Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

songdog wrote:Well, I got a strange urge to check the boutique today during lunch break at work, and caught it while I could still place an order!

It took me a ridiculously long time after I received it to get it installed... between rehearsing and performing and all the other little obstacles life puts in the way (like work), it wasn't until last weekend I could finally take my 4001 apart.

I thought I'd share the adventure. Sorry 'bout the cheesy cell phone pictures, every time I think about buying a real camera, I buy some bass gear instead

Here's what I started with. The DiMarzio Jazz pickup went in, oh, several decades ago when I learned the hard way that you shouldn't turn the "adjustable pole pieces". I wired it with a four-way selector switch, volume and tone. The punk rock look is sooo last century....
So out it all came. In the neck p/u route was written: "FIRE". In the bridge pickup route: "DONE". In the control cavity: "NANCY" and something that looked like "Check" and maybe initials "MDA".
Some assembly required. Oh. My. God. Am I going to get this thing together in time to play it tonight?
Yes! (pun intended )
The sharp-eyed among you will doubtless notice the switch placed between the tone controls. That's the bypass for the .0047 cap. I drilled that hole in my foolish youth (just before I turned the screws on the original pickup), thinking "I'll never sell this bass, who cares about the resale value?" Unlike some decisions I made at that time in my life, that one was right on! This bass is a keeper, and a player.

You might notice there's no picture of the neatly wired controls on the pickguard... let's just say my work wasn't very photogenic, and move along. A little bit of electrical tape solved the shorting problem and I got to play it that night! It sounds (and looks) great!

I think the RIHS sounds like a hotter pickup than a vintage toaster. My ohmmeter agrees (about 10.5k vs. 7.7k). Has anyone else had this experience?

Next project: make up some cables to wire my tube preamp into my Ampeg's effects loop, and use the newly restored Ric-o-sound!

songdog wrote:The sharp-eyed among you will doubtless notice the switch placed between the tone controls. That's the bypass for the .0047 cap. I drilled that hole in my foolish youth (just before I turned the screws on the original pickup), thinking "I'll never sell this bass, who cares about the resale value?" Unlike some decisions I made at that time in my life, that one was right on! This bass is a keeper, and a player.

+1

songdog wrote:I think the RIHS sounds like a hotter pickup than a vintage toaster. My ohmmeter agrees (about 10.5k vs. 7.7k). Has anyone else had this experience?

Yes. I didn’t like it, and unwound to 8.5K – then I liked it, and it was more in balance with the toaster. Curiously I haven’t seen much talk about unwinding reisue horseshoes. Maybe most players like it that way, or are reluctant to mess with it not to reduce potential resale value.

songdog wrote:.....initials "MDA".

Mark Arnquist, most likely, although, I have been known to be mistaken, once or twice.

Wiker wrote:

songdog wrote:I think the RIHS sounds like a hotter pickup than a vintage toaster. My ohmmeter agrees (about 10.5k vs. 7.7k). Has anyone else had this experience?

Yes. I didn’t like it, and unwound to 8.5K – then I liked it, and it was more in balance with the toaster. Curiously I haven’t seen much talk about unwinding reisue horseshoes. Maybe most players like it that way, or are reluctant to mess with it not to reduce potential resale value.

For what earlier RIHS pickups went for ($250-500) I believe there is much reluctance to unwind. I have toyed with the idea but chickened out. Can you describe the difference in the response and tone between the original and the unwound?

johnallg wrote:

Wiker wrote:

songdog wrote:I think the RIHS sounds like a hotter pickup than a vintage toaster. My ohmmeter agrees (about 10.5k vs. 7.7k). Has anyone else had this experience?

Yes. I didn’t like it, and unwound to 8.5K – then I liked it, and it was more in balance with the toaster. Curiously I haven’t seen much talk about unwinding reisue horseshoes. Maybe most players like it that way, or are reluctant to mess with it not to reduce potential resale value.

For what earlier RIHS pickups went for ($250-500) I believe there is much reluctance to unwind. I have toyed with the idea but chickened out. Can you describe the difference in the response and tone between the original and the unwound?

Sort of the same difference as between a hot toaster and a 7.4K toaster. More open, clearer, more focus and definition. (Something like that. I’m not very good describing sound and tone.) I remember that at 10.5K I thought it sounded not so different than the neck toaster, just more powerful. After unwinding, it brought forth more of the bridge position tone, and complement the 7.4K neck toaster much better.
I took it straight down to about 8.5K (it’s actually at 8.3 or 8.4). If I was to do it again, I would have stopped and tried it at 9K before going further.

Maybe I'll unwind the RIHSPU I have sitting around, unused.

jps wrote:Maybe I'll unwind the RIHSPU I have sitting around, unused.

Use it for a bit first, then unwind, and compare. Maybe with a recording? I'm sure I'm not the only one that would be very interested in your evaluation.

Please??

+1! I'd be interested.

Oh, and if you don't like the unwound sound, you can always wind it back up...
Or just send it to me, I'll "get rid of it" for you...

The pickup is the one I took out of my V63 so I have plenty of recording with it, already, in unwound state.

Wiker wrote:

songdog wrote:I think the RIHS sounds like a hotter pickup than a vintage toaster.... Has anyone else had this experience?

Yes. I didn’t like it, and unwound to 8.5K – then I liked it, and it was more in balance with the toaster. Curiously I haven’t seen much talk about unwinding reisue horseshoes. Maybe most players like it that way, or are reluctant to mess with it not to reduce potential resale value.

I'm not going to do anything drastic until I've played it for a while - there are a lot of new tonal possibilities, and I haven't even tried Ric-o-sound yet (that's this weekend's project).

jps wrote:

songdog wrote:.....initials "MDA".

Mark Arnquist, most likely, although, I have been known to be mistaken, once or twice.

Wow, cool, I never thought I'd turn up a name to go with the initials! He's not on the forum, is he?

Mark, if you're out there and had a part in building my '72 4001 - THANKS!

Now, does anyone know who "NANCY" might have been?

Instead of unwinding the HS I suggest to add the treble capacitor, it really balances the output with the 7.4k toaster.

Now, does anyone know who "NANCY" might have been?

I will probably unwind the new HS I just got since it's an extra, but I'll keep the hot one original in my V63. It sounds great with a little toaster added in for warmth.

marcinkus wrote:Instead of unwinding the HS I suggest to add the treble capacitor, it really balances the output with the 7.4k toaster.

+1

emac.