Yea, am I correct in thinking that part of the Rick sound is the low action and fret buzz? The Rick strings help in this regard? I'm trying to accept that the 4003 is a different beast than my P bass.
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Yea, am I correct in thinking that part of the Rick sound is the low action and fret buzz? The Rick strings help in this regard? I'm trying to accept that the 4003 is a different beast than my P bass.
Well, if you want to get a Chris Squire/Geddy Lee tone then that's true. But if you don't want fret buzz then change the set-up on your bass. Also, get some nice strings like DR or Rotosounds for it (don't use Rickenbacker strings).
They're OK. I have Lights on my 4003 (40-95), just to make it sound a little different from my 4001. According to John Hall, D'Addario is one of their main suppliers; probably what mine are. Both my Ricks have very low action (and no fret buzz), but it took a little tweaking to get the set up right. And yes, as far as I know, Rickenbacker has always (for standard production instruments) used a black nut.
I'm used to chromes so the stock strings felt like rubber bands to me, along with being heavy handed. Strings are always a personal thing really, you can't go wrong if its what you are after, the only issue is makin a choice from the sea of strings available. In Australia a set of roundwound strings cost 50 dollars so for me trying many different strings is not a "cheap" venture to find the right ones. That's why forums like this can help. Never tried DR sunbeams, or any DR's for that matter, so I'm hoping for the best
I installed the treble bezel tonight. Everything went fine except the pick up is not centered in the cavity for some reason. I couldn't tell how it was before because the cover was on. Thoughts?
Thats pretty normal. I think there is someway to straighten it but I'm not sure. I put a treble bezel on mine and it was like that but I had already got used to the cover so I reinstalled the cover.
Actually, there have been lots of Ricks with white nuts; here is one (March '73) example.
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First time in here so maybe you guys can help with my slight dilemma. So still slightly peeved that the one ric sounds way better then the other. I did some messing around and discovered what a factor might be. The neck pickup in the brown ric is hotter then the white one. I went kinda loopy and tried to slightly destruct the neck pickup in the white ric in hopes of moving it slightly closer to the strings but to no avail. So I was thinking try to find a pickup as hot as the one in the brown ric and possibly the toaster version, thoughts?
Edit: Typical ric pickup reading is 7.4k. The white bass has 7.5k neck 7.4k bridge. The brown ric has 8.45k neck 7.2 bridge. It's that hair hotter that I think may be part of the mojo. I should note that in all my p bass pickup swaps that 1k can mean a world of difference.
Edit: Typical ric pickup reading is 7.4k. The white bass has 7.5k neck 7.4k bridge. The brown ric has 8.45k neck 7.2 bridge. It's that hair hotter that I think may be part of the mojo. I should note that in all my p bass pickup swaps that 1k can mean a world of difference.
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Gaolee
Official leathers tester and crash dummy
I just bought a 1998 4003, Fireglo. It arrives next week sometime. Then I'll find out if I'm truly a Ric person or a Ric agnostic.
They shine the best Live IMO. I like to practice at home with my Fenders but My Ric gets to go to the Shows.
With those reading are you talking the hi gain pickup?
I thought (and could be wrong) that toaster pickups were not as hot.
Ric5
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Toasters are supposed to be 7.6k ohms. 70s high gains are supposed to be 8k ohms. Modern high gains are supposed to be 11k ohms. Hb-1 pickups 15k ohms. Old 60s horseshoe pickups 6.7k ohms. Re-issue horseshoe pickups 11k ohms. But pickups wound in the late 80s can be 2or 3k ohms hotter.
A cheap thrick to make your pickup hotter without rewinding it or without moving it closer to the strings is to put a second magnet on its bottom.
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Some of the lates 70s 4001 basses had the neck pickup sitting a valley and it was hard to get the neck pickup high enough on some of them. The form of the Rick basses has varied through the years. But since about 1997 they are made with a cnc machine and are very consistant.
A cheap thrick to make your pickup hotter without rewinding it or without moving it closer to the strings is to put a second magnet on its bottom.
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Some of the lates 70s 4001 basses had the neck pickup sitting a valley and it was hard to get the neck pickup high enough on some of them. The form of the Rick basses has varied through the years. But since about 1997 they are made with a cnc machine and are very consistant.
Ric5
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Also Ricks for the 60s to 1985 have 250k ohm volume pots and 500k ohm tone pots with an inline .0047 capacitor that removes bass and low mids from the bridge pickup. From 1986 to 1989 the pots were the same but no .0047 capacitor. 1990 to 2005 Ricks had all 250k ohm pots and no .0047 capacitor. From 2006 to present the pots are 330k ohms and the .0047 capacitor is activated by a push pull knob.
There may have been a few years where they used all 330k ohm pots without the vintage tone circuit.
The value of the pots changes the tone of the bass.
As far as I know the tone capacitors have always been .047 ... not to be confused with the .0047 capacitor.
A few times I have rewired 70s 4001 basses with 70s pickups and sometimes a neck toaster with all 250k ohm pots and no .0047 capacitor. That makes for a really nice gigging and recording bass. It gives a 70s 4001 a little more warmth and low end.
There may have been a few years where they used all 330k ohm pots without the vintage tone circuit.
The value of the pots changes the tone of the bass.
As far as I know the tone capacitors have always been .047 ... not to be confused with the .0047 capacitor.
A few times I have rewired 70s 4001 basses with 70s pickups and sometimes a neck toaster with all 250k ohm pots and no .0047 capacitor. That makes for a really nice gigging and recording bass. It gives a 70s 4001 a little more warmth and low end.
Sorry, some more back story. I (obviously) own 2 Rickenbackers, a 1978 in walnut, and a 1979 in white.
The brown one sounds awesome. I have read that most pickups in this era run around 7.5k I also read the there have been some toaster pickups from the 80's that can be found around 8.5k. So I'm hoping if I find a neck pickup around 8.5k that the white bass will have the same grunt as the brown. I'm also wondering if I should get the regular high gain or the toaster version. That is where the toaster comes into play. I read that the guitar and bass version of the toaster are the same except on is threaded and one isn't, Also true? If so, i can get either and just take the threaded plate on my pickup and put it on the new. So real question, Do you think the hotter pickup will help my situation and should i get a regular or toaster version if so?
The brown one sounds awesome. I have read that most pickups in this era run around 7.5k I also read the there have been some toaster pickups from the 80's that can be found around 8.5k. So I'm hoping if I find a neck pickup around 8.5k that the white bass will have the same grunt as the brown. I'm also wondering if I should get the regular high gain or the toaster version. That is where the toaster comes into play. I read that the guitar and bass version of the toaster are the same except on is threaded and one isn't, Also true? If so, i can get either and just take the threaded plate on my pickup and put it on the new. So real question, Do you think the hotter pickup will help my situation and should i get a regular or toaster version if so?
Loosen the two screws on the bottom of the pickup slightly and move the coil till it is centered. There should be enough slop in the clearance holes to move the coil where it needs to be. Then tighten them back up.
Ric5
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- Jan 29, 2008
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- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
Sorry, some more back story. I (obviously) own 2 Rickenbackers, a 1978 in walnut, and a 1979 in white.
The brown one sounds awesome. I have read that most pickups in this era run around 7.5k I also read the there have been some toaster pickups from the 80's that can be found around 8.5k. So I'm hoping if I find a neck pickup around 8.5k that the white bass will have the same grunt as the brown. I'm also wondering if I should get the regular high gain or the toaster version. That is where the toaster comes into play. I read that the guitar and bass version of the toaster are the same except on is threaded and one isn't, Also true? If so, i can get either and just take the threaded plate on my pickup and put it on the new. So real question, Do you think the hotter pickup will help my situation and should i get a regular or toaster version if so?
If you are not happy with the pickups in the white one then put in 4003 high gains or Classic Amplification pickups.
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