Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I got a dakota (and love it) but I wanted to have coil taps put in and it just so happens to be sitting in a custom shop, so I ask them about it. First they tell me they are single coils, and Im like no they are HBs, and they insisted tehy were single so I said ok. Got off the phone and emailed the guy the link to RICs web which specs read HBs, and he found someone in the shop to back that up. but now they are trying to tell me theyare only 2 lead. When I know Ive read messages from John Hall saying they are 4 lead specifically for "hot-rodding".

They are in fact 4 lead arent they? Has anyone pulled one out and looked at it?

Well that is what I told him to do. and he reluctantly oblidged.

Has anyone here seen firsthand the alleged circut board on the back of the pickup with 4 leads on it?

thanks
JP

by the way - who is John Hall?

I've read of others who've done the coil tap mod on 650 humbuckers, and for that they would have to be at least 3 wire. I'd consider doing it on my own guitar, but the pickups just refuse to move. They are stuck firm in their cutouts, and I'm afraid to try to dig them out.....

John Hall is the CEO of Rickenbacker. Haven't seen him post here in a while, but he's been active in alt.guitar.rickenbacker recently.

Cheers,
David

Just drop John Hall a short email and ask him.
He's not beyond answering a polite inquiry like that.Go for it.

What are coil taps? Well, humbucking pickups have two coils inside them, connected in series. A coil tap effectively disconnects one of the coils, to give you a single-coil sound. Another way of achieving a similar effect, while preserving some hum-cancelling ability, is to connect the two coils in parallel - for that you need 4 wires, for full access to each coil. If there are only two coming from the pickup, you can't do either of these (without dismantling the pickup); if there are three, you can do a coil-tap, but not series-parallel switching.

Cheers,
David

Rickenbacker humbucking pickup coils are side-by-side. If you dismantle the pickup, here are your 'four-wire' options: A) humbucking series as they are, B) red-red black-black two single coils paralleled, C) two single coils totally separated independently picking up strings 1-2-3, 4-5-6.

Unlike conventional humbuckers, you don't have other single coil options. This is a very unique design and is obviously an exclusive patented device. The clever feature I like is being able to send strings 1-2-3 to one amp, 4-5-6 to another.

Those Rickenbacker folks sure are crafty, eh?!

how is it possible to split strings 1-3, 4-6. Shouldnt one pair of the 4 leads be one single coil spanning all 6 strings.
and another pair of the 4 leads be the slug single coil spaning all 6 strings?
like

Neck
*------*1st HB
*------*

*------* 2nd HB
*------*
Bridge

* = indicates the end of a coil wire?

If both coils span all six strings how do you seperate the output?

JP

Excellent question! On all examples of the Rick humbucker that I have examined, the two coils do not span all six strings. They are two small coils sitting side by side like the nuts on an Almond Joy. Humbucking action is acheived in the usual way. Using your 'schematic', it looks like this:

*---**---*

Hope this is helpful.

Hmmm......just got to thinking......could the humbuckers on a Dakota be different than my samples which are the Hoffs model?? I'm assuming they are the same. Anyone know different?

so each of the 4 leads is the hot wire to 1 of the 4 "3 string single coil" pickups? and the other four wires from each 3 string single coil goes to the 5the lead/ground...?

Im pretty sure they (the Hoffs) are the same HB1s..

JP

that is interesting, I was lookin at it worng. I was thinking each PU had a ground and a hot lead and the 5th lead was just to ground the ~shield~

PS this guitar is turning out to be cooler then I ever anticipated...

oh yes and thank you Tracy..

No, you got it right. Each single coil has a hot and ground. The pickups are in series when humbucking and the fifth wire is to ground the sheild, just like you said

just so Im not thinking Im crazy, what combination of leads would give me just strings 1-3 on a single coil?
Lead 1-2 are hot/cold for one single coil pickup? (all 6 strings)

Im sorry this isnt sinking in my thick skull...

JP

In other words you got
*---^^---*
* and * would be lead 1 and 2 respectivly?
so where do the ^ abd ^ taps come in?

On the samples I have, the pickup needs to be disassembled to access the series connection, i.e. where the ^ and ^ are, and new leads 'spliced' to length.

ah, I see.
I was quite baffled how you were magicly tapping the center with leads that only connect to the ends.

Thanks for the clarification

JP

Yeah, it's a drag really as the pickups come riveted from the factory. I reassembled mine with some nice decorative screws, but the look isn't quite right. Sonically, it's worth the trouble though. Good luck!