Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I just received two '73 basses, and was a little surprised to find that the bridge pickups look different even though they're two months apart. The May '73 (the one I'm more confident was never altered) has polepieces that look like flathead screws, whereas the July '73 bridge pickup looks normal to me. I've heard mention of '70s pickups with screw-tops, so is this what is meant by that? Could that have been stock on a May '73 bass?

I can try to take pictures of the pickup, but I just reinstalled the pickup cover, so it'll be a small project.

Well, I'm sure the answer is "Yes" - the treble pickup on your May 73 4001 sounds period-accurate to me. Ditto for the one on the July 73 4001.

Thanks as usual. I'm always learning here, it's great.