| Author | Message | ||
| blazer
New Username: blazer Post Number: 1 Registered: 12-2003 |
Hi there, I'm new on the board and I wanted to show you what I made with my own hands. Here's the story, I scarrow across the musicstores in my country looking for damaged guitars that I botch up and then sell on again, when I found this "Damaged-beyond-repair" Japanese made copy of a Rickenbacker 4001 bass. I layed down the requiered 50 bucks and the Plywood wonder was mine, I love enourmous "Louisville slugger" profile necks and this baby had the mother of them all. So I went out, made routing templates for a new body and went to work with the neck as basis for what I was planning. I used five pieces of very tighly flamed maple and nice dark platanus contrasting stripes, but when the glue was hardening, I found out (too late) that the lower half of the body was not wide enough and so I had no other choice but to rout it out slightly off centre, the only mistake in this otherwise very well turned out bass. I used ABM and Grover hardware, switchcraft electronics and Kent Armstrong pickups and it has since become my main bass, everywhere I take it out People go "Whoa, dude, where'd you get that awesome looking bass?" and I can proudly state that I made it myself. And so I wanted to know what you think of my handywork.  | ||
| dela217
Advanced Member Username: dela217 Post Number: 236 Registered: 6-2002 |
Blazer, Good job! How does it play/sound? Does it still have the baseball bat neck, or did you whittle it down? I think that if I were to try something like that, I would end up with firewood. My very first bass with a Ric 4001. I bought it around 1976 or so, brand new. It was a mess. For some reason, the neck went bad on it. It got a bad curve and a twist in it. No one could get it straight. I sold it for next to nothing, and bought an Alembic. I am glad I did. | ||
| palembic
Senior Member Username: palembic Post Number: 800 Registered: 9-2002 |
GREAT!!! I know there are some other daredevils-woodcraftsman-bassplayers on this club. I love the bridge. What is it? BTW hartly welcome from this side of the pond! Paul the bad one | ||
| blazer
New Username: blazer Post Number: 2 Registered: 12-2003 |
The bridge is an ABM which are among the best in the world it's made out of solid brass. I also happen to own the real thing: a 1976 4001 and I favor this copy over that one. Because with the real one I can only use flatwound strings and the bodybinding digs into my skin painfully. People who've played my bass are shocked when they feel the neck but I love the fat profile, it sound has terrific lows and deep mids on the highs it lacks a bit but I don't mind that, I have my real Rick for that | ||
| blazer
Junior Username: blazer Post Number: 26 Registered: 12-2003 |
Here's another Rick I modified, I bought it empty and put in a Musicman humbucker.  |
