Rickenbacker bridge pickup volume drop

Teyeplayer

Don’t know if this is the dreaded Rick pickup degeneration or a faulty pot so hoping one of you gents can help? 

Probably need the knowledge of @icbm as our resident Rickenbacker guru.

Plugged in my 330 this evening and the bridge pickup was quieter and for lack of a better term: less alive. It sounded like it was going through a really squishy compressor, almost as if the volume started soft as it was picked and then swelled. Very odd. Tried other guitars, different amp, lead, the lot...all fine, except with the 330. Also noticed the volume pot seemed to peak around 7 when in the middle setting, not sure if that’s a symptom? 

Keeping my fingers crossed this is actually an easy fix.

prowla

I’m not so familiar with the guitars, but does it have a push-pull pot like the basses do?
also, is it like it with just the one pickup selected?

ICBM

When it’s just on the bridge pickup, what does turning the tone control down fully do - work normally, or kill the volume almost entirely?

Teyeplayer

Yes @prowla I first noticed when the blooming of the notes when the bridge pickup was selected. It was also a lot less brash than usual, like the output had significantly dropped. The volume control anomaly was more noticeable in the mid setting. Pretty sure these aren’t push-pull pots, thought that was just on the bass?

I’ll try the tone pot test later @ICBM ;and will report back.

Thanks gents.

prowla

ICBM said:

When it’s just on the bridge pickup, what does turning the tone control down fully do - work normally, or kill the volume almost entirely?

Failing caps can do weird things.

ICBM

The volume control peaking at 7 and then falling away at 10 when both pickups are selected does indicate some sort of short in the bridge pickup circuit. If it was a faulty pickup coil that’s failed in the usual way - open circuit at the ground end - the tone control would still kill the volume, but the middle position would sound like just the neck pickup and the bridge volume control wouldn’t do that.

GavRichList

I am truly sorry for your loss x

Teyeplayer

GavRichList said:

I am truly sorry for your loss x

Cheers dude, that genuinely made me chuckle.  

If I can just get away from the toddler and the newborn for 5 minutes I’ll be able to test that tone pot... bloody kids!

Teyeplayer

Well that’s just weird...
It is now working ‘fine’, tone pot worked as normal and bridge pickup volume is back where it should be. Still got the slight volume swell on the middle setting on sliding the bridge back from 10 but none of the ‘squishyness’ to the sound that was there yesterday on either setting, or the blooming of notes on the bridge pickup. 

The only thing that is now there is that the volume pot is excessively crackly so I’ll be getting the switch cleaner on that and keeping an eye on it. 

I hope this isn’t going to be the guitar equivalent of that elusive rattle on the car that vanishes the moment you get to the garage.