Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I thought I would post this here ... somebody asked me this question ...

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Hi Jeff, quick question for you. Will highgains drop right into a 4004 or are they slightly larger?

I'd like to try 2 neck high gains in my 4004 but dont want to modify it. I have a source that can gold plate the surrounds for me if I like the tone.

I just really have a tough time going with the HB tone. Mine are very powerful, and have a real "dark" tone.

Love the bass, just stuck on the 4003 tone I guess.
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I have a 4004L that I tried many pickups in ... hb1, toasters, high gains and other pickups ... the high gain pickup will fit in the 4004 body perfectly ... there are couple things to keep in mind ... the 4003 neck high gain is set up for a machine screw ... the 4004 hb1 pickup is set up for a wood screw so you either have to change the aluminum base plate or use a smaller screw to hold the pickup in place ... next the 4004 has 500k ohm pots if you put in single coils then they will be too bright and harsh I suggest you use 250k ohm pots ... I tried this setup on a 4004 and even with the 250k ohm pots the 4004 is brighter than a 4003 when both have single coil pickups ...

What I finally chose for my 4004L5 was the Ric hb1 pickups with 1000k ohm pots this gives the bass a real treble bite and a cold early Yes sound ... on my 4004CI-5 I use 2 hb1 pickups with 500k ohm pots in a volume, volume, tone arrangement ... the CI has a warmer tone and a nice growl ...

here is a link to see the 4004L http://www.3dentourage.com/425/93-4004L-5.htm

here is a link to see the 4004C http://www.3dentourage.com/425/98-4004ci5.htm

What does a toaster look like without the cover??

Will a toaster pup fit in a Humbucker cover??

'Will a toaster pickup fit in a humbucker cover?'. Definitely. Actually, humbucker cover = high-gain cover.

here is a toaster with a high gain / hb cover ...

Has anybody else tried Higains in a 4004?

I have a 4003/4004 hybrid project that may start, and just wondering how much of the 4003 higain sound is due to the massive great hole in the body, and all that heavy duty mounting hardware! I've done a couple of bridge position higain mods, whereby I shove a chrome cover on top (yes it fits) and remove the huge baseplate, and replace it with a brass or ali baseplate that is the same footprint as the cover, and one of these may go into the new project, with the body filled and re-routed in 4004 style.

VC