Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

The sound from my neck pickup isn't coming through. If I flick the switch down (to neck-only)then there's nothing at all BUT if I press down further it cuts in for a while (or as long as I hold it).

Maybe the metal bits on the switch need to be fiddled with, or perhaps there's a bad solder there somewhere. I'm not really sure what it is or how to find out what it is (but I can probably fix it!).

Sound familiar to anyone?

yes. clean the little contacts on the switch and check the wiring on the switch. i had a cold solder joint on the positive neck pickup wire at the switch for years.

I worked on a 70's 4001 azureglo for Cooper a while ago ... the neck pickup registered about 1k ohms it was almost dead ... I replaced it with a toaster and restored the volume and tone pots to original specs and it sounded great ... but your problem sounds like the switch ... I had a ric where the switch was bent inside ... it is a realtively inexpensive part so if you can't fix it then replace it with a new one ...

Down should be bridge only, up is neck position. Those switches are very mechanical and easily fixed, it's probably the contact.
A 1K pickup is shorted out.

Thanks (finally) for your help guys, especially Mark Arnquist who emailed me. I used fine sandpaper to clean the switch contacts, and on Mark's advice the mono jack input contacts, and all my troubles were gone.
So if anyone else out there has the same problems your contacts probably just need a clean!

By the way I get lots of (good) comments on the sound of my 4003S (has had cap bypass and has a lighter finish on it).

Mark, post some pics of your 4003S?

Post pics of your 4003S?

Sorry about that. I don't know what happened there but my initial post wasn't showing up.

I'll see what I can do... I'll put some on the pics page sometime