.

Wazmeister

TheGuitarWeasel said:

dannyboy82 said:

TheGuitarWeasel said:

My second most frequent pickup rewinds are on Ricks ... of all ages (first is Hofner 'staple' pickups). Here, there seems to be a basic reluctance to cure an obvious (and in this case invisible) design flaw on the part of Rickenbacker.

Could you elaborate?, genuinely curious.

I'll post an article about my last Rick rewind with pics ... but in the meantime: Rickenbacker solder the super thin 44awg core wire to the tip of a brass screw that is simply driven through the bottom of the bobbin ... they don't insulate the joint, and they don't give it any strain relief. The coil start output wire is soldered to he other end of that screw, and often that causes the screw to be a bit loose in the plastic bobbin. The core solder joint is then buried in the centre of the windings so that if that delicate solder joint breaks or shorts ... it's game over, and a rewind is necessary. It's crude and sloppy design.

@TheGuitarWeasel ;Interesting post that one mate, which may help with the only issue I have with my 360/12 WB...

The pick up selector doesnt work, and when I had someone look at it, he couldnt solve the problem for some reason. I only use the bridge pick up, so have never bothered to get it sorted.

I am thinking of buying a 330 with toasters, with the possibility (maybe) of swopping these high gains and the toasters around.

Someone had recommend the guy in the link below, and forgive me as Id never thought of using your services !

https://www.creamery-pickups.co.uk/custom-handwound-pickups-from-the-creamery/custom-handwound-replacement-ric-rickenbacker-and-toaster-style-pickups.html#.W1DQMIrTWhA

WezV

Wazmeister said:

The pick up selector doesnt work, and when I had someone look at it, he couldnt solve the problem for some reason. I only use the bridge pick up, so have never bothered to get it sorted.

i have had dodgy pickup selectors from them too.   

OilCityPickups

WezV said:

Wazmeister said:

The pick up selector doesnt work, and when I had someone look at it, he couldnt solve the problem for some reason. I only use the bridge pick up, so have never bothered to get it sorted.

i have had dodgy pickup selectors from them too.   

They often wake up after a puff of switch cleaner ... they seem to corrode on the contacts rather easily.

ICBM

Wazmeister said:

It is a 360/WB and is a 1994 (year) model. The pick ups on this are superb... aggressive but very clear and chimey - different from my previous Ricks. It is a belter, and tuning is superb and stable.

If those are the late-80s/early-90s pickups with the slight 'woven' texture in the bobbin, they're fantastic - I've got a pair on my 381 as well. They're actually very hot for single coils, the bridge is around 11K and the neck 14K (!).

Wazmeister said:

The pick up selector doesnt work, and when I had someone look at it, he couldnt solve the problem for some reason. I only use the bridge pick up, so have never bothered to get it sorted.

It's probably the switch in the Mono jack - if it isn't making a good contact, you get no neck pickup through that jack.

WezV said:

i have had dodgy pickup selectors from them too.   

They shouldn't be any worse than anyone else's - they're standard Switchcraft right-angle ones.

prowla

JezWynd said:

ICBM said:

The notorious 'tail lift' on the basses is another symptom of the same problem, it's the crap alloy they use for the castings of both parts. My old 4001 has it, as do almost all of them eventually.

The argument with basses is not if it happens but how much is acceptable. Wouldn't be hard to cure the problem but the one time they attempted it, people complained about the ugly extra screws. Tough crowd.

That's a bodge rather than a real fix; the issue is, as ICBM says, the material used for the tailpiece.

WezV

TheGuitarWeasel said:

WezV said:

Wazmeister said:

The pick up selector doesnt work, and when I had someone look at it, he couldnt solve the problem for some reason. I only use the bridge pick up, so have never bothered to get it sorted.

i have had dodgy pickup selectors from them too.   

They often wake up after a puff of switch cleaner ... they seem to corrode on the contacts rather easily.

Usually the first thing I try.

the last problem one kept popping back to the middle position

ICBM

I fixed my 4001 tailpiece like this... exactly because the tailpiece is hollow on the underside, there is room to fit another 'tailpiece' in there! The small notches are to fit around the ribbing on the inside of the casting.



The strings pass through the back of the original tailpiece, then through the holes in this one, then over the bridge saddles so the upward pull is taken by this bracket.

JezWynd

prowla said:

JezWynd said:

ICBM said:

The notorious 'tail lift' on the basses is another symptom of the same problem, it's the crap alloy they use for the castings of both parts. My old 4001 has it, as do almost all of them eventually.

The argument with basses is not if it happens but how much is acceptable. Wouldn't be hard to cure the problem but the one time they attempted it, people complained about the ugly extra screws. Tough crowd.

That's a bodge rather than a real fix; the issue is, as ICBM says, the material used for the tailpiece.

Rickenbacker's reluctance to alter any part of the design leaves me wondering if they're frightened of doing something that messes with the mythical tone, which in turn would mean that they don't know how it's achieved either.

pmg

Had a 4003 jetglo for about 4 years -no issues.

My no.1 guitar is a Ric 330 and has been since 2008 -again no issues.  

I dont know know what this exploding phenomenon you speak of is

Bridgehouse

JezWynd said:

prowla said:

JezWynd said:

ICBM said:

The notorious 'tail lift' on the basses is another symptom of the same problem, it's the crap alloy they use for the castings of both parts. My old 4001 has it, as do almost all of them eventually.

The argument with basses is not if it happens but how much is acceptable. Wouldn't be hard to cure the problem but the one time they attempted it, people complained about the ugly extra screws. Tough crowd.

That's a bodge rather than a real fix; the issue is, as ICBM says, the material used for the tailpiece.

Rickenbacker's reluctance to alter any part of the design leaves me wondering if they're frightened of doing something that messes with the mythical tone, which in turn would mean that they don't know how it's achieved either.

Very likely. I’m not sure Leo really knew where his tone came from at fender - but he had a damn good idea which elements it probably was, which is why he kept trying to improve the designs at G&L etc.

ICBM

JezWynd said:

Rickenbacker's reluctance to alter any part of the design leaves me wondering if they're frightened of doing something that messes with the mythical tone, which in turn would mean that they don't know how it's achieved either.

No, because they do mess with things that do or could affect the tone, like the pickup and pot specifications, neck profiles, the type of finish etc - as well as other things like inlays, body and headstock shapes.

RIC are not frightened of changing anything, they know they can sell all the instruments they make at more or less whatever price they want, regardless of what they do.

OilCityPickups

ICBM said:

JezWynd said:

Rickenbacker's reluctance to alter any part of the design leaves me wondering if they're frightened of doing something that messes with the mythical tone, which in turn would mean that they don't know how it's achieved either.

No, because they do mess with things that do or could affect the tone, like the pickup and pot specifications, neck profiles, the type of finish etc - as well as other things like inlays, body and headstock shapes.

RIC are not frightened of changing anything, they know they can sell all the instruments they make at more or less whatever price they want, regardless of what they do.

Much like Gibson, who will add idiot ... sorry robot tuners, but not correct their head angle!

JezWynd

ICBM said:

JezWynd said:

Rickenbacker's reluctance to alter any part of the design leaves me wondering if they're frightened of doing something that messes with the mythical tone, which in turn would mean that they don't know how it's achieved either.

No, because they do mess with things that do or could affect the tone, like the pickup and pot specifications, neck profiles, the type of finish etc - as well as other things like inlays, body and headstock shapes.

RIC are not frightened of changing anything, they know they can sell all the instruments they make at more or less whatever price they want, regardless of what they do.

If that’s so, then why don’t they resolve the obvious flaw in the bridge design?

OilCityPickups

JezWynd said:

ICBM said:

JezWynd said:

Rickenbacker's reluctance to alter any part of the design leaves me wondering if they're frightened of doing something that messes with the mythical tone, which in turn would mean that they don't know how it's achieved either.

No, because they do mess with things that do or could affect the tone, like the pickup and pot specifications, neck profiles, the type of finish etc - as well as other things like inlays, body and headstock shapes.

RIC are not frightened of changing anything, they know they can sell all the instruments they make at more or less whatever price they want, regardless of what they do.

If that’s so, then why don’t they resolve the obvious flaw in the bridge design?

Possibly cost 

kt66

pmg said:

Had a 4003 jetglo for about 4 years -no issues.

My no.1 guitar is a Ric 330 and has been since 2008 -again no issues.  

I dont know know what this exploding phenomenon you speak of is

prowla

ICBM said:

I fixed my 4001 tailpiece like this... exactly because the tailpiece is hollow on the underside, there is room to fit another 'tailpiece' in there! The small notches are to fit around the ribbing on the inside of the casting.



The strings pass through the back of the original tailpiece, then through the holes in this one, then over the bridge saddles so the upward pull is taken by this bracket.

Yep - that works for the (70s/80s?) tailpieces which have the scalloped flanges; I'm planning to put a string tree assembly under mine.

Incidentally, whoever routed the tailpiece cutout on that Ric looks like they had a liquid lunch!

Bridgehouse

I take it Mr Ric won’t let anyone make an aftermarket high quality replacement?

kt66

they are extremely protective against fakers, can't get truss rod covers either.  You can get a replacement tailpiece if you send your one back AND pay for new one, but it's a problematic procedure. They're not the best at communication. 

Wazmeister

kt66 said:

they are extremely protective against fakers, can't get truss rod covers either.  You can get a replacement tailpiece if you send your one back AND pay for new one, but it's a problematic procedure. They're not the best at communication. 

I don't blame them protecting their business... you will obtain R tail pieces though through various sources...

ICBM

JezWynd said:

If that’s so, then why don’t they resolve the obvious flaw in the bridge design?

Arrogance. You can’t get John Hall to accept criticism.

Bridgehouse said:

I take it Mr Ric won’t let anyone make an aftermarket high quality replacement?

Not one that looks the same - they’ve trademarked the design. The Hipshot one looks so different they can’t stop it - it does work well, but it’s ugly.

Ironically I was working on a 70s Matsumoku fake 4001 last week - no tail lift, after at least 40 years. That ‘cheap’ Japanese part must be made from better metal...