Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hi All

can the polepiece magnets on the reissue horseshoe be adjusted? the G and E string lack the welly of the A and D string and seem further away from their magnets.

would adjusting even make a difference, as the A and D magnets are longer and presumably more powerful?

Ali

Doesn't adjusting that side up more solve? BTW, what are the diameter and lengths of the magnets, please.

You should be able to push the magnets up from behind, but you'd have to disassemble the pickup to get at the back of the coil.

John

G and E strings on opposite ends of bobbin, mate!

I shall get my vernier gauge out and give them a measure for you.

you don't reckon the windings are in direct contact with poles like on genuine early pickups then?

Al

Doubt it. RIC has been using bobbins with solid centers for quite a while now. I drilled out my bridge high gain and put in alnico5 rods. Only plastic was removed and more aroung the holes was left.

To push up the E and G magnets, you would need to get to the back of the coil bobbin to push up the magnet rods. It would take disassembling the pickup with the screws on the bottom.

I would appreciate the diameter and length of the magnets, if you could.

I could be wrong, of course, but every re-issue HS pickup I've come across so far was built the same way as a F****r pickup, in other words, you better leave the polepieces on it well alone, otherwise you'll risk damaging the coil and killing the pickup instantly. Use magnetically conductive washers (!) to make both the E and the G polepieces taller. Fit them on top of the polepieces. They can be smaller in diameter than the polepieces. To hold them securely in place, use a bit o glue. It works.

There you have it. Sergio's the man about RIC pickups!

Alistair,
any luck in "adjusting" the E and G polepieces on your re-issue HS pickup?

A re-issue HS pickup.

Back in late 2004/early 2005 I rewound one of those. Quite an impressive pickup, with lots of output, which I'm sure also had to do with the fact that the 'shoes, even though not providing gauss, somehow "re-shaped" the magnetic flux from the large polepieces. A winner.

Hi Sérgio,

the washers worked a treat, near perfect string to string balance now, thanks muchly!

The shoes do make some difference to the tone of the pickup.
If I recall correctly, the pickup sounded a smidgen less thick unshoed. (with same string to pole measurement)

I am using it with a couple of thicknesses of 3mm steel plate under the bobbin. I can't tell the difference between this and the shoed sound, apart from extra plucking positions available of course.

Hi John,

magnets are 8.0mm diameter
E and G are 10.0mm long
A and D are 11.5mm long

nice pic!

Alistair,
I'm glad my "low-tech" solution worked.

Jared,
Nice pic AND a mighty fine pickup with bags of poke!

"Hi John,

magnets are 8.0mm diameter
E and G are 10.0mm long
A and D are 11.5mm long"

Alistars, I thank you so much. Now off to find a calculator....

I'd have never thought of that. Sergio, your a genius.