Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

So I only use the bridge pup.

But I find myself always fiddling with the neck pup knobs to make sure it is shut off while I play. I know the selector switch takes care of it but always fiddling fiddling.

So is it ok to just use the ric o sound jack so that only the treb pup is on? Even though I don't use stereo amp setups? Just straight to board or amp.

Problem is, if you flip the selector switch to bass pickup, you'll get no sound.

An alternative would be to use the mono socket and turn the neck pickup volume down.

That's what I want.

So it won't change the tone of the bridge pup or volume, right?

lumgimfong wrote:That's what I want.

So it won't change the tone of the bridge pup or volume, right?

Actually, most people hearing the bridge pickup through the ROS input will think it sounds better. I learned from Scott Pope that this was due to Ohm's law, ultimately. When the neck pickup pots are no longer in parallel in the circuit (everything merges at the mono jack, that's why these basses use the type of pickup switch they do), the effective resistance of the bridge pickup pots is no longer cut in half. This doubling of resistance means less of the signal, and less of the signal that is passed by the capacitor on the tone pot, flows to ground [is lost].

TLDR: The bridge pickup is going to sound noticeably brighter and possibly have a stronger output.

I suggest you experiment with stuff like this on your own and decide what is best for you. I know a lot of people don't believe that the tone pot can "add bass", and it really can't but in fact it kind of does when you take it all the way to zero and the resonance of the circuit changes due to totally removing the resistor in line with the cap. I demonstrated this once with some clips. Anyway, there's all kinds of little oddities like that out there that you can discover for yourself if you pay attention.

Sounds like its time for a 4003 to 4000 conversion....

That's funny you mentioned it because I did notice that the pup sounded brighter and louder with the ros jack.

If they ever made an HB1 4000 I'd be interested.

lumgimfong wrote:That's funny you mentioned it because I did notice that the pup sounded brighter and louder with the ros jack.

If they ever made an HB1 4000 I'd be interested.

Why not just put an HB-1 in the bridge position and have a new pickguard made without the neck pickup opening, and add a suitable harness. All easily reversible if/when desired.

lumgimfong wrote: If they ever made an HB1 4000 I'd be interested.

. . . fond of mine !

I am tempted to do that! Cool solution! Simpler wiring. But since it is a 4003 I"ll keep it 2 pups for now.
However If I really never use the neck pup (I don't use it now) and I get tired of the knob fiddling, I might wind up doing that but getting a pguard that blends with the FG finish. Maybe gold.
But if I ever buy another I think I'd get a 4004 or a single bridge pup model if they ever make one.

I'd like to show off the wood of my 4003 since it is a FG rather than have a pguard covering it all. But it is routed and channelled for the neck pup so that would look funny with just a homemade control cavity plate and then an exposed route and channel . Though the rout and channel are fully painted in the FG. Maybe a clear guard would obscure the routs enough. I'll have to get one and see what it looks like.

So I guess I'll keep it an HB1 4003 and then just get a 4004 next time.

lumgimfong wrote: But it is routed and channelled for the neck pup so that would look funny with just a homemade control cavity plate and then an exposed route and channel.

Even if not routed and channeled for a neck pickup, I think would look funny with an abbreviated PG.

donhank wrote:

lumgimfong wrote: But it is routed and channelled for the neck pup so that would look funny with just a homemade control cavity plate and then an exposed route and channel.

Even if not routed and channeled for a neck pickup, I think would look funny with an abbreviated PG.

under PG.jpg

Wow - nice neck-through skunk-stripe 4000!
Not a lot of those basses were made..... 72-3ish?

antipodean wrote: Wow - nice neck-through skunk-stripe 4000!
Not a lot of those basses were made..... 72-3ish?

April 72. Built right at the beginning of three-piece neck era, and right at the end of neck-thru construction era for 4000 and 4001s.

Here it is with the pguard on and off. Bad lighting on the off pic.
Kinda what it would look like with a clear pguard and both pups.
Of course I would have to remove the shielding that's in the neck cavity/trough, and control cavity first to show all that nice FG finish and woodgrain.
But with humbuckers i guess I won't need the copper foil tape shielding anymore?

But the white guard looks good against the white inlays and binding.

I'd love to see a rear-routed 4003 with no guard, or a 4004 with binding!