Cliff Burton - Mute Pad Removal/Strat Pickup

[nextcliffburton]

How was this MOD done? Is the Strat Pickup diretly under the Jazz pickup? I'm just wondering if that would be some weird interfernce with the pickups and the strings, or was it on the side of the jazz pickup? If anyone knows that, or somehow found some kinda a diagram on how this was made I'd love to know! I just dont see how the pickups can work if they are both directly stack on top of eachother like that. Peace Dudes!

[deargdoom]

They aren't stacked. The strat pick-up is where the foam mute (under the top end of the chrome bridge between the 2 thumb screws) used to be before he had the mute removed so the pick-up is now hidden from general view but the strings still go over the pick-up's poles.

[nextcliffburton]

OH WOW! I didnt know it was liek that! I always thought it was where the Jazz pickup was because whenever they said bridge, i just put together Pickup+Bridge and got that! Thats so clever! I didnt even know it was possible to do that or there was a pad there!

[deargdoom]

so I presume you don't have a Ric then?

[nextcliffburton]

Long story man, I dont know much on the Specs of Ric's, Soon tho!

[deargdoom]

My commiserations, hope you're reunited soon.

[cjj]

It's terrible that your Rick was stolen, any news?

Anyway, on the subject of a pickup in the mute cavity, A guy who used to be on this forum and is still on the RIC corporate forum and Talkbass, Ric5, has done this (he's known for converting 4 string basses to 5 strings). Anyway, here's what he told me once about how to do this:

For the pickup in the mute cavity I use a seymour duncan 1/4 pound jazz neck pickup. I remove the cover and trim the bobbin. I usually wire it in with the neck pickup. you can also wire it in with the bridge pickup. It doesn't change the tone a lot. The main benefit is that it cancels hum.

Jeff

[nextcliffburton]

No news on the bass yet, it hasnt been 30 days which is SUPPOSIVELY when the pawn shop can release it to sell, so ill be checking through out the next couple months.

Anyways, I'm guessing that pickup gave cliffs ric that distorted sound he has?

Example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCF7zyZfthk

[deargdoom]

Anyways, I'm guessing that pickup gave cliffs ric that distorted sound he has?

Example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCF7zyZfthk

I believe he only used the special pickup during solos. You don't need a special pickup on a 4001 to get that growly sound on Ride the Lightning.

[nextcliffburton]

how did he activate it? did he have it hooked up where when he switched to the bridge or neck pickup, that special pickup was activated? Ifso which pickup did he have it hooked up to if thats true. Also what pickup did cliff normally play on, the bridge

Sorry I'm a huge Idolized cliff fan and any new information about him I aquire is exiciting!!

[deargdoom]

I believe it was activated by a push/pull feature on one of the knobs, that is what his guitar tech Chuck Martin says.

[jingle_jangle]

Supposively you could be right.

[nextcliffburton]

Wow that is freakin awesome! Didnt know the push pull did that, I have that in my schecter that brightens the bridge pickup but I didnt know you can activate other pickups like that

[cassius987]

Wow that is freakin awesome! Didnt know the push pull did that, I have that in my schecter that brightens the bridge pickup but I didnt know you can activate other pickups like that

A push-pull usually is just a potentiometer (pot) used for volume or tone that has a switch built in. The switch, usually a 2x3 lug (DPDT right guys?), can be used to toggle just about anything in or out of a circuit. Such as a .0047 uF capacitor, or a pickup wired in parallel. (You could do it in series too, but that doesn't seem as useful from my perspective.) I am not the resident wiring expert but I do my own harnesses, etc. The basic aspects are very simple once you get the hang of it.

[nextcliffburton]

This may sound like a dumb question, but we know the sound of cliffs extra pickup with his gibson and jazz pickup in his ric. What would it sound like with stock pickups? I'm very interested in modding my ric when I get it. Your opinions and knowledge is greatly appreciated.