Pickup swap

[PunchyStrummer]

Has anyone ever tried to swap the bridge and neck pickups on a Rickenbacker with the older Hi-gain pickups?

Also, how does everyone feel about getting inside an older guitar and messing (as in soldering and de-soldering etc.) with the electronics?

[jps]

We do so all the time, but as to swapping pickup it usually is replacing hi-gains with toasters, or HB-1s.

[PunchyStrummer]

Sorry, I meant like if you had a guitar with the older hi-gains, swapping them so the neck pickup would be in the bridge position and vice versa.

[jps]

The pole spacing is just slightly different, otherwise they are the same. You will, most like, not hear a difference.

[wim]

Measure the dc resistance at the switch, if they read the same they'll sound the same.

It is possible your neck pickup has less windings (lower resistance), then it will sound weaker but clearer than the one in the bridge position when swapped.

Mind you, this is only true for 2 pickups of the exact same type.

[PunchyStrummer]

Well, since my guitar has the 80s overwound higain neck pickup, I read somewhere else on this forum how someone moved it to the bridge position to get a hotter bridge sound.

[wim]

I did this on a 1980 320.
The balance was horrible with the factory configuration.
Bridge was very quiet, neck and middle were loud.
I switched the neck with the bridge and it was perfect.
I don't remember the dc resistance values exactly but there was a considerable difference

http://www.rickresource.com/register/us ... llsize.jpg

Pickups seemed to have the same pole spacing.
Look at the sloppy alignment with the bridge though.