Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

rickfan63 wrote: Wasn't the original HS rather thin sounding too. I'm asking since I've never had the pleasure to play an original. I've only played the RI, which on the V63 is pretty hot, not as much on the C64.

I think you might be noticing the .0047 bass-cut capacitor here. The 60's 4001's and RM 1999's would have it, the 4001C64 and 4001C64S would have it, and the 4001V63 would not.

With the cap out the HS PU sounds incredible; with it in it produces, along with the neck toaster, the classic Rick prog rock tone.

Best of both worlds.

While we are on the subject, does anyone know the DC resistence of the original and rissue horseshoes for bass?

The horseshoe on my late '40's lapsteel has a shockingly small resistence, like 1.5K IIRC, but plenty of output.

The trademark in question:

http://www.rickenbacker.com/pdfs/Tradem ... seshoe.pdf

Here is part of the original patent:

I've got a feeling that if Turner has been producing these things for years, that they may have some sort of agreement with RIC that we are not privy to. Perhaps they pay some sort of royalty per unit. You can still protect your trademark and permit others to copy it. You just have to have some legal agreement and perhaps compensation. Folks get into trouble when they copy something without the originator's permission.

The 60s horseshoe coils were around 5k, the RIHS coils are around 12k.

The '59(?) 4000 bass Graham has had a very full and deep tone when I tried it at the RIC 75th Confluence.

The Turner guitars have been out for a long time, coming up on 14 years now. I've read elsewhere that the folks at Turner are confident that action can't be taken due to the horseshoe being a functional part of how the pickup works, akin to trademarking round alnico pole pieces. This makes me think they don't have an agreement with Ric.

Jason Lollar never made horseshoes, he just wound the bobbins. The horseshoes themselves were made for him by Rick Aiello. Jason still makes the pickups, but Rick doesn't make horseshoes, and that was his "sole" source for the shoes.

I would love to buy some horseshoes at the Ric boutique. Can't we all get along??

Interesting. Coincidentally, I contacted a friend who had once told me about a fellow that made great horseshoe lapsteel pickups. He reminded me that the name was RIck Aiello (no relation) with website:

http://www.horseshoemagnets.com

However, if you click on his "magnet assemblies" page,

http://www.horseshoemagnets.com/_sgt/m4m1_1.htm

you find that his horseshoe magnets:

http://www.horseshoemagnets.com/_sgt/m4m1_1.htm

are no longer available. One wonders if he, not Lollar, was the target of Ric's legal sting.

Interestingly since the trademark mentions that the pickups must have a "left and right side" one would guess that many of his pickups which are closed at the top, are not in violation of the trademark.

And he sure does gorgeous work

Sadly his homepage is topped with:

"I am not taking any new orders for cast steels, pickups or magnet assemblies ... at this time"

Also notice that there is no contact info, email or phone numbers for Aiello... he doesn't want to be found. Unfortunately.

I did not want to offend anybody with starting this thread! It was just some interesting sighting and I know there are a lot desperate HS-searchers among the forum members .
Anyway the rights of RIC should always be taken into account. We get a lot of support from them!

If someone passes off a product that is a copy in poor taste or a downright rip off then thats infringement etc. and its illegal.
The horse shoe pickup isnt available from Rick anymore and making and selling a repro pickup isnt like producing "R" tailpieces or nameplates and as an aftermarket product to keep you in the limelight on stage with your obviously "Rickenbacker" guitar whats the problem?

I said before that an outsourced and licensed HS pickup+surround and Aluminium bridge/tailpiece would solve the woes of so many without clogging up the Rick production line.
Its a niche market thing and wouldnt do Rickenbacker any harm..quite the reverse I think.

nbfanca wrote:Interesting. Coincidentally, I contacted a friend who had once told me about a fellow that made great horseshoe lapsteel pickups. He reminded me that the name was RIck Aiello (no relation) with website:

http://www.horseshoemagnets.com

However, if you click on his "magnet assemblies" page,

http://www.horseshoemagnets.com/_sgt/m4m1_1.htm

you find that his horseshoe magnets:

http://www.horseshoemagnets.com/_sgt/m4m1_1.htm

are no longer available. One wonders if he, not Lollar, was the target of Ric's legal sting.

I believe it was he, Jason Lollar, and other parties as well. The HSs on the Lollar pickups that I've seen were not hardened steel, having been made of two laminations of thin steel with some sort of black material sandwiched between them.

jingle_jangle wrote: I believe it was he, Jason Lollar, and other parties as well. The HSs on the Lollar pickups that I've seen were not hardened steel, having been made of two laminations of thin steel with some sort of black material sandwiched between them.

Like this:




I hate the look of these laminated shoes. It's definitely not a good thing... tungsten steel is where it's at. It would be disappointing if all the ones he made were like these, but I guess bending something that thick must be a bear.

Some horseshoes seem to have a rough surface on the inside... were the originals sand cast, or bent?

seyesbass wrote:I said before that an outsourced and licensed HS pickup+surround and Aluminium bridge/tailpiece would solve the woes of so many without clogging up the Rick production line.
Its a niche market thing and wouldnt do Rickenbacker any harm..quite the reverse I think.

What he said. And I'd somewhere near the front of the queue to buy one.