Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I'm incredibly slow on the uptake here, but here's my 1968 4001 MG for what it's worth:

Lovely, Mark.....one of my all-time faves....

leftybass wrote:Lovely, Mark.....one of my all-time faves....

+1!

Just fashionably late with your 4001, Mark!

teeder wrote:

leftybass wrote:Lovely, Mark.....one of my all-time faves....

+1!

+2 - and it sounds sooooo gooood!

Thanks, guys. I guess if by "fashionably late" you mean "showing up after most everyone has left" then yes; that would be me.

Update on the '68 - I bypassed the low-cut cap on the HS pickup, and the output difference is AMAZING. I've done the same bypass off & on with my two '79s, but the difference there was subtle. The '68 on the other hand... like night & day. Its a different beast altogether.

Mark, I am finding on my 3 horseshoe'd basses it depends. With the RIHS, I like the cap out with the RIC flats on my 4003 but in on my V63 (gotta add one there). On my 4003S with the magnet shoes (8k coil), I like the cap in.

If you (or any one else here) needs one, I've still got a bazillion of the little yellow .0047 caps that I'm happy to part with.

walker wrote:If you (or any one else here) needs one, I've still got a bazillion of the little yellow .0047 caps that I'm happy to part with.

Oh goody! I'd like a couple, please!!!

PM sent!

johnallg wrote:Mark, I am finding on my 3 horseshoe'd basses it depends. With the RIHS, I like the cap out with the RIC flats on my 4003 but in on my V63 (gotta add one there). On my 4003S with the magnet shoes (8k coil), I like the cap in.

+1 - I love the tone of the RIHS with the cap bypassed on my C64 w/ the TI Jazz Flats. It's also nice to now have the option of using just the horeshoe pickup and getting a fatter tone than when the cap is in - never thought I'd have the pickup switch in the bridge-only position lol.

But forgive me John - two questions - Ric flats? I didn't know there was such a thing! Maybe I misunderstood this. Also, didn't the V63 come stock without the cap - did you install the cap in the V63 + the bypass mod? That must be nice with the V63's hotter pickups.

Scott

jps wrote:Oh goody! I'd like a couple, please!!!

PM sent!

Gotcha, Jeff!

SMR 78 wrote:

johnallg wrote:Mark, I am finding on my 3 horseshoe'd basses it depends. With the RIHS, I like the cap out with the RIC flats on my 4003 but in on my V63 (gotta add one there). On my 4003S with the magnet shoes (8k coil), I like the cap in.

+1 - I love the tone of the RIHS with the cap bypassed on my C64 w/ the TI Jazz Flats. It's also nice to now have the option of using just the horeshoe pickup and getting a fatter tone than when the cap is in - never thought I'd have the pickup switch in the bridge-only position lol.

But forgive me John - two questions - Ric flats? I didn't know there was such a thing! Maybe I misunderstood this. Also, didn't the V63 come stock without the cap - did you install the cap in the V63 + the bypass mod? That must be nice with the V63's hotter pickups.

Scott

I've found on my V63, with both the toaster and RIHS at 12k, they both sound very close to each other without the cap in and I like a bit more tonal difference than that. The C64 basses have the .0047uF cap, but the V63 basses did not have it in. So I plan on putting one in. I'd thought of adding the switch like RIC uses now, but didn't want to alter the V63 that much.

As for the RIC flats, they haven't offered them in many years. I had an opportunity to get a NOS set of Rickenbacker flatwound strings that dated back to the 70s or maybe early 80s from a fellow forum member. He'd gotten them from eBay from an older guy that found them in his leftover stock he was clearing out many years after closing his music store. They were made by Maxima and are very similar to TI flats.

I just bought a 78 4001 MG that unfortunately looks a mess but plays beautifully. First order of business was to get a Rickysounds white pickguard. Secondly to replace the TRC with an original white one. Luckily Eden found me and we're swapping my black plexi with silver letters for his late 70's white 4001 TRC. That's a result!

The pickup / pot wiring is pretty much a shambles too so having Colin at Sound Me Out in Northampton sort me out there.

Last pic of the input jacks....I thought there was some sort of labelling as to which jack was which or a Ric O Sound label???

Serial Number RF 3056 = June 1978 Birthday

Yes, the Jacks were originally labeled, but the lettering was silk screened on with black ink/paint which rubs off fairly easily over the years...