RC-4 veterans needed - pickguard help!

If any RC-4 builders could assist me, I have some questions about the pickguard included in these kits.

Is the stock kit pickguard fit for a regular firebird pickup, or is it some non-standard mini-humbucker that you'd need to modify to fit other pickups?

If I carved the pickguard cavity for the pickup, could I fit a standard humbucker in that space? Are the pickup screws the right distance for mounting something like that?


Thanks in advance! I've mocked this up, it's what I'm hoping to go with once it's all together:
http://i.imgur.com/vYK83xr.png

Have no idea about the cavity but awesome profile pic, bloody good album!

Hi Buddy, not much help on the kits as I have a genuine Ric 4003 but tend to think their neck PUP hole is pretty close to mini Humbucker size, similar to that found on a Firebird as you mentioned.

Has your kit arrived yet as once you get your hands on it then it would be easier to size things up?

Cheers, Waz

Looks like Adam got back to an email I sent him. The specs are basically the same as a Firebird mini humbucker. So I'll be putting a 4-conductor Firebird pickup I picked up into my RC-4 so I can play with the coils in my bass. Good info to have for my next RC-4 build, as well.

Curious to know if the FB Humbucker has 6 pole pieces hidden under the chrome cover? If so that may do funky things with how the sound from the strings are picked up.

I do believe that the standard pickup included in the kit is a Firebird humbucker as well, in which case the strings would already be off the center of the poles. I suppose if the pickup pole pieces are already close enough together, it shouldn't be too bad since demos of this particular kit stock sound pretty decent. The pickup will be arriving in the mail this coming week, and the kit hopefully the following week, we will see. I should not have ordered custom, the wait is destroying me inside. Haha

SD do a replacement neck PUP in a Humbucker ..... http://www.seymourduncan.com/pickup/...humbucker-neck

Here are some more on eBay too..... http://www.ebay.com/bhp/rickenbacker-bass-pickup

I know Duncan makes one... but it's over a hundred dollars! Plus I'd need a Ric pickguard to fit it, which is another 20 dollars. The mini HB came in the mail today and it looks like good quality. The kit will hopefully be arriving soon so I'll update when it arrives on the fit of the pickup.

Fully understand how overpriced some parts can be, particularly genuine Riccy stuff.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by wazkelly

Fully understand how overpriced some parts can be, particularly genuine Riccy stuff.

---

That's because Ricky don't sell the parts except to owners and then only as replacement for damaged or faulty parts that have to be sent back first before the new parts are sent out. So any used parts come from broken-up guitars and the scarcity keeps the price high.

I checked their website for those parts, but I didn't realize they were just for Ric owners. That makes it worse. I know I could always contact a custom builder, but I wish someone would just go out and make replacement Ric pickups that are like the high gain singles, but hum cancelling. Maybe a bridge pickup that had that weird mounting rig, but didn't cost over a hundred bucks? Ya know, little stuff like that.

But hey, I got the parts I need, ust waiting for the kt to come in the next week or so. Last question for anyone else still reading this thread: does the RC-4 pickguard match up with a Ric 400X pickguard from Allparts or Pickguardian?

Try this place..... http://www.pickofthericks.com/

Never had hum issues on either my long gone 4001 which was played through an all valve 100w Marshall Super Bass Head or the current 4003 and it is those pickups that give them that unique sound which others have tried but never replicated. Yes, the parts are expensive and so are their guitars and for a kit builder the question is how far does your budget stretch and how badly do you want it to sound or look like the original?

I reckon hold off spending any more coin until the kit arrives to see how things fit together.

Cheers, Waz

Yeah my bass is all mahogany. It isn't gonna sound or look like a traditional Ric by any means. I just want it to be easier to get parts to help it have some Ric vibe to it. Custom cut parts eat up my budget real quick.

I like that pick of the ricks site. I chuckled a little how the bridge pickup and assembly was more than my custom mahogany body and mahogany/ebony neck bass kit.