Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I've replaced my 2008 4003 neck pup with a Ric humbucker. Original doesn't work and never did from new.
I've also reversed the bridge pup wiring and now have a great balance but still not quite happy with the tone and amount of hum.
Absolutely love the toaster in my s5 and thought of getting a toaster for the 4 string but saw the Jo Barden's which boast no hum or tone loss.
Your opinions please.
Cheers,
Pete

my 81 4001s had a dead treble p/u when i bought it new. i informed RIC and they replaced the unit in a timely fashion with exchange. why didn't you send yours in ?

Sounds like that ship has sailed Ron, he's looking for a different sound.

Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe current CS policy is that the entire instrument must be sent back.

And from Western Australia . . . yikes!

Assuming the hum is purely pickup-related, and not due to any wiring issue, the culprit is the treble pickup, as it is a single-coil, and these are always noisy relative to humbuckers. You would need to replace it with a humbucker in order to eliminate the issue. I would suggest getting another HB1 as the "low cost" and "minimum effort" option, but as you seem to be unhappy with the tone of the HB1, the Bardens may be worth a shot. Bartolini also make replacement humbuckers that have had good reviews. The reviews on the Seymour Duncan humbuckers have been a lot less flattering.

For a more informed discussion re HB1s v Bardens by check out this thread.

Thanks for your help Guys.
Rant about to start!
If I didn't love at least 80% of a Rickenbacker Bass, I would not persue anything Rickenbacker whilst living in Australia, let alone Western Australia.
In 2008, there were no Ric Dealers here and a 2 year waiting list for orders placed with the Asian Dealer.
Luckily my friend in USA was coming home to visit and he purchased my Jetglo (sight unseen) for me in Atlanta.
Several problems and lots of unanswered emails to Rickenbacker Corp. later led me to realise that I should stop banging my head.

Yesterday, I tried purchasing a toaster from the Ric Boutique. No deliveries to Australia.
I then purchased and paid for a toaster from Music Zoo including $41.50 postage, only to have it refunded this morning with a note saying "due to our relationship with Rickenbacker, we cannot sell outside USA".
As far as I know, there is one store here who have 2 x new 4003's for sale for $3,500 each. He has never heard of a 4003s5 and says parts are un-obtainable. If this determines him as a Dealer......then????
At this stage, the only new toaster I can get is from an Ebay store in England!!!!!!!
So hopefully you can understand being a Ric lover in WA can be frustrating at times.
Rant over.

Thankfully now I've found this forum to get valued advice.

No close friends or relatives in the US to get the parts you need?

I'm located in Melbourne, and have purchased numerous items on numerous occasions from Pick Of The Ricks, including a vintage-style case for one of my 4001V63s.

BAD RONBO, KiLLeR DWaRfS wrote:my 81 4001s had a dead treble p/u when i bought it new. i informed RIC and they replaced the unit in a timely fashion with exchange. why didn't you send yours in ?

Because he lives in Western Australia and we are not covered by the warranty.

Tigger wrote:I'm located in Melbourne, and have purchased numerous items on numerous occasions from Pick Of The Ricks, including a vintage-style case for one of my 4001V63s.

Cheers but they are currently out of stock

I made my 1995 4003S look like a single pickup 4000 by taking out the neck pickup and knobs as well as the toggle switch. I had a new pickguard cut out tracing the original to cover up the route. I had a Joe Barden bridge pickup installed. No buzz and it still sounds like a RIC.

How about a pic James? Is the Barden a sinle coil or HB?

ken_j wrote:How about a pic James? Is the Barden a sinle coil or HB?

Humbucker.

I like it.

MusicScholar wrote:

ken_j wrote:How about a pic James? Is the Barden a sinle coil or HB?

Humbucker.

I should have done that with my '91 4003S and my magnetic shoe bridge pup.......