Low volume on bridge pickup for Rickenbacker 4001 / 4003 bass...
I had an issue with the bridge (treble) pickup on my bass for the longest time. I always thought that maybe the pickup was weak. It turns out that the pickup selector switch moves two contacts to shut one or the other pickup off (when not in center).
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After time, there was light corrosion that prevented the bridge pickup from making a full contact at the point of where the pickup selector switch is.
The fix was easy. I selected the neck pickup (which opened the bridge pickup connector).... slid a piece of 600 grit sandpaper and gave it a few rubs (about 10 or 20). And just for the heck of it, I did the same to the other contact. Tried the bass out on an amp and the pickup came back to life.
The tell-tale sign that this is an issue (on probably many instruments) was a static like sound when you use the pickup selector switch.
Lesson here is that before you go messing with wiring and buying new pickups, etc, see if there are any obvious issues with dirty contacts. This is a problem with older instruments.
Hope that helps someone.
I had an issue with the bridge (treble) pickup on my bass for the longest time. I always thought that maybe the pickup was weak. It turns out that the pickup selector switch moves two contacts to shut one or the other pickup off (when not in center).
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
After time, there was light corrosion that prevented the bridge pickup from making a full contact at the point of where the pickup selector switch is.
The fix was easy. I selected the neck pickup (which opened the bridge pickup connector).... slid a piece of 600 grit sandpaper and gave it a few rubs (about 10 or 20). And just for the heck of it, I did the same to the other contact. Tried the bass out on an amp and the pickup came back to life.
The tell-tale sign that this is an issue (on probably many instruments) was a static like sound when you use the pickup selector switch.
Lesson here is that before you go messing with wiring and buying new pickups, etc, see if there are any obvious issues with dirty contacts. This is a problem with older instruments.
Hope that helps someone.
