Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I'm thinking about purchasing a C64 4001 and converting into a 4000. Has anyone here done this or something similar?

I could buy a repro 4000 pick guard, a tone (a push/pull with the 0.047 cap) and volume pot, and input jack, and leave the stock electronics as is, if I ever want to put it back to stock condition.

I really like the 4000 look, and think the reverse headstock would be killer.

I've seen vintage 4000 going for silly money, much more than I'd spend. This would be a nice compromise - plus it would have the coveted horseshoe.

aceonbass wrote:I've never seen anyone do it. I mean, you could get the same effect by just playing your bridge pickup (which by the way, didn't use the .0047 bass cut cap on 4000's). Cosmetically it's be easy to. I think more 4000's have been converted to 4001's that the other way around though.

Which is why the 4000 is so rare and desirable. There are so few "pure" examples out there. The tone aspect is but one consideration for wanting this fine instrument.

Like others, I've converted my 4000 into a 4001S. However, I kept all the parts so I could go back again if I wanted.

There's a big differnene in sound though when a set neck is involved, so unless you're starting with a set neck body, it's best just to close your eyes and play on the bridge pickup as mentioned

Why would you want the cap on a single pickup bass?

iamthebassman wrote:Why would you want the cap on a single pickup bass?

I think he probably assumed that all 4000 series basses had them back in the day.

aceonbass wrote:

iamthebassman wrote:Why would you want the cap on a single pickup bass?

I think he probably assumed that all 4000 series basses had them back in the day.

Yikes! That would be a dinky sounding bass.

Even if it is out of circuit, the neck pickup does make a bit of difference to the sound of a 4001/3. The neck pickup has a slight dampening effect on the strings due to its magnetic field.

I was considering doing the same mod to my V63 (which has no cap) as my 4000 is out of commission for several months. Sadly, too many other things have been going on to get this on foot...

I would get a new harness made (single V and T and jack - no cap) as well as a new 'guard. That way you will only need to break one solder joint, and the process of reversion to 4001 spec will be massively simplified.

Another thing to consider is that the 4000 sounds best with the original single pole pickup as supplied standard IMHO. Mine sounded great like that. For a while before I converted it to a 4001S, I had a re-issue horseshoe in there. It was way too hot for the bass, and I lost a lot of the warm tones I had been getting with the original pickup in there. I found that it needed the neck pickup added to get the balance back.

antipodean wrote:Even if it is out of circuit, the neck pickup does make a bit of difference to the sound of a 4001/3. The neck pickup has a slight dampening effect on the strings due to its magnetic field.

I was considering doing the same mod to my V63 (which has no cap) as my 4000 is out of commission for several months. Sadly, too many other things have been going on to get this on foot...

I would get a new harness made (single V and T and jack - no cap) as well as a new 'guard. That way you will only need to break one solder joint, and the process of reversion to 4001 spec will be massively simplified.

That's the mod I have in mind.