Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I've got a 2004 4003. It didn't have the cap in it and I played for a couple of months before reading about the cap. I installed it and WOW!!! A different bass. I reckon it sounds muddy without the cap, too much boom IMO. Now when I wind up the treble pickup... lock up yer daughters! It's like a swarm of angry wasps. Lovely!!!!

YEAH!

for me I like to play primarily with the bridge pickup ... I roll the volume off from the neck pickup to 7 - 8 range ... so with a capacitor in there that eliminates low mids and bass then my bass would sound thin and trebly ... I get plenty of treble out of my 4003 ...

My CS can sometimes be a bit muddy for me; I've had a cap in & out so many times I couldn't say. But I tend to play with everything on full. My favourite Rick tone would be like Squire's, or Jon Camp's on that Youtube footage of Black Flame. I must admit I've always struggled to get that tone from many of the Ricks I've played; any pre-73s do it best for me. Anything (well, 4001-wise) after then just seems to sound very nasal when I play it...which is probably my fault!

I did recently go to see a friend play live; he was using my old Trace gear which he bought off me. I'd spent the longest time eq-ing it and he likes the eq so much he hasn't touched it in the year or so he's had it! But his non-capped 4003 sounded awesome through it, one of the best live sounds I've ever heard. It was huge & clear as a bell too, and extremely aggressive. I don't think I ever sounded that good, cap or no cap! Still, ever wished you hadn't sold a rig?

I think I may be putting the caps back in my 4001 & CS though, just for a change (again!). The only thing then is having them keep up with my 4000...

I think a good solution for many of us Ric users is to install a push pull switch to engage and disengage the cap as needed ...

yeah, what he said...

I've installed a push pull to switch the cap in and out. I've used it once in a live situation. It's now redundant, so I may remove it. I LOVE the cap. Using the neck pickup volume I can dial in the amount of bass I need without compromising the growl and bell like tone. Without the cap it's all mud....
I suppose other people will get different results depending on what they like.

I think a good solution for many of us Ric users is to install a push pull switch to engage and disengage the cap as needed ...

Yeah, count me in as one of those people who appreciates both sounds and prefers the cap or no cap option when desired.

I don't think I could ever go back to the cap ... I played a 1968 4001 as my only bass from 1973 to 2001 ... the mechanical mute, the horseshoe cover, the capacitor ... I got really tired of the encumbrances of the old 4001 ... I really love playing basses without mechanical mutes, without ric-o-sound, without pickup covers, without capacitors that cut the bass and low mids ... and I love 5 string basses ... with modern amps and bass pods I can get pretty much any sound I want from all of my basses ... the bass cut capacitor worked well with 60s pickups and old 60s amps but in the modern era it is a bit of an anachronism ...

On one of my 4001's I have it rigged up so I can dial in the amount I want, I will sometimes back it off a bit depending on the room for a less boomy sound which comes from the low mids. It cuts the low mids from the bridge pickup which gives the effect of more treble, it really just scoops the mids out of the sound. For the most part I dislike the cap also and only use a bit of it when I do use it at all which is rarely. I have the cap switch on my new FL and keep it out of the circuit all the time.
I still like the 4001's however but without the cover and cap, the mute's OK with me.

If your 4001 sounds thin try a t-bird pickup in the bridge position ... ya Baby!!!

Like the use of the word 'anachronism', just shows what erudite and intelligent people we have on this forum......

Erudite meaning “learned” is supposed to have become rare except in sarcastic use during the latter part of the 19th century, but the word now seems to have been restored to favor.

Hey, it's modern parlance for some of us educated Brits.... Sarcasm aside!!

Wait a minute ! The poor guy needs help with a problem and we're off topic. The comments are great and I love the passion and info of everyone. But lets help him ! I agree its the jack; had this problem myself and thats what it was.