The Rickenb*stard finally takes shape

[Dave Vader]

Okay, so I decided to take my Rockinbetter (currently set up with Seymour Duncan Humbuckers, and a Hipshot bridge) and make it stereo and single coil with a Hondo rickenfaker I blagged from a mate of mine. I also wanted it fireglo and black, with a Rickenbastard TRC (like Lemmy's) and got Jon (Bassasin) to make me a TRC.
Got the 2 fakers, got a can of black enamel spray for the scratchplate, all ready to go....

So spray away, away, away...


Looks pretty good...


And here's an unhappy rockinbetter, with all it's guts hanging out.



Now comes the fun bit, getting the TRC in. I held it up to the headstock, only to discover that it was a bit too wide...


Easy fix, here comes the hacksaw...


And with a little filing, sanding and polishing...
and recutting Jon's marvellous card insert (thanks for the extras, turns out I did need them)


And so on to drilling the holes, this is where things took a turn for the worse this evening. Cut down so far, the drill bit decided to have it's way with the top of my TRC.


As ever, undeterred, I went for the superglue, and I reckon I can get away with it, I'm not one to get precious over looks.


I've sanded it off a bit since, and it looks a bit sh*t, but then after a while most of my instruments do anyway, so why not start as they mean to go on.

I've also ripped the rest of the guts out of the rockinbetter, and started taking the hondo apart, more pics tomorrow if I get some more work done. Want it done for Fridays gig.
Feel free to point and laugh at my shoddy work.

[LukeFRC]

slow drill speed needed on perspex, put some tape over it and drill through that and it should keep it from snapping.

[Bassassin]

Don't worry Dave - I can make you another one...

No freebies, mind.

J.

[Dave Vader]

[quote name='LukeFRC' post='887118' date='Jul 6 2010, 11:17 AM']slow drill speed needed on perspex, put some tape over it and drill through that and it should keep it from snapping.[/quote]

Yeah, I remembered that, this morning, just after you mentioned it, not so helpful now.
Not buying more bits, will work with what I have, and then spray the original TRC black when I give up...

[Dave Vader]

Well, it's pretty much finished, but I didn't have a camera this afternoon, so you don't get to see the wrong way to drill out a big enough output hole for a stereo jack, nor how to drop soldering irons into ashtrays and break them while simultaneously burning the carpet.
Also, you missed out on making bolts out of screws with a hacksaw, and a whole load more fun with files. Switch tips you can't switch round, and many more bodgit and leggit jobs.

Will put up pics of the finished article tomorrow, for now, just be glad to know that after all that effort, the low E is quite farty. Might be the room, will take it to a practice on Thursday, and a gig on friday, just to make sure.

[spinynorman]

This is why I rarely attempt projects or mods. Good fun though, and if you're going to bodge it, you might as well do it properly.

Edited July 6, 2010 by spinynorman

[Dave Vader]

[quote name='spinynorman' post='887951' date='Jul 6 2010, 11:50 PM']This is why I rarely attempt projects or mods. Good fun though, and if you're going to bodge it, you might as well do it properly. [/quote]

I have a huge collection of bodged guitars ands basses, I live in hope of one day doing one properly and it all working out to the original plan. However, after 20 years of bodging, I can't see me getting any better at this.

[Dave Vader]

Turned out nice in the end actually (well I say end..)



See? Looks pretty good, here's come close ups...



You can barely see the crack now.



However, here's my leftover hondo plywood.....


My stereo jack hole (which I may have mentioned, I did not do very well at all) looks a hell of a lot better than this one, which may be a hondo factory standard, or may have been done later by some muppet, judging by the paint, I would say hondo. Unlike them, usually their holes and pickups are quite good, if nothing else. Made me feel better about my chasm though.



Now whether to sell it, burn it, glue it to a wall, or make something even weirder with it, perhaps a Rickenfender?

Oh, and the other teeny problems with the Rickenbastard itself, stereo doesn't work (and I didn't test it before so it may never have worked) easily solved with a wiring diagram and a soldering iron I'd have thought.
And, my pickup doesn't go low enough into the body, so we have Jack Bruce fartyness, and not in a good way.


Check that out for close. Plan A for bodging is to drill 4 small cavities in the main cavity for the two scerwheads on the back, and the mounting bolts to go into, thus allowing longer bolts, and the pickup to lie flat.
Plan B, is routing the whole cavity down a mil or two. But that relies on me buying a new bit for my router, after last summers bodge project "fitting a neck pickup to my old Ibanez Roadstar" which I mercifully took no pictures of, as it resulted in the end of my router bit. I do learn from these mistakes, honest...
Will let you know if I get it right for the gig friday.

[Dave Vader]

Gigged it last night, sounded surprisingly alright. Lot more tonal variation in the SCs, and the pots have more range as well.
I have a black thumb, and a white line on the top of the pick guard, but that is not a surprise, couple more sweaty ones and there should be a nice white thumbprint, and no more to come off.
Plus thanks to Al Heeley, I have big springs on the way, so the pickup should stay down, and clean my tone up a bit. Good times.
Oh, went with plan A, holes are drilled, is not so farty.

[stoker]

with the left over body why not stick a P-bass p/up in the neck and make a Bruce Foxton tribute?

[Soloshchenko]

I think the final Rockinbetter looks really good mate. I don't think the Hondo is beyond saving (wood filler and get a large jack socket cover made somewhere). I'm doing a cheap and cheerful Hondo mod myself.

BTW what is happening with the SD pickups? PM if they are for sale.