Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I'm new here. My first Ric was a white '78 4001 that I bought used in 1980. (I still kick myself for not buying the 4005 that was hanging on the guitar shop wall right next to it.) It was my main bass (alongside a later-purchased '72 Tele Bass) until it was stolen from my living room in 1989. There has been a parade of interesting basses after that, but I never stopped missing the Ric, always kept my eyes open for it locally and later on eBay, hoping it would find its way home.

Recently while looking through eBay again I was entranced by a beautiful brand-new 2015 Fireglo 4003 with the one of the more exquisitely figured pieces of rosewood I've seen on a fretboard. And it turned out to be in a local shop. Long story short, it's now in my home, and I'm absolutely in love with this thing, especially after having tweaked the action.

So, to my question, playing the 4003 has reminded me of something I learned with my old 4001: that when both pickups are switched on, just cracking the bass pickup volume back a hair would open up the sound to a surprising degree. I'm wondering if this is an electronic effect (something to do with impedances, maybe?) or just simply a matter of the neck pickup volume overwhelming the bridge pickup.

Thanks!

--Bob

This is normal, and seems to happen with other two pickup, two volume control setups. Backing off either volume just a bit seems to open up a sweet spot in the tone that I prefer.

Ahhh. My favorite setting! Even more effective with the cap bypassed, or the push-pull set to vintage....