360V64/12 toaster top issue?

[yardfuzz]

Hello,

New to the Forum. I posted this on the Rickenbacker website forum and it was suggested that I post it on this one as it is more active.

Has anyone had any problems with loss of output with the 12k pickups? According to the research based on the year of my guitar it should have the 12k's. I am the original owner and I bought it in 88. For a while now I've felt like I could get more out of them. I've never done the research until recently. I've had a couple of people come up to me after a show and say it was great but... that I should be getting more (volume/tone) out of my 360V64/12. I finally had my guitar tech measure the ohms (he measured separately) and they read below 5k ohms each. At the same time he had another Rickenbacker 360/12 with high gains come in and we A/B'd them. Not only night and day, but galaxies away in tone and volume. My tech is suggesting I get the high gains, but I'd really like to try to get some 12k toasters if possible. I'm thinking the 12k's will give me exactly what I'm looking for? The 7.2 toaster tops seem like they may not give that drive that I'm sometimes after. Either way it seems the availability is the biggest issue! Can my 12k's be rewound? Does anyone have a source for 12k's? Any suggestions?

I've been combing the forum for an answer, but it seems that the debate is only about the preference of 7.2k's to 12k's, to high gains.

Other useful info.
I play 60's garage stuff in one band and contemporary stuff (The Church/Radiohead) in another.

I play through an AC 30 with a few pedals. no processors. I don't use a compressor (which I guess could help).

thanks!

[1965]

Sounds like your toasters are broke. 5k is much obviously much too low for those. You don't need hi-gains, stick with the toasters. I'm sure that they can be fixed, or someone on the forum most likely has a pair lying around and can help you out. Try posting something about this in Sergio's all things pickup related forum and maybe he can chime in: viewforum.php?f=33

[soundmasterg]

I would just get the ones you have rewound. They must have shorted partially internally, and someone experienced like Sergio may be able to fix it without rewinding.....it sometimes works out that way.

I had a friend rewind some 7.4k toasters to around 12k for me but he doesn't like Rickenbackers so he won't do it for anyone else. They sound great though!

Greg

[deaconblues]

How could both p'ups short out or break simultaneously?

I recommend trying out a guitar with 7.5 toasters before attempting any complex/expensive fixes.

[grazioso]

i would: 1)measure the pickups at the switch & at the pickup side if there is difference. i would look closely at the leads before going with rewinding them.. and not all 12k toasters are 12k, i have some that are 8.9k and some that are around 9k from the factory. 5 k is bit low so that leads me to the conclusion that it is problem with leads - the ground most likely. there is not much to break inside the pickup unless you take them apart or live in some extreme weather.