Unfortunately, gravity proves too strong for this on occasion and the TRS end falls out of the bass.
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Rick-O-Sound: What am I doing wrong (or right)?
- Thread starter pjmuck
- Start date
Unfortunately, gravity proves too strong for this on occasion and the TRS end falls out of the bass.
Loop it over the strap button. Good practice anyway.
I have a 20' TRS cable with a locking female jack and a 3' Y I plug into that.
Here's the schematic for "proper" 4003 wiring, for comparision purposes.
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Did this problem get sorted out? I am experiencing exactly the same problem with a stereo cable from Pick of the Ricks
Pick of the Ricks Custom 20' Stereo Insert Cable
This cable has a stereo plug in one end and splits into two cables with a mono plug. Moreover, the mono plugs are marked "neck/bass" and "bridge/treble" respectively, so obviously the cable is manufactured for exactly this purpose.
However, when I plug the stereo end into the Rick o' sound output of my 4001 (1975), I get exactly what the OP describes. Both mono plugs give me just what the pickup selector is set to (a blend of both if the selector is in the middle position). I'm not able to split the signal from the different pickups.
Is it possible that some previous owner has rewired the electronics in the bass or can some malfunction cause this?
Pick of the Ricks Custom 20' Stereo Insert Cable
This cable has a stereo plug in one end and splits into two cables with a mono plug. Moreover, the mono plugs are marked "neck/bass" and "bridge/treble" respectively, so obviously the cable is manufactured for exactly this purpose.
However, when I plug the stereo end into the Rick o' sound output of my 4001 (1975), I get exactly what the OP describes. Both mono plugs give me just what the pickup selector is set to (a blend of both if the selector is in the middle position). I'm not able to split the signal from the different pickups.
Is it possible that some previous owner has rewired the electronics in the bass or can some malfunction cause this?
I had this exact same problem with my 1980 4001 for a long time. I had it fixed recently. It turned out to be one of the metal contacts inside the input jack being bent out of place. Get it checked out because this problem is easily fixed by a good luthier.
If this isn't the problem, then it could be a short between the two pickups. I would print out the pickup schematic provided by Chuck King and bring the bass to be checked out by someone you trust.
Good luck with this because using the Rick-O-Sound is incredible. I love the neck pickup clean and subtle distortion on the bridge pickup into a dual channel amp or even two amps if you have the room. If you're playing rock music in a one guitar band, the Rick-O-Sound can really help fill up the sonic space that is usually occupied by the rhythm guitar when the guitarist plays single note leads and solos.
If this isn't the problem, then it could be a short between the two pickups. I would print out the pickup schematic provided by Chuck King and bring the bass to be checked out by someone you trust.
Good luck with this because using the Rick-O-Sound is incredible. I love the neck pickup clean and subtle distortion on the bridge pickup into a dual channel amp or even two amps if you have the room. If you're playing rock music in a one guitar band, the Rick-O-Sound can really help fill up the sonic space that is usually occupied by the rhythm guitar when the guitarist plays single note leads and solos.
Alright, thanks for the advice. I will try to have these things checked.
Actually, I'm having another slighly odd problem that perhaps is related.
I have the pickup height adjusted so I normally don't get any distortion even if I play quite hard. However, with the pickup selector in the middle position, sometimes distortion seems to "build up" if I play many notes repeatedly for a while. Like:
clean clean clean clean dist clean dist dist DIST dist DIST DIST DIST! DIST!....
The funny thing is that if I toggle the pickup selector to either of the two end positions and back to the middle again, the sound will go back to clean.
Any idea what might cause this?
Actually, I'm having another slighly odd problem that perhaps is related.
I have the pickup height adjusted so I normally don't get any distortion even if I play quite hard. However, with the pickup selector in the middle position, sometimes distortion seems to "build up" if I play many notes repeatedly for a while. Like:
clean clean clean clean dist clean dist dist DIST dist DIST DIST DIST! DIST!....
The funny thing is that if I toggle the pickup selector to either of the two end positions and back to the middle again, the sound will go back to clean.
Any idea what might cause this?
