Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I'm the original owner of a 1973 model 4001. Someone has questioned whether the bridge pickup is stock. Here are a couple of photos. What do you think? Let me know if you want more or different views. I have no reason to think it isn't stock, but I'm told mine is larger than normal. (OK, hold the jokes!) Thanks.

It looks right to me. Perhaps a shot from the side minus the shroud. Have a look at my thread, ( pickup ohm magnet question ) there are some pic's there for ref. I think the slot head pole pieces were phased out in early 73, could be wrong though.

This bass is from May of 73. Here's another pic:

That's a stock '73 pu. It's a rare'ish version of the early hi-gain that had screw-top poles and a large magnet for only part of that year.

Non-adjustable screw-top poles, I would add. You'll shred the wire wraps if you turn them.

That looks pretty much just like the one from my April '73. The aluminum baseplate is the same shape as mine, but yours does seem to take up a bit more of the cavity length-wise than does mine. Apparently these were all machined by hand, so some variability is to be expected. I believe Ronbo has one from the same era with a differently-shaped baseplate (more squared?).

Non-adjustable screw-top poles

Good point!

Yeah, I have one sitting on my desk that looks exactly like this one.

Thanks for the confirmation & info about the pickup.

Whats the internal distance between the top and bottom coil plates, high gains were slightly taller.

The one I have is 3/8.

Yes, not got mine to hand but I think my 73 7.3K is around 5/16ths.
Below is my May 72 which is proving odd at 12.5K, although everything else is the same as yours, slothead poles and same print font ally plate.

Seans wrote:Whats the internal distance between the top and bottom coil plates, high gains were slightly taller.

Sorry, I just put it back together & I'm not in the mood to dissemble it again!

Looks good and original anyway, keep on enjoying the bass.

No probs.
This is the uber-bass.
"One bass to rule them all . . . "

FretlessOnly wrote:Non-adjustable screw-top poles, I would add. You'll shred the wire wraps if you turn them.

I wish this forum had been around 30+ years ago so I wouldn't have had to learn that the hard way

But after all this time with a (breathe it softly) non-Rick pickup, I now have a horseshoe on order!

Man that's a drag, Bill - even if it was years ago. When I got my '73 I looked at the poles and thought "those just have to be adjustable; why else would they use slotted domed screws?" But I remembered reading a few threads here about how in the past few years the poles were finally made adjustable, so I decided to ask here before I monkeyed with them. Never hurts to ask!