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good question- a) what gauze strings do you use and b ) are you looking at subtle 1/4 note bends or more like a semitone or tone bends
I’m a Tom Petty/ Mike Campbell fan - I’ve often wondered how he achieves such bends etc on a Ricky - Have the frets been changed and/or he is a much better player than I give him credit for if he can bend like that on a guitar with a factory set up and small frets
My suspicion based on the work carried out on many Fender Guitars , that I’ve seen, is that a bigger set of frets, with no lacquer over the frets , will make it so much easier to play and bend
Along with the new frets, I opted to not have the lacquer replaced, and thought that along with the taller frets this had helped transform the guitar into one that was as easy to bend on than any Gibson. I couldn’t get used to the unfinished fretboard as it just didn’t feel like a Rickenbacker anymore, so it went back in for this and when it came back it was just as easy to play bending strings and felt much more familiar in my hand, and looks right with the shiny fretboard which is obviously very important too!
It’s so nice to play now that it’s my number one choice for the covers band I’m in, and I can play all the lead guitar breaks on it no problem, so if you want a more versatile and usable guitar then I say go for it!
With so many comparison web sites out there, how do I choose the best one?
As to can you keep the original lacquer and refret over the original lacquer is a question you need to have with a guitar tech
I know lacquered boards are traditional on Ricks, but... they're much better without.
Yes, I know skay says otherwise . I disagree.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Perhaps my biggest concern is that I don't want to alter the tone. Any comments there?
The new lacquer on my Rickenbacker is definitely different to the original stuff (they use conversion varnish I believe) and feels much more like something you find on a maple board Fender. There’s no lacquer build up around the frets on my guitar either, so maybe that’s helped to retain the height of the frets and also helps prevents friction, hence now it feels just like bending strings on a lacquered Fender maple fretboard which no one seems to ever complain about.
With so many comparison web sites out there, how do I choose the best one?
Amend your playing style, or solo on another guitar !
Sadly, rarely does one instrument cover everything, as well all know on here - much to our cost !
I can’t see there being any tonal change if you replace the frets with ones of the same material (unlike using stainless steel for example) and if you really hated the outcome then just have the frets dressed down to the tiny slithers they leave the factory with and you’re back in traditional Rickenbacker land!
With so many comparison web sites out there, how do I choose the best one?
My 4001 has also been de-lacquered. I don’t see the issue - it doesn’t stop them being Rickenbackers, and it doesn’t change the sound. If you’re going to get it refretted anyway, why not just leave it unlacquered? You can always do it later if it really bothers you.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein