Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

paul_yan wrote:

cheyenne wrote:Joe Barden has a good reputation and makes some great pickups.

I just dont know if there's a big market for Rickenbacker 4003 replacement pickups. Like myself, most people buy a Rick bass for the unique tone. I think the old saying, "If it aint broke, dont fix it", comes into play here.

+1

Besides, IMHO, unlike the RIC HB1s, the Joe Barden R4000 pickups only come with 2 wires that don't allow coil-splitting or series/parallel switching schemes. Also, I personally think the HB1s are easier on the eye with the vinyl covering the polepiece fins.

By the way, does anyone know if the RIC HB1s also has the AWG #44 coil wires like the Hi-Gains and toasters? Correct me if I'm wrong, I tend to think the thinner #44 wire pickups up more growl and details than the conventional thicker #42 wire used by most other guitar manufacturers. Maybe it's the #44 wire that makes the RIC pickups unique?

+2!
DiMarzio was one of the first pickup replacement companies I'm sure they would have started making Rick replacement pickup a long time ago if there was a big enough demand for them.
I've already tried the SD's, they weren't for me.
I once bought a 4003 that already that the Bartolini pickups installed. Sounded good, just not enough of the RIC pickup bite.
I'll keep my RIC pickups in my Rickenbackers. That's the sound I want.

Me too! I'm even contemplating acquiring some more RIc HB1 pickups and put them in my lesser basses!

I love the HB1s in my 4003. Full humbucking mode for quiet gigs but my favorite sound is both pickups on, neck pickup humbucking, bridge pickup single coil. Lots of depth with nice single coil sheen on top.

When I bought RM1999 DA24 it had a Dimarzio pickup where the horse shoe pick up should have been.

That should tell you all you need to know about replacing Rickenbacker pickups with other makes.

probably that the old horseshoe demagnatized,and the original owner did not realize what needed to be done?

Jeffery,

IIRC, they looked kinda like toasters. Sound was extremely full range w/ pronounced mids and highs. Good solid lows too. Very hi-fi sound. Tons of head room ala Spector. I think they're gonna be the ticket for a Squier J conversion project later this year.

Hey guys
I just received a set of these R4000s and put them in my 2002 4003. They are dead quiet and sound very similar to my stock Hi Gain pickups, not exactly but very close. It seems not close enough for me though.
I just got these out of curiousity.Just to see how much better they could possibly sound over the stock 12.3k Hi Gains I have in my bass.
They don't sound any better really, just a lot quieter and maybe a tiny,tiny bit cleaner and smoother too. They're just not doing it for me. I guess I'm not willing to give up that little bit of dirt for the sake of a quieter,cleaner, smoother pickup. And maybe that bit of smoothness or eveness to the notes isn't really that much fun to me after all. So if any of you guys want to give it a try with these you can PM me.
If 60 cycle hum is a real issue and you like the sound of single coils I would think these would probably be great for you. I think I'm going to try out an HB-1 in the treble position just for fun.But my front Hi Gain is staying in there for sure. I love that pickup. I would just like the treble Hi Gain to be a bit more open sounding with more overtones and harmonics to it's sound. Will the HB-1 do this? I have tried different height settings on the treble pickup and it does affect the tone. I would like to experiment with some different Ric pickups in the bridge position. I read Cassius987's comment on the RIHS as sounding aggressive, this might be just the ticket for me. But other people have said it's a melower pickup compared to the Hi Gain. I've also listened to some sound clips of the HB-1 in there and it had a nice fat growl to it. I guess the only way to really find out is to try them out in my own bass.
Can you combine an HB-1 with a front Hi Gain? If so does the pot value have to change for just the HB-1 or can I keep my 250k volume and 500k tone pots for both pickups?

Your treble Hi-Gain sounds like it does in part because it has a bigger magnet and even more so because of its placement in the string scale... it will favor a tighter and punchier sound than the hollower neck pickup no matter what pickup you put there. An HB-1 will probably sound much the same, but with more girth and less high-end. An RIHS could be what you are looking for though, I do think they have a bit more clarity than a bridge Hi-Gain, but they also sound really hot and aggressive.

I am actually thinking about buying a set of these now to try in my 4003FL. I have heard they are fairly low impedance and have ceramic blade magnets which should make them sound like a smoothed-out modern Hi-Gain. I am kind of looking for that with my 4003FL right now--I want the fat punch but the single poles make each note so snarly when you dig in, it's a bit much. Otherwise they are perfect though, so I'm still on the fence. I'll report back if I do try these out.

I know HB-1s are also humbucking but really, there can't be much other comparison because the magnets, resistance, and impedance are all different. However an HB-1 in the treble position has proved perfect for my CGDA-tuned 4003, which I have used for some hip hop studio sessions lately. Sits in the mix like a P Bass but with even more "presence".

I do think it's kind of silly these don't include their own mounting hardware however, especially at this price point.

For a neck pickup, maybe Jason Lollar would sell a cover?!

When I bought my Rick('74 4001) it had a Dimarrzio DB120 in the bridge position it also had coil taps on the DB. I accepted it as is, sounded great, versatile, etc.. When I was turned on to this forum my eyes were opened. I set on a quest to return the bass to something closer to stock. I was lucky enough to have one of the members here sell me a '72 Hi Gain bridge Pup, something I didn't know existed. The tone of the Rick Pup blew me away, there was the sound I had been looking for! If anyone wants the DB120 set up you can have it.

Since the Bardens do not have covers, you can get covers here:
http://classicamplification.net/Pickups ... Covers.htm

Installed these JBE R4000 by my tech, very good ones, but not so easy installation... Have to fix a short cut (interaction between neck pickup and chrome cover), neck cable a bit thick, original cavity a bit small, caps need to be replaced for 0.22(very muffled sound otherwise), and you do need to shield the bass for perfect performance. Phasing issue also when both pickups on, waiting for JBE feedback to solve this...