Adding to an MM copy: Ric or Tele?

[1bassleft]

I tend to play 5-string (lefty), but I got a 4-string Vintage 'ray copy that I'm pretty happy with. The 3-band eq and Wilkinson pup are decent (if I did replace the pup, I'd go for the Warman 14.6k/9.7 henry as the 5-string worked out very well in another bass).

So, I could just leave it stock, but that's not me and I'd like to add some more tones. My (righty) son's Squier VM with the Telebucker has a great sound (more than one since I did Darkstrike's series/single/para mod). So I could install one of those pups near the neck for a real "chalk and cheese" bass.

OTOH, my parts bag has a hobnail Ric neck pup in there and that also appeals. A soundclip I heard with pick + fingers had a lot of my kind of tone. Trouble is, the pup only has its plate and no mounting ring/points so I'd have to do something about that.

I'd really appreciate any thoughts on what you'd do: Rick 'n' Ray or Slap 'n' Thump? (actually, I have a terrible slap technique but never mind that...)

All contributions welcome, you don't actually have to have done anything like this to chime in.

[1bassleft]

I got leaning towards a Ric 'n' Ray but took the hobnail out of the bag and to my DMM. Put the two probes together to check and there's a few ohms as expected but placing one on each of the pups output wires and I just get a big fat "1" on any range setting.

Am I right in assuming there's a break somewhere in the wind? I was going to have to send it to, probably, Heavy Air to get it into some sort of mounting anyway but a rewind is a disappointment.

This is one of my few parts that's used/unknown quantity. Am I doing something goofy or is it a dud at the moment, as I suspect?

[SGD Lutherie]

Is the meter set to auto range?

Also. Try not to touch the probes with your fingers.

[1bassleft]

I held the probes by the plastic handles, the pup wires were resting on the paper cover of the Jiffy bag and I placed one probe on each of the wire ends - a bit old looking (and very short) but the tinning still looked decent. I tried it first at the to 20k ohm range and, puzzled by the "1", put the two probes together and got a low reading. Switched to the 200 ohm and tried the pup again, still getting the "1". Thinking about it, I should've tried higher range, but I packed it away.

Here at home, I've got a DMM of the variety bought from an electrical store. I can dig it out of my gig bag and investigate further.

Thanks for responding.

[iunno]

My Stingray sounds great, I added one of David's neo sidewinders in the Rickenbacker neck position. If you add a switch for the MM pickup, you can also use the neck coil with it, which is very close to the Ric bridge position.

[1bassleft]

Thanks for the reply. I warmed to the idea of the Ric 'n' Ray (and switching the Ray) but the Ric pup does appear to be dead so I'm on pause for now while I look at the options.