The Fashion Show

[isaac42]

We brought in a new band member not too long ago. She's fitting in nicely. A couple of weeks ago, she noticed that I was playing a different bass. Asked me how many I have.

"Oh, I haven't done the fashion show for you, have I?"

"The fashion show?"

"That's where I bring a different bass to each band practice until you've seen them all."

So the fashion show began. I started with my Rickenbacker 3001 Mapleglo.

[daddymack]

so we get one pic a day?

[isaac42]

2 hours ago, daddymack said:

so we get one pic a day?

Maybe. Maybe one pic each day I have a band practice. Or when I think of it.

This one hasn't made an appearance at band practice for a while. It's not currently in playable condition.

This one is a Rickenbacker 4000, White. I added a neck pickup, and the pickups in it are Seymour Duncans. It has some interesting wiring mods, too. That rotary switch where the pickup selector toggle usually is is a six-way, selecting both in series, neck only, both in parallel, bridge only, both in series, reverse polarity, both in parallel, reverse polarity.

[daddymack]

3 hours ago, isaac42 said:

Maybe. Maybe one pic each day I have a band practice. Or when I think of it.

This one hasn't made an appearance at band practice for a while. It's not currently in playable condition.

This one is a Rickenbacker 4000, White. I added a neck pickup, and the pickups in it are Seymour Duncans. It has some interesting wiring mods, too. That rotary switch where the pickup selector toggle usually is is a six-way, selecting both in series, neck only, both in parallel, bridge only, both in series, reverse polarity, both in parallel, reverse polarity.

not currently playable...because?

[isaac42]

19 hours ago, daddymack said:

not currently playable...because?

I want to redo the wiring. I opened it up to start, then got distracted, as I tend to do. Also has a bit of a buzz in the bridge.

[isaac42]

My first Ric bass looked like this one, a 4001 MG. After I got the white 4000, I traded the 4001 MG for a Hagstrom 8-string. Probably not my best move, but hey, I was young. Besides, there's a Hagstrom H8 on Reverb for $2400, so I don't suppose I've lost much, pricewise.

For a long time, this one was completely stock, except for bypassing the bass blocking capacitor on the bridge pickup. I've made a couple of changes since then, though not including replacing the tone knobs. Not yet, anyway.

First thing I did was perform the RWRP (reverse wound, reverse polarity) mod. That involves taking out the bridge pickup, turning the magnet over (reversing the magnetic polarity) and reversing the pickup leads (effectively reversing the winding direction). What that does is, it turns the two single coil pickups into a humbucking pair, like on a Jazz bass. Makes for a much quieter instrument in electrically noisy environments. Other than that, it doesn't change the tone at all.

Later on, I did the "magnet trick." I took a rare earth magnet and put it on the bottom of the neck pickup. That increases the output of the neck pickup so that it can compete with the bridge pickup. The change in tone is very subtle. If anything, it sounds slightly better. Doing it with a magnet doesn't change the amplitude or frequency of the pickup's resonance peak much, if at all, so the pickup sounds pretty much the same.

Not too long ago, I shielded the control cavity with copper tape. That should help make it even quieter, but I haven't been in a noisy environment to test it.

 

[DeepEnd]

The 3001 is interesting. I'd never seen one until now IIRC. Looking forward to the rest of the collection.

[isaac42]

On 5/30/2023 at 7:19 PM, DeepEnd said:

The 3001 is interesting. I'd never seen one until now IIRC. Looking forward to the rest of the collection.

It's an interesting instrument. Bolt-on neck, unusual for Rickenbacker. Single pickup. I think of it as RIC's answer to Fender's Precision Bass. I've also read that it was intended to be a student model, less expensive. There was also the 3000, similar instrument but short scale. I've never seen one in person.

The 3001 has interesting wiring. Completely passive, it has both bass and treble controls, boost and cut! The way it works is, there's a resistor in series with the pickup that reduces the output. The tone controls are wired so that, in the boost mode, they bypass the resistor, boosting the output in that band. Cut is like normal tone controls.

[isaac42]

At band practice yesterday, band leader asked me to put the fashion show on hold. We have a gig coming up in two and a half weeks, and he'd like me to play the bass I'll be playing at the gig. Consistency and all that.

[daddymack]

On 6/3/2023 at 7:03 AM, isaac42 said:

At band practice yesterday, band leader asked me to put the fashion show on hold. We have a gig coming up in two and a half weeks, and he'd like me to play the bass I'll be playing at the gig. Consistency and all that.

tell him you don't know which one you'll be using at the gig until you try all your basses out during practice...

You will still sound pretty much the same regardless.  The guys in my old band never complained about what guitars I used...I could consistently deliver 'my' sound no matter what guitar I used...it is all in the fingers, after all...

[isaac42]

We've already established which bass I'll be using: my new Rickenbacker 4005XC. It has a great sound, it's beautiful, and he's fallen madly in love with it. Looks like this:

4005XC 01.dng

[daddymack]

looks good...neck dive much?

[isaac42]

18 hours ago, daddymack said:

looks good...neck dive much?

Not that I've noticed. Short scale, so there isn't as much neck to cause dive.

[JC Bass]

On 5/26/2023 at 12:17 PM, isaac42 said:

We brought in a new band member not too long ago. She's fitting in nicely. A couple of weeks ago, she noticed that I was playing a different bass. Asked me how many I have.

"Oh, I haven't done the fashion show for you, have I?"

"The fashion show?"

"That's where I bring a different bass to each band practice until you've seen them all."

So the fashion show began. I started with my Rickenbacker 3001 Mapleglo.

Gorgeous!!!

[isaac42]

39 minutes ago, JC Bass said:

Gorgeous!!!

Glad you like it. The 3001 has an interesting sound, not like any other Rickenbacker bass.

I apologize for letting this slip, but I promise to pick it up again. Probably next week. I'll be out of town this weekend.

[isaac42]

I promise, I'll get back to this. Someday.

Meanwhile, I finished up the fashion show for our new band member today. She's seen all of my basses except the acoustic-electric Ovation.

Today was the Hagstrom 8-string. I also brought the H8 strung for 4, because the 8 tires my hand quickly. I always figured that it was the 8 strings, but now I'm not so sure.

Two weeks ago, I took the H8 strung for 4, and noticed that my hand got tired. Shouldn't, as the Hags are short scale, so ought to be easier to play, not harder. I gave it some thought, and checked the nut depth. Sure enough, the E string was high. The extra effort to push the string down on the lower frets can tire a player out pretty quickly. So, I took it down to my local guitar shop and he filed down the nut slot a bit. Played it today, and it was much better.

Playing the 8 tired my left hand out quickly. Sure enough, the nut slots are too shallow on that one, too. I switched after only one song (though we had played that one several times, trying to get it right). Played the other Hag for a while, then switched back for Sophia, in which I have a short lead. Sounded really good! Did not sound as good on Death of a Gremmie. That one seems to want more punch than the 8 strings seem to have.

Dunno if I'll use the H8 in performance. I guess we'll see. That's still a ways in the future. Meanwhile, it's in the shop for a setup. Should be much easier to play when i get it back.

[DeepEnd]

Not that I'd know but I'd expect an 8-string bass to be a niche instrument.

[isaac42]

15 hours ago, DeepEnd said:

Not that I'd know but I'd expect an 8-string bass to be a niche instrument.

Very much so. Not many bands would find it right for even a full set, let alone full time.

I understand that the bassist for King's X uses a 12-string bass! I don't know why anyone would want not one, but two octave strings, but he's not me.

Cheap Trick has also used a 12-string bass: https://www.12stringbass.net/cheap-trick-discography

[isaac42]

I'm getting a piano. Inheriting it. I'm the only musician in the family, so it seems logical. Either I get it, or it goes away. Mom always wanted me to have it, anyway.

We've had it as long as I can remember, though my brothers remember when we got it. It's a Winter&Co upright grand. Full keyboard, only two pedals. The soft pedal doesn't work the same way as on a grand, but that's the way it is. Doesn't matter, as I don't have room for even a baby grand.

Piano will be delivered tomorrow, midday.

Meanwhile, having cleared out a space for the piano, I currently have a bit of empty wall. I have taken this opportunity to take a pic.

This a 1978 Rickenbacker 4001 in BurgundyGlo. It has Bartolini pickups. Some don't care for them, but like them quite a bit.

At some point, likely when the Barts were installed, something got changed in the wiring such that the Ric-O-Sound doesn't work. I should probably fix that one of these days. Meanwhile, it works fine with the STANDARD (mono) output. Sounds great, though not as bright as a stock Ric.

[daddymack]

Purdy...and, IMHO, 'not as bright as a stock Ric' is a good thing.

[isaac42]

On 12/22/2023 at 9:57 PM, daddymack said:

Purdy...and, IMHO, 'not as bright as a stock Ric' is a good thing.

That's what tone controls are for!