Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I lowered the action to where I like it and now the string sometimes clanks on the neck pickup.

BTW, it's a '92 4003

Are the screws that are holding the front pickup on the 'guard long or short? You will need to take up the guard to find out. If they are short, you can either get longer screws, or change the rubber pieces out for small springs and the pickup will have a little more give....

Thanks Jaymi.

You can actually get the neck pickup up high enough to hit the strings? Back in the 70's I would have given a vital organ for that problem. Those weak-assed 70's neck pickups were a bit a challenge.

yep a lot of ric basses have the opposite problem ... especially 70's 4001 basses ...

put in a toaster neck pickup ... it has no polepieces and is lower to begin with ...

It really was harder to like Rickenbacker basses back then. Fortunately, someone at RIC noticed problems like that and fixed them. From the mid 80's on there is little to complain about.

Yeah they can be lowered a little bit enough to make a difference in the overall balance, the rubber grommets under the pickguard have a little give to them.

Quoted from Ted:

"You can actually get the neck pickup up high enough to hit the strings? Back in the 70's I would have given a vital organ for that problem. Those weak-assed 70's neck pickups were a bit a challenge. :-


I knew there had to be a reason why a lot of '70s 4001 basses have cracks in the pickguard around the screws on the neck pickup!

Exactly.