Those 4001 Strings

[HKC]

I have Rotosound Swing bass 40-95 on my Ric 4001 at the moment but I think I
could benefit from using a slightly heavier gauge. Has anybody tried using
the 45-105 or the hybrid 40-100 sets. My concern is of course the very
delicate 4001 neck so no replies about what's great on your 4003 please,
this is a question about tension not sound. I quite like the Rotosounds but
would like a little more precision and depth in the low range which a .90
string obviously is not the best choice for.

[David Axt]

Post by HKC
I have Rotosound Swing bass 40-95 on my Ric 4001 at the moment but I think
I could benefit from using a slightly heavier gauge. Has anybody tried
using the 45-105 or the hybrid 40-100 sets. My concern is of course the
very delicate 4001 neck so no replies about what's great on your 4003
please, this is a question about tension not sound. I quite like the
Rotosounds but would like a little more precision and depth in the low
range which a .90 string obviously is not the best choice for.

Don't worry about the "delicate" Rickenbacker neck. With 2 truss rods, you
can't harm it with heavy strings.

-DA

[HKC]

Don't worry about the "delicate" Rickenbacker neck. With 2 truss rods, you
can't harm it with heavy strings.


ThatŽs not exactly true, I have tried a couple of brands and gauges that
made it unstable and I have read about many people who have had problems on
that account so to say donŽt worry may be a bit to optimistic.
Basically IŽm a guitarist who does a lot of studio work including
bassplaying so I more than one bass. I guess I could just buy a set of both
Rotosounds and check it out myself but if somebody wrote me a "donŽt" I
would stay off that.
I have had many problems with my Ric, not so much because of the bass
itself, more because none of the luthiers contacted did anything but make
matters worse. This seems to have come to an end now so the next step will
be to find a setup that matches the bass and the sound that I consider to be
"that classic Ric sound".
The Rotosound hybrid 40-100 may very well be it, maintaining the light highs
and working its way down to a heavier bottom.

[Scott McDaniel]

Post by David Axt
Don't worry about the "delicate" Rickenbacker neck. With 2 truss rods, you
can't harm it with heavy strings.
The Rotosound hybrid 40-100 may very well be it, maintaining the light
highs and working its way down to a heavier bottom.

I've been using the 105s as long as I can remember (with some other brands
thrown in here and there) on my various 4001s.
I've never had any problems with the neck whatsoever. '78 4001, '82 4001,
2001 4001V63.
You should be safe in the shade with the hybrids.

[HKC]

I just ordered the 105 standard gauge, they are not that pricey and I have
other basses as well where they could be put to use so if itŽs too much for
the the old neck IŽll survive.

[David Axt]

Post by David Axt
Don't worry about the "delicate" Rickenbacker neck. With 2 truss rods, you
can't harm it with heavy strings.
ThatŽs not exactly true, I have tried a couple of brands and gauges that
made it unstable and I have read about many people who have had problems
on that account so to say donŽt worry may be a bit to optimistic.
Basically IŽm a guitarist who does a lot of studio work including
bassplaying so I more than one bass. I guess I could just buy a set of
both Rotosounds and check it out myself but if somebody wrote me a "donŽt"
I would stay off that.
I have had many problems with my Ric, not so much because of the bass
itself, more because none of the luthiers contacted did anything but make
matters worse. This seems to have come to an end now so the next step will
be to find a setup that matches the bass and the sound that I consider to
be "that classic Ric sound".
The Rotosound hybrid 40-100 may very well be it, maintaining the light
highs and working its way down to a heavier bottom.

Okay so this begs the question. What year is your Rick? What problems are
you having?

-DA

[HKC]

DA wrote: Okay so this begs the question. What year is your Rick? What
problems are you having?

Mine is a '79 and IŽm not really having any problems with the bass now
except that I would like to use a heavier gauge than 40-95. I had problems
when I used Picato flatwounded for a little while and following the Ric
sites for a couple of years sustains that problems with string tension are a
known issue. The Ric 4001 was made for another type of strings so one has to
be careful of what is used but luckily Rotosound swingbass seem to suit it
rather well. Like I wrote in my last mail, I have ordered a set of 45-105
which I will try out for while to see if the neck can handle it which Scott
McDaniels' experiences definately make seem like a possible solution.

[HKC]

So far the neck seems stable with the 45-105 Swing Bass string. It will need
to be adjusted eventually because of the increased tension but itŽs not
getting worse and worse so thatŽs a good sign. The sound is much more
defined with this gauge but still maintains most of the crispness.

[Tasman27]

I have used 45-105's on my 4 Ric 4001's for over 10 years now and have
had NO problems at all. In fact, they stay in tune longer than the
lighter gauges and better than my Fender's which have the same. I have a
'72, '73, '77, and '78. Maybe you need to find a luthier who knows a bit
more about Ric basses? As DA indicated, with 2 truss rods, it should be
a no-brainer.


Taz

Post by HKC
I have Rotosound Swing bass 40-95 on my Ric 4001 at the moment but I think I
could benefit from using a slightly heavier gauge. Has anybody tried using
the 45-105 or the hybrid 40-100 sets. My concern is of course the very
delicate 4001 neck so no replies about what's great on your 4003 please,
this is a question about tension not sound. I quite like the Rotosounds but
would like a little more precision and depth in the low range which a .90
string obviously is not the best choice for.