Wobbly treble pickup on 4001c64s...

[fourstringfrank]

I have this 4001c64s that I have bought second hand...and some of the previous owners (I am the third one.)
Anyway the have removed the Horse Shoe and put a highgain in the bridge instead.
This Highgain dosen´t look like the high gain on my 4003....so this makes me wonder if a solution could be to by a new highgain to make the bridge pick up to be stable and not a bit wobbly... i think it sucks to have it this way....I get very frustrated by it.
I´ll guess that the size of the of the hole in the body made for the bridge pickup is the same on a 4001c64s as on a 4003 or is it bigger on the bodys on the C series basses?
Best Dan.

[jps]

The route is the same size, but perhaps the springs are too weak, causing this wobbling. The pickup will move around if you grab it anyway, given the nature of how it is mounted.

[fourstringfrank]

Thanks for the reply jps....I bought some really hard springs...and then I put some black plastic foam under the pick up and on the sides in the route...and now its superstable dosent wobble at all anymore....
Best Dan.

The route is the same size, but perhaps the springs are too weak, causing this wobbling. The pickup will move around if you grab it anyway, given the nature of how it is mounted.

[jps]

[beatlefreak]

Another happy customer!

[fourstringfrank]

Another happy customer!

Well let´s say that I'm satisfied with the fact that the pickup works as it should now....but to say that Im another Happy customer would be a overstatement.
Dont get me wrong here but since Rickenbacker has this IMO very odd policy that they dont sell the reissue horseshoe pickups as a spare part ..this was the second best option for me to do this mod to make the bass work properly.
In the end the only thing that happens is that we got a bunch of leachers left..who knows very well about this situation and laughs all the way to the bank after they have sold their horseshoe on Ebay for a ridiclous price.
Best Dan.

[jakeox]

Another happy customer!

Well let´s say that I'm satisfied with the fact that the pickup works as it should now....but to say that Im another Happy customer would be a overstatement.
Dont get me wrong here but since Rickenbacker has this IMO very odd policy that they dont sell the reissue horseshoe pickups as a spare part ..this was the second best option for me to do this mod to make the bass work properly.
In the end the only thing that happens is that we got a bunch of leachers left..who knows very well about this situation and laughs all the way to the bank after they have sold their horseshoe on Ebay for a ridiclous price.
Best Dan.

You know, people complain a lot about selling prices for parts like horseshoes and truss rod covers. As someone who has sold both, recently, let me ask you a few questions.

I sold a horseshoe pickup on eBay in an auction. It went for $910, which was far more than I was expecting. I sold it because I had no current use for it, and I know that there are people who want/need one for their bass, whether to replace a non-functioning one, or for a project. Given that I did not set the price -- this was an auction -- are you saying that I should have set a much lower selling price for it? If so, why?

You have every right to be upset at the price these things have been going for, but I'm sick of being called out as a seller. Please explain to me what I should have done differently.

[rickaddict]

Another happy customer!

Well let´s say that I'm satisfied with the fact that the pickup works as it should now....but to say that Im another Happy customer would be a overstatement.
Dont get me wrong here but since Rickenbacker has this IMO very odd policy that they dont sell the reissue horseshoe pickups as a spare part ..this was the second best option for me to do this mod to make the bass work properly.
In the end the only thing that happens is that we got a bunch of leachers left..who knows very well about this situation and laughs all the way to the bank after they have sold their horseshoe on Ebay for a ridiclous price.
Best Dan.

I'm noticing a few things here:

1) Your bass had been tampered with after it left the factory. Had it not been tampered with, you wouldn't have had to modify it to make it work properly. Rick's pickups (hi gain and horseshoe) will both work equally well in your bass and the fact that you had to modify it to make it work properly is evidence that something was not put back together correctly.

2) You probably paid much less for your C64S than you would have if it came with it's original horseshoe. I didn't hear you complain about that!

And 3) IMHO, you're better off without the horseshoe anyway. They're heavy, they block string access, and they don't sound any better.

Rock on, Dan!

[rickaddict]

You have every right to be upset at the price these things have been going for, but I'm sick of being called out as a seller. Please explain to me what I should have done differently.

You should have sold it to me for $300 so that I could have listed it on Ebay!

[fourstringfrank]

Hi Jeff & Thanks for your reply here.

Know I know that the bridge pickup is probaly from a 70´s RIC knock off...well it can be from a 70´s RIC but I doubt it...because otherwise I hadn´t been forced to do this mod.
Anyway I was lucky to stumble on genuine RIC 4003 bridge pick up..so I will put this one in my bass.
As a matter of fact I`ll guess that that you´re right about the minimal differnce in sound between the reissue horseshoe vs a highgain.....+ the bonus you get whit less weight and not having the pick up cover in the way.
I traded this bass whit a guy...he got a Fender Custom shop 64 Jazzbass from me for this bass....and Im very glad that I found this bass here In Sweden....even a standard 4003 is quite hard to get here nowadays...in fact you can sell a used 4003 in good condtion for around 2500Dollars in Sweden and they go away easy I can tell.
Actually I saw a clip whit Macca &Wings playing Live in the late 70´s...there he had a highgain in the bridge and a toaster in the neck and I must say that his sound was totally splendid.
Rock on Jeff.
Best Dan.

Another happy customer!

Well let´s say that I'm satisfied with the fact that the pickup works as it should now....but to say that Im another Happy customer would be a overstatement.
Dont get me wrong here but since Rickenbacker has this IMO very odd policy that they dont sell the reissue horseshoe pickups as a spare part ..this was the second best option for me to do this mod to make the bass work properly.
In the end the only thing that happens is that we got a bunch of leachers left..who knows very well about this situation and laughs all the way to the bank after they have sold their horseshoe on Ebay for a ridiclous price.
Best Dan.

I'm noticing a few things here:

1) Your bass had been tampered with after it left the factory. Had it not been tampered with, you wouldn't have had to modify it to make it work properly. Rick's pickups (hi gain and horseshoe) will both work equally well in your bass and the fact that you had to modify it to make it work properly is evidence that something was not put back together correctly.

2) You probably paid much less for your C64S than you would have if it came with it's original horseshoe. I didn't hear you complain about that!

And 3) IMHO, you're better off without the horseshoe anyway. They're heavy, they block string access, and they don't sound any better.

Rock on, Dan!

[fourstringfrank]

Sorry If you took my comments as an insult it wasn´t my meaning .... ,,,you shouldnt have done any thing different.

If you have a auction on a thing and get paid well there is nothing to say about...its the market and how many people that´s want to have the product who´ll setting the price range.
Rock on.
Best Dan.


You know, people complain a lot about selling prices for parts like horseshoes and truss rod covers. As someone who has sold both, recently, let me ask you a few questions.

I sold a horseshoe pickup on eBay in an auction. It went for $910, which was far more than I was expecting. I sold it because I had no current use for it, and I know that there are people who want/need one for their bass, whether to replace a non-functioning one, or for a project. Given that I did not set the price -- this was an auction -- are you saying that I should have set a much lower selling price for it? If so, why?

You have every right to be upset at the price these things have been going for, but I'm sick of being called out as a seller. Please explain to me what I should have done differently.[/quote]

[rickaddict]

Actually I saw a clip whit Macca &Wings playing Live in the late 70´s...there he had a highgain in the bridge and a toaster in the neck and I must say that his sound was totally splendid.
Rock on Jeff.
Best Dan.

I was going to mention that in my earlier post, but I forgot to. Once Macca's Rick was stripped (with horns rounded) and mildly modded, it had most (if not all) of it's stage time with the hi-gain. Now that it has a RI horseshoe, he doesn't play it anymore (live anyway). So IMO, if you're going for that 70's Macca look/tone then you're more accurate to have a hi-gain in the bridge than a horseshoe.

Here's mine:

http://rickresource.com/register/user_i ... llsize.jpg

I LOVE this bass! Mine still has the original horseshoe in it, but with the shoes removed. I've thought about installing a 70's hi-gain. I have one ready to go, but the bass sounds great as-is so maybe I won't.

[fourstringfrank]

Wow such a beauty your bass....I fancy mapleglo a lot...my 4001c64s is in fireglo for some odd reason (Unofficial ltd edition?...I dont know) and my 4003 is in jetglo.
Very cool bass that you have I must say.....looks better whit the shoes of also IMO.
Rock on.
Best Dan.







I was going to mention that in my earlier post, but I forgot to. Once Macca's Rick was stripped (with horns rounded) and mildly modded, it had most (if not all) of it's stage time with the hi-gain. Now that it has a RI horseshoe, he doesn't play it anymore (live anyway). So IMO, if you're going for that 70's Macca look/tone then you're more accurate to have a hi-gain in the bridge than a horseshoe.

Here's mine:

http://rickresource.com/register/user_i ... llsize.jpg

I LOVE this bass! Mine still has the original horseshoe in it, but with the shoes removed. I've thought about installing a 70's hi-gain. I have one ready to go, but the bass sounds great as-is so maybe I won't.

[/quote]

[rickaddict]

Wow such a beauty your bass....I fancy mapleglo a lot...my 4001c64s is in fireglo for some odd reason (Unofficial ltd edition?...I dont know) and my 4003 is in jetglo.
Very cool bass that you have I must say.....looks better whit the shoes of also IMO.
Rock on.
Best Dan.

Thanks!

Yours is in FG? That's a rare bird! I know of just a few in JG, but FG is even less common. You won't ever have to worry about the bass player for your warm-up band playing the same bass!!

[anoukane]

I've removed the shoes from the horseshoe pickup of my v63. But the pickup itself is very wobbly now. Any advice?
Anyone else removed their shoes with succes? Could you tell me the way you did it?
Thnx!

Edit:
I've tightened the screws from plate to pickup a bit more and it's already a bit more steady. Shoeless players, what kind of screws do you use?

And the end of the tape around the pickup is a bit loose. Is this bad?