Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I do! That's the only problem I'm having with my new '73 4000; sounds incredibly aggressive, but I'm just not getting the depth I need, so it may be going up on e-bay UK in the not too distant future. Shame really, cause its a great bass; I just can't afford to have something that doesn't work for me. The thought of a bass being sat around in a case is just terrible.

Shaun, Did you read it? I thought it was kind of funny actually.
I just got an e-mail from a guy who uses rare earth magnets for his neck pickups on old 4001's, they are called NIB magnets. (Neodymium, Iron, and Boron). they are supposed to be very strong, all you have to do is stick them under the existing magnet or take the old one out and put it on, he gave me some details on how to do it. Sérgio may know something about these also. If you want to know more e-mail me, it's in my profile.

Well, I do have some very strong bar magnets in my 'arsenal', but I'm clueless as to their composition.
Fitting the neck pickup on a 4001 with a very strong magnet is probably more detrimental than beneficial. I don't think I need to explain why.

This guy claimed that it made the bass pickup much louder and didn't change the tone, what is wrong with it? I need the explanation, haha!

He said that it made it much louder, This man says he has been playing Rics for twenty five years and seemed to know his stuff, he had measured the difference in fretboard thicknesses from his Shadow to his 80 4001 and also measured the top of the neck pickup's case and said the shadows case was 2 mm higher than the 4001. I invited him to check out this forum. What could be detrimental, I haven't a clue.

I shall let you know in a few hours. Right now I'm turning in - it's 2:00 a.m. locally. Rick dreams!

It's only 8:58 pm. here in Lima and I sent you the letter.

Hi Robert

Yes I read it; sorry it was v late here and it just kicked off something that had been banging around my brain, so I had to write! I've been messing around with the 4000 this morning actually, and there may be light at the end of the tunnel. Not sure yet, but we'll see.

'The letter'? What letter?

Granted, a very strong magnet on the neck pickup will dramatically increase output, but it also is likely to adversely affect string vibration, plus the treble pickup will have to be beefed up accordingly, even if there's no treble-pass capacitor in line therewith.
Fitting a magnet that's only marginally stronger than the stock one, however, will improve the neck pickup performance whilst creating no undesirable side effects.

Yeah I thought about the vibration thing too, but I think you could back it off until it sounds just right and then it should be far enough away so that it doesn't effect the string's vibrational path. I think there is something wrong with my hotmail, I send many letters that people don't get, I'll resend it.

Shaun, I'm sorry I didn't even notice that you had a 4000, duh! That's why I posted about the magnets for the neck pickup. Have you tried flat wounds?

How about a P-Bass pickup! Ha Ha Ha!

Naw, two slanted jazz pickups, maybe an EB-O, I know.... a dreaded SD pickup!

The neck pickup on my 4004L gives it a bottom end as heavy as Rosie O'Donnell's just before she heads for the bathroom after eating Thanksgiving dinner.

It just wouldn't be the same without it.