Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

My two cents: the frets seem to be fine. No buzz or dead spots. They look like they could have been filed down a few times over the years, but plenty of miles still left on them.

and with maxima flats on there now, any further wear would be minimal-excellent!

Can't wait to play it! Keep me posted Tony.

Will do John!

Yes Wood-Man, It looks all original, down to the last screw. I havn't lifted the pickgaurd...it looks like it's never been removed!

I'd be shocked if I saw any mods in the electronics. Yeah, I'd say that it's pretty safe to say that it's all original...& has been well taken care of over the years.

Here's an experiment I did earlier this evening. I took some very strong, yet small magnets, and applied them to the horseshoe pickup in various configurations. I was surprised by the results.



I had just the horsehoe pickup on during this experiment. The audio is picked up solely by the lo-fi mic on my camera. I started out with no additional magnets on the pickup. Notice how much bottom end is accentuated when the magnets are attached! The on & off test at 42 seconds is a close approximation of the difference in the sound of Tony's '62 horseshoe pickup vs the other horseshoe pickups in his other basses.

At 1:18, I put the magnets on the E/A side with the polarity reversed. Notice how it colors the tone. (I'm not sure which side of the magnets is North or South, so I'm just saying "normal" or "reversed." If anyone has the correct terminology, feel free to jump in.)

At 1:35, the magnets on the E/A side are reverse polarity, while the D/G side is normal. You can really hear how the opposing polarities affect the sound differently.

At 1:57, both sides are attached with reversed polarity.

2:15 - (same configuration as at 1:35.)

2:27 - both sides are attached with normal polarity

2:39 - magnets removed (where'd the low end go???)

One weird thing - the small magnets stick to the horseshoe magnets on either side, which is uncharacteristic of how magnets usually attract on one side, and repel when flipped over.

***What you see in this video is the extent of the experiment. It was fun to mess with, but I've been warned by the guy who usually recharges my horseshoe magnets to NOT expose them to other magnetic fields because it could permanently disrupt their polarity, especially when subjected to opposing polarity.***

walker wrote:No worries, Tony! Regardless of the ohm value, it sounds great! If you ever do get curious, you might be able to get a reading off the tip of the guitar cord.

Yes you can. Volume and tone up, ohm from the tip to sleeve. I would be very interested, along with pictures of the coil and the pole slugs.

opticnerve wrote:

IvanMunoz wrote:

opticnerve wrote:Hey Ivan,

Rounds!? Oh no...I'm strictly a flats guy! It's fitted with NOS '60s Ric Maximas.

Nice how do you manage to get those? Do you just jump on the opportunity when you see one, or do you have a hookup?
Good call on the flats, they have such a better sound.

Actually, Chris @ POTR's put on the Maximas. I do have a few sets though that I picked up on the bay.

I just replaced the TI's on my 1999 with Maximas yesterday....SWEET!!!

It's subjective as far as the sound difference between flats & rounds. Go tell Chris Squire that he's using the wrong strings!!

I don't know what it is with the Maximas but they have a tone and sound like no other flat I've come across. The Pyramid flats on the C64 lefty I sent to England were quite similar, but still different. Love my set of the Maximas.

walker wrote:Here's an experiment I did earlier this evening. I took some very strong, yet small magnets, and applied them to the horseshoe pickup in various configurations. I was surprised by the results.



I had just the horsehoe pickup on during this experiment. The audio is picked up solely by the lo-fi mic on my camera. I started out with no additional magnets on the pickup. Notice how much bottom end is accentuated when the magnets are attached! The on & off test at 42 seconds is a close approximation of the difference in the sound of Tony's '62 horseshoe pickup vs the other horseshoe pickups in his other basses.

At 1:18, I put the magnets on the E/A side with the polarity reversed. Notice how it colors the tone. (I'm not sure which side of the magnets is North or South, so I'm just saying "normal" or "reversed." If anyone has the correct terminology, feel free to jump in.)

At 1:35, the magnets on the E/A side are reverse polarity, while the D/G side is normal. You can really hear how the opposing polarities affect the sound differently.

At 1:57, both sides are attached with reversed polarity.

2:15 - (same configuration as at 1:35.)

2:27 - both sides are attached with normal polarity

2:39 - magnets removed (where'd the low end go???)

One weird thing - the small magnets stick to the horseshoe magnets on either side, which is uncharacteristic of how magnets usually attract on one side, and repel when flipped over.

***What you see in this video is the extent of the experiment. It was fun to mess with, but I've been warned by the guy who usually recharges my horseshoe magnets to NOT expose them to other magnetic fields because it could permanently disrupt their polarity, especially when subjected to opposing polarity.***

--- I posted this to your other thread on this experiment and want to add my observation here ---

Very interesting Mark. I've thought of doing this but was afraid of what it would do to the shoes. Another point I noticed and you didn't bring up was when you went from opposite polarity to the same at 2:27 there was a reduction in the hum or background noise.

Yeah, me too John, I love the Maximas. They seem more loosely wound...almost like there's some play in the outer winding when your fingers press on them.

opticnerve wrote:...almost like there's some play in the outer winding when your fingers press on them.

You should try TI Acousticore strings*, they really do roll under your fingers, like wound classical guitar strings.



*Not recommended for instruments with only magnetic pickups.

opticnerve wrote:Yeah, me too John, I love the Maximas. They seem more loosely wound...almost like there's some play in the outer winding when your fingers press on them.

And with a silky softness, which also kind of manifests in the sound. A kind of semi-muted thump.

walker wrote:Here's an experiment I did earlier this evening. I took some very strong, yet small magnets, and applied them to the horseshoe pickup in various configurations. I was surprised by the results.



I had just the horsehoe pickup on during this experiment. The audio is picked up solely by the lo-fi mic on my camera. I started out with no additional magnets on the pickup. Notice how much bottom end is accentuated when the magnets are attached! The on & off test at 42 seconds is a close approximation of the difference in the sound of Tony's '62 horseshoe pickup vs the other horseshoe pickups in his other basses.

At 1:18, I put the magnets on the E/A side with the polarity reversed. Notice how it colors the tone. (I'm not sure which side of the magnets is North or South, so I'm just saying "normal" or "reversed." If anyone has the correct terminology, feel free to jump in.)

At 1:35, the magnets on the E/A side are reverse polarity, while the D/G side is normal. You can really hear how the opposing polarities affect the sound differently.

At 1:57, both sides are attached with reversed polarity.

2:15 - (same configuration as at 1:35.)

2:27 - both sides are attached with normal polarity

2:39 - magnets removed (where'd the low end go???)

One weird thing - the small magnets stick to the horseshoe magnets on either side, which is uncharacteristic of how magnets usually attract on one side, and repel when flipped over.

***What you see in this video is the extent of the experiment. It was fun to mess with, but I've been warned by the guy who usually recharges my horseshoe magnets to NOT expose them to other magnetic fields because it could permanently disrupt their polarity, especially when subjected to opposing polarity.***

That is a really cool experiment. Is that a '67?

A '68, actually. HG 1209

walker wrote:A '68, actually. HG 1209

Thats really nice! Is that one of the last '68's with an HS?

As far as I know, all '68s have the HS pickup. Or at least all the ones I've seen. '69 was the first year of the non-HS high-gain prototype. Some '69s might even have a horseshoe.