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Metal Plate Over Rickenbacker 4003

#2
The bridge pickup cover?

No. you can remove it... I removed mine because I pick directly over the bridge pickup. Just remember that the pickup will drop into the bass, and the springs will pop off..

As you loosen the screws, look where the springs, ground, and pickup was before... then put it back together without the cover..

BTW, it doesn't do anything for sustain..
 
#3
I have played my Ric 4003 with the pickup cover on for like 5 months but the day before yesterday I actually decided to take mine of to see how I liked it. (You might wanna have someone else do it (Like someone from your local bass shop), because at least in my experience it was a lot trickier than it looked) One thing I'm wondering though is if Rickenbacker sells something to put around the the pickup after you take the pickup cover off, Because when mine got taken off I was left with a big hole around the pickgaurd and I don't think it looked very good.

Thanks!
 
#4
Nope, they don't offer anything to fill the hole. There isn't really enough room min there for anything (it looks like there is but there isn't) I looked into having something made for my former Rick by Pickguardian and he mentioned that he's tried, but the the narrow parts (the parts that go in front and behind the pickup) always snapped when he tried to cut them out. Look at pros, like Geddy, and McCartney (Paul had a highgain in his Rick from the mid 70'ds up until recently), they just leave the hole open and gaping.

Also, yes the pickup cover does nothing, it's chrome plated plastic. the chrome might serve as a light seild, but nothing noticable.

~Paul :)
 
#6
#7
I just remebered, John Hall posted some where that a better looking alternative to leaving the hole open was to rearange the washers, springs and cover so that the cover sits all the way down on top of the pickup then you just put the pickup back in under the strings set up like that. You end up with a big chrome looking pickup. Other than this I've never heard of Rickenbacker offerningany kind of insert to fill the gap.

~Paul :)
 
#8
i've had my 4003 for about a year now and still have the cover on it. i remember saying though on the way to the music store it would be the first thing i would to my ric other then take off the disgusting blemishing Made In Usa sticker (nothing against the us just thought the sticker was ugly). and i love having it there, but recently, like the past week or so i've been toying with the idea of taking it off.

paul n said:
I just remebered, John Hall posted some where that a better looking alternative to leaving the hole open was to rearange the washers, springs and cover so that the cover sits all the way down on top of the pickup then you just put the pickup back in under the strings set up like that. You end up with a big chrome looking pickup. Other than this I've never heard of Rickenbacker offerningany kind of insert to fill the gap.

~Paul :)
Click to expand...
sounds really cool actually, would love to see a picture of that before i made a choice like that to try it.
 
#9
FaithNoMan said:
I used to think the same thing, but it looks more natural to me without one now..

http://www.pickguardian.com/pickguardian/RickBasses.html

I think they look yucky with those, but they may be what someone else would call a complete look
Click to expand...

I tried one of those, unfortunately I felt it negatively effected the bass' tone. I think the metal used for the stock pickup surround is probably ferous (ie contains iron) and so the pickup picks up the surounds vibrations just like it picks up the steel (which is ferous) core strings. When the body vibrates the pickup ring vibrates and pickup picks it up adding a bit more growl to the basses tone. This is one of the reasons Telecaster guitars sound the way they do, the bridge and bridge pickup suround are all one piece, made of a ferous alloy; all the vibrations from the strings, bridge and body are getting to the pickup.

With the Pickguardian surround the bass' tone lost a bunch of it's wieght, it sounded smaller to me, no Rick-brand growl. Too bad too the folks at Pickguardian were wonderful to work with, just so damn nice! The first surround they sent me had screw holes that didn't match perfectly with my particular Rick so they had me trace my original surround and made me a new surround free of charge. They did it really quickely too.

~Paul :)
 
#10
paul n said:
I tried one of those, unfortunately I felt it negatively effected the bass' tone. I think the metal used for the stock pickup surround is probably ferous (ie contains iron) and so the pickup picks up the surounds vibrations just like it picks up the steel (which is ferous) core strings. When the body vibrates the pickup ring vibrates and pickup picks it up adding a bit more growl to the basses tone. This is one of the reasons Telecaster guitars sound the way they do, the bridge and bridge pickup suround are all one piece, made of a ferous alloy; all the vibrations from the strings, bridge and body are getting to the pickup.

With the Pickguardian surround the bass' tone lost a bunch of it's wieght, it sounded smaller to me, no Rick-brand growl. Too bad too the folks at Pickguardian were wonderful to work with, just so damn nice! The first surround they sent me had screw holes that didn't match perfectly with my particular Rick so they had me trace my original surround and made me a new surround free of charge. They did it really quickely too.

~Paul :)
Click to expand...

Yup. I remember reading this before somewhere on here (it was probably you ;) ). The metal surround is definitely affected by magnetism, judging by its intense attraction to the pickup magnet whenever I jack around with the assembly. I think this "telecaster effect" definitely has something to do with a Rick's signature tone.
 
#12
gwx014 said:
I have played my Ric 4003 with the pickup cover on for like 5 months but the day before yesterday I actually decided to take mine of to see how I liked it. (You might wanna have someone else do it (Like someone from your local bass shop), because at least in my experience it was a lot trickier than it looked) One thing I'm wondering though is if Rickenbacker sells something to put around the the pickup after you take the pickup cover off, Because when mine got taken off I was left with a big hole around the pickgaurd and I don't think it looked very good.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Mine was off when I bought the bass used, and I never even thought about the hole looking bad. It wasn't an issue, since I hadn't seen it any other way. Funny, though, my cover, (still in the case when I bought it), is plastic...:hmm:
 
#13
gottawalk said:
Funny, though, my cover, (still in the case when I bought it), is plastic...:hmm:
Click to expand...

All but the earliest are plastic (as far as I know). I heard that some of the metal ones were causing noise issues or something like that (atracting interference rather than shielding it). They are plated with real chrome though, rather than vacume-metalized (yes, you can chrome plate plasitc).

~Paul :)
 
#14
paul n said:
All but the earliest are plastic (as far as I know). I heard that some of the metal ones were causing noise issues or something like that (atracting interference rather than shielding it). They are plated with real chrome though, rather than vacume-metalized (yes, you can chrome plate plasitc).

~Paul :)
Click to expand...

thanks! I was always curious about that. I would imagine that the metal could cause problems. I suppose the Fenders didn't have the problem because the cover was between the pups?
 
#15
Go to this site...[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

They have some cool ideas and these would almost serve as artificial thumb rests for those like me who want to keep improving playing with my fingers instead of relying on a pic. My bass is being delivered next week and when I have a luthier set it up, I am going to ask him to take off the pickup cover and install these covers. Kind of takes away the excuses of not being able to play with fingers without having to drill a couple of holes and insert a thumb rest.
 
#17
Hey I found an answer that looks good for after you remove the bridge cover on your Ric. it is a plexi with mirror appearance at Pickguardian. they do great work just Google them. I don't think I can post a website on here. It also has a nice lip on it to rest your thumb, that is were I place my thumb is on the pick up. This will do until someone fabricates a chrome or stainless replacement cover for the pick up. I may do that I have a friend with a machine shop. hope this helps. for the time being this plexi fitting comnes in two pieces and look much better than a black hole in the center of my mapleglo.
 

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