Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I just got a 76 4001. The neck pup is much louder than the bridge pup. The bridge pup has hardly any output. Is it the pup itself, ot maybe in the bridge volume pot?
Also, the input jack is very noisey when insturment cable is plugged in(crackling noise).
Where is the best place to buy new pups and jacks?

RIC and Pick of the Ricks are two I've dealt with in the past. Excellent service from both sources, & the product is top quality.
There is apparently no stock of the chrome parts at the moment due to a change in platers, but that should be only temporary.

There are sources here who rewind old pickups, so that's probably a better route to take if needed.

Thanks Kevin!

Have you checked to see if the .00047 cap has been bypassed or removed? (I'm not even sure your bass would have one, but that seems the obvious question to me at the moment..)

Before you do anything drastic, check the basics like the wiring, switch, and jacks. All of these things can make problems for you but are easy to fix. 99% of problems like you describe can be fixed by tending to the basics.

Norris, try posting on the "Winding Up With The Best" category, where master Pickup Artist Sergio Silva can give you his wisdom.

Will do Mark. I did visually check all of the solders and wiring which all look original
Mine does have the .00047 cap. What happens if I bypass it?

That is .0047 and your bass will develop a set of balls if you shut it out.

Here I am. Well, Norris, if the treble pickup on your '76 4001 has hardly any output, it can only mean there's something wrong with it, not with the "much-maligned treble-pass capacitor" in line therewith. I think a rewind is in order. I have a February '76 4001. The treble pickup on it was toast when I bought the bass 17 years ago, so I made a new, much hotter one to replace it. Even through the treble-pass capacitor, it is hotter than the (original) bass one. Meaning you should leave the cap well alone - if you you care for the true Rick tone (I'm not ducking for cover this time!) and have your defective pickup rewound or replaced with a modern treble high-gain. Cheers.

Those 70's bridge pickups tend to fail often from what I've seen. Maybe they were wound too tight? I had a '73 4001 with a dead bridge pickup. I sent it to Tom Jones from TVJones guitars when he was still in the LA area about 10 years ago, and he rewound it for me and did a very nice job. It ended up being about 9.5k, which isn't as hot as the modern 4003 versions, but it was scatterwound and was more aggressive sounding as a result. I would have kept the pickup and put something else in but when I sold the bass, the buyer wanted that pickup. I'm sure Sergio could hook you up if you pickup is dead. You can check your pickup easily if you have a multimeter.

Hooray for the cap, Sergio!!!!

YEAH!
A local guy who bought my March '86 4003 about a year ago (after I modded it with a set of my own pickups and "4001 wiring") described that particular Rick as "a mean treble & bass machine with untameable power".

And if you do choose a rewind, Sergio can make your pickup behave exactly the way you want it: 1970's stock, current stock higain, super-hot, etc. while maintaining the originality of the bass.
I've got one of his rewinds in the neck position of my '77 4001 & it's just the ticket.

Sergio is "fixin' me up"
Thanks Guys!

You won't be disappointed!