Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

If you had a stock 4001 or 4003, and using the toggle switch selected only the bridge pickup, would that have the same sound that the 4000 bass has ? If not, why ?

rickbass wrote:If you had a stock 4001 or 4003, and using the toggle switch selected only the bridge pickup, would that have the same sound that the 4000 bass has ? If not, why ?

I had a ‘73 set neck 4000 and it was more aggressive than the treble pickup of any of the 15-20 4001 basses I’ve had. However I also briefly had a ‘72 thru-neck 4000 that sounded pretty much like the back pickup of a typical 4001.

Looking at a set-neck 4000, there are some factors that may make a difference:

- The set neck 4000 v neck through 4001/3 will on average produce a little less resonance and sustain, though this will be counteracted somewhat by the lack of a neck pickup rout;
- The magnetic field of the neck pickup of a 4001/3 will interact with the strings whether the pickup is on or off. This will dampen the strings slightly at that point, which would reduce certain overtone frequencies relative to a 4000. I'm not sure just how audible these difference will be;
- The 4000's pickup was not subject to the bass filter cap that was in circuit on the bridge pickup of the 4001, though many 4001s had the cap removed from the circuit;
- The DC resistance of the higain pickup in the 4000 will be around 7-8k ohms rather than 13k ohms for a modern 4003 - this is a huge difference - the 4000 (and 4001) will be brighter as a result when compared with a 4003;
- When compared with the 4003, there are some other construction details, which may have an effect, such as neck construction, peghead size, old vs new truss rods. It's unclear as to how much difference these details make.

IME my '74 4000 feels more robust than the two '70s 4001s I have owned, and has more mid-range punch when equipped with roundwound strings. Similar to, but a little angrier and brighter than a precision with the same strings.

Edit - I forgot to mention differences in potentiometers and the aging of components when comparing a '70s or '80s 4000 to a recent 4003.

Thanks Evan....I believe that capacitor not being in the 4000 SHOULD make a change in sound.....I was not aware of that.

rickbass wrote:I believe that capacitor not being in the 4000 SHOULD make a change in sound.....I was not aware of that.

It does make a significant difference.

In the words of he of great and unmatched wisdom, the difference is "Yuuuge!"

My comments on the difference between my 2 x 4000 basses and my 4001 basses reflects the fact that the majority of my 4001s had the cap removed, so you could compare directly. My set neck 4000 was an absolute beast. The first rehearsal I used it, the band actually stopped playing to see what the hell was making that noise!