Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hi to all,

I'm new to this forum, and also to Ric basses, so I'm gradually learning about these wonderful guitars. Just after Christmas I picked up a nice '78 4001 in Azureglo. It's in great condition, used, but cared for, and with loads of life still in it. It came with standard roundwounds on it, so the action was a little (VERY) 'meaty' and there was quite a bit of forward bow in the neck. To compensate for this, at some point, some clown had filed heavy grooves into the bridge saddles, but so far off centre that the strings, if hit hard, would foul the bridge at the part which house the mute. So some Thomastik low tension strings, and a new set of saddles have got this beast growling again and all in all I'm very pleased. I love the way you can play all the way up the neck without extra neck width hampering access to the E beyond the 12th fret (I have small hands, and this is an issue with my Fenders), but I'm now thinking that the bridge pickup could do with some more meat. I know that the cap on the bridge pickup is part of that classic Ric sound, but I just think that the bridge pup has more to give without it. So do I clip the cap, do I leave it (the cap) in place but with a plain hookup wire in parallel to negate the cap, or should I stick a 4003 style 'vintage tone' switch on a push pull pot? The reason for the question is that I really don't want to hurt the value of the bass, as it's a nice vintage(ish) piece and all stock (I've kept the knackered saddles), but it was bought to be used, and deserves to be heard.
What's the best way to do this mod without killing the value of the guitar, as one day my kids will inherit it, and they might want to trade it in for something more useful, (like crystal meth or a fast car).

Thanks for your input. All advice, opinion, or just plain insults are gratefully received and part of the fun.

Cheers

Matt

Hi, Matt. And welcome to the forum.

Personally I'd bypass the cap with a piece of wire, leaving it in place. Without hurting the value of the bass, you can check out the difference. If you later find out you need it sometimes, I don't think the push pull pot mod will hurt the value of the bass too much. I have 4 ricks, but no caps...

Jon

Yes, bypass the cap with a jumper wire.

I third the bypass wire, simply get some mini alligator cables and once they are on just use some electrical tape over the metal tip so that when you close things up no short can occur. Easy and completely reversible.

thisismusicinc wrote:Hi, Matt. And welcome to the forum.

Personally I'd bypass the cap with a piece of wire, leaving it in place. Without hurting the value of the bass, you can check out the difference. If you later find out you need it sometimes, I don't think the push pull pot mod will hurt the value of the bass too much. I have 4 ricks, but no caps...

Jon

+1

Bypass the cap , it made a world of difference to my old 4001 .

Nice to be part of this new-found, for me, forum. I've got a late 70s 4001 bass, as well as a '66 360-12, as well as a couple of other vintage instruments. I'd concur with making the mod, as long as it's not intrusive to the basic graphic design of the instrument. The switched pot is a great idea. Long ago, on my Rics, I added a mini toggle switch, midway between the knobs & the "back end" of the pickguards, headed to the output jacks. In the bass, it's a simple mute/standby switch (shunts hot to ground, same as turning volumes down), which is truly a most useful thing to have - an instant "setting-saver"/hum/feedback mute, great both live and in studio. I put 'em in all my guitars, except a Gretsch '62 Reissue Tennessean, which already has it. In fact, Gretsch guitars gave me the idea. In the 360-12, it's a 3-way mini-toggle, with "up" being mute/standby; the center is normal, and the "down" bypasses the treble cap. I have to admit, that in the 12-string, I've used the cap bypass very little - it's such a subtle difference, & I guess I just prefer the "Ric" sound. I've actually thought of changing the switch to a simple in/out switch, as in the bass. I've not tried bypassing the pickup cap in the 4001 bass, but this commentary makes me curious. Now I wonder, should I maybe trade them... does it make more difference in the bass... make the sound a little more "generic?" There are those who are married to the sound of Fender Precisions & other classic basses, and there's no doubt that Rics have a distinct sound, which is why they're so venerated! Sir Paul & Mr. Squier taught me long ago why I needed a Ric bass! But on some sessions the flexibility would undoubtedly be useful.

Many would chastize me for even slightly "reducing the collectable value" of my "babies," but as truly beloved as they are, I work with them daily; they are still "tools" as well as gorgeous works of art, no doubt! So their extreme value to me is intrinsic, in addition to "collectable," as I have absolutely no desire to sell them. (Quite the opposite!) Graphically - the black toggle cover makes it a mini-match to the pickup switch, so it's very much in keeping with the basic design, even moreso than some of the factory changes in other models. In my Gibson electric, in all ways, I matched the design using Gibson parts; there's truly no way it could be seen as anything but a factory custom installation. Even so, if for whatever reason I ever wanted to return the Rics to pure vintage, a replacement picguard plate would be all that's needed... all else is completely vintage. That said, perhaps now I'd have gone with the switched pot idea. Either way, do the mod if you wish - it seems a recommended option, especially switchable, and you can always change it back. Cheers!