Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I recently bought a used 4001v63 bass. It is a 2000 and in absolute mint condition. The neck toaster is much quieter than the horseshoe. I adjusted the neck and bridge to lower the action, lowered the horseshoe, and raised the toaster as far up as it will go. It helped a little, but not enough. The oddest thing is that when you play alone, there is not that much of a difference, but when you play with a band, the toaster completely disappears from the sound. You must use the bridge or middle position on the pickup toggle, using the neck position seems as though I've turned off the volume. Any ideas to boost the neck pickup output without surgery?

Bruce: This is a question that comes up fairly often on the Rickenbacker Forum. You have made some preliminary adjustments which seem to have done little. So if physiotherapy does not help, it is now time for some surgery. Here are some of your electives using the least restrictive model.

First Elective - Install a .0047mfd capacitor. Remove the wire that runs from the bridge pickup volume to the selector switch. Then replace this wire with the capacitor. This will result in a more vintage or trebly tonality.

Second Elective - Remove the horseshoes. Should you choose to do this you will require a spacer or standoff to replace the thickness of the "U" shaped horseshoe pieces.

Third Elective - Carefully unwind the bridge pickup. There are descriptions of how to do this in several FAQs. This requires an ohm meter and a soldering iron. The horseshoe is probably in the vicinity of 10K and you will want to unwind it to somewhere close to 8.5 K.

These are some actions that can be taken. If you don't enjoy this sort of work, then get a second opinion and hire a 4001V63 surgeon.

fourth option: put in modern high gain pickups ...

fifth option: play a 4003 with the modern pickups ...

the 4003s5's and 4003s8's have the modern high gain in the bridge and the toaster in the neck ... the modern high gain are hotter ... the re-issue horseshoe is hotter than the original horseshoe pickup ...

I am not a fan of the capaciter approach ... with the capaciter installed you can never solo the bridge pickup .... well you can but it won't sound like a bass at all ...

I am really sold on the modern high gain Ric pickups ... the ones made from 1990 to present ... the suckers are hot and nasty ... major cool tone ... they can be put into any ric bass

Jeff: Good points. The fourth option that you suggest is a reasonable one and easy to implement provided Bruce is willing to purchase a little more gear. The fifth option may also provide Bruce with a desirable outcome with the purchase of considerable more gear.

I agree that the addition of a capacitor does change the sound and the outcome may, for some, be unsavoury.

In my 4003s5 basses the toaster is quieter in volume and softer in tone than the high gain pickups ...

The hot high gain bridge and the mellower toaster is an interesting combination ....

the toaster adds a certain smoothness to the bass ...

I usually run the neck toaster volume at 9 and the bridge high gain volume at 10 ...

Maybe that toaster pickup is undergaussed. How about fitting a bar magnet under the pickup, i.e. affixing it to the six magnetic slugs, thereby increasing the magnetic strength thereof? I'm not sure there's room enough for such modification, though, unless the slugs are of the short type (flush with the bottom of the pickup bobbin). Let me in on the relevant specifics of your 4001V63, Bruce.

I know this has been discussed here before, I just couldn't find the posts. These are all great suggestions, but as far as going under the hood I think I'll skip that for now. Lowering the volume on the horseshoe in relation to the toaster makes the most sense to me . Regarding the 4003, I have one already and I thought that the volume difference might also be related to the placement of the neck pickup. The 4003 has the neck pickup closer to the bridge ( as you all probably know ) which may also give a more trebly and hence louder sound. I guess what I want to know is whether the discrepancy in my bass is normal for the model. The 2000 year models should have the 7.4 toaster which might account for the reduced output compared to the horseshoe. Anyone know if the basses are fitted with the 7.4, or just guitars?

If you can find a ceramic bar type magnet off a older Gibson humbucking pick-up, that will do nicely. As Sergio mentioned, it greatly increases the magnetic strength of the pickup and works well. The magnets should be placed so that they attract to each other and then you can put a little dab of hot glue to secure them together.
I've done this myself to one of my basses and was happy with the results.

And then there is a sixth option - live with it!

I certainly understand wanting to balance out the two outputs, but to my ear this is one of the things that make the v63's sounds so good. I find that when blended, the two pickups sound fantastic together. Greater than the sum of the parts. The horshoe is MUCH hotter, but the neck pickup mellows it out and gives it a slightly warmer, smoother tone. True, I never solo the neck pickup and generally run both pickups on, but when in need of a quick, on the fly, boost (and bite) I solo the bridge pickup. Whoa - watch out! I find this very useful.

Just my opinion, of course.

Tim

Another option to tame treble pickups is to install a .001 cap inbetween the in and out legs on the volume pot. When the volume is full up .. nothing happens but as the volume is turned down some treble frequencies are retained in the sound. When both pickups are selected and the volume is slightly reduced you will find a sudden sweet spot in the sound (try saying that with a mouth full of marbles)
Note that this sound is not quite the same as fitting the .0047 cap in series with the pickup (although there is some of the same character) and you can still get the full sustained clang of the treble pickup just by turning the volume back up.
Just another option, from another uninformed opinion!

Bar magnets on humbuckers are not entirely suitable for our purposes. Why? Because what you need is a bar magnet that's 'active' on its top and bottom faces rather than on its side faces. The magnet on a 4003 bass high-gain pickup, for instance, is perfect for adding gauss to the six slugs on a 'toaster' pickup in the manner Jon suggests. Providing the slugs are of the short type, that is. If they are of the long type (=protruding from the bottom of the pickup bobbin) a different approach is required.

Peter, What about placing the .047 capacitor in the neck pickup? I believe that is what gives my '73 4001 (with early high gain) such a clangy, trebly tone. Reading this thread has made me think of installing a .0047mfd capacitor on the neck pu. of my V63...

My, my, you really are coming up with some outlandish ideas for modifying your 4001...

OK OK I'm just thinking out loud here, OK? But seriously, I thought that the mod to the 047 cap would make the neck pickup behave a bit more nicely(depending on your point of view). My '73 has a really clangy, trebly, trebly neck pu, and it is one of the first high gains (not toaster). It has a real Squireish sort of tone to it, and I love it, so that is where I got the idea....

The bass pickup on my June 1974 4001 is quite clangy too, which is due to a lower ohm rating, not to a .0047 cap being installed in line with the pickup.
It doesn't make any sense fitting a .0047 cap in line with the neck p.u. on a 4001/4003 - you'll lose the low frequencies. If you want the neck p.u. on your V63 to sound like the one on your '73 4001, I think a bit of unwinding is in order. Can you measure the neck p.u. ohm rating on your '73 4001? I'll be sure to let you know that very figure for my 1974 4001.