What was last year of the horseshoe pick-up?

wwittman · Post by **wwittman** » Sat Dec 06, 2003 8:57 am

I recently saw an add for a 1973 with a Horseshoe.. yet i recently played a 1972 WITHOUT one.
so, what year DID they switch to the later style treble pick-up?

ken_james · Post by **ken_james** » Sat Dec 06, 2003 9:51 am

Was the bass fireglow by chance?
Basses after 1969 shouldn't have one.

leftybass · Post by **leftybass** » Sat Dec 06, 2003 11:06 am

I would have to say 1968 was the transition year, yes.

Andy Winter's 1968 4001 has a factory high-gain bridge pickup, original to the bass.

wwittman · Post by **wwittman** » Sat Dec 06, 2003 12:08 pm

That's more or less what I would have thought (1968).

so this one is suspicious, at best...
anyway it's in Mapleglow :
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2577774602&category=4713

leftybass · Post by **leftybass** » Sat Dec 06, 2003 12:32 pm

That bass has the same mods my '72 4001LH did before I put it back to original spec.---I started a thread that's below this one describing it, and a pic is coming soon....

I'll bet that this '73 sounds pretty good with the horseshoe---I wonder if the toaster is a reissue as well??? Looks like a lot of parts from a V63 on this one......

ken_james · Post by **ken_james** » Sat Dec 06, 2003 12:47 pm

I had a 73 fireglow that was exactly the same, v63 guard, toaster and a horseshoe. It looks like there is an extra screw on the guard though.

wints · Post by **wints** » Sat Dec 06, 2003 4:45 pm

68 is the year in my experience, but as mentioned before YMMV. I,ve seen a 69 for sale with a horseshoe. I played a 72 M/G 4001 the other week that had a V series horseshoe installed. Great sound and low action..the guy wasn,t selling though...

bottom4 · Post by **bottom4** » Sun Dec 07, 2003 3:29 am

ded, I'd say there are two extra screws

cheyenne · Post by **cheyenne** » Sun Dec 07, 2003 3:54 am

Pickguard definately looks kinda funky, its a cool bass though. I'd bid on it if I had the cash,love that checker binding. But its the Christmas season you know.....ho...ho...oh well.

wwittman · Post by **wwittman** » Sun Dec 07, 2003 7:04 am

Not the most honest and forthcoming description... so it makes me reluctant to bid.

basshawk · Post by **basshawk** » Sun Dec 07, 2003 8:22 pm

That's the one discussed on another thread. The gaurd is definately too big for that bass and overlaps the treble surround.

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Mon Dec 08, 2003 2:08 pm

Yeah those are all V63 parts on the bass, the toaster could be original but it looks too shiny to me, I e-mailed the seller and asked him what happened to the V63 he got the parts from and he said he bought it like that and had no idea what was done to it, yeah right. He said that it was the best sounding Ric bass he had ever played.

wwittman · Post by **wwittman** » Tue Dec 09, 2003 8:48 am

It may BE.
I tend to think the ones with toaster and horsehoe DO sound much better... so it may actually improve the bass.
But it's still not really forthcoming, know what i mean?
He could at least acknowledge it's been modded.

squirebass · Post by **squirebass** » Tue Dec 09, 2003 9:55 am

You guys don't know what you're talking about. I got a '97 Rick 4001 and it has a horseshoe..., toaster pu too! ;~)
I'll bet one of those ole skunk stripe 4001's from the '70s sound really wicked with a modern horseshoe and toaster on it! I'd love to hear or better yet, play one!

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Tue Dec 09, 2003 10:16 am

The modern horseshoe looks similar to the old one but it is quite different ...

The original horseshoe was developed in the 1930's and used by Rickenbacker until about 1968-70 range ... The whole assembly was part of the magnet for the pickup ...

The modern horseshoe pickup is really a modern design with alinco magnet slugs and windings around them ... the horseshoe cover is purely for looks, and not magnitized like the old one ...

So if you bought a 4001 new in 1997 you got a reissue model ... and I must say a fine bass in its own right ... but not quite the same as an old 60's bass.