The Rickenbacker Club Part Twelve

[Michael Schreiber]

Oh....it's from a 4001 so it won't have the push/pull cap switching option. Not sure when they even started that..

It was announced in October 2006: (Correction: 01/10/2016 = January 2006 ;O)
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It shouldn't affect the measurements of the neck pup, alone, as far as I understand, since the vintage tone circuit is part only of the treble pup route:
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[Relsom]

It was announced in October 2006:
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It shouldn't affect the measurements of the neck pup, alone, as far as I understand, since the vintage tone circuit is part only of the treble pup route:
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Correct, but I wasn't sure if things were laid out the same, visually, under the hood for him.

 

[Michael Schreiber]

Correct, but I wasn't sure if things were laid out the same, visually, under the hood for him.

Ah, I see - good point!

 

[JMacBass65]

I'm going to put the cover on my 4003S back on. I keep hitting my hand on the bezel's thumbrest when playing with a pick, and it hurts.

Beating up my hand while playing with a pick is why I got rid of the whole assembly, and the mute adjustment screws. I made the pickup mount myself some 25 years ago from a piece of plexi that my roomate had. You can now buy something similar, I think from the same people who make the bezel everyone talks about.

 

[Relsom]

Beating up my hand while playing with a pick is why I got rid of the whole assembly, and the mute adjustment screws. I made the pickup mount myself some 25 years ago from a piece of plexi that my roomate had. You can now buy something similar, I think from the same people who make the bezel everyone talks about.


View attachment 2866264

What's the mini toggle do?

I like the bridge pu trim you did...clean work in the picture. Same company that you speak of makes a "cove" bezel. Think of it as an innie vs an outie, like yours. it may be less obtrusive for you. I've got 2 of them on a couple of 4003s that I own. I'm actually thinking of putting the original covers back on. I like the factory look.

Edit - I think I've got my posters mixed up. Korladis has a bezel thumbrest that keeps getting in the way, right?

 

[Coolhandjjl]

Beating up my hand while playing with a pick is why I got rid of the whole assembly, and the mute adjustment screws. I made the pickup mount myself some 25 years ago from a piece of plexi that my roomate had. You can now buy something similar, I think from the same people who make the bezel everyone talks about.


View attachment 2866264

I believe Pickguardian makes something similar

 

[woodyng2]

the 4004 has no cover. Oddly enough, that's become my favorite for the time being.

Of course!
The Cheyenne 1 is the lightest,most contoured Rick 4000 series bass ever. Along with the satiny oil finish,ABM bridge,it makes for a wonderfully light,yet substantial feeling instrument.
How ya liking the HB-1pickups?

 

[superdick2112]

I believe Pickguardian makes something similar

And they make it in silver, too.
The concept is nice, but IMHO, the see-thru plexi ruins the classic Ric look.

 

[Spectrum]

Just curious... does anyone use the Ric O Sound input for recording or live shows?

I use it for both with my band. If we ever get our studio recordings out there I'll post an example, but this is what my bass sounds like live:



I've posted this a few times here but I love the sound so I'll just do it again lol. BTW I'm playing with fingers in this clip. I tend to dig in with fingernails for extra clank and grind sometimes.

 

[Relsom]

While we're on the subject of uncomfortable hardware(4001/4003)....has anyone come across alternative bridge pu adjuster screws. Those things tend to get a bit prickly, especially after a phillips head screwdriver slips out of them a time or two.

 

[Coolhandjjl]

While we're on the subject of uncomfortable hardware(4001/4003)....has anyone come across alternative bridge pu adjuster screws. Those things tend to get a bit prickly, especially after a phillips head screwdriver slips out of them a time or two.

Sand down the burrs with 800 grit and make a promise never to let the screwdriver slip out again

 

[jdubbass38]

I use it for both with my band. If we ever get our studio recordings out there I'll post an example, but this is what my bass sounds like live:



I've posted this a few times here but I love the sound so I'll just do it again lol. BTW I'm playing with fingers in this clip. I tend to dig in with fingernails for extra clank and grind sometimes.

Very cool...the Rick definitely cuts thru the mix!

 

[JMacBass65]

What's the mini toggle do?

I like the bridge pu trim you did...clean work in the picture. Same company that you speak of makes a "cove" bezel. Think of it as an innie vs an outie, like yours. it may be less obtrusive for you. I've got 2 of them on a couple of 4003s that I own. I'm actually thinking of putting the original covers back on. I like the factory look.

Edit - I think I've got my posters mixed up. Korladis has a bezel thumbrest that keeps getting in the way, right?

Thanks. I just used the chrome mount as a template and a Dremel tool to shape it. It would be improved if I used flathead screws for the PUP adjustment screws, and countersunk them. 25 years on though, it doesn't look like I'll get around to it.

As for the mini toggle, that's my vintage tone mod. I had the bass forever and always dug the tone, but I never got the Rick tone out of it. Then I heard about the vintage tone pot/"the tone suck cap" here and on the Rick forum. Looked under the hood and discovered I did not have "the cap". My Rick is an 85 4003, this is right about the time they did away with the cap at the factory. So I wired one in, switchable with the mini toggle rather than a push/pull pot. I use it like 95% of the time with the cap in the circuit. There is just something about it that's more "Rick" to me.

I believe Pickguardian makes something similar

Ah, right, not the people who make the bezel.

 

[JMacBass65]

And they make it in silver, too.
The concept is nice, but IMHO, the see-thru plexi ruins the classic Ric look.

I agree, in part. I actually put the chrome surround back on for a while, but at the end of the day I go for function, and the thing just sits too high off the body for me and I whack my hand on it of I'm playing really aggressively, which I tend to do with my Rick. Since the plexiglass is red on mine, from just a few feet away it's hared to tell it's even there. Looks a bit like the pup is just mounted to the body like on the 4004s. It's the way they should do it, IMHO.

 

[Relsom]

Thanks. I just used the chrome mount as a template and a Dremel tool to shape it. It would be improved if I used flathead screws for the PUP adjustment screws, and countersunk them. 25 years on though, it doesn't look like I'll get around to it.

As for the mini toggle, that's my vintage tone mod. I had the bass forever and always dug the tone, but I never got the Rick tone out of it. Then I heard about the vintage tone pot/"the tone suck cap" here and on the Rick forum. Looked under the hood and discovered I did not have "the cap". My Rick is an 85 4003, this is right about the time they did away with the cap at the factory. So I wired one in, switchable with the mini toggle rather than a push/pull pot. I use it like 95% of the time with the cap in the circuit. There is just something about it that's more "Rick" to me.



Ah, right, not the people who make the bezel.

Tubeampology is the company that makes the treble bezel.
I tend to leave my 4003s without the cap engaged and just dial back my neck vol. back a bit to brighten things up.

 

[JMacBass65]

I tend to leave my 4003s without the cap engaged and just dial back my neck vol. back a bit to brighten things up.

Interesting. My go to setting is cap in circuit, both pups full up, tone full up on bridge and I dial in the tone on the neck, usually at about halfway up to full up, depending on how gnarly I want the sound to be. I should note that for quite some time I have had flats on it (very old Roto 77s), so that plays into it as well.

 

[superdick2112]

I agree, in part. I actually put the chrome surround back on for a while, but at the end of the day I go for function, and the thing just sits too high off the body for me and I whack my hand on it of I'm playing really aggressively, which I tend to do with my Rick. Since the plexiglass is red on mine, from just a few feet away it's hared to tell it's even there. Looks a bit like the pup is just mounted to the body like on the 4004s. It's the way they should do it, IMHO.

Apologies - I meant no offence. I just love the factory "loads of chrome on a 57' Chevy" look. drool
Function always comes first.
It doesn't do much good to have something that looks cool, but is unusable.

 

[JMacBass65]

Apologies - I meant no offence. I just love the factory "loads of chrome on a 57' Chevy" look. drool
Function always comes first.
It doesn't do much good to have something that looks cool, but is unusable.

No worries, none taken. I agree on the aesthetics, that's why I had put it back on a few years ago. And for a while I developed a different right hand technique as a result, by using it as a bit of a hand rest and picking between the pups. But with the Rick, I tend to be a bit more of a basher, LOL. It tends to be my "Mr.Hyde" bass - something that comes out when I am feeling a bit ornery and a looking for something more "in your face".

 

[Spidey2112]

Hey guys. Just picked up a rick. Love it but the hum was driving me crazy. Welll i went ahead and attempted the rwrp mod bc I am pretty capable of soldering etc but it went horribly wrong.

Long story short the magnet broke completely in half and the leads came out of ghe pickup.

No big deal really ill just order a new pickup assembly and kick myself for my 150 mistake.

My question is. Shouldnt the neck pickup still work even w nothing connected to the bridge pickup lead and ground wires? Or because I broke the circuit it only works w both pickups installed?

For Sale - Classic Amplification Ric bridge pickup

People, helping people...

 

[Spectrum]

No worries, none taken. I agree on the aesthetics, that's why I had put it back on a few years ago. And for a while I developed a different right hand technique as a result, by using it as a bit of a hand rest and picking between the pups. But with the Rick, I tend to be a bit more of a basher, LOL. It tends to be my "Mr.Hyde" bass - something that comes out when I am feeling a bit ornery and a looking for something more "in your face".

Rics and red basses both definitely help bring out "anger mode" in rock playing, and yours is both so that figures. There is also the legend of the Evil Red Rickenbacker out there...

As far as the pickup goes, I love the look of all the chrome, including the pickup cover. When I bought my bass, I tried to get used to the cover for a few months until the first string change, at which time I installed the black Treble Bezel cove version. Immediately the bass was way easier to play and more natural-feeling to me, plus there's a tone you get from plucking directly over the bridge pickup that you simply cannot get with the cover installed. As a result I've kept the cover in the case ever since.

I wish the cover was something you could quickly snap on and off without taking the thing halfway apart. Sometimes I'd like to put it on and try playing with a pick just for the hell of it, but it's too much work unless you're serious about keeping it on for a while.