Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Is there enough room within a "vintage re-issue" bass horseshoe pickup to fabricate a dual-coil horseshoe pickup, a la the Combo 800?

You mean rework a ReIssue for a six string?
I think you could. You could play around with the gap between the shoes. How much room do you need? I can measure for you.

The answer is YES!!!

I am working on making just such a thing .

I am also working on a Combo 800 pickup.

The original Combo 800 pickup had a problem with string dropout,if you bent a string ,you lost the signal .This was due to the narrow polepieces.
I am making a new pickup for the owner of this guitar to try out .It will have the original look and be 100% interchangeable .

To make the bass version ,it could be done ,but it would require a two magnet per string set up like a Jazz Bass.This is due to size restrictions.
This could also be done for the 5 string basses.

My gut feeling is ....this would be thunderous.


Frank are you getting this?

Yes, I'm talking about a re-work for a 6-string. I'm glad to hear that it's "do-able."

The Combo 800 review in Harmony Central's user review database describes the dual-coil pickups inside the horseshoe as resembling the bridge pickup of a Telecaster. So, I'm thinking of... say, getting a couple of Tele-like pickups from Seymour Duncan with alnico II magnets in the pickup designed to enhance bass response, and alnico V magnets for the treble side.

Should one of these pickups be "reverse wound" so that there will be more efficient hum canceling when both are on?

What pickup replacement ideas are you working on, Mark?

I'm making my own bobbins ,they will have a variation on the original polepiece with a wider head.They will be humbucking when both coils are on and dimensionally be the same as the original coils.

If I was going to make a re-issue pickup using the new "horseshoe-magnets" ,I would use the ALNICO 5 or 2 magnets.

The original resembles a Tele pickup in that it is a black phenolic bobbin material and the polepieces stick up .That is the only resemblance.

This particular guitar is a restoration that is long in the making and the pickup was ,sad to say ,lacking .For such a wonderful looking guitar that plays so effortlessly,I felt it needed some help.
This started my cranial area working ,and I came up with a suitable replacement setup.It does require the knowledge of how to operate a slotheaded and a phillips screwdriver ,but other than that it is fairly brainless to install.I think the owner of this guitar will love it .
I have copied the output of the original and it looks fairly similar to what would come from Rickenbacker if this was made today.

By the way... who's Frank?

Hey, i know that guy you speak of, he's too old to be play'n around with gits, but still retains all of his "faculties" obviously, he sent that combo 800 to the MD, (Arnquist) for recovery ! Rick on...

Well, if he's got a Combo 800, he's certainly a *lucky* guy - faculties or not!