Good picture of the cap control mod at Dudepit

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Tue Jul 05, 2005 9:51 pm

If you've ever wanted to try it, and two explanations.

http://www.vintagebass.com/thedudepit/showthread.php?p=15916#post15916

bob_atherton · Post by **bob_atherton** » Tue Jul 05, 2005 10:29 pm

This is where I am going to show my ignorance.

There appears to be a slight polarisation between the cap and no cap camp. Has anyone tried caps of different values to give just a small amount of bass cut, but not the full Monty?

I have probably just asked a dumb question….

jps · Post by **jps** » Wed Jul 06, 2005 2:25 am

I have.

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Wed Jul 06, 2005 3:09 am

With this mod you can go from full cap to it not being in the circuit and anywhere in between, you use one of the tones as a pot for the amount of cap you want in ther circuit, it works almost like a mid control or a bass presence control. I was never able to post big enough pictures here and just used the picture over there to describe it and someone tried it and posted his picture. It's the best way to go if you want both a 4003 and a 4001 in the same bass, I leave mine in different positions depending on the circumstances, amp room, other settings etc. it's pretty versatile actually. You can sometimes get too much low mid out of uncapped Rics and with this you can get a very flat response if you want. I don't know why they never tried this, it's so simple.

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Wed Jul 06, 2005 4:24 am

there are some who feel that with the capaciter that a Rickenbacker does not sound like a Rickenbacker ... but I always thought that a bass cut capaciter on a bass was a dumb idea ... a bass is supposed to have bottom ... but I must admit that my old '68 4001 with the original pickups needed the capaciter to sound good ... but rics with high gains sound better without the cap ... with modern amps and graphic eq's you can get what sound you need out of a 4003 ... also if you want more treble then put in 500k ohm volume pots in your 4001/4003 bass ...

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Wed Jul 06, 2005 4:50 am

I don't know if it's so much more treble (cause it really doesn't add any more), it gives more mid from the bridge pickup and changes the charactor of the bass.

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Wed Jul 06, 2005 5:38 am

actually it eliminates low mids and bass ... everything below a certain frequency is eliminated ... it is like a passive crossover that eliminates lows from a tweeter so you don't blow that speaker ... with the old amps, old strings, and old pickups it was hard to get a good treble bite ... the capaciter gave it to you ... but with modern equipment you can get more treble, mids or bass than you need or want ... that's why the cap was discontinued ...

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Wed Jul 06, 2005 5:40 am

but if you do want to use a cap it makes sense to be able to dail bass cut the same way your dial in treble cut on a traditional tone control ...

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Wed Jul 06, 2005 6:06 am

Hey Jeff, what was the difference in your 68 with and without the cap? I've always wondered that because I know you like uncapped Rics and I've read your saying that your 68 sounded better with the cap in several times.

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Wed Jul 06, 2005 7:15 am

my 73 and 74 4001 basses both had high gains and both sounded louder and fuller and more mids and more lows with the cap removed ... my '68 with the cap removed was like a shark without teeth ... it lacked bite ... the old steel magnet horseshoe needed the cap to come alive ... but when I put 4003 high gains in it ... wow ... it screamed ... if I had any interest in playing a 4 string bass I would have kept that bass and put 4003 high gains in it ... with the thinner and more resonate neck and the lighter bass weight and the modern high gains without the cap ... it was a joy to play ... it was like Squire on the early Yes albums ...bite, bottom and balls ... the next best thing would be my '93 4004L5 with the 1000k ohm volume pots and 15k ohm hb1 pickups ... also I believe the cap was designed to put more bite and pop into a bass with flatwound strings ... any of you flatwound guys use the cap?

edski · Post by **edski** » Wed Jul 06, 2005 7:26 am

I have never felt the need to tamper with my 4001, especially after I went to flats on it. Maybe that was the idea, Jeff.

But I rarely will use just the bridge PU on the 4001. I usually have both on and futz with the volume controls.

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Wed Jul 06, 2005 7:53 am

I've used the cap with flatwounds and believe it or not it with flats not having the top end that rounds do I got very little output from them, especially on my 72 which has the old style screw top high gain with the small magnet. I think the cap works better with round wound strings because all that brilliance still comes through at least in my experience, the bass I have the cap control in is my only bass that still has a workable cap and it had round wounds on it. I think the cap would work better with flatwound pick players also as you get that cool pick sound very prominently without a lot of the overtones, that would be a retro sound to me like Maurice Gibb, Peter Quaife, and McCartney got sometimes. I'm wondering if the new C64's have that sound as they have the cap in them and also have horseshoes.

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Wed Jul 06, 2005 8:09 am

if you have the cap in you can't isolate the bridge pickup ... because it will not sound like a bass guitar at all ...

edski · Post by **edski** » Wed Jul 06, 2005 8:15 am

One of these days I'll have to peek in and see if it's there...I've never had a doubt that my 4001 was 100% stock, but I've never felt that the bridge PU sounded so bad. Certainly needs more volume, and it is not nearly as bassy as the neck PU, but I just expect that...

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Wed Jul 06, 2005 8:56 am

Sounds like the cap's in it although when I bought my 78 Azureglo about 4 years ago the cap had been bypassed and I thought wow this bass sounds really good, haha! I didn't know until I found this forum about the cap. Without the cap the bridge pickups are a lot louder and bassier. All the years of owning 4001's I knew that there was something funny going on under the hood of these things but never knew what it was.