Pickup Balance

squirebass · Post by **squirebass** » Thu Apr 17, 2003 2:43 am

I don't want ANY low frequencies coming out of MY bass, I want to sound like Chris Squire!!! ;~)
But Seriously....

You know Sergio, I have always wanted to measure the ohm ratings for my pickups, but I don't know how to do it! And I don't own an ohm-meter. Tell me how to do it, and if the equipment isn't too expensive, I will give it a try! I'd really like to know what my '71 pickups register, compared to my v63s and my '73...
Thanks!

rickcrazy · Post by **rickcrazy** » Thu Apr 17, 2003 3:22 am

Well, you've got to borrow or buy an ohmmeter and then we'll take from there.
The bass pickup on my 1974 4001 reads 5.8 K! No wonder it sounds clangy (and yet it is quite loud!). The treble pickup reads 6.0 K. Both are perfectly balanced. Ah, the 70's... Those were the years.
Really, if you want the bass pickup on your V63 to sound clangy enough, unwinding it down to around 6.0 K is the answer. However, you should consider that partly unwinding a 'toaster' pickup will somewhat reduce its output which is not specially high in the first place. Your choice.

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Sat Apr 26, 2003 8:25 am

I'm new here and haven't much time but for all it's worth, I have owned two V63's in my time, one a 2000 and the other a 2002 (1st week). The 2000 Fireglo had a very loud toaster pickup in it, all the bottom you could want, the horseshoe was also very hot, they blended beautifully, on the other hand the Mapleglo 2002 had a very weak anemic toaster in it, and an extremely hot horseshoe, I had to sell both unfortunately (marriage) But every Ric bass (in my humble opinion) is a little different. By the way, has anyone had problems with a weak sounding E string on bass pickups, especially with older 4001's? This is my first post by the way, so forgive me if this problem has already been addressed.

rickcrazy · Post by **rickcrazy** » Sat Apr 26, 2003 11:09 am

"But every Rick bass is a little different." I couldn't agree more, Bob. And yes, Rick pickups tend to vary in output (or, at any rate, in specs). At least that's my experience with 70s and 80s 4001 & 4003 basses.

weemac · Post by **weemac** » Sat Apr 26, 2003 11:25 pm

The ohms rating on my 64 is 7.5 for the neck and 7.4 for the bridge. I wouldnt recommend unwinding too far if you are after the sound of a 64.
In saying that, I had a 4000 that had a treble pu rated at 4Kohms and it was a great sounding pickup, so who knows?

rickcrazy · Post by **rickcrazy** » Sat Apr 26, 2003 11:49 pm

Hmm... Interesting. A 4000 bass with its single pickup wound to 4.0? It figures. Since 4000 basses came with no treble-pass capacitor, their single pickup was underwound to produce a clearer sound, whilst retaining the bass punch.

ken_james · Post by **ken_james** » Sun Apr 27, 2003 5:30 am

Speaking of which, the pu on my 4000 that I just bought off ebay is probably going to need to be rewound, any ideas?

rickcrazy · Post by **rickcrazy** » Sun Apr 27, 2003 6:15 am

You mean tips for rewinding the pickup? Please be more specific.

ken_james · Post by **ken_james** » Sun Apr 27, 2003 9:14 am

No I was referring to having it rewound or replacing it. The last time I tried having a pu rewound by Seymour Duncan it took months. I could replace it but then I think the vibe of the 73' 4000 would be lost. Opinions?

rickcrazy · Post by **rickcrazy** » Sun Apr 27, 2003 10:11 am

Kendall:
Check your e-mail.