ShortScale.org

So I decided to take a shot at building a rick bass copy...
I bought a poplar body blank and found a store that had another rick copy and traced out the body shape.

My plan is to give it a fender neck pocket, or something along those lines...
I'd love to get one of those paddle eden headstock necks and cut out a rickenbacker style headstock, but i'd be completely happy to just have a squier jazz neck on there too.

The problem that I foresee is that regular rickenbacker basses are either set neck or neck-throughs, so I'm wondering what the best way to do a neck pocket is? I'd like it to not look too "wonky".

So yeah, here's the start of it, more pictures to come...

Right on man! Keep us posted, with pics! I love seeing this stuff come together

I have a copy with a bolt on neck I'll try and get some photos for you

that would be really helpful actually, thanks!

Not sure how to post images but...

this work?

and also

thats really cool, I didnt realize the pickup was mounted above the tongue extension of the neck...
those pictures are really cool though, I didnt even come close to turning up anything that detailed on the interweb.

I'm going to have to go about it a different way though, I'm just looking to have a standard fender neck...
thanks for taking the time to take that apart for me though, I appreciate it

no probs it was already apart ;0)

That looks sweet, I'd love a knock-off Ricky that actually looked the part.

Brandon, is that pattern lined up straight? Maybe the grain angle makes it look off. The neck jut looks bent.

That Ric copy is an odd design. I guess for the real Ric, it's all one piece of wood. The way that neck bolts on, I would worry about that thin piece in back snapping off.

yeah, its only at that angle because of the way I cut out the paper template, if you look close you can see the actual straight neckline.

I think what I'm going to have to do is just cut out the body from that template and then route a regular fender bass neck pocket in the body...

the end result will probably look a bit weird though, with the heel of the neck going deeper into the body than the usual rick NECK-STOP-BODY-START look. That's okay though, I can deal with that, I mostly just like the body shape and pickguard, everything else will probably be totally different.

I found this picture from a google search of a custom 8 string bass, you can see how the neck pocket looks like a fender neck pocket and it doesnt look that odd.



Re: the bolt on neck copy
yeah, I'd be scared of that snapping off too, doesn't seem like enough wood to hold the tension

Thanks for your concern!

That thin bit in the back has survived 30 odd years of spanking so far ;0)

That thin bit in the back has survived 30 odd years of spanking so far ;0)

That must be 60 years now then.

opps left me delay on

And hell, in that case, I would paint the Fender neck to match, or at least the headstock.