I just got a used ric from my friend. I want to change a pick in a warmer sound for rock style, but I still want to keep the ric sound. I plan to keep the treble pickup, only change the neck pickup. My first choice is the Bartolini. But I have no idea about how these two sound will combine. Will this work?
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
Welcome to TalkBass! Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
Pickup Changing for Rickenbacker 4003
- Thread starter Jasonhhdx
- Start date
Why also not keep your original pickup, and add a warm overdrive pedal (setting it with a low drive) before the amp?
It's a pity changing a Ric, you loose both historic and economic value doing this.
(my personal opinion)
It's a pity changing a Ric, you loose both historic and economic value doing this.
(my personal opinion)
I apologize if this doesn't apply for you, but I seem to remember on some guitar forums they had ways of providing pickup DI's to one another so that another user could try out a pickup through their own rig before buying to get a general feel for how it responds, but I also don't know very well how that actually works.
Maybe a smarter TBer than myself will chime in.
Maybe a smarter TBer than myself will chime in.
actually, I really like Bartolini sound in my Ibanez BTB bass, I tried a few different kinds of overdrive on my zoom pedal, but I didn't find anyone can let ric work like BTB. do you have any choice of overdrive for this?
since you have a zoom you can try this:
-record a simple riff/loop with a free software or a daw, using your ibanez with a patch that you like (es. amp and overdrive or amp only)
-now plug your Ric instead of Ibanez, using the same patch, place a parametric EQ as first effect in the chain.
-Using a narrow Q value on the EQ, and boosting a lot (es. +12) a frequency, make the frequency selector of the eq rotate while you play the same identical riff that you recorded until you find that you have found a sweetspot.
Use the previous recording as a reference to listen, so that you can mimic a bit the warmth the tone.
-If it doensn't work try the same thing, but cutting a freq instead of boosting, to see if you find something that you want to remove.
This would not make your basses identical, but can help you to understand what you would like to add or what you would like to remove. Once that you know it, you can obtain similar (but of course not identical) tone/feeling.
I'm kind of the same mind set as UntitledUser. I think the magic of a Ric is in it's proprietary components. I understand that you like the Bartolini sound from your Ibanez. Is it possible that the Ric just might not be the right bass for you? You wouldn't be the first. It took me well over 35 years to finally dial into a Ric that I truly enjoy playing (4003s/5).
In the short term, I think I would mess around amp settings, eq's and potentially pedals to shape a pleasing tone for yourself. If you still feel a pickup change is necessary, you might first think about adding a Ric Toaster in the neck position.
Bones
In the short term, I think I would mess around amp settings, eq's and potentially pedals to shape a pleasing tone for yourself. If you still feel a pickup change is necessary, you might first think about adding a Ric Toaster in the neck position.
Bones
yes, I almost lost my mind with EQ and amp setting in my playing. this is really different from others bass I used to play. maybe because the high gain pickup? or control? But I like ric sound and their design. even this is not the right one for my playing, I can hold this as a collection.
Ok, different basses can't sound identical. That's a fact.
But seems strange that you can't find a frequency that you can cut (if you have too much trebles for example) or boost (lowmids or lows) to make it more friendly for your tone taste.
If you really need to modify it, don't sell your original pickup, at least.
Have you thought about trying Ric HB-1 humbuckers? They are the same size as the stock High Gains currently installed.
I have as always found that the neck pickup is much lower in output than the bridge pickup. To combat this I recently had a Nordstrand Nordenbocker installed into my 4003 & it is amazing. Much more clarity & output than the stock pickup. I wouldn't consider it warmer than stock though. I've never heard anyone that considers the neck sound to be bright in any way.
Last edited:
Have you played the bass much yet, if at all, in a band context with the stock pickups?
I dunno... for what a rick costs, the discomfort of playing one, the amazing various tones made famous by Chris Squire, Geddy Lee, Fred Turner, Paul McCartney all different, all with stock pickups..... it kind of makes you wonder why you'd buy a rick if you didn't adore the sounds you could get from it.
I don't love the pickups either, mind you, but they can be made to do most of what most folks need really well. It will never be a precision or a jazz or a stingray or a spector, but it'll get get close enough for general use and has all of the rick tones as well.
Definitely, imho, I'd not touch the pickups (other than height, wiring etc) and focus on outboard gear to get the tone you want instead.
Bonus is you can then work on tones from that same outboard gear sound with every bass you play, although they all will offer different versions.
I don't love the pickups either, mind you, but they can be made to do most of what most folks need really well. It will never be a precision or a jazz or a stingray or a spector, but it'll get get close enough for general use and has all of the rick tones as well.
Definitely, imho, I'd not touch the pickups (other than height, wiring etc) and focus on outboard gear to get the tone you want instead.
Bonus is you can then work on tones from that same outboard gear sound with every bass you play, although they all will offer different versions.
IMO the "Ric sound" comes from the sum of its parts. While people can argue about the Ric's design flaws until the end of rock and roll, the sound is apologetically Rickenbacker and you know it when you hear it. I think modding that aspect risks losing what makes it special.
I get why people change the bridge, etc. but personally I wouldn't change the electronics. Not that it's some holy artifact that must remain in its original condition and never modified... YMMV, after all, it's your bass.
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
Silly question. Why spend the money for a Ric, and then change to a different pickup?
Ric5
Inactive
- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,773
- 30,319
- 5,141
- Disclosures
- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
I am not a fan of barts … Try the Seymour Duncan Rickenbacker neck pickup ...
Also what year is your 4003/4001 Certain years have 500k ohm tone pots … putting in 250k ohm tone pots will give it a warmer tone … Some of the 4003 basses already have 250k ohm tone pots and some have 330k ohm pots.
Try changing the pots first if you have one of the years with the 500k ohm tone pots
I had 2 almost identical bases one year apart and one had 250k ohm pots and one 500k ohm pots … the tone difference was noticable
I would retract your post. It is never good to anger the RIC Gods. Very bad juju to talk about desecrating a RIC, much worse to actually do so. Only one thing is of greater blasphemy, to have a Fender P-Bass and remove the "tort" pick guard. AAAAHHHHH!!!!!! Seriously it's your bass do what you want, but if you want a different tone maybe looking for a different bass would be easier, and cheaper.