4001/4003 to 4000 conversions?

[cassius987]

I'm just wondering if anyone has done it and what their experience was. I keep wanting to try this but am held back by feeling like I will really miss the neck pickup's fat warmth. The bridge pickup just doesn't have it. But I wonder if it would be nice to have the sort of simplicity a 4000 offers as well, and if the lack of a magnetic pull closer to the center of the string length wouldn't let the strings vibrate a little more naturally.

[woodyng]

you could always do what Tom Petersson did,which was sort of a reverse 4001-to-4000. (with just the neck pickup )
personally,i don't find any lack of warmth from just having the hi-gain pickup in the 4000,the mid-body placement is pretty ideal for a full-range tone. in my 2 pickup cii,i put the 2nd volume in,because it seems to me even with the 1-inch offset placement of the neck pickup,the tone can be a bit bassy,so i like to roll off that volume just a smidge most times. But to answer your original question,i have never done a conversion like that.

[cassius987]

If I toggle between the two pickups I always find I miss the true bottom end of the neck pickup, whereas the bridge pickup sounds more like a Fender that has plenty of lows but not really that much fundamental "thud" behind it. But I may still give this the ol' college try...

[ken_j]

Having owned 4000s I would advise against it. You will miss the neck pickup. There is a reason why RIC doesn't make the 4000 any longer.

[woodyng]

i don't miss it.....i owned a very nice v63 for about 6 monthes,which i had purchased thinking i would then sell either my 4000 or my cii,and found myself rolling off the volume on the toaster,and favoring the HS,just a matter of personal preference,i guess...

[cassius987]

Having owned 4000s I would advise against it. You will miss the neck pickup. There is a reason why RIC doesn't make the 4000 any longer.

I think I'm with you but I'm so tempted to try this against my better judgement. My best recordings have typically used the neck pickup as the dominant one. And I'm one of those rare people who thinks the neck pickup on a 4004 actually sounds really good. The thing with neck pickups, I have found, is that they are harder to tame but sound amazing once you get them dialed in.

I've got a pickup in mind--I think I'll just go with it and post the results in a week or two.

[woodyng]

I do like the sound of the neck pickup on my cii,my idea of "taming" it,just involves being able to blend it more with the bridge. i have also lowered it,and raised the bridge pickup a bit so that when i run both pickups full up,they are balanced to my liking. i know you like to tinker,and you understand the physics of the wiring,etc,way better than most people,so good luck! one thing i would think might help if you go with a bridge pickup-only type situation would be that the better sound might be obtained with a lower output pickup,instead of one of the new hotter pickups.

[jaymi]

the blackstar I just got had SD pups in it and I have replaced the bridge pup with the OG and I do not have a neck pup at this point so I am playing it as a 4000-WITHOUT- the front pickup until I can find one that is right in the impedance for the timeframe and I actually like the grit of the bridge pup only...it snarls...I can compensate for the lowend by adding some bass on the amp/toys.....

[antipodean]

Hmmm...... I was thinking of converting my V63 to a 4000 spec. Not a huge job and it's a fully reversible mod. I note that it is a bit easier if you have a mono bass. I'm intrigued as to how much difference will be made by the simplified harness and the absence of the neck pickup's magnetic field. Since I got my 4000 back from surgery I've lost any sense of urgency. This thread has got my thinking about it again....

A really interesting idea would be to use an HB1 with the coil-split/tap feature. In single coil mode this would be about as hot as a vintage hi-gain. At full humbucking it would be a bit warmer than a current higain...

[RobRick]

I own a 4000 and a 4001C64, I love them both, but if I had to lose one, the C64 would go and the 4000 would stay. You'd be surprised how the tone knob and a good amp can get a nice warm tone out of that bass.

[woodyng]

well,if you already have a 4000,why do that to your V?

[coolhandjjl]

........The thing with neck pickups, I have found, is that they are harder to tame but sound amazing once you get them dialed in....

My secret is to put linear taper pots in the vol position. Makes it easy to dial in exactly what you want without that sudden drop in the first 1/8 tun that the stock audio taper vol pots do.

[antipodean]

well,if you already have a 4000,why do that to your V?

My 4000 spent 6 months out of action with truss rod issues. In addition, I had issues with the toaster/horsie balance on the v63, and just liked the sound of the horsie soloed. On top of that, I have a pair of '70s 4001s that do the blended neck pickup thing better than the v63 (one RI toaster, one higain), probably by virtue of their vintage treble higain. As there are not a lot of '60s spec 4000s around, the idea of "devolving" the V63 was/is appealing. As the mod is totally reversible, it may be fun to try - and a lot cheaper than finding a '68 4000.....

[jaymi]

well,if you already have a 4000,why do that to your V?

My 4000 spent 6 months out of action with truss rod issues. In addition, I had issues with the toaster/horsie balance on the v63, and just liked the sound of the horsie soloed. On top of that, I have a pair of '70s 4001s that do the blended neck pickup thing better than the v63 (one RI toaster, one higain), probably by virtue of their vintage treble higain. As there are not a lot of '60s spec 4000s around, the idea of "devolving" the V63 was/is appealing. As the mod is totally reversible, it may be fun to try - and a lot cheaper than finding a '68 4000.....

I say DO IT!!!!!

[johnallg]

well,if you already have a 4000,why do that to your V?

My 4000 spent 6 months out of action with truss rod issues. In addition, I had issues with the toaster/horsie balance on the v63, and just liked the sound of the horsie soloed. On top of that, I have a pair of '70s 4001s that do the blended neck pickup thing better than the v63 (one RI toaster, one higain), probably by virtue of their vintage treble higain. As there are not a lot of '60s spec 4000s around, the idea of "devolving" the V63 was/is appealing. As the mod is totally reversible, it may be fun to try - and a lot cheaper than finding a '68 4000.....

And me sitting on two V63s......