Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hi all,

Got a brand new 4003S recently, and am loving the volume/tone of the hi-gain bridge. The look of said, however, is less sexy compared to a horsey...

So please forgive me here as I tried using the search function, there were a LOT of threads on horseshoes and hi-gain pickups (as you can imagine):

Is it possible to put 'shoes on a hi-gain bridge pickup? Or swap the bobbins between a new horsey and the hi-gain?

Cheers,
Chris

Hi-gain bobbins don't have any magnets in them, so they won't work in a RIHS pickup. The shoes aren't magnetic, so the bobbin must have pole magnets, which is how RIHS pickups are built.

Hi Dane,

OK, slowly digesting your reply (still a newbie just trying to understand, please bear with me)...

I get that the RIHS shoes are not magnetized.

Stupid question (I am not being sarcastic): are you saying the hi-gain pickup has no magnet(s) or are you saying the hi-gain pole pieces are not pole magnets like those of the RIHS?

Am I right in guessing it's not just a simple matter of pulling the 'shoes off the RIHS and have the hi-gain bobbin (hopefully using right terminology here) bolted to the bottom inside of the RI 'shoes?

Cheers,
Chris

The hi-gain has a large rubberized magnet beneath the bobbin, it is easy to see with the pickup out or the cover off. The shoes will not physically fit as the bobbin/magnet assembly it too tall to fit within the shoes and still have room (if any) for the strings to fit in there. And, yes the pole pieces are not magnets on a hi-gain like they are on a RI HS pickup.

Several years ago there was some threads/discussions about creating faux horseshoes that would be just the top part sticking out of the surround to give the visual impression of the pickup being a HS PU. Here are a couple versions of one RRF member's (JN) ideas on how to make it.

Thank you. I understand now.