Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I have a 1988 620/12 with hot toasters and a 2005 620/6 with scatterwounds.
Because I can't help meddling, I keep entertaining the idea of swapping the pickups. The 12 gets a bit boomy in the middle and neck positions. Likewise, I wouldn't mind a little more beef in the bridge of the 6.
I'm thinking the 12 would benefit from the swap more than the 6, and the 6 is my main guitar.
opinions? (ideally based on personal experience )

I think what you are proposing has a very strong consensus, here.

Yep do it.
6s are better with the hotter toasters.

OK. I'm convinced!

If you do the swap, and don't feel you're getting enough bite from the bridge pickup (on the six string, with the hot toasters), putting in the fabled .0047mfd cap works great, and won't suck the volume out like it can do on scatterwounds. My 2¢.

Well, I did it, and I'm very happy I did. I may still put in the .0047 cap on the 620/6, but I'll go as-is for now. The only issue is the foam rings for the hot toasters from the 620/12 were really compressed, and they don't want to expand enough to get my pickup height correct--annoying but fixable.
The 12 string is so much more open and jangly now.
Thanks for the input!

I did the same thing with early '80's high-gains, when the company was in the phase of overwinding the neck high gains for maximum push and depth, and underwinding the bridge high gains for maximum brightness. My 12-string was the same way - tone too heavy on the neck pickup - until I did some pickup modifications and switching around with the high gains in my 320 also.

Congrats.