Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hi

First post here. What's the best way to get more of a classic trebly rick tone from a Cheyenne. Would installing a toaster or high gain pickup at the bridge work?

Thanks

Taran

welcome and I'd say talk to Dane... member here I think he could get you there!

You may want to try coil-splitting. That might give you some extra grind. Dane can definitely help you out with that. I will might very well be calling upon him myself next week to make me another of his excellent wiring harnesses

Oh, Dane's username is aceonbass. He doesn't take long to respond to a private message.

The-Ox wrote:...classic trebly rick tone from a Cheyenne. Would installing a toaster...at the bridge work?

Thanks

Taran

Yes!

Dane recently made me a replacement harness for my 4004 with Blend/Volume/Tone pots, and coil taps for both pups - these get you closer to the vintage 4001 sound.

I can't recommend him highly enough.

Also - welcome to the RickResource forum!

Ash

thank you for the replies guys! Is Dane based in the UK?

No, he's in Parkville, Missouri.

Not being in the uK shouldn't matter - he's a very easy guy to deal with and his work is top drawer!

Ash

Ox.......while 4004's are great basses, the stock wiring is anything but optimal for single coil pickups, let alone humbuckers like the HB1. I build wiring harnesses for these basses that optimizes the clarity of the HB1, giving it more of a classic Rick sound. Since the late 90's, stock pots in all Ricks measure between 180K-330K, while the tone caps are .047uF. For Ricks with HB1's, I use 500K pots and a .022uF cap. The HB1's pickup lead makes it easy to short one of the coils with a push-pull pot, effectively turing it into a 7.5K single coil pickup that some here think sounds similar to a Toaster. Stock rating for this pickup is around 15K, which is why they tend to sound muddy, resulting in swapping out the pickups for single coils to compensate. Popular wiring configurations include Volume Volume Tone, and Balance Volume Tone. The volume and tone controls can also double as coil taps. I measure all of my pots when they come in and stock them by measured value, so they're all matched within a few percent of each other. Turn around time on custom harnesses is only a few days. Shipping to the UK runs $26.00 via USPS Priority flat rate with tracking. Feel free to PM me with any wiring questions or requests, and welcome to the RRF!

As the owner of 3 different type 4004 models,and a single coil Equpped Fernandes 8-string bass that all have Dane's wiring harnesses in them,i can attest that they make a noticeable sonic difference.
I'd opt for the VVT setup,with individual pushpull pots for coil tapping. That setup is the best combination of versatility and ease of use i have.

Hey folks- How much does switching between single and double coil affect the volume level while you're playing? And is it more noticeable if you are only using one pickup?

There is a slight volume loss when engaging one or both taps,nothing major.

Nathan - as Woody says, there is a slight volume loss, but no more so than switching from both pups to one or the other pups solo'd. I use a dedicated bass compressor in my rig that smooths out differences in volume, so I find it makes very little difference.

Taranvir - sound-wise, Dane's harnesses will make a noticeable difference but obviously, they won't turn a 4004 into a 4001, and if that vintage sound is really what you're looking for, then you may simply have the wrong bass.

Ash

Ashgray wrote: - sound-wise, Dane's harnesses will make a noticeable difference but obviously, they won't turn a 4004 into a 4001, and if that vintage sound is really what you're looking for, then you may simply have the wrong bassAsh

Yes,i agree. The harness does help them sound more like what I expect a Rick bass to sound like,but none of them have the pure clanking glassy snarl of my 74 4000's original higain,at least in the same proportion.

Taran,
You may know this already, but one thing to keep in mind is that if you do go with VVT or BVT, you will have to either drill a new hole or at least drill out the hole used by the pickup switch for the extra pot.

The hole for the slector switch is not large enough for a pot shaft.

Also, welcome to the forum! We are glad to have you join us!

superheavydeathmetal wrote:The hole for the slector switch is not large enough for a pot shaft.

Yes, the hole for that cheap little selector switch is 1/4" in diameter, while the hole for standard size pots is 3/8", so it would have to be enlarged.