Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hi there,

Long time rabid Rick owner here but new to this forum.

I have an 81 FG 4001 that the bridge pickup is no longer working.

Can I repair or should I just replace? I have a 4003 Blue Boy that I use for the more modern sounds so I would ideally like to steer the 4001 to the more vintage vibe.

Thanks for the help.

Welcome to the forum Greg. Before you replace the pickup, make sure a wire from that pickup have not become disconnected. You might just have to solder a wire lead back to where it belongs.
Also check the condition of the pickup selector switch contacts. As well, check the contacts of the output jacks. The contacts of these components may have dirt, corrosion and / or gone out of shape and therefore cannot function properly. They can be cleaned and bent back into shape.

Greg, you also may want to post something in "winding up with the best" in this forum. Sergio is the forum pickup expert and is the moderator for that one. He fixes dead pickups also. An 81 would be around 8.5K as opposed to the modern ones at somewhere around 12K, so they'd sound different.