dirt cheap budget Ibanez Mikro Bass and Harley Benton GuitarBass, that costed merely a small fraction of what a Rickenbacker bass costs (in fact almost a 10th of the price, or said in another way nearly a 1000% cheaper) can without issues, and if I really wanted, which I don't though, I am even sure I could go even lower on the Harley Benton without issues.

 

Otherwise is simply in no possible way whatsoever acceptable as far as I am concerned with an instrument at that price point, it is in fact straight out outrageous and absolutely unacceptable, heck, in my opinion 4mm action at 12th fret and still having fret buzz issues would not be acceptable even on the cheapest budget bass on the market, if otherwise correctly adjusted and set up, and a fully valid reason to send it right back and get a replacement or your money back.

 

But as said I am quite certain that if just you can manage to set a proper neck relief you will be able to lower the action considerably without having any fret buzz issues.

 

If not though send it back.

 

Unfortunately in that case it would not be the first time that I have heard Rickenbacker selling steaming turds at premium prices, they seem to have a serious quality control issue, to such a point that you'd have a better chance getting a proper instrument buying a 1000% cheaper Harley Benton, which I am sure you can see is simply absolutely entirely unacceptable, and in fact straight out outrageous.

 

Really people should stop rewarding Rickenbacker for spewing out crap till they got their act together, unfortunately they will have no reason to as long as enough people are still eager to buy their crap at the premium rip off prices they have the indecency to continue to ask for their inferior low quality outdated products.

 

All they really got going for them is their legacy, but still they chose to take a giant steaming dump on it, pee their customers up their backs, and then laugh all the way to the bank.

 

Well that, and then of course sue whoever dare to offer better quality clone alternatives to their products into oblivion (as far as I am concerned a better use of all those expensive top tier lawyer money would be to ensure that their own products was of a proper high quality worth the actual money they ask for them, or if they absolutely insist on not improving the quality of their production then at least match their prices more realistically to the actual quality level of it, so people would have less incentive to chose to buy those clone alternatives instead of their original products in the first place).

 

Not acceptable behaviour that should be rewarded in my book at least.

 

I apologize for the wall of text rant, and as said your bass is probably perfectly fine once you have managed to figure out how to adjust the overly complicated outdated and highly impractical user hostile adjustment mechanisms on it correctly.

 

Have the nut slots been cut to the correct depth?

 

In any case I really do hope you manage to get your bass into properly playable condition.

 

And at least Rickenbacker basses still got 2 things going for them that are actually not all that bad at all, one might even claim astonishing, and at very least indisputably very unique to them, which is their looks and their tone.

 

So congratulations. 

 

 

Edited August 10, 2022 by Baloney Balderdash

[Dankology]

Thanks for the full and impassioned response @Baloney Balderdash

 

It was a secondhand private sale so no hope of sending it back but I've just had a word with the local guitar chap and he's going to have a look for me.

 

I really don't get Rickenbacker. Having lost many hours of my life to restringing my 12 string and putting up with its ridiculous approach to intonation, I should've known better.

 

Which isn't to say that I don't love my new bass but some of the design flaws (not to mention the weird amount of attitude in the documentation and online) beggars belief.

 

But it looks and sounds great so I'm going to make it work 🙂

[Lozz196]

I`d ask the guitar chap to check the fret levels as well - might be a raised fret (or two). I had similar on a Precision, just couldn`t get the action down, took it to our very own @gary mac who levelled the frets for me, he found about 2 or 3 that were slightly proud, once sorted I got the action much lower.

[gary mac]

Thanks for the recommendation @Lozz196

 

Happy to take a look at it @Dankology  Feel free to message me if you wish.