Rickenbacker 4003 Bass: Ditch That Icky Pickup Cover (Video)
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- Опубліковано 1 кві 2011
- There's reasons beyond the purely aesthetic you'd want to take that bulky pickup cover off your new Rickenbacker 4003 bass. Sure it makes your bass look all retro, and you might even like resting your pickin' palm on it, but if you'd rather be able to palm mute, have room to play finger style, or otherwise not have the silly thing in the way, taking the cover off isn't too difficult.
Owen leads you through a methodical how-to in this video, including what tools you'll want to gather up before putting your Ric 4003 under the knife. Oh, uh, no actual knives are involved, but this Rickenbacker Bass bridge pickup assembly schematic will come in handy. As will a nice, clean coffee mug.
Just never remove the "horseshoe" rear pickup cover on the 60's era styles, those covers are part of the pickup!
Having played Fender Precision & Jazz basses all my life I found the pickup guard on the Ricky 4003 got in the way of my playing style. I've recently purchased the 4003 & will use your excellent easy-to-follow steps to remove it. Many thanks. As a post-script I agree with those that think the 4003 looks aesthetically more pleasing with the pickup cover but I'm having to sacrifice style for comfort....
For everyone complaining about the cavity left after removing the cover, you can buy some really nice after market bezels that cover up the cavity and make it smart again
Could you link examples?
benthej Unfortunately there aren't any examples I can find on youtube and you can't add pictures to the comments so I can't show you what it looks like on my 4003w. But they are easy to find if you search for Rickenbacker 4003 bezel in eBay. You can get them with thumbs rests that are raised or inset or just a plain version. In terms of installing all you do is put it between the mounting ring and the springs when you're reassembling the mount
kero gunso That's a good point. Until I read your comment I forgot that I put one of those bezels in mine after I removed this cover! It looks great! Pretty sure I bought it off of eBay, too. Just use eBay and/or Google, people.
Nicholas the Watchman no, Rickys are Rickys
Rickenbacker even sells one. They finally realized how many customers take off that goofy chromed plastic string-blocker.
Thank you so much for the video. I recently got a Rickenbacker 4003S and wanted to take the pickup cover off. Your video walked me through it and I successfully managed it, following your instruction. I even installed a "treble bezel" from Pick of the Ricks which covers up the gap. The bass plays like a charm now, and I can place my right hand wherever I want. Great!
As someone who's considering making this adjustment, thanks for posting this tutorial. It's extremely helpful.
Removing that thing was actually one of the first things I did when I got a Rick 40 years ago. I had to let it go of the bass somewhere along the way, and I still miss it from time to time. I guess that's why I'm watching this video.
I think they look better with the cover and if your a finger player like I am it was a very good thumb rest. The pickup is so small and the space so large I think they dont look right without the cover but too each his own.
gregg4164 it does make it harder to play as finger player but it's not that much of a difference
I agree, gotta have the cover. I love it. Part of the Rick look, but whatever suits your taste . . .
I'm an old timer, EVERYONE took those off for years on both Rics and Fenders, it is a comparatively new phenomenon that people leave them on, they get in the way a lot and to me look natural without the covers. Now I love the look of a Jazz bass with covers on it but they severely restrict the amount of different sounds you can get out of them by hand placement, same with Rics.
I made the mistake of trying to take the cover off without looking up how it looked first. After I got the mounting screws out and realized that that wouldn't do it I looked up how to fix what I screwed up. Your video was exactly what I needed! Thanks a bunch.
Thank you for taking the time to make this extremely helpful video!
SO GLAD that someone had the sense to make a video about this! I generally take these off all my basses cause I play with a pick and both my 64 Jazz Bass and my 4003 both have these smack dab in the exact spot I usually hit the strings with my picking hand. I also palm mute which is the proper way to play bass with a pick to keep your strings from ringing out of turn.
Unlike the J Bass cover which takes all of 2 minutes to remove, the 4003 is more of a mini project as the video clearly shows.
Thanks for the info on this Owen. It was much easier to take the cover off the one I had in the 80's, which I sold in the 90's. I bought a new one last November and couldn't figure out how to take the pickup cover off. Thanks to your video, it was a piece of cake.
Thanks heaps for this intructional. i was practically having anxiety attacks thinking about opening up this thing i worked for ages to get, but it turned out very straight forward after watching your video. thanks again
I like the pickup cover :)
Well done! Just got a 4003 and I see there is more involved than I thought in removing the pickup cover--thanks!!
This video is excellent, and assisted me in proper removal of my 4003s pickup and reinstallation. I added a cove pickup bezel, so this was best in learning assembly and technique as it applied to my situation. I did want to point out that at the very end of the video, the G string is out of its' bridge saddle by a mile, and is why the strings look strangely spaced upon completion. In my situation, a full bridge replacement allowed me the palm rest style and better intonation. Thank you Hipshot for that.
Smart guy, sense of humor, easy to follow guide, great video.
Icky pickup cover?
Good sir... how dare you. That pickup cover is not only beautiful but quintessential of a Rick's design.
I bid you adieu.
But isn't the cover sort of a dinosaur now? It was made for the out of production horseshoe pickup. It really has no use now.
I’m with you adieu
Thanks, great vid. Used this to remove cover and replace with aftermarket bezel. Now my Ric is ready to rawk!
When I first got my Ric I was reluctant to do anything to it for some time. But after about a year, I took the pickup cover off and never looked back.
Great video. Thanks for posting.
Thanks alot this vid helped alot and you explained everything very well i managed to get my cover of with no problems
Thanks for this video. I just bought one, and I will definitely take it to my local luthier and let him do it.
Leaving these covers on has been a new phenomena only during that last 10 or 15 years or so, you NEVER saw them with covers still on years ago unless they were very old (60's) and had real horseshoe pickups or were reissue 60's 4001's. Same with Fenders actually even Gibsons because they all used to come with covers that everyone took off right away and usually lost.
Very helpful and informative instructional video. Saved me a lot of trial and error. There is also a nice aftermarket kit at the pickguardian website that eliminates the gaping hole left by removing the pickup cover, as the Ric schematic calls it. I used the chrome part only, not the clear plexiglass top piece. Depending on how you like the pickup height, you may want to shorten the 2 big screws by about 3/16", and/or remove the rubber washers.
I've been thinking of removing this annoying bit of 'plastic' ! for a while. Thanks to your very helpful video, I've actually got round to doing it. What a revelation ! now my playing position is where I prefer it to be, and not be hindered by that treble pick up cover. I'm sure I get a crisper tone now too. Thanks. Brilliant demo. By the way, those bezel cover plates are very expensive. I just made one from black mounting card. Cost me zero. It serves it's purpose in covering the gap. try it as an alternative to paying $38 . I think the bass looks more 'modern' now, after all I got it to play... not just to look at..
You say plastic is if Rickenbacker's trying to do something cheap, with it up in quotes and all. Pickups are magnetic that's why that piece was ever there to begin with. It was actually metal and part of the pickup. If they were to use metal on one on today's pickups well I'm sure you understand problems that would arise from putting a piece of metal that close to a magnet. Constant feedback Loop.
Put the pickup bezel ring on mine and love it. It covers the big gap after the cover is removed. Has a built in thumb rest so I can play right over the pickup. Couldn't do that before and that is the sweet spot on a Ricky.
Exactly! Do these people who are complaining about removing this actually play bass? Do they actually own a 4003? I bought mine to PLAY, not to hang on a wall, and that stupid pickup cover is right in the spot where I normally pick the strings. I also can't palm mute the same as on my Jazz Basses with that thing in the way!
I want to take mine off, and this video was a BIG HELP! Unlike most guitars, this cover is bolted to the pickup mount, so not so simple as Fenders to remove.
Outstanding video!!!
I recently picked up a new 4013 (coincidentally in Mapleglo as well). The directions were spot on. Took me a about 20 minutes and saved me the $75 my local guitar tech would have charged me.
Took mine off, bought and installed a bevel to improve the look. At that point discovered that the pickup is at a rakish angle!
WOW! What a great video. Thanks for posting this... My job was a slight take on this.. I recently scored a 1975 4001. The pickup cover was already removed, but like many people I hated that hole leftover and the edges on the old 4001 mounting ring are sharp in my opinion! So, I got a new 4003 style mounting ring off of Reverb.com and a Treble Bezel from tubeampology.com... What a winning combo! I now have a very playable (and safe :0) 4001 that maintains that vintage vibe.. Thanks to your video I was able to do the job myself! Awesome!
I always wanted to see how it could take 10 minutes to explain this thing, thanks :-p
I had a Ric and sold it! It is like owning a BMW 7 series! Looks great; carries much prestige, has a good ride BUT a cheaper Lincoln can do the same for a hell of a lot less. So many celebs play Rics. There are also celebs that play Dean and Schecter
+DR CHRISTOPHER PETERSEN -- You did the right thing. I got rid of my Ric also. The celebs that played Ric, most of them, got rid of it too. Not a very good bass in my opinion.
I love to play over a pickup... so this is a nice mod. Give you much more access to lots of string to play on. Just add an aftermarket Treble Bezel. Plus Geddy does it ;)
I just bought mine and I can play it just fine with no problems. I paid big $$$$ for this after slogging along with Fender for years. I have 4 Fender Jazz basses, a Gretsch and a Gibson and they are now officially retired permanently. UNLESS it’s an outside gig. Being under a tent or pavilion on a rainy wet day, too cool or 100 degree weather I’ll take the Gibson. I’m babying it ??? You bet !
Graham Gouldman of 10cc used to have the pick up cover removed from his Rickenbackers but I'm in the camp of the leave well alone. I quite like the cover, it does have its uses and I wouldn't remove the cover from my 4003.
Hi great vid thanks .I need to do it .But i started taking the big screws out and they came out and i thought the cover would fall out but silly me .as it is connected to the whole unit so I tried to put the screws back but they wont go .help
I actually kinda like the pickup cover why does everyone hate it so much I mean it makes it slightly harder to play but does it change the sound?
Same, it makes it look nice in my opinion
They do look nice....but are exactly in the way of my right hand when I play. Above the guard sounds muddy and below the guard sounds ding-y. And without an insert for the opening, the edges are very sharp. Get a treble bezel from ebay and you'll soon get over the loss of chrome.
Really helpful, thank you! Is it normal though that the pickup is a little bit loose (moveable) and you get a short hum when changing the switch?
I kept the cover on. I play by the neck pickup and it's very comfortable for me. So much so that I'm thinking of putting one on my other basses
I didn't know that. He must've switched to Fender right around the time of "Moving Pictures;" the MTV video (apparently live) shows him playing the 4001, and there's another video I've seen (in a mock studio setting) where he's playing the Jazz Bass. They were doing "Tom Sawyer" in BOTH vids.
Anyway, I'm very fond of the Fender Jazz... it's a damn fine instrument (they both are).
Gerry used a fender jazz on Tom Sawyer, discovered the bass in a pawn shop while on tour.
thanks, this helped me ensure i put the ground wire back in the right spot. CHEERS!!!
I didn't remove mine because of the looks. It's in my way. The sweet spot for me is where the cover is.
I play right over that spot with both pick and fingers, so I removed the pickup cover and then decided it looked a bit tacky, so I made a black 'skirt' to go around the "valley" that you can see when it's off. It's flush with the top of the pickup, so it looks decidedly better.
I like that cover it looks cool
Thank you so much for this. What would your recommendation be to mount those Lemmy Semours pickups?
There is a fix for the gaping hole around the pickup. It's called "The Treble Bezel" made by Tube Ampology.
I would like to see a video of them reviewing/installing a Treble Bezel.
He plays a 1964 1999 model (original 4001) and the bridge pickup is back further than the 4003.
He uses a pick like I do, and believe me! If his bridge pickup was in the same spot as it is on my 4003, he would have that thing off there in a heartbeat!
Plus, Geddy Lee actually removed the pickup cover on his 4001.
the first thing I did was lose the cover & install a trebel bezel
On my 4001 I removed that cover 25+ years ago and it took less time than the length of this video. There's a giant hole to the guts there also but the rest of it is really pretty so it's equal.
Great video - thanks~!
Very informative, thanks.
If anyone is still nervous, I did this years ago off some bad internet instructions. It took about 10 minutes. Waited until I was changing out strings. Then when I sold the bass, I didn't have the instructions any longer, but it was easy to put back. I'm one of the least mechanically inclined people on the planet. If I could do it, you can do it.
Yes, very easy.
I've heard the Ricks don't generally need neck adjustments as often as something like P-bass or J-bass but the adjustment is a lot easier to do on a Fender. A quick tweak of the truss rod and your Fender is back in shape. The ricks are a big pain to adjust.
I just bought a 4003, I think I’ll keep the cover on. Looks like a large pit containing the pickup without the cover.
Or you can add a "Zero Mod" thumb rest ! I wanted to keep my cover on, and designed this rest to give me a place to hang my thumb. I sell them on Ebay - Over 150 totally satisfied players are digging it so far. Removing the cover has it's advantages in total picking strumming string surface access but I wanted to keep "the look" and don't use a pick (funny I know as it's THE way to play a Ric).The Zero Mod uses existing holes and requires NO mods to the Ric.
I prefer having the pickup cover it looks awesome
Damn right! Looks like a Ric
I achieved excellent results by simply taking an ordinary carpenter's hammer and applying several aggressive blows directly to the cover parallel to the surface of the Ric, or using a flat head screwdriver driven by the hammer. This provides an additional bonus of creating a real trendy 'distressed' look, which some guitar makers charge thousands extra for.
After removing the pickup cover and changing the strings, the pickup selector switch now sticks when popping it back up - any ideas?
I don't think taking the pickup cover caused that. Could you have pulled on the wiring to the pickup to hard and yanked the selector switch out of kilter?
I made a Treble Bezel out of thick black card to cover the gap after removing the pickup cover. Looks convincing enough.
I was surprised that the treble pickup cover was chromed plastic. Then I realised that a metal pickup cover would interfere with the magnetic coils.
It's about time Rickenbacker stopped using imperial hex screws and used metric like everyone else. I had to buy a set of imperial hex keys just for this guitar
to future questions asking how, I ended up grabbing the pickup and lifting it towards the "screws" as I was screwing it back in, or something, I cant really explain it.
I love the tone of a Rick. I have never had the cash to buy one. I played a friend's Rick, and I don't know if his bass had something wrong with it, but I had to turn my amp way, way up in order to get the volume I was getting from my bass. I wasn't aware of a removable cover. You would think a manufacturer would had a reason to have a part on its own product, right? There must be a purpose for the pick up cover, or is it for looks? Is the reason for taking it of for looks or playability. IDK?
Question here, please :
I own a 4001 C64 and it it’s not a cover as such, it’s two big magnets that I’d suppose serve a purpose ... is it the same procedure as shown in this video? How would it affect the tone?
Thank you.
Absolutely not! Those magnets are what creates the unique tone of the pickup; without them it won't function at all. I see those pickups selling for high prices, though, and there are many replacement pickups without the horseshoes. I would sell that pickup and replace it with a non-horseshoe one.
my aria pro ii 4001 bass came without the treble cover. i want one
I did this with my ric as soon as I got it, I love to play by the bridge but it just got in the way, I had a j-bass that had the same cover, ditched it.
i didn't think i'd like the cover. but wound up loving it..toyed with the idea of putting one on my 4004 but rethought that pretty quick.
Geddy Lee, Chris Squier, Paul McCartney and Lemmy Kilmeister left their pickuo covers on. Matter of fact, I don't think I've EVER seen anyone remove them!
Geddy didn't.
@@gutbucket260 Yep I was thinking the same thing :)
I don’t believe Paul McCartney left his on, at least post-Beatles I don’t think he did?
i got a 4003 in maple glow yesterday its dam awesome
Thank You very much! Hat mir sehr geholfen!!! ;-)
He knows how to play bass better than anyone who has ever lived, that's what he knows.
The last Rick I had was in 2002, because I play fingerstyle the first thing I did was remove that damn cover! The only thing was I had to put it back once I came to sell it!
Are you using the same strings, or you need new strings? I want to install that but my strings are pretty much new and I don't want to change it ($)
Everyone is so ridiculously angry on this video. I don't see the big deal. I played my 4003 for at least a year, year and a half, before I decided to take the over off... The dang thing is right in the way for where I'd like to play! Took it off, didn't notice a difference in sound, and noticed a huge increase in playability (due to there not being a big chunk of metal in the way). Nothing wrong with that. I do agree that it looks better with it on, but there's nothing wrong with taking it off!
Now That I Did This My Rickenbacker Makes This HUM sound all the time
any idea why? Thanks Much
check your earthing wire. It might have jiggered itself off.
Let me know when Fender starts making a neck through bass, that sounds like a Ric.
They don’t have to because they’re a better instrument altogether. Ricks are a pain in the ass to set up and cost way too much for a bass with such weak pickups.
So it's the pickup that horrible with like rubber tape? I tought it was a mistake of mine. Could someone tell me if all the Ricks come with that rubber tape on that pickup?
Thank you for this. very helpful. ^_^
If Chris Squire managed with it, then that's good enough for me to leave it on, if or when I get one, my dream bass
Yeah, I found it takes a little while to get used to but it’s manageable. Still, you can buy an aftermarket bezel to cover the hole where the pickup lies.
Cover makes it looks better
Love the sound of these basses, but one fundamental flaw with them was the design that included that wretched pickup guard.
That piece has nothing to do with guarding the pickup. When you're inventing the first pickups and amplifiers you have to do things differently. As I said it was not a guard but actually part of the pickup if you removed it the pickup didn't work.
i've had 3 rickys, 2 from the late 70s and an early 80s....2 screws and the cover is off...NP....maybe they changed something...?
The cover you can use it as a handrest.I am a owner of a Rick 4001 1978Willem Bontenbal.
I'm jealous
Trouble is it covers one of the best spots to play over. The bridge pickup. I took my cover off and put the chrome cavity cover/bezel over the opening. This cavity cover has a built in thumb rest and works and looks great.
For the love of all that is good and pure in the world, please set that G string back in the saddle! Its giving me the itches.
Nooooooo! I love it.
I bought my rick for rock, I to pick near the bridge. Thank you!
I rock and have never left a Ric cover on.
Good to know.. thanks for the info. I saw a blog somewhere where the topic was the "ugliest" basses; can you believe, most people thought the Rick was the ugliest bass ever? Unbelievable! The Music Man Stingrays were disliked by many folks there too.
I was just thinking that while he was working on it. I quite liked them as an iconic bass, but seeing it there on the work bench, especially with the cover removed, it looks strange and ugly.
Resonator bar -- you're hilarious!
the Rickenbacker Bass is beautiful , I love the natural wood basses . I hear they are
constantily needing NECK ADJUSTMENTS, which unless your in a top touring band with
a bass tech at your side....thats seems a pain in the arse.
I love the look of the pickup covers on Rickenbackers and Fenders. However, I ended up removing the covers on my Precision and Jazz basses for 3 reasons..
1. They're right in the sweet spot for plucking and picking.
2. They have to be removed when cleaning the strings.
3. They just get in the way.
Fender pickup covers are way more easier to remove, but leave ugly screw holes. Bummer!
Right in the way of playing if you like to play in that middle "sweet spot" between the neck and the bridge.
Thanks for posting this video. But, can you, or anyone, tell me what those covers are for? For the life of me, I can't understand why anyone would put one of those on a bass.
shielding
You can tighten the screws to increase output?.......what...?
to be honest, i love how the pickup cover looks on my ric, but i just cannot play it anywhere near as well with it on. its exactly where my hand wants to be. so now that i know how, its coming off tomorrow, and i guarantee my playing time will double
But if you switch basses for different songs, you don't want a TOTALLY different playing position on one bass.
What's the cover actually for? What purpose does it serve? (apart from covering)
+Marcus Longhurst (mpl82) From what I have been able to find, the cover has no effect on the sound. Some players use it as a handrest or because they like the look of it. The idea of the pick-up cover is probably derived from "The Horseshoe" pick-up, used on the "Frying pan guitar" Rickenbacker created in the early days of electric guitar. Here it was an extension of the pickup, to increase output or something like that. That is what I could find on the subject anyway.
Why would the ground wire be attached on the spring screw. ?
That way you have the pickup mounting ring grounded and the wire is connected without soldering.
I've always wondered why Rickenbacker put that silly thing on in the first place. Looks cool, yes. But does it actually server a purpose?
......and where does one acquire this schematic diagram??????
There is an easier way to do this, according to John Hall, CEO of Rickenbacker:
Loosen the two pickup height adjustment screws, but DON'T pull them out or up at all. When the screws are completely loose: let the pickup drop to the inside of the body. Still do not remove the height adjustment screws. Squeeze the sides of the pickup cover until you can get it out from the under the bezel. Bending the cover won't break it; it's chromed plastic. You can even push one side into the opposite inner wall of the pickup cavity to squeeze it enough to come out. Be careful since you don't want the springs and ground wire to come off the screws, which is why you shouldn't remove them. When you get the cover out, hold the pickup assembly up a bit so that the screws go in the holes at the sides of the pickup mounting plate, and tighten the screws.
I don't like the looks with that gaping hole exposed - personal preference. Are there no after market chrome parts that just leave the pickups exposed?