Jon Camp - cap or no cap?

[iiipopes]

To elaborate on the above:

1) The value of the cap is the same for all Rickenbacker guitars and 4001/3 basses that have the inline cap: .0047 microfarads. On my 4002, as set forth in the factory wiring diagram, the inline cap is a .01 on each pickup. This caused some comb filtering problems that probably weren't apparent at the time the model was developed. So I put the in/out push-pull on the neck pickup with push as the bypass and pull as the in-line cap engaged, just like the switch on current manufacture instruments.

2) The RIC 4002 humbuckers measure @ 8 kohms on the neck and @ 7.5 kohms on the bridge. The lesser bridge pickup DC resistance is due to the interleafed windings that go to the Low-Z XLR output jack with about 700 ohms. For me, yes, on my bass, it makes a significant difference. Running the neck pickup straight adds noticeable low end and gets rid of the comb filtering, bordering on phasing, that happens when both pickups have their respective .01 in line capacitors engaged.

3) Because the bridge pickup is closer to the bridge on a 4002 compared to a 4001/3, essentially in Jazz bass bridge pickup position, with less wire and less string excursion than the bridge pickup of a 4001/3, whatever the year and type of pickup, the larger value cap is indicated in order to retain body of tone in addition to the top end. I actually wire a .01 inline to the bridge pickup now on any J-bass or PJ-bass in order to avoid the classic impedance/volume drop when both pickups are dimed on these basses. Before that, I always had to back the bridge pickup volume off to about 8 to get the volume back up and still have the two-pickups together tone.

4) Side note: there is nothing wrong with experimenting with the cap. I particularly like the tone of the .0047 on a guitar and 4001 bass and the .01 on my 4002. But If you want the hinge frequency to be just a little lower, in order to get a little more body of tone to go with the jangle on a guitar, try the .0068 capacitor that is used as the "strangle" cap in a Fender Jaguar, as I have done on another guitar that has an SD SH-5 humbucker in the bridge position, also on a push-pull.

I'd be curious how it would sound on the neck pickup of a guitar.

Search the threads. There are those who have done that, especially with higher-wound hi-gains and humbuckers.