As it came from the factory, the 350SH has a single humbucker in the bridge position and two toasters in the middle and neck positions.
Susanna's own Ricks have what looks like three humbuckers, but I've heard that they're really just humbucker tops stuck on Stratocaster single coil pickups. She's also swapped out the three-way toggle switch for a Strat-type 3-way or 5-way selector switch.
Anyone know for certain? What brand pickups are under those humbucker tops? And how is the switch wired?
Re: Susanna Hoffs' Pickups
Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2011 10:12 pm
by LenMinNJ
Now are those great pickups, or what?
Re: Susanna Hoffs' Pickups
Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2011 10:36 pm
by johnhall
The earliest versions of her guitar did have some different pickups of unknown origin in them; this was in the time period that the HB1 was being designed. However, these were later replaced with the standard HB1 pickups as they became available.
Sorry, but I don't remember at all how the pickups were connected or even if it was different than our standard 3 pickup harness.
by Scott Jennings (route66guitars) ยป Mon Jan 26, 2004 2:18 pm
I found this posting in the archives, and several more recent references to Susanna Hoffs' modified Rickenbacker 350SH models. I thought I should clear this up.
Not long after Susanna got the guitars her guitar tech convinced her to switch to EMG pickups. My in-house repair man did the modification on this instrument, which includes three EMG SA (Stratocaster) pickups under Rickenbacker humbucking covers and a replacement pickguard with a 5 way Strat switch. The guitar sounded great this way, although I do not recommend the necessary routing and epoxy required to do this mod...
Mystery solved.
Well, that's pretty interesting. I wonder if that's what she's still playing?
Re: Susanna Hoffs' Pickups
Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2011 12:15 pm
by JakeK
This solves the mystery. I always thought it was 3 HB1 pickups with a 5 way switch, but I guess it's different pickups. I would assume she's still playing it this way.
For some odd reason, shortly after the guitar was introduced, Sue played this really odd hollowbody Telecaster of some sort on Saturday Night Live in 1988. Probably had the sound she wanted that she believed she couldn't get from her signature model with stock pickups.
Re: Susanna Hoffs' Pickups
Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2011 1:49 am
by Ain'tGotNoPokemon
I don't know about you guys, but the first thing I noticed about that picture wasn't the pickups.
Re: Susanna Hoffs' Pickups
Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2011 8:22 am
by weemac
Ain'tGotNoPokemon wrote:I don't know about you guys, but the first thing I noticed about that picture wasn't the pickups.
It was the holdups wasn't it!
emac.
Re: Susanna Hoffs' Pickups
Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2011 1:18 pm
by jingle_jangle
I think she picked up Aitch once...
Re: Susanna Hoffs' Pickups
Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2011 10:22 pm
by antipodean
jingle_jangle wrote:I think she picked up Aitch once...
...in one of Aitch's dreams...
Re: Susanna Hoffs' Pickups
Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2011 2:24 am
by cjj
jingle_jangle wrote:I think she picked up Aitch once...
