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A P-bass-Ric Rewire?!?

R

Rthm

Dec 7, 2010
101
2
#1
So, today I had a thought. (obligatory joke, etc, etc.)

Anyhod, I'd like to try and slap a single coil in my p-bass and wire the whole thing up like a Ric.

A couple of questions:

First, if anyone's done this, please speak up, tell me how it worked out, all that.

Second, and more importantly- I have no clue where the pickup should go. Assuming I'm correct that Ric bridge pups are under the 2.5 harmonic, the pup wouldnt fit- thats the exact edge of the pbass pup. So i guess im asking for input on where the pup could go instead. I's not terribly interested in anything TOO close to the bridge, but lets hear some thoughts before i start routing.

Third (and last for now, unless something else comes up), Im not looking to use an actual Ric bridge pup- im on a fairly tight (read: really, really tight) budget. so, any suggestions for a single coil pup, that isn't necessarily a jazz pup?

that's it for now. thanks.
 
#3
Well, to be honest, half of it is going for a new sound (dont mind not nailing the ric sound, i know it's not gonna happen without a ric), and half is having fun with wires and stuff. And i really dont mind having a not-great quality pickup-i can always replace it later, when the funds are up (I'm a student). so yeah. just looking for bein able to put a bit more treble punchy goodness into my sound. I just happen to really love the ric bridge sound, and am mostly just using it as a starting point.
 
#5
Sorry- i thought i made it clear....i dont want it close to the bridge. With that said, I AM going for more of a ric solo'd bridge sound than a solo'd neck pup sound. obviously, that would be without the p pup mixed in with it. So i supose im asking how far away would it be recommended that i put the new pup in, from original ric specs, that i could keep at least some of the sound i'm going for.
 
#7
Your best option is probably going to be getting a new bass then doing a hack job on one of yours. It really is alot of work... I wouldk know I modded my jazz to have a p pickup in the neck position. It took all day. It was worth it but I just dont see a student having the commitment to finish this project or not make a mistake when routing for the pickup.
 
#8
Well, i bought the MIM p so id have something to mess around with. And I really do hate bragging, but i'm fairly experienced with woodworking and electronics, not to mention I've been an intern a local luthier for some time. I've done similar mods in the past, but nothing exactly like this.
Thanks for the concern, but i'm really just looking for input on something i'm considering, not whether or not I should do it. I can decide that when I'm looking at my mock-ups, parts/cost list, all that.
 
#9
Rthm said:
...the pup wouldnt fit- thats the exact edge of the pbass pup. So i guess im asking for input on where the pup could go instead.

...Im not looking to use an actual Ric bridge pup- im on a fairly tight (read: really, really tight) budget.
Click to expand...
so it'll be the wrong pickup, and in the wrong location? :eyebrow:

unless you put an actual ric pickup in the actual ric pickup location, you're not gonna get anything like what you're asking for.

as far as "wiring it up like a ric", that really means a ric pickup up by the neck and one in the right spot by the bridge, maybe with the old-style choke cap on the bridge pickup to kill its low end.
 
#11
you'd probably have the best luck leaving the P where it is (since it's pretty close), adding a skinny neck pickup (J, musicmaster?), and wiring it V/V/T (like a jazz) or even V/switch/T, but with the cap in line with the bridge to choke it ric-style.

maybe also a push-pull or something to bypass the choke (lots of ric players remove theirs to bring the lows back). this would allow you to keep the stock P tone as well.
 
#12
the ric sound doesn't really come from the 2 vol/2 tone arrangement, that's incidental.

it's all about pickups, their location, and that choking cap on the bridge pickup.
 
#17
OK, the stereo output thing is beating a dark horse of another color!

it's kind of a novelty, not all that useful. in mono, it makes no difference to the sound, other than making for a slightly more dodgy connection.

the only part of that circuit that really changes the sound is the in-line .0047μF cap choking the bridge pickup.
 
#19
nothing special there; 330k pots are a little darker than 500ks, not quite as dark as 250ks; two 330ks at the same time (parallel) is darker than one 250k, but the differences here are minimal.

.047μF is a normal value for the tone caps.
 
#20
Another perspective, non expert but maybe useful.

There are three variants of Rick you should know about (1) two pickups with a capacitor on the bridge pickup (basically a 4001) (2) two pickups without the capacitor (basically 4003, though later 4003's include it as a switchable option) and (3) single bridge pickup (the 4000). I used to own a 4000 and now own a 4003.

What many people call "the Rick sound" comes from the 4001 and the capacitor is an integral part of it, but it doesn't have to me. The 4000, or the 4003 using bridge pickup only, gives a really nice solid sound, that has more midrange and edge than a Precision, the trade-off being that the Precision will sound thicker.

Therefore if you simply swapped your Precision pickup for a Rick pickup, I could imagine you getting something quite usable, assuming the placement of the two pickups is similar (and I think you said it was...I would have guessed that but have never measured it, I can if you want). It should sound something like a 4000 or the bridge pickup of a 4003. This is a nice sound. I like it better than the Chris Squires / Geddy Lee iconic Rick sound.

Of course, a Rick feels very different to a Precision, for better or worse. Dunno if that matters to you. I'm also ignoring sonic differences resulting from constructing. You'll need to decide whether the different woods and bolt-on neck vs neck-thru-body matter to you. The theory is the neck thru body has better sustain, but the 4000 has a set neck, and I liked the sound. Never A/Bed them so can't say whether the 4003 sustains that much better, but I know it has amazing sustain.

It really depends what you are hearing in your head.

Good luck. If you do this, please update the thread with your progress, I'd be interested to know how it goes.

Edit : I ignored changes in pickups over the years in this. I know Rick have changed a bit but don't know the details. I assume same is true for P.
 

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