Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Have a groovy 4001S, but like the 'traditional' configuration of pickups. Easy to buy a toaster and horseshoe, but wondering if it's feasible to move the neck pickup? Anybody ever do this? Should I discard the idea as folly?

I've changed the pickups in my 4001S to toaster and horseshoe, but it has a set neck, so I would not do any routing to move the neck pickup to the half inch position.

I've done it on my 320, but not on a bass. My 320 has the 21 inch scale, but the pickups are mounted for the 20 3/4 inch scale. I never knew why my bridge pickup never had the "bite" it should until I figured it out after I played one of the first 325 reissues. So I purchased a router and routed out of the top 1/4 inch on the bridge side of the bridge pickup rout, 1/8 inch out of the bridge side of the middle pickup rout and moved everything accordingly. It sounds great now.

Because of structural considerations, I would not move the 1-inch position to the 1/2 inch position. Too much wood lost in a critical area. Hybrid - 3/4 inch? Maybe.

I've moved the neck pickup to the 1/2" position on my '02 4003 with no issues. The wood that had to be removed wasn't structural, at least not on that model year. See my post here viewtopic.php?f=2&t=411868&p=829613&hil ... ed#p829613 for a slightly more in-depth description, if yours is similar I would imagine you'd be ok. The only caveat I'd put is that I'm not familiar with the 4001S construction so I'm sure others will chime in if it differs from what I describe in my link.

It can be done. I believe the right/safe way to do it, for structural and strength reasons, is to carefully fit a maple plug in the existing route and re-route for the new position.

Thanks for the feedback!

I moved it on one of mine, a 2010 4003. It was already routed to handle it so all I needed was a new pickguard...

Has it done to my 1992 4003, looks better in the half inch position I think.

There shouldn't be a problem routing for the half inch position, if the 4001S has neck thru body construction, but I'll stick to my guns at advise against that routing if this is a set neck 4001S.