Bridge Pickup Cover - Metal?

wints · Post by **wints** » Sat Oct 18, 2003 9:32 am

John gave me valuble info when buying the 68 as it was the main concern of mine when buying that it was the original treble pick up. I,d also go along with him that the 70 with horseshoe must either have been where an old body had been made with hardware already fitted, and/or someone specially ordered and wanted a H/S. There were probably still a few lying around...There probably still are:-} I,ve seen a 69 with a horseshoe too...YMMV. Gene, the cover is on the bass. It has grooves on the underside. I,ve not taken it apart or looked at the wiring. Actually, having never owned a "cover" bass, how are they secured to the surround....

dave4004 · Post by **dave4004** » Sat Oct 18, 2003 9:51 am

Here's how it's secured: http://www.rickenbacker.com/pdf/bpickups.pdf

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Sat Oct 18, 2003 10:03 am

Andrew,
I'm almost positive I've stuck a magnet on a plastic cover and it wouldn't stick, don't the plastic ones have a thin film of copper imbedded in them or something like that?
And thanks for that schematic or whatever you call it Dave, now I know I'm not crazy, I thought the covers were supposed to go up and down with the pickup. That is how my old 4001's were (before I immediately if not sooner took off the covers)

wints · Post by **wints** » Sat Oct 18, 2003 12:37 pm

Dave, thanks for that...but my computer won,t go there for PDF so I,m still in the dark...anyone give me a laymans description. Of course, I could just destring and take the surround out and see for myself....Bob, like you I thought the cover would go up and down with the pick up like the horseshoe does, but no...Gene, I tried to e mail you a pic but it was returned...you still have the hotmail address...

rickenbrother · Post by **rickenbrother** » Sat Oct 18, 2003 1:47 pm

Andrew, if the cover does not go up and down with the pickup, it it probably mounted between the springs and the surround plate. Normally it is mounted between the pickup mounting plate and the springs, then it will go up and down with the pickup. Maybe it is mounted the way it is becauce the spacing washers are gone, or whoever put it together didn't have the patince or skill to do it right. On the 4003 model there is no spacing washer ( except maybe the first ones). There instead is a raised permanent spacer where the screw holes are on the pickup mounting plate.

squirebass · Post by **squirebass** » Sat Oct 18, 2003 6:36 pm

Joey -- the cover on mine goes up and down with the Pickup...

John Casselman -- I wasn't doubting Andrew's word that his is original, I'm just reporting what I saw(and almost bought). There is another person on this forum who has a '71 or '72 that has plastic PU cover, so it seems that production specs might have varied more then than they seem to now. All I can say is that I know most of the Rick 4001's coming to Houston TX between Spring '72 and early '74 had medal covers, with the plastic replacing it in early '74. They also had flat nameplates, and I seem to remember that change to raised-letter came later.
You see, I heard about this bass player named Squire in the Spring of '72 and then.....

wints · Post by **wints** » Sun Oct 19, 2003 5:14 am

Gene...no offence taken!! I know your just stating you saw a 70 with horseshoe, not that my 68 was not original. The transisitional period is one that always makes for great threads and discussion, and that IS what makes this place such a great resource for all of us who are passionate about all things Ric. Gene, if the hotmail is still your address, I,ll try and send a pic again and hopefully you can give me your 2 cents... Joey, I,m pretty sure this bass came like this from the factory. It,s 100% stock. If spacers are missing it was because they were never there to start with...maybe this one was finished after the christmas party!!

squirebass · Post by **squirebass** » Sun Oct 19, 2003 5:52 am

Andrew, please send it to this address:
[email protected] I don't know how to update my email account on my profile without just entering a new account! I'd love to see some pics, and I will try to take some of my bass too...

rickenbrother · Post by **rickenbrother** » Sun Oct 19, 2003 7:01 am

Gene, I had to fix the cover on my 4003s/5 so it would go up and down with the pickup, just so it fit in the case better (non RIC case) but then I just wound up removing it altogther anyway. It just got in the way. I really tried to keeep it on this bass, but just like most of my Rick basses, I had to take it off to play more comfortably fingerstyle.

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Sun Oct 19, 2003 4:30 pm

I have seen a lot of Ric basses with the covers on wrong, (real high) most people take them off and (like me) don't really look at how they are mounted and when they sell them put them back in wrong, usually as Joey said on top of the springs right under the cover instead of between the springs and spacers or between the springs and permanent spacers on the new ones.
I've put several back in and have had to take them apart again several times until I got it right more than once.