RWRP on a Rickenbacker 4003 - 411?

[Ric5]

Wow- do you notice any volume differences with the A and D strings- seems like the polepiece alignment would mess with those. Also- what kind of bridge is that? Looks like a modders paradise!

I get even volume on all 5 string with 8 pole pickups ever single time I do a bass that way.

 

[12bass]

The magnet on the neck appeared to be the easiest to take off. So, I removed the magnet from the neck pickup, flipped it over, and swapped the pickup leads. Now the bass is humbucking with both pickups on (as it should have been designed from the factory). Otherwise, it seems to sound pretty much the same as it did before the mod to RWRP. If there is any difference in tone, I'm not hearing it, and I'm pretty picky.

There is a small amount of residual hum (not quite 100% cancellation), but it is much better than before. Previously, I completely shielded the inside of the bass with copper foil, but that did not remove the hum inherent to single coil pickups. Given that I play with both pickups most of the time, this should make the bass much better for gigging and recording.

Note, the magnetic material on the neck pickup is semi-soft and comes off with a blade. However, it is also somewhat brittle. Even though I was careful, I had to file a small notch down the middle to allow the pickup lead to come through and it ended up cracking during installation. Still works fine though....

The bridge pickup is a heck of a lot easier to mod. There is a weak adhesive holding the treble pickup together; the adhesive on the neck pickup is a lot stronger.

As mentioned above, on my 1982 4001, the magnet on the bridge pickup is much more firmly attached than the one on the neck. I could wiggle the neck magnet a little, while the big magnet on the bridge pickup would not budge. On the other hand, those with a more recent 4003 just need to undo a couple of screws to flip the magnet around. If I had a 4003, switching to RWRP would be a no-brainer.

 

[billoetjen]

Hey 12bass, just to be sure, you're saying that the more recent 4003's have the bridge pup that's easiest to mod, right? If that's all there is to it, I shall do it!

First, I'm going to record a couple of tracks so's I can compare.

Thanks for sharing the *valuable* information.

 

[12bass]

You're welcome, billoetjen!

From what I've read, the bridge magnet on the 4003s can be easily flipped over after removing two screws on the underside of the pickup. Just swap the leads and you've got golden humbucking bliss! It was a little more tricky on my 4001 because I had to remove the magnet from the neck, which was glued on; hopefully it will stay attached now that it has been re-glued "upside down". Frankly, I don't understand why Ric hasn't been doing this at the factory, as Fender's been making Jazz basses this way since the 60s.

 

[cassius987]

I thought I already mentioned it but maybe I didn't, John Hall has reservations about the RWRP mod like some others here seem to. That's why.

I totally respect that--I'm not some kind of unilateral progress Nazi who thinks all basses should move in the same direction. Plus, this mod is easy enough to do that it really doesn't impact people who want an RWRP Ric, whether they are made that way at the factory or not.

Did anyone listen to my clip? It substantiates what 12bass is saying about hum removal. It's not complete, it's partial--but substantial.

 

[cassius987]

my rics are pretty darn quiet stock, so i see no reason to change a thing. (i didn't vote because none of the choices in the poll seemed to fit.).

My Rics have always been "pretty darn quiet" too. But I'd like to point out that this mod is really for those who experience hum even just 1% of the time. It only takes one instance in a bar with too many neon signs for you to suddenly change your opinion about this. The rest of the time, play just one pickup or with the cap-in and the sound is unchanged anyways. But occasionally, you run into some nasty hum, and that's the logic behind this.

 

[Stealth]

Thanks for the info on the mod - good to know the RWRP mod is pretty much painless on Rics.

 

[12bass]

Recorded a clip on my 1982 Rickenbacker 4001 after changing the neck pickup to RWRP by flipping the magnet over and swapping the leads around. The bass also has an original BadAss bridge and has been internally shielded with copper foil. Strings have been on for quite a while. I recorded a few feet away from a pair of Trinitron monitors using an Ampeg SVP-PRO into an Echo Gina24.

http://members.shaw.ca/kevinmacza/Ric_4001_RWRP_sample.mp3

The first part of the clip starts with the bridge, then switches to neck, then to both pickups. The short riffage at the very end starts with bridge, then both, then neck, to hear the change in hum. The bridge volume is down just slightly, where I prefer it, and where it seems to cancel best. Sounds pretty much the same as it did before IMO.

 

[12bass]

Another quick sample with the SVP heavily overdriven. For this one, I moved to the position of greatest hum to illustrate the reduction using different pickup selections. This gives a worst-case scenario.

http://members.shaw.ca/kevinmacza/Ric_4001_RWRP_distorted.mp3

 

[billoetjen]

Anyone know of someone who went RWRP, then went back?

 

[cassius987]

I do not know of any such person.

 

[billoetjen]

I do not know of any such person.

'zackly !

 

[Ric5]

Here's one of my Rics with a jazz pickup at the bridge.

 

[krovx]

Here's one of my Rics with a jazz pickup at the bridge.

Ric5, you have the sweetest Rics...Give me one!

 

[Ric5]

Thanks ... I have owned 30 or 40 Rics ... but I only have 3 these days ...

 

[Coolhandjjl]

Here's one of my Rics with a jazz pickup at the bridge.

How do you like the J bass pup with the poles 'off alignment' with the strings? I talked to one of the pup gurus, and he said he could make a custom J style pup with the dual poles aligned right at the string placement.

 

[walterw]

also, duncan makes 5-string jazz pickups.

 

[billoetjen]

Maybe I'm being a little too nervous, but I want to make sure that I get the details right. I started the RWRP mod tonight but stopped to get more info.
As everyone has stated about the new 4003's the magnet on the bridge pickup comes off so easily it's as if Ric is facilitating the mod for you. Anyway, I got the bobbin removed from the magnet but I stopped when I couldn't decide the best way to unconnect and reconnect the reversed wires. Should I just snip them and strip them to solder together, replacing insulation with heat-shrink? Or is there a preferred way. I don't see where the wires are soldered to the bobbin, so that's out.

Thanks people.
PS - I put this same question on the Rickenbacker site forum.

 

[12bass]

Mine had electrical tape over the connections. I removed it, swapped the wires, and resoldered with heat shrink.

 

[Ric5]

How do you like the J bass pup with the poles 'off alignment' with the strings? I talked to one of the pup gurus, and he said he could make a custom J style pup with the dual poles aligned right at the string placement.

8 poles cover 5 strings just as good as 10 poles.

I learned this trick from Rickenbacker. The toaster pickup has 6 poles. Rickenbacker uses the toaster on 4, 5, 6, and 8 string instruments. It works well for all of them.