Question about Rick-o-sound

billy_sacco · Post by **billy_sacco** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 3:09 am

Sorry to start another thread but I did not know if anyone would even look at the old one. Well I got the Rick-o-sound box from rick and I just want to know if maybe I am confused. I thought that what the box did was split the signal from each pickup so only the neck pickup would play through one amp and then only the bridge pickup would play through the other amp. Mine does not seem to be working this way. On either output both pickups can be heard. Is this the way it is supposed to work? Thanks.

ken_j · Post by **ken_j** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 4:25 am

It is supposed to work as you described it, not as it is working.

billy_sacco · Post by **billy_sacco** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 4:48 am

So is the bass maybe wired wrong? Just weird.

rickinroma · Post by **rickinroma** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 5:43 am

Stupid question: are you using the Rick-o-sound input in your bass?

billy_sacco · Post by **billy_sacco** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 6:06 am

Yeah I opened it up to be sure and I am plugging into the stereo jack on the bass. I printed out the wiring schematic and will go over the bass tonight but everything looked fine when I had opened up the bass and looked at it.

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 7:32 am

There is another person here who has or had the same problem, every bass I've ever tried worked fine with ric-o-sound. Those jacks inside the bass can short easily, check that, see if it works correctly with the jacks out of the holes in the body. Move the pins around with them outside of the body, is probably one of the jacks.

billy_sacco · Post by **billy_sacco** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 8:33 am

Thanks Bob I will take a look at that tonight and let you guys know.

soundmasterg · Post by **soundmasterg** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 4:48 pm

I've had this same problem with a RIC copy I made for myself. According to Mark Arnquist, something on the mono jack is shorting out or is wired incorrectly when it does this. I haven't opened my bass back up yet to check it but plan to do so in the future. In my case I used a standard RIC harness, but I made my bass slightly thinner than a stock 4001/3, and also added a switch to switch the bass cut cap in and out of the bridge pickup, and I think that is somehow shorting out the jack as there isn't much room. In the case of mine, if I loosen the screws and lift the pickguard out about 1/8", it works correctly. Yours may just be miswired...but you'll have to check it out.

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 6:04 pm

There is a set of contacts on the mono jack that close when a jack is plugged in, these make the bass mono, the arm may be bent on it keeping it closed all the time, that would be my best guess. The Rics are in a stereo state all the time until a jack is plugged into the mono jack. The holes in the side of the body where the jacks are are pretty small and can cause trouble if you are not careful putting them back in.
Greg you are the one I was thinking of, I had forgotten your's was a copy.

soundmasterg · Post by **soundmasterg** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 10:20 pm

Yeah, I did such a good job on it Bob, no one can tell.

One of these days I'll fix it, but its my only bass right now and functionality matters more than having stereo capability. It works fine as it is right now in mono mode. On mine I think the mono jack is shorting against the cap switch I added, but not sure.

billy_sacco · Post by **billy_sacco** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 3:35 am

Yeah I think your right bob. I took a lool at everything and followed the schematic and everything appeared to be wired correctly but the white plastic piece on the mono jack looked a little jacked up. I guess after 21 years that might happen. So yeah I guess I will just order the jack and put in new jacks. Thanks all for your help I would have never really guessed it was that piece.

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 7:56 pm

Make sure the contacts are separated with no jack plugged in and that they do touch with a jack plugged in, do this with the jacks out of the bass. I've had them apart over the years and sometimes had that same problem after putting them together again and it was usually the mono jack contacts being pressed together that caused it. You can usually fix it by bending them apart unless they are really pitted or bent.