Rickenberger anybody?

prowla

I've just mocked up my latest project - the Rickenberger!

Funkfingers

Interesting idea but I cannot help thinking that the positioning of both pickups will have a negative effect on the sound.

The metal pickup surround only really exists to make the integrated single coil pickup outwardly resemble the original horseshoe magnets design.

If the Spirit bass is routed for a single central soapbar-sized pickup, that is where I would position the R-style bridge pickup.

The 24-fret fingerboard is bound to compromise the position of the neck pickup. It probably needs to be right up against the end of the neck.

It will be interesting to read ICBM’s opinion of this one.

ICBM

Funkfingers said:

It will be interesting to read ICBM’s opinion of this one.

It won’t sound anything like a Rick. It’s not just the pickup position, although that won’t help - the Rick sound is not in the pickups... my 4001 has two mini-humbuckers - the neck one looks like a Toaster and the bridge is a ceramic magnet Firebird-style pickup - and it still sounds exactly like a 4001 should. In my opinion it’s a combination of the thin but heavy body, the unique bridge design and the dual truss rods.

prowla

Barebones, the bass has quite a ring/clank to it, but yes, it's not going to be a real Ric!

The bridge pickup will be mounted on a pickup ring attached to the body, with the treble surround placed over it really only for show.

I think the "neck" pickup is about the position of the treble pickup on a normal 4003, or the single pickup of a 4000 (which sounds very Ric-like!).

With the bridge one, I'd say the pickup positions are nearer to the AC, or more like a Jazz bass (which can sound Ric-like).

Without getting into the tonewood thing, someone else said that it's all in the pickups. Me, I say a Ric sounds like a Ric even when it's not plugged in.

Funkfingers

For some reason, I got it into my head that the OP instrument was a Synapse bass. 

The best option for the Spirit bass would probably be one EMG-HB pickup - their P model in a humbucker half shell - plus the -BQS stacked pots equaliser.

prowla

I bought this specifically for the Ric mod. :-)

I have. 5-string Spirit in need of pickups though!

axisus

Not keen at all on the pickguard personally but hey, it's your guitar what does my opinion matter!