Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Ugh, I have to make a call to customer service for my pickups again. I just determined that the neck pickup in my 4004 is measuring 7 kOhms instead of 14 kOhms, like the bridge pickup. This is a little frustrating since this is the bass that I sent back after I got it because the pickups were out of phase. Now one is a single coil. Granted, it took me four years to figure that out, but why not use my warranty? I rarely use that pickup and just happened to flip to it today during church rehearsal and noticed the noise level changed. Last year I bought a humbucker (used) to put in my 4001 and found out it was only a single coil, so this issue doesn't appear to be terribly uncommon unless I am just really unlucky. Lesson learned: always check the humbuckers.

Anyway, wish me luck!

I looked as best I could this morning, but the clear and black wires are pulled back into the shrink so I can't really tell what is going on in there. I called this afternoon and I had to send them some copies of stuff I didn't have at work, so I should hear back from them tomorrow for my return.

I got the RA today so I will get the bass in the mail on Friday. I was hoping to not have to pay return charges since this is a second issue with the pickups, but I didn't find it in time. RIC said that if I had found it earlier they might be able to work something out with the shipping cost. Oh well, you live and learn to check everything!

the last time I shipped the bass it was $70, but that might have been with the insurance and everything else. It's been a while, but that may have been through one of those alternate places that uses FedEx to ship, so maybe I'm just overreacting

Be careful with FedEx Ground, read the fine print. I stopped using it because with Ground service I was not allowed to insure the instrument at value (only Ground - the other, 'overnight' services allowed it).

Fedex recently set a $500 limit on instruments. Thankfully I have Heritage insurance so I just insure the max ($500) and have peace of mind knowing I'm still covered. I'd use UPS but... they nearly destroyed a Guild 12-string I shipped to a buyer. After years of shipping hundereds of guitars, I expected something would happen sooner or later, so that's not the issue, it's what a nightmare they were to deal with for the two months it took to get my money out of them. Thankfully they similarly screwed up picking up the instrument for salvage so I repaired it and kept it ... cake and ate it too!!!

aceonbass wrote:Places like Mailboxes Etc. make a profit by charging more than going to the actual shipper. John Hall told me in an email it was only $30.00 coast to coast, and that warranty returns shipped via anything else would be refused.

You know,it's possible that RIC (as a corporate entity) might get a pretty hefty discount off Fedex standard shipping rates,too...the average consumer,not so much.

woodyng wrote:You know,it's possible that RIC (as a corporate entity) might get a pretty hefty discount off Fedex standard shipping rates,too...the average consumer,not so much.

That's what I thought too, but JH told me what he told me like it was true for everyone. Otherwise, I ship via USPS insured for less than $50.00 for guitars and basses.

From the FedEx website, full retail rates:

Cornelius, NC to Santa Ana, CA
FedEx Ground Service

Insured $1999.00

Total= $53.31


We ship and insure instruments every day of the week at values like this and have never had a claim refused. Their official tariffs limit to $1000 insurance "12.Guitars and other musical instruments that are more than 20 years old, and customized or personalized musical instruments."

nukebass wrote:I looked as best I could this morning, but the clear and black wires are pulled back into the shrink so I can't really tell what is going on in there.

That probably means it's wired right for series (an end-to-end (out-of-phase) link between the two coils is happening). What does it sound like? If the series link was really dead, you'd get no sound because the hot coil would not be grounded into the circuit. Someone may have tried to rewire it and spliced the connections wrong, leaving you with just a single coil, but it sounds like at least based on looks you have the right configuration.

EDIT: If you look at the RIC schematic (http://www.rickenbacker.com/pdfs/19521-HB1%20Wiring.pdf) clear and black are supposed to be linked up for the series connection. Are the other two wires red and blue?

So, this time, I'm going to a real FedEx store. I think four years ago it was a few miles down the road and I didn't think about the over charges the secondary carrier would charge on top of it.

My red wire is going to the switch and the blue wire is connected to the ground, so it all looked right. It may be something internal to the pickup. Like I said, last year I bought a used humbucker to coil split, but the sound never changed. When I did my continuity (I even took the wire off of the pickup), either the black or the clear was running to ground (I don't remember now which one). At that point I should have thought to look at the 4004 to double check.

By the time it gets back to me, it will have traveled across the country five times. I've only done that trip twice!

Buy used so it will have been QC'd first!