Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I'm not an expert in electronics or pickups, and when looking at the auction mentioned I began to wonder what the issue was for leaving the pickup unconnected. I then began to wonder how this was done on the different Rickenbacker models and if there is a pickup difference.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=4713&item=3724309237&rd=1

it states ..."the Neck pickup is not connected because to run an active pickup you cannot have a passive on as well".

On Rickenbacker guitars and basses the 230, 250,2030,2050 are listed as having active electronics. As well the 370RM, 381JK, and 380LPZ all have active systems, the last three with batteries. As I understand it the pickups used in these guitars and basses are the same pickups as used in similar ones with no active circuits, with the exception of the Piezo on the 380LPZ.

1. Is the Piezo pickup on the 380LPZ only connected to the active circuitry ?

2. Is the active circuitry not directly connected with the pickups on the 370RM, but only with the effects ?

3. Is there a fundamental difference in the pickups connected to active circuits and are they in fact different on Ric models with active circuitry as opposed to those in other models ?

4. In the auction guitar could the "passive" pickup be connected to the active circuitry ?

I should have said auction bass not guitar

I can't answer your first and second question, but I'll try with the rest:

The 200/2000 series, as I understand it, accomplished being able to boost as well as cut by using the output of the pickup itself to power a tone circuit, rather than a battery.

But when it comes to pickup tone circuits, most people think of active as meaning "having a battery powered preamp". The 200/2000 series were active, but not in that sense.

Except for EMG, most active systems have an active preamp and passive pickups. But EMGs actually have internal preamp circuits inside the pickups, and controls designed to work with these circuits. I don't know if it's impossible, but the controls aren't designed to be used with passives, and typical passive controls aren't designed to work with EMGs. I believe EMGs use 25k tone pots; imagine how that would sound with a passive pickup.