Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Don't look if you're having dinner / breakfast (depending on your time zone..)

We could say the same about Roger waters' or Jon Camp's Rics. But we don't.

Why did so many people want a Fender pickup there? My guess is the bass-cut capacitor made players think the original Ric pickups didn't have bottom end. They wanted a Ric that looks like a Ric and plays like a Ric but sounds like a bass.

Somehow you don't see many post-'85 Rics routed for a Gibson Sidewinder or a P split pickup.

I've got one that is... well, not quite as bad as that although I will need to replace wood under where the badass went and in the neck route as well. It seems that someone extended the route with a screwdriver.. and a phillips one at that! Mine does not have a funky P bass route as well though.
I do have some trouble with the people who got a rickenbacker only to try to convert it to a P bass. The P is a fine instrument and afforadable enough to have without chopping a rick!
emac.

At least its poor, slaughtered old carcass appears to come with a jackplate/toe tag so it can be identified. Good thing it comes with the wrong bridge and the wrong pickup and the wrong knobs.

ilan wrote: My guess is the bass-cut capacitor made players think the original Ric pickups didn't have bottom end. They wanted a Ric that looks like a Ric and plays like a Ric but sounds like a bass.

Somehow you don't see many post-'85 Rics routed for a Gibson Sidewinder or a P split pickup.

Good point about the post-'85 Rick basses, Ilan. It's true.

weemac wrote:I do have some trouble with the people who got a rickenbacker only to try to convert it to a P bass. The P is a fine instrument and afforadable enough to have without chopping a rick!
emac.

Not that I agree with this type of butchery, Eden but I can understand where the guy was coming from. As Ilan said above...The guy must have loved the way his Rick played, loved the neck, loved the balance, loved the look, but hated the tone.

A P-Bass is a different animal altogether and may not have been a good substitute. Maybe he loved the way a P-bass sounded but hated its neck, the way it balanced, the way it looked, etc.

Like I said...I don't agree with this level of butchery, but if you really love certain elements of your Bass but just a few things about it bug you, I see no problem in changing those few elements. But for me that would be things like...get the bridge saddles to work, remove the pickup cover, bypass the bass-cut capacitor...

Gotta love those knobs, BTW!

ilan wrote:
Why did so many people want a Fender pickup there? My guess is the bass-cut capacitor made players think the original Ric pickups didn't have bottom end. They wanted a Ric that looks like a Ric and plays like a Ric but sounds like a bass.

I'll bet they didn't bypass the cap when installing the Fender pickup and therefore still lacked the bottom of the P-bass.

ricosound wrote:

ilan wrote:
Why did so many people want a Fender pickup there? My guess is the bass-cut capacitor made players think the original Ric pickups didn't have bottom end. They wanted a Ric that looks like a Ric and plays like a Ric but sounds like a bass.

I'll bet they didn't bypass the cap when installing the Fender pickup and therefore still lacked the bottom of the P-bass.

Thereafter, they gave up and bought a different bass, now we have to deal with these poor things.

ricosound wrote:I'll bet they didn't bypass the cap when installing the Fender pickup and therefore still lacked the bottom of the P-bass.

But in this case, the P-bass pickup was installed in the neck position. And the neck pickup on a 4001 wasn't the one that was drained by the bass-cut capacitor.

rickaddict wrote:

ricosound wrote:I'll bet they didn't bypass the cap when installing the Fender pickup and therefore still lacked the bottom of the P-bass.

But in this case, the P-bass pickup was installed in the neck position. And the neck pickup on a 4001 wasn't the one that was drained by the bass-cut capacitor.

...true enough. I guess this argument only applies when people put Jazz pickups and Seymour Duncans in the bridge position. Bartolinis and Alembics seem to be an acceptable upgrade around here for some reason. Back to the original point, if you want a p-bass sound buy a Fender.

ricosound wrote:

rickaddict wrote:

ricosound wrote:I'll bet they didn't bypass the cap when installing the Fender pickup and therefore still lacked the bottom of the P-bass.

But in this case, the P-bass pickup was installed in the neck position. And the neck pickup on a 4001 wasn't the one that was drained by the bass-cut capacitor.

...true enough. I guess this argument only applies when people put Jazz pickups and Seymour Duncans in the bridge position. Bartolinis and Alembics seem to be an acceptable upgrade around here for some reason. Back to the original point, if you want a p-bass sound buy a Fender.

I don't know about the Bart's, but my Alembic's are drop in replacements, NO routing, nothing! Even the chrome bridge pickup cover fits over the pickup.
I'm working on getting a toaster cover to cover the neck pickup next. The only way to know is isn't a stock RIC is by the knob configuration.

At least the jack plate is still on it.

Why is the strap button off-center by the bridge? Was it redone?

myfretless wrote:At least the jack plate is still on it.

Why is the strap button off-center by the bridge? Was it redone?

It either stripped out or they put a different style in.