Quick question:
How low do you 620/660 and similar RIC owner fellows set up your bridges?
Mine is set pretty high, and still when I bend the high E string on the 16th or 18th fret it gets muted by the next fret.
AFAIK the truss rod doesn’t help bends that high up the scale.
Your neck may need a skosh more relief.
"When injustice becomes law then rebellion becomes duty."
I thought about that but would it help above the 14th fret? I was wondering if it wouldn’t be a matter of raising the bridgeOriginally Posted by phantomman
You could try raising the bridge but then you run the risk of the overall action being too high,
Do you know any competent luthiers where you live?
"When injustice becomes law then rebellion becomes duty."
|I was just playing mine and thought about this thread. Mine's not a 600-series - it's a 330, but |I checked the bridge and the bass side is at a good 5mm - about 1/4", plus or minus. The treble side is maybe a touch lower, but I didn't measure it; this is just by eye.
The action still is pretty low, but I don't get any fretout anywhere up the neck.
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Ricks really aren't designed for bending.
"No harmonic knowledge, no sense of time, a ghastly tone, unskilled vibrato, and so on. Chuck is one of the worst guitar players I know" -Gravity Jim
Maybe not all Ricks. I played 2 models, my wife’s uncle’s Lennon 325 and my 620.
The 325 feels indeed a bit too short for soloing but my 620 has one of the fastest necks I’ve ever played. It is more comfortable than a SG and I don’t think I’d have any problems even if I were a shredder.
Here’s an example
Fret rocker your frets. Yes Rics are weird, but the same rules apply. Before doing anything, see if there is a proud fret.
id measure my 360/12 but I suffered the dreaded R tailpiece explosion. Replacing with a Winfield Harp. Actually when employed again, it’s off to Mark Arnquist for a complete service. He is absolutely the best person to work on Rics.
Mark
Check out some of the twoodfrd videos. He mainly works on acoustics, but the principles are the same. He is always measuring the neck relief at the 12th fret, the nut height and the bridge height. I don't think I've seen him work on a ric, but he has recently worked on several electrics.
Is it possible you have a high fret somewhere high on the neck?
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+1
It's why I mentioned having a competent luthier take a look at the guitar.
Rickenbacker is renown for their fastidious quality control but you never know......
"When injustice becomes law then rebellion becomes duty."
If you have a short straight edge that will span 3 frets, place it on top of 3 frets on both the high and low E sides of the neck and see if it will rock back and forth, starting at the body end of the neck, and work your way towards the headstock by moving the straight edge one fret at a time. You may need a slightly longer straight edge once you get to the frets that are spaced further apart.
"When You're Riding Down the Highway at Night, And You're Feeling that Wild Turkey's Bite" ZZ Top
Thanks, friends. I’ll check for tall frets and run a full setup if necessary.
I was wondering about a simple bridge tweak because the action is comfortable and these bridges are very different from other brands’s. I was curious about how high other owners leave theirs.
Regarding your issue with the high E string getting muted by the next fret when you bend it on the 16th or 18th fret, it could be due to a variety of factors, including the height of the bridge, the action of the guitar, the neck relief, and the string gauge and type.
If you have already set the bridge height to a comfortable playing level, you might want to consider adjusting the intonation to ensure that the strings are properly tuned and fretted notes are in tune. Additionally, you could try experimenting with different string gauges or types, such as lighter gauge strings or flatwounds, to see if that improves the situation.
If it's confined one area on the neck always start with fret leveling. If the frets aren't level you'll chase it to infinity. I'd see if the gage is rocking in the area where you're having problems. If you find a high one a few taps with a fret hammer and then level and recrown and polish should take care of it.
About a 10 minute fix.
Neck relief needs to be zero before you check the or level the frets. I run all my guitars with just-perceptible relief. They're basically straight but I want to just perceive motion when I check, that way I know it isn't' back bowed.
Generally, if you need any relief you have fret or nut issues.
"No harmonic knowledge, no sense of time, a ghastly tone, unskilled vibrato, and so on. Chuck is one of the worst guitar players I know" -Gravity Jim
You sound like me...
fret level is my guess. after I level frets, I too set the neck relief to near zero.
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