My new 4004 Cii BBR

[nukebass]

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z195/NukeBass

I opened my box today and finally got to see my new bass. The link above is my photobucket account and the Cii will be in there somewhere. I couldn't get my pictures to post directly and it's getting late and I don't feel like trying a whole lot right now to get it to work (user error, I'm sure).

I was really happy when I opened the case and saw the darker blueburst. It is very nice against the figure of the maple and the general appearance of the bass. The neck is different than I'm used to, but is comfortable and I think I like the slightly wider string spacing. Mine also came with the ABM bridge. The only really bad thing is the strings are new and twangy. I guess I'll just have to break them in

Now a couple of questions:
My bass pickup is much stronger than the treble pickup. When selected, the bass pickup is good and loud, but when both pickups are selected, the pickups are much quieter. The treble pickup alone is louder than both together, but not nearly as loud as the bass pickup. For those of you with 4004s, how close do you adjust the treble and bass pickups? Are they equal in height? The treble on mine is currently a bit lower than the bass and I think this may be contributing to the volume difference, but I'm not sure how selecting both pickups works with respect to volume for this pickup configuration.

Does the black selector switch cap screw off? I turned it a bunch and it never came off. I hope I didn't break anything.

I do love the contours of this bass. It is comfortable to play since my forearm doesn't press against binding. I'm just worried it will slip out of my lap since the paint is so fresh and new. I'll have to start wearing a strap to play sitting down.

I figure I'll spend some time over the next few days breaking in the strings. doing some set-up adjustments for my preferences and figuring out a good amp EQ. It's going to be a fun weekend.

[weemac]

I love the look of the blueburst! I'd like to get a 4004 one day but I feel I'm not quite ready yet!

I like the puddy tat too!

I believe that the HB-1 pickups are the same winding front and rear, so the front one will tend to be a bit louder than the treble one. I guess you will have to raise the treble and lower the bass one a bit.
The volume drop is probably due to the pickups loading each other when both are selected this is the same as a J bass with both volumes fully up. This does not happen so much to the 4001/4003 basses probably due to the different magnet strength between the front and back pickup which alters the way that the pickups relate with each other to a degree.
But even on the 4003 there is some volume drop when both are selected...

Eden.

[johnallg]

Ryan, that flame is so even and consistent. Very nice! Congrats. I vote it was worth the wait.

[Elnjaybass]

Gorgeous.

I'd be nervous that the cat would swipe at it or something!!

And when I got my new Ric, I broke the strings in REAL quick insofar as I couldn't hardly stop playing....

[longboard_ric]

Congrats on the 4004 Ryan.

I love the flame, very very nice !!!!

[VRICKY63]

Outstanding ! Beautiful cat !

[antipodean]

Fantastic Ryan! Interesting to see how distinct it is from Paul Boyer's BB.

[bassduke49]

Hey, Ryan, looks familiar. My flame is not as pronounced as yours, but mine seems to have more character in the grain. Probably cut from the same tree, I'll bet.

[ajish4]

Congratulations Ryan, OH, the flame....the flame.....

BEAUTIFUL...

Here I sit broken hearted, paid my dime and the waiting has only started..............

Hopefully I'll be celebrating with you guys soon!

[gearhed289]

Nice cat. Beautiful bass! I really dislike gold hardware in general, but it almost always seems to work on a 4004Cii. Especially with blue. Enjoy the bass!

[nukebass]

Now I have adjusted the pickups so that they are pretty close to equal volume when selected individually. However, when both are selected the sound still drops off significantly and the tone is "twangier" than the treble pickup alone. It almost sounds like it's missing something. Is this right? I don't remember what the one I played three years ago sounded like with both pickups selected.

I haven't played as much as I'd like, but the strings are starting to break in nicely. I like the sounds I get from each pickup, so that's a good sign

I'll try to post more pictures this weekend when I can get some sunlight shots. Taking pictures in a dark living room isn't all that good.

And for anyone wondering about an unfinished board, it feels awesome. The smooth frets don't hurt, either.

Paul, it wouldn't surprise me if these were from the same tree. I like the grain on yours, too. I wonder what Tony's will look like.

[jps]

Now I have adjusted the pickups so that they are pretty close to equal volume when selected individually. However, when both are selected the sound still drops off significantly and the tone is "twangier" than the treble pickup alone. It almost sounds like it's missing something. Is this right? I don't remember what the one I played three years ago sounded like with both pickups selected.

That sounds like the pickups may be out of polarity with each other. Check to make sure they are wired the same way.

[nukebass]

That sounds like the pickups may be out of polarity with each other. Check to make sure they are wired the same way.

I opened the cavity and couldn't see much. They jam a lot of stuff in there. I'm going to send an email to customer service to see what they think. If it is reversed polarity, I don't want to void the warranty and I'm not sure if I trust myself soldering on this one. The switch is tiny...

Thanks for the tip.

[johnallg]

You would be looking at the wiring at the terminals of the two pickup body circuit boards, and also that they are wired correctly at the coax end that goes in the control cavity. Compare to this:
http://www.rickenbacker.com/pdfs/19521-HB1%20Wiring.pdf

[nukebass]

I looked at the pickup last night and couldn't see anything (just a few wires running into the pickup). The colors in the control cavity were connected correctly according to the diagram (red to the switch and blue to the ground). I called customer service today and I can start the return proceedings once they receive my warranty card. I got the impression that it wouldn't be a big deal at all to return it for repair. That's good.

After looking at the diagram, I'm trying to figure out what it means to be reversed polarity and, more importantly, what the diagram really means. The way I'm reading it, there are two coils in the humbucker (which makes sense), but it looks like only one provides output, the inside of the top coil (the red wire). If the leads are swapped, then I'm getting one inside from the top coil and one inside from the bottom (essentially one red and one blue)?

I did get to play it last night at our church band practice and the bass is awesome. I think I will primarily use the treble pickup on this one because the pickup still puts out a good bit of bass. The body contours make it the most comfortable I've ever played and the relatively light weight is certainly a bonus. After playing it for a couple of hours for just one night, I have no idea why this series isn't more popular.