Laredo's pickups position

[MiroN]

All the 4004L I had seen the same pick up position:
http://www.rickresource.com/register/ga ... =0&month=0

but on Rickenbacker site:
http://www.rickenbacker.com/model.asp?model=4004L
I noticed a different position

why???

[coolhandjjl]

Ahh... the floating 4004 pickup positions. One of the great mysteries of the world right after 'who really shot Kennedy'. You should take a look at all the generations of the 4004LK's. They are all over the place!

I can address the neck pup position- they were initially made as in the Ric photo, but made truss rod removal impossible unless you took a router to the bodies face. So Ric moved the neck pup right up tight to the fretboard for that reason, but never updated the photo. The 4004Cii photo is also incorrect.

[ilan]

The first generation 4004's had the neck pickup against the neck just like the current ones, then it was moved to enable slapping/popping (IIRC this was confirmed in a post by Rickenbacker CEO John Hall), and then moved back to the original position to enable servicing the truss rods.

[rickenbrother]

If you're as crazy over the 4004's as I am, you'll want at least two of them. Each one having the different pickup position.

[bassduke49]

The Laredos were born in late 1992 - early 1993 and had the pickups in the "raised" positions with the "neck" pickup right up against the fingerboard. About 1999-2000 when RIC introduced the Cheyenne II, the pickups were "lowered." Right after that, the maple fingerboards were changed over to bubinga (as on the new Cheyenne II). The pickups remained in those positions until sometime in 2004 when, as Ilan says, they were returned to the original position to facilitate truss-rod removal in the event of a failure. There is evidence of at least one Laredo with the lowered pickups and the maple fretboard (a Midnight Blue 4004L that Dane Wilder had).

[gearhed289]

it was moved to enable slapping/popping (IIRC this was confirmed in a post by Rickenbacker CEO John Hall).

I never really got that explanation. It was more "out of the way" when it was right against the end of the fingerboard, especially on a 20 fret bass. But what do I know, I stopped slapping by the end of the 90s!

[cassius987]

I don't get the slapping comment either. Then again I don't get a lot of comments people make about what makes slapping easy/hard... in my experience, you just do it. It's very easy and natural for me on most basses I've owned, and I don't even like slapping as a primary technique (I still like to bust out MM's "Power" on occasion). I've seen some great slapping done on nearly every kind of bass there is.

[guitfiddle]

As a side note, does anybody know about when the pots on the 4004's were switched from 350K to 500K?

[johnhall]

As a side note, does anybody know about when the pots on the 4004's were switched from 350K to 500K?

They weren't. They're still the same 330K ones we've always used.

[guitfiddle]

As a side note, does anybody know about when the pots on the 4004's were switched from 350K to 500K?

They weren't. They're still the same 330K ones we've always used.

Thanks, John! I love both of my 4004's and I was just wondering because they sound slightly different. I believe there may have been a recent post somewhere on another thread suggesting that the 4004 had changed pots. Glad you cleared that up!

[johnhall]

Thanks, John! I love both of my 4004's and I was just wondering because they sound slightly different. I believe there may have been a recent post somewhere on another thread suggesting that the 4004 had changed pots. Glad you cleared that up!

It's always been the same pot as used for a 4003. I guess it's possible you have a really old 4004 that might have had the older style but it's unlikely. If they sound different, it's probably the difference in wood and/or setup.

[henry5]

Every 4001 I've tried sounds different; same goes for the 4003 (I've only tried 1 4004). I would never expect 2 instruments of a particular model to sound the same. Similar maybe (sometimes not even that), but not the same.

[berth]

Every 4001 I've tried sounds different; same goes for the 4003 (I've only tried 1 4004). I would never expect 2 instruments of a particular model to sound the same. Similar maybe (sometimes not even that), but not the same.

There is the fun of having several of 1 type imho. (I must admit I have only several of 2 types though.)

[johnallg]

Interesting.....

http://www.rickenbacker.com/pdfs/19516.pdf

http://rrf.mcx.net/tech/19516.pdf

My Cheyenne was wired as the second one, with the 500k pot.

[Everythinggoes]

If you're as crazy over the 4004's as I am, you'll want at least two of them. Each one having the different pickup position.

Do you have just a Laredo or a Cheyenne as well?