rickosound problem

[calvin_tsh]

Hello folks

this is my first post here, so thank you for having me!
i have a problem with a 2011 4003, that i was wondering if any of you may have had, or could help me diagnose.
the bass works fine when plugged in to the standard input jack, but if i try and use the rickosound input, i only have signal from the bridge pickup, and the neck pickup is dead. if i pull the input jack out a fraction, it works as normal.
i've opened up and don't see any signs of loose or disconnected wiring. the input jacks both look as they should, so i'm more than a little confused.
any help would be appreciated.
again, thank you for welcoming me to your board!

[rickyfricky]

Welcome to the RRF, Calvin!

Are you using a stereo guitar cable when you try Rick-O-Sound?

If not, you can purchase one from Pick of the Ricks.

[calvin_tsh]

no, a standard guitar cable. does it need to be stereo for it to work for both pick ups?

[cjj]

Yup. has to be stereo, and only use the Rick-O-Sound output. Rick-O-Sound puts each pickup on a separate channel of the stereo cable...

[jps]

no, a standard guitar cable. does it need to be stereo for it to work for both pick ups?

Yes. The ROS jack is a TRS jack that requires a three conductor stereo cable to allow for the two separate outputs, one from each pickup.

[calvin_tsh]

ahhhh all makes sense now!
thank you very much!

[rickyfricky]

This works great. (No affiliation)

[AndyM]

all the responses are correct. Nobody quite directly explain why. Plugging a mono plug into the stereo ROS jack will make a short circuit on the neck pickup, hence you only hear the bridge PUP by plugging a mono plug into a stereo jack.

[mrbassman54]

I'm new here also, thank you for having me onboard.

Is it possible to use the ROS jack with a stereo to mono adapter? Wondering if that's possible. My 4003 has a mono jack that "acts up" sometimes. Does it with 3 different chords, so I know it's not that. I need to get it to Ric for repair (warranty), but was wondering about the ROS jack as a backup.

Thank You

[Seans]

I'm new here also, thank you for having me onboard.

Is it possible to use the ROS jack with a stereo to mono adapter? Wondering if that's possible. My 4003 has a mono jack that "acts up" sometimes. Does it with 3 different chords, so I know it's not that. I need to get it to Ric for repair (warranty), but was wondering about the ROS jack as a backup.

Thank You

Welcome Ken,

Sounds like either your mono socket has twisted? or the switch contact on the jack is not connecting properly and needs cleaning, Deoxit or Carbon Tet.

[cjj]

The "Standard" mono jack just has a switch in it that, when a plug is inserted shorts both of the pickup channels together. So, yes, a stereo to mono adapter will do the same thing when plugged into the Rick-O-Sound stereo jack.

But, as Seans said, it's likely that there's a problem with the switch and it needs to be cleaned or repositioned to make sure it works properly...

[johnallg]

The "Standard" mono jack just has a switch in it that, when a plug is inserted shorts both of the pickup channels together. So, yes, a stereo to mono adapter will do the same thing when plugged into the Rick-O-Sound stereo jack.

But, as Seans said, it's likely that there's a problem with the switch and it needs to be cleaned or repositioned to make sure it works properly...

Or his cables have the undersized plugs on them.

[cjj]

The "Standard" mono jack just has a switch in it that, when a plug is inserted shorts both of the pickup channels together. So, yes, a stereo to mono adapter will do the same thing when plugged into the Rick-O-Sound stereo jack.

But, as Seans said, it's likely that there's a problem with the switch and it needs to be cleaned or repositioned to make sure it works properly...

Or his cables have the undersized plugs on them.

Oh yeah, I never think of that 'cause I only use proper ones. But, some of the cheaper cables use Chinese plugs that are sized a bit small, probably some issue with metric vs. inch sizes...

[ken_j]

Oh yeah, I never think of that 'cause I only use proper ones. But, some of the cheaper cables use Chinese plugs that are sized a bit small, probably some issue with metric vs. inch sizes...

6mm vs. 0.250".

[Slacker]

Reviving an old thread rather than creating a new one...

If the Rick-o-Sound is just a simple stereo output, then the individual pickups should technically give the same output as when using a mono cable in the regular output jack, no? I ask this because I discovered that when I plug a regular guitar cable into the ROS output jack, I'm getting a significantly higher output than I do in the other jack. This is strange because I've confirmed that only the bridge pickup is engaged (until I pull it out halfway, of course, and engage the neck pickup.) Check out these readings:

Regular (mono) output
-Bridge: 10.1k
-Neck: 8.6k
-Combined: 8.6k

ROS output
-Bridge: 19.4k

Does this make sense?