Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

OK, I finished the mods to my 4004Cii and I guess it's time to unveil it in its current incarnation. I probably got a bit carried away, as us techno-nerds are well known for doing. It's got way too many options now, some of which I haven't really fully explored, but it was fun to do.

I'll start with a simple description of the mods first, then, maybe tomorrow, I'll add some pictures. First, a couple pics of how it looked originally: OK, now for the list of modifications.

First, I added the stacked knob V/T V/T mod. I really think this mod adds a lot to the tonal versatility of the 4004. But no, I couldn't be satisfied with just that.

I've run stereo with 2 amps for 30 some years, I just couldn't get used to only a single channel. So, I added a stereo jack. Now I can run in split pickup Ric-O-Sound mode or the Standard.

But wait! There's MORE!!!

As long as I was messing around in there, I figured changing the tone circuit a little would be interesting. So, I decided that the 4002 tone circuit might be interesting. This adds a capacitor in series with each pickup kind of like the treble pickup on a 4001/4003, but a bit differently.

Of course, the idea that RIC had with the "Vintage Tone Switch" seemed really appealing too, giving the ability to select whether you want the circuit or not. So, I added a switch for each pickup to select the cap or bypass it for standard 4004 tone.

Well, that's probably enough mods, right? No way, there's still MORE!!!

Hey, these Humbucking pickups are said to sound similar to toasters if you run them in single coil mode by grounding the tap between the two coils. So why not? That might be interesting! So, I added a switch for each pickup to allow them to be run in single coil or humbucker mode.

Yep, that's right, we've got:
- Stacked knob V/T V/T
- Ric-O-Sound or Standard output
- Standard or Vintage 4002 tone circuit for each pickup
- Selectable single coil or dual hum bucking coil mode for each pickup

The only thing left would be to make it a 5 STRING!!!

Well, sorry. That hasn't happened... Yet....

Great set of mods for versatility. Just doing the v/v/v/t mod to my LK gave me a nice range of tonal options so I cam only imagine what you have going on now!

Any chance you can post some audio to go along with the pictures? I would love to hear the coil tap and 4002 mods.

I'm not sure I have any way to make or post recordings just now. If I can figure out how, I'll give it a try.

should be interesting to hear how the coil taps work,esp,since you can use them individually....plug that sucker in and send in your report!

If I only had a brain ,I would do coil taps too.

VRICKY63 wrote:If I only had a brain ,I would do coil taps too.

Rick, where the black/clear wired are joined in the cavity, wire that to a switch with the other side of the switch to ground.

http://www.rickenbacker.com/pdfs/19521-HB1%20Wiring.pdf

Well, I finally got around to doing a bit more on this, no pictures yet, but I did get the schematic into a digital format. So, for anyone interested in what the wiring looks like, here it is: Hmm, well, that's not the clearest picture. The original is a PNG file, I guess turning it into a JPG and shrinking to fit on RRF messed it up a bit, but I think it's mostly readable...

I'd consider experimenting with a bypass of the 0.1 caps. iiipopes did it to his 4002 and it helped the tone out a lot (did it to the neck pickup but in your case... I'd do the bridge pickup).

Wow, now THAT IS JUST OUTRIGHT SEXY! LOL

WOOF!

Cold shower time!

cassius987 wrote:I'd consider experimenting with a bypass of the 0.1 caps. iiipopes did it to his 4002 and it helped the tone out a lot (did it to the neck pickup but in your case... I'd do the bridge pickup).

Well, bypassing the 0.1uF caps wouldn't accomplish much since those are the main tone control caps. Perhaps you're meaning bypassing the 0.01uF caps that are in series with the pickups (similar to the 0.047uF in the 4003 that the vintage push/pull bypasses). If that's the case, as the schematic shows, I've already got switches to bypass those...

And as for sexy, well us nerds are easily amused...


Just wait until get pictures of the new wiring and all those switches!

i just finally got my cii re-wired vvt yesterday,in the process,my luthier said there was a huge amount of excess wiring,and he may have changed the wiring for the tone capacitor. i have noticed that besides being delighted to be able to blend the volumes,the tone control seems to have a smooth even taper,and in the completely rolled off position,sounds less nasal/midrangey.....also he added interior cavity shielding,which i had not noticed a need for before,but am sure it probably doesn't hurt.....in fact the bass sounds really great now.

cjj wrote:

cassius987 wrote:I'd consider experimenting with a bypass of the 0.1 caps. iiipopes did it to his 4002 and it helped the tone out a lot (did it to the neck pickup but in your case... I'd do the bridge pickup).

Well, bypassing the 0.1uF caps wouldn't accomplish much since those are the main tone control caps. Perhaps you're meaning bypassing the 0.01uF caps that are in series with the pickups (similar to the 0.047uF in the 4003 that the vintage push/pull bypasses). If that's the case, as the schematic shows, I've already got switches to bypass those...

Well... I seem to recall he bypassed the 0.1, not the 0.01. You can ask him yourself if you like, or I'll try to find it for you.

Either way that mod made a big difference in the tone.

I would REALLY like to see some pictures of this bass so I can get an idea how many switches, etc., are visible, and what is push-pull.

Ok, I took some ****** pictures, sorry for the quality, I need to work on some lighting and use a tripod...

First the "Full Frontal" And a bit of a closer view of the front: Now, due to the thickness of the stacked pots, there's just no way to put a push/pull type in there (assuming you could even find a stacked pot with a push/pull switch). Yeah, 5 switches is a totally techno-nerd thing to do, and in reality, probably unnecessary, but I'm havin' fun makin' mods here. I've got 5 switches to put somewhere, what to do, what to do?

First, when I make mods, I really hate to do anything that a) detracts from the original looks of an instrument, and b) isn't reasonably reversible. So There's really only one place left: With a little black paint, it'd be really hard to see. Here's a bit closer:

And even closer, sorry for the fuzziness. I'll try to get a better one when I open it up to get a shot of the wiring, maybe this evening...