Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Could you replace the button head screws with allen set screws, adjusted flush for cover clearance?

Yes, but the magnetic field may be narrower.

Believe it or not, you don't actually need the pole pieces. A couple years ago I got a couple high gains super cheap from a guy in Hawaii who used to remove the poles and put toaster covers on them for use in lap steels. He said the poles weren't needed. I had Jeff Rath "unbutton" the pickups and press in iron poles from a Jazz style pickup just in case since I was using one on a bass and didn't want to take any chances.

There have been several hi-gains over the years. I've seen them with totally flat tops with pole pieces of even height. I've seen them with flat tops but with the pole pieces arranged in an arch. And then came the raised bars. And now the adjustable pole pieces.

I've played an older 330 with first-generation hi-gains through the exact same rig as a my brand new 330 with the new hi-gains. How much of a difference? I'm not playing toasters or older hi-gains any more. These new ones are just better.

I've always used to be of the opinion that Ricks require certain types of amplification to sound good at all -- usually that means an AC30 or similar. These new pickups are much more versatile. I've tried them through a Magnatone M10A (blackface type of tone), a tweed Gretsch Playboy, a copy of a Marshall JTM45, and the AC30. Sure, they still sound best on the AC30, but the others were entirely usable tones. That's just not the case with the other pickups. These are simply better.

I'm amazed more attention isn't being paid to this. Rickenbacker is a famously slow-moving company -- you'd think more people would notice a new pickup, especially when it's such an improvement over previous models.

I was wondering if the buttons could be removed, and I noticed the bars a ala toaster on either side of the new pickups in some of the photos I'd seen. Most of my Ricks have toasters, but I did buy one 360 WB that came with the arched pole piece high gains. I don't like htese, as the action on the guitar was set up so low that the strings sometimes make contact with the two middle polepieces on the neck pickup, and I can't screw the pickup down any lower. I liked the gain I wzs getting out of the pickup, but wanted a toaster cover at least. I was advised not to remove the pole pice buttons, as they were said to be an integral part of the pickup, but I see I've found some contrary info here.

The pole pieces can be removed on most of these made since 1990 and simply unscrewed on the ones with adjustable pole pieces. I'm going to be "unbuttoning" a pair of guitar high gains to be installed with toaster covers this weekend. Vice grips and a Dremmel with a cutoff wheel will be my weapons of choice. I'll be replacing the pole pieces with headless Allen screws.

I converted the high-gains on my WB. I carefully peeled the rubber magnet off the back and then drove the poles out with a punch, cut off the buttons with a Dremel and drove the poles back in until they were flush. They work just fine and I can't say I can tell any difference in the sound. The poles have spiral ridges on their shafts and the pole-holes in the bobbin have matching ridges, so they spin as you drive them in or out. I used a small hunk of 2x4 with a 3/8" wide by about 3/4" deep trench cut into it as a base to pound on and padded the top with masking tape. Then I just positioned the bobbin on the block with the poles over the trench and drove the poles out of the bobbin and down into the trench. I held the poles with a vice grip and used a cut-off wheel in the Dremel to chop the buttons off. The most tedious part of the process is just being careful not to damage any of the wires.

FYI: I used 10-24 Headless/Set Screw Allen Keys with a 3/8 length. The keys are slightly shorter than the shortest pole piece, but that's okay.

There is a similar metric size 10 6 but it's a hair too long.

hi all,
can anybody with these pickups please give us some evaluation about how noisy they are compare to usual older high gain and toaster? i think i saw jim mcguinn on some pbs
program during last month and it looked like he had these pickups on his guitar. is it possible?

thanks
grazioso

I don't know about McGuinn. It may just have been lighting that was making them look black across the tops. As far as I know it's Toasters on his guitars. I really like the new hi-gains, as I've already said. I've found that they're pretty silent for the most part. They seem to be about as quiet as the older style hi-gains on my '05 360/12 which I don't find that noisy either. I think that they're quieter than the usual single coils on Teles, Strats, and Casinos though, which is nice. Overall, I think that they are a really well-made pickup that just sounds great and lend themselves to a number of sounds much better than other pickups do. I've been able to do a lot of different sounds on these: Rolling Stones, Who, and Beatles on one end...Killers, Kaiser Chiefs, Franz Ferdinand on the other. I can't get that out of a lot of other guitars.

I just got a new 2007 360 6 in jet glo with the smaller vintage style headstock and I have to tell you that I have experienced very quiet pickup operation.
The neck pickup is worth buying the guitar alone - it sounds amazing. My old 330 I put toasters on which I prefered to the Higains that were on it but the new 360 really sounds great with the stock Higains.

Hi Gain on afg

Todd, I have done some conversions in EXACTLY the same manner as you did right down to the block of wood.

Does anyone know the size of the pole pieces in the newer high gains? I was told they are black oxide steel screws. I want to replace the allen wrench tops I hacked off. I took the shaft to the hardware store and it was close to a 8/32 screw but a little loose. I am unsure about the length as well.

They are, in fact, 8-32 X 5/8" long button head Allen screws. The ones used by the factory are black plated, but black oxided will work and not look too shabby.