Ric 4003s/8 Repair Thread

chromium · January 29, 2013, 12:17:07 AM

Thanks again for all the advice!

Here are some progress pics...

Injecting thin CA into the seams:

Graft installed using Titebond (...attempting to blend in

)

Drying, with tension applied to the neck:

Amidst re-assembly:

Back under tension:

So far so good. No popping noises yet! I'll have to work on the setup next (nut, etc...), but I got it roughed in and it plays well. Neck/rods seem to be in good shape, and so hopefully the worst is over.

If it proves to be stable I'll drop fill the finish cracks next.

dadagoboi · January 29, 2013, 03:25:26 AM

SWEET!

Dave W · January 29, 2013, 09:02:27 AM

Very nice work, Joe. I sure hope it holds after all your effort.

gearHed289 · January 29, 2013, 09:46:14 AM

Great looking bass man!

Rob · January 29, 2013, 11:36:53 AM

Really nice work!

ilan · January 29, 2013, 12:43:45 PM

Good job. Hope the bass remains stable from now.

godofthunder · January 29, 2013, 01:21:52 PM

Fantastic effort, looks great to! I hope it holds.

drbassman · January 29, 2013, 01:37:38 PM

Looks great! Good luck, I hope all stays put for you!

chromium · January 29, 2013, 02:07:03 PM

Tom, let me just point out that you have impeccable taste in basses

Thanks all! I spent a good deal of time playing it last night. It's quite a different beast compared to my Ibanez 8er.

The string courses on the Ibanez are such that the octaves are on top, and the string pairings are spaced wide at 4mm. The tops of both strings in a given pair align on the same plane. Takes a little more effort to fret this one, and it's better suited to pick playing.

On the Ric, the bass string is on top, and each pair is spaced at a narrow 2mm. The octave strings sit on their own plane - positioned somewhere halfway between the top and bottom (vertically) of the bass strings. With such narrow spacing, this one plays effortlessly (almost feels like a 4-string) with both pick and fingerstyle (the latter being my comfort zone), but it taks some adjustment in left hand technique to be able to fully and consistently fret the octave strings. As a result, the octave sound is less pronounced. I'm thinking that this might provide a good way to sneak an 8 into the cover band setting. Always wanted to do that! (...baby steps to a B12S! Mwahahahaaaa)

I might experiment with some different alignments on the octave strings, but otherwise I'm lovin' it so far!

Pilgrim · January 29, 2013, 02:44:11 PM

Just wanted to comment about how impressed I am by the thought and workmanship - excellent throughout. Hope it is a permanent fix.

Highlander · January 29, 2013, 04:49:55 PM

Great thread...

gearHed289 · January 30, 2013, 09:41:51 AM

Quote from: chromium on January 29, 2013, 02:07:03 PM
Tom, let me just point out that you have impeccable taste in basses

Thanks all! I spent a good deal of time playing it last night. It's quite a different beast compared to my Ibanez 8er.

The string courses on the Ibanez are such that the octaves are on top, and the string pairings are spaced wide at 4mm. The tops of both strings in a given pair align on the same plane. Takes a little more effort to fret this one, and it's better suited to pick playing.

On the Ric, the bass string is on top, and each pair is spaced at a narrow 2mm. The octave strings sit on their own plane - positioned somewhere halfway between the top and bottom (vertically) of the bass strings. With such narrow spacing, this one plays effortlessly (almost feels like a 4-string) with both pick and fingerstyle (the latter being my comfort zone), but it taks some adjustment in left hand technique to be able to fully and consistently fret the octave strings. As a result, the octave sound is less pronounced. I'm thinking that this might provide a good way to sneak an 8 into the cover band setting. Always wanted to do that! (...baby steps to a B12S! Mwahahahaaaa)

I might experiment with some different alignments on the octave strings, but otherwise I'm lovin' it so far!

When I got my S/8 from ebay, the courses had been "reversed" to the "normal" octave string on top arrangement, which I much prefer. My first 8 was a Warmoth/Mighty Mite creation with the strings set up with the bass on top, and I too found it harder to fret the octave strings. B12S? I've got one! Great bass, fun to play around the house. But I've found in a live setting I'm not really digging the short scale.

Curious - are your string spacing numbers the actual gap between strings, or center to center?

chromium · January 30, 2013, 11:44:55 AM

Quote from: gearHed289 on January 30, 2013, 09:41:51 AM
B12S? I've got one! Great bass, fun to play around the house. But I've found in a live setting I'm not really digging the short scale.

Curious - are your string spacing numbers the actual gap between strings, or center to center?

Yeah I've wanted a B12S for some time, and still look off-and-on. Might get one someday if I can move out some lesser played instruments. Doubt I would use it much live either...

Those measurements on the string spacing between the bass and octave pairs were of the actual gap, not center-to-center. How does the 2mm compare to your s/8? Seems narrow, since I'm so used to that Ibanez... but I kinda like it!

gearHed289 · January 31, 2013, 09:21:40 AM

I'll try to measure mine ASAP. Gaps are definitely pretty narrow. The nut is not original, and I have a custom 8 saddle bridge. You can also see that I completely removed the mute and adjustment screws. The "pitted chrome" is actually the reflection of my driveway...

chromium · January 31, 2013, 09:45:12 AM

That looks pretty close to mine:

Love that bridge! I should have bought one when they were available, but I had no idea when/if I'd ever use it.