1970 Toaster & bridge pickup fake or real?

[Cor163]

Hello,
Can anyone help me out with dating these pickups?
They're supposed to be from a 1970 4001 bass.
I noticed the pickguard was from a Fakenbacker. And so were the electyronics, knobs included.

Are these the original pickups or are they just copy's?
The toaster reads 6.7k and the bridge pickup reads 7.8k.

Thanks.

[Dirk]

Whatever they are, they look in great shape.

Also wouldn't a 70's have a horseshoe bridge pickup? My '69 certainly did.

I'm sure there are more knowledgeable folks here that may be able confirm.

Dirk

[aceonbass]

These pickups were not made by Rickenbacker. Horseshoe pickups were gone after 1969.

[jps]

Look fake, to me.

[radapaw]

I have a nearly identical toaster out of a Northern branded MIJ copy, the bridge was a little different but did have a metal baseplate as well. Not Ric, but probably not awful.

[Cor163]

These pickups were not made by Rickenbacker.

How can you tell; by what?

[jps]

These pickups were not made by Rickenbacker.

How can you tell; by what?

Sometimes you just have to trust in people. If we were to aacurately describe what is wrong, and how to make them look more authentic, just maybe, they will come across this information here and learn to make truly real looking fakes; then what do we do to tell them apart?

We are not here to help the counterfeiters make a better looking product.

[sloop_john_b]

These pickups were not made by Rickenbacker.

How can you tell; by what?

Sometimes you just have to trust in people. If we were to aacurately describe what is wrong, and how to make them look more authentic, just maybe, they will come across this information here and learn to make truly real looking fakes; then what do we do to tell them apart?

We are not here to help the counterfeiters make a better looking product.

I have seen this come up a few times lately.

I am sure Peter would agree that the purpose of this forum is, and has always been, education - education on Rickenbacker guitars and basses, a topic that has historically been plagued by misinformation and misconception.

It's in the name - RickResource.

In the halcyon days of this forum, no one every shied away from sharing information, and that's one of the things that made this place the only destination on the internet that mattered for those seeking information on Rickenbackers.

It is such a shame that we've come to a point of being the gatekeepers of information rather than the teachers, because of the extremely small chance that some counterfeiter of horseshoe or toaster pickups (of which there are probably less than three on planet earth) might use it to their advantage.

Nobody asked anybody on this forum to take it upon themselves to conceal "trade secrets", least of all Rickenbacker International Corporation. The virtue signaling is off the charts and I don't see why anybody would want to visit this forum if this is the direction its heading in.

[collin]

+1

The guy is asking for legitimate info on how to spot a fake pickup. If you're going to say that it's fake, it would certainly help to give at least general information on why that is.

It's quite unlikely that a forger will bother with visiting the RRF to learn more about reproducing a fake toaster pickup - that's a real stretch. It's far better to educate a lot MORE people here on the buying side about what to look for.

Besides, we're not talking something like a plastic plexi TRC here, making a fake toaster pickup is a much bigger commitment and it's extremely (I mean extremely) unlikely that anybody would go to the extensive length to produce this $160 part.

I wouldn't know much of what I know about Rickenbackers without the RRF - it would be a damn shame to start withholding information from people here. Traffic is so low to this site nowadays, and stuff like this doesn't help the cause.

[radapaw]

I'm not an expert but; never seen a number stamp, location of backplate screws on the toaster looks off, backplate on the toaster looks wrong, bridge pickup magnet is strange, bridge pickup poles look wrong (most of the time), bridge pickup plate/carriage is made of metal and the wrong shape, wire looks thick.

[thx1955]

I'm not an expert but; never seen a number stamp, location of backplate screws on the toaster looks off, backplate on the toaster looks wrong, bridge pickup magnet is strange, bridge pickup poles look wrong (most of the time), bridge pickup plate/carriage is made of metal and the wrong shape, wire looks thick.

+1
In all my years of owning and playing Rickenbackers I've never seen a set of pickups with matching serial numbers, none of mine ranging from 1972 through 2019 have any.

This by itself is a highly suspect thing, now, that said, a previous owner may have of his own recognicance added the numbers by themselves, possible, but unlikely.

In addition:
The neck pickup has 6 pole pieces not 4 .

The Bridge pickup has the wrong screws in the Pole pieces

[sloop_john_b]

The neck pickup has 6 pole pieces not 4 .

Don't all Toaster pickups have six polepieces?

[thx1955]

The neck pickup has 6 pole pieces not 4 .

Don't all Toaster pickups have six polepieces?

Very possibly John, I was always under the impression it was 4, but, I've never dismantled any of my Toasters

[Guzzitd63]

... I've never dismantled any of my Toasters

Roll 'em over and look at the non-shiny side.
viewtopic.php?f=33&t=176878

[thx1955]

... I've never dismantled any of my Toasters

Roll 'em over and look at the non-shiny side.
viewtopic.php?f=33&t=176878

Good suggestion, I'll try that.