Harley Benton RB-414 Modified - Joe Barden Pickups & Hipshot Ric Bridge! - LowEndLobster Builds

NOTE: PLEASE PERFORM THESE MODS AT YOUR OWN RISK. I was told that newer versions have a revised neck angle which makes the hipshot bridge's lower action a bit more problematic. Please install at your own risk!
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Harley Benton RB-414 Revisit: • Harley Benton RB-414 "...
Harley Benton RB-414 Review (original): • Harley Benton RB-414 "...
Harley Benton RB-414 Original Mod: • Harley Benton RB-414 w...
Hey everyone! Today we're taking another go at modding the Harley Benton "Thomannbacker" RB-414. We previously modded this bass early on in the channel with genuine Ric pickups, but this time we're looking to take things a step further. We'll be using Joe Barden R4000 pickups (same pickups that are on Wally, my real Ric) as well as a Hipshot Bridge. Will this bass sound like a Ric after all these mods? Let's find out!
NOTE: I did NOT wire these pickups out of phase this time. I think the cheap pots and switch config are having an impact.
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[@jamesmarkham7489]

I may be alone in saying this but the new pups had no low end. Lots of clank and clarity but no punch. I much prefer the stock pups in comparison. Maybe eq'ing could fix this but i was surprised how much low freq loss there was.

[@LowEndLobster]

Me too. I can't blame the pickups as they sound great in the real thing. Methinks the harness did not play nicely with the pickups.

[@jamesmarkham7489]

@@LowEndLobster I was wondering the same. The ric had a nice warm low end.

[@Kelembor]

@@LowEndLobster Time to mod the whole thing then: ¡For science! :)

[@bog_goblin]

Yeah I was surprised by how they felt more aggressive and louder but there was so much less bottom end. To me, the stock HB sounded a lot more like Ric than with the new pickups.

[@hectoreduardofuentealbapel7830]

@@jamesmarkham7489 well, Rics use a different wiring set up too isn't?

[@pearsonusa]

In my opinion, I prefer the stock HB over the modded HB. In fact, in this comparison I feel the warmth and clarity of the stock HB elevates it over the Ric. I was not expecting this.

[@DMSProduktions]

I think the wiring was done incorrectly, & a pot mismatch! It SHOULD still sound fatter than it did!

[@LowEndLobster]

Yeah I think the "correct" way is usually the incorrect way. Only two wires per pickup and reusing the stock harness, not a lot of room for error. However I hypothesize that the stock Ric harness is also out of phase normally, as I've had the same issue twice with Ric pickups

[@topcat2069]

Yes, I'd just change out the bridge and ...good enough.( though I did find a horseshoe Ric replacement bridge pickup. Hmmmm i wonder ).🤫

[@SpiritOfOrange]

To my ears the stock pickups sound closer to the real Ricky than the mod however, I'd prefer the mod for studio applications. Let's Go Barden!

[@LowEndLobster]

LOL! Thank you.

[@geraldwelch8117]

Am I the only one who liked the stock pickups? They don't sound like the Ric does but they sure sound better than the modded ones.

[@richschneider6705]

I just completed almost the same exact mod today but without the Hipshot Bridge. I used the Joe Barden pickups with a 920D Custom RIC-B Wiring Harness for Mono. I also replaced the nut with a TUSQ XL and since the HB volume and tone knobs don't fit the 920D pots, I replaced those with Ric silver top knobs, giving it a very slightly more authentic Ric look. While the Joe Bardens fit in the existing pickup cavities, I had to do some creative modifications to get them to fit better and to be able to lower the bridge pickup to a better sounding height. Does it sound like a Ric? Not at all. And it definitely doesn't play like one. I am fortunate to have a 1978 4001 to compare it to and while it's hardly the same, there's something about the Harley Benton that makes me want to play it. It will never replace the real Ric but it was an awesome first-time mod. Great video Lobster!

[@RaulTorresMorfin]

I actually like the stock pups better :)

[@texacomann]

I have 20 basses here but none of them sounds like the other. So this is very unique with basses, that they really worth to own many of these guys. Other than Electric guitars, they do Sound not so very different, but you can imagine..... 🤣

[@cliffords2315]

I had 4 Rickenbackers over the years, they do all sound a little different, the Natural 4001 i had had a quicker snap to it, while my Black 4001 had a deeper woody sound, longer sustain, wood makes a difference

[@texacomann]

@@cliffords2315 you See, even the same Model sound different, because you never get the same piece of wood again. Even the trees are different. So why not, each Bass has its own personality. I like that!

[@edelcorrallira]

That mod ... it's Lemmy territory; this is why I love the Rick. To my ears, the Yes / Lemmy / Cliff tone is the measuring rod I use for basses. I know most people love the low end, but I love the growl. I''m a guitar player but I found that my meager classical guitar skills translate into comfortable (not proficient) bass playing, which means I'm often handed over bass duties. I once had a Dean bass that sort of had a growl to it, and man that thing was a joy. Sadly it broke and though I got a "better" bass, I don't really enjoy it half as much. I find the Rick's sound so compelling - It's closer to a naturally distorting baritone guitar which my ears find closer to home, yet distant enough to provide a very rich and rewarding soundscape. But it's so pricey, that this seems to be a great option (and frankly for my purposes a modded HB seems the best of the 3)

[@FromaTwistedMind]

I'm with you.. l prefer the sound of the HB with the new pick ups.

[@johnnysteel2380]

I think keep it stock for this Bass, looks and sounds better than it should for the low price.

[@pilummurialis6490]

I think both are great! I love the modded one for how it has way more growl in it's tone, sounds like a V8 motor with no muffler

[@grahamratcliffe1945]

not a bass player but found it very interesting , i would have liked to hear an unmodified out of the box rick in there as well just to compare all the tones

[@blackromulan]

Having just bought one of these HB RB-414 roughly at the same time you got yours, I have very much been anticipating this mod video; cheers!

[@DMSProduktions]

Jolan Tru!

[@ChrisHopkinsBass]

A mod that I'm thinking of doing with my friend's Rockinbetter is to replace the mono jack with a stereo one and also a push/pull pot to send the individual pickup outputs to both "hot" lugs, this replicating the "Rickosound" feature.

[@bueller8278]

was just watching your Ray34 video! Cameron and Sloan love the content. Keep it coming!

[@LowEndLobster]

So glad you all are enjoying the content :) Thank you!

[@thefool2007]

Bass sounds better. More clarity and focus. Little less bite. The pickups reveal the tone quality of the wood. Looks like the bass plays better with the replacement bridge. Doesn’t capture the soul of the Ric. Cool project to see.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thank you Rick!

[@GeorgeVrachliotis]

That Ric looks and sounds amazing, Thomann's clone is nowhere close, even with these expensive mods

[@LowEndLobster]

Indeed! Kinda bummed with the result but hey, we're 0 for 2 with modding this bass

[@mmsabre7931]

Yeah, I was bummed how great the Ric sounded. Does it have to be that good? I'll have to save money or rob a bank.

[@Kaleil]

It doesn't sound very much like a Rick, but at a 10th of the price, I'd say it's a pretty good sounding instrument. I will, however, say that my own RB414 sounds a lot more like the Rick in this video than the RB414 in this video - Basically all stock but with tapewound strings.

[@Lazarus_Cardinalis]

This Harley seems to be better than any Rick ever

[@TenFalconsMusic]

@@Lazarus_Cardinalis Agreed😁👍 What's more, I'll bet the HB is 1000 times more reliable than the Rick. Ricks are over hyped, over priced relics. Probably why you don't see many (if any) bass players using them these days. Every Rick owner (including myself) wishes they had bought something else. Most of them won't admit to it though.

[@ampthebassplayer]

I would be very curious to see how much closer they get if you replace all the electronics. I can't imagine those pots being super high quality.

[@DMSProduktions]

Agreed!

[@misery13666]

Yep cheap dome size pots. Also cheap, non Ric wiring was at play. That's why the stock pickups sounded closer to the Ric, and the new ones had tons of clarity but no punch

[@cliffords2315]

thats a big thought right there

[@janistvanik2701]

yeeeeee i love all your videos especially those modification ones. Great job and Thank you !

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks!

[@VeitLehmann]

Looks like I'm not alone here preferring the stock electronics' sound. Actually, the fact that it sounds different from a real Rick is a good thing! It seems to be more versatile, with the bridge pickup sounding somewhere in the ballpark of a StingRay and a Fender, and the neck pickup being more Gibson-like, while both combined blend very nicely and provide a pretty nice scooped sound that steps back when played with fingers or pick, and works well for slapping (if you manage to do that on this type of bass). Awesome bass, especially for the price! Also nice that it doesn't try to copy a 4003 in every detail. But they still could have made the upper horn a little longer for better balance and more familiar looks.

[@gastaxxx]

You can mod the electronic to stock 4001/3 volume sistem, you have to change output pin of pot with the input (the middle go from hot pole to ground, if you use central pin as output you send to ground booth pickup in the middle position of the selector, if you use central pin with hot pickup wire, you send only this signal to ground and you keep other p.u. working). With stock selector you can also change to original wiring to a separate output (pickup B->tone B ->selector-> separate (desolder the 2 central pin) pin to volume B, pickup T->tone->selector->separate pin to volume T and you can ad hipass cap here. 2 separated in stereo jack for rick tone).

[@gastaxxx]

I had a Rick of a friend years ago, I remember a lot of punch, the harley I’m modifing is more like a jazz in middle position, I’ll try the hipass cap on bridge pu to see if it resolve phase issues on lowend (I’m with stock pu). Are the PU position (distance from bridge) the same respect the original one?

[@nikolapavlovic3057]

Have to admit that I just prefer the stock HB pickups more, the new neck pickup on its own does sound nice tho, but both together, sorta weak and like they cancel each others low end.

[@innocentoctave]

Sounds as though somebody might need to trim his right hand nails ... Very interesting comparison, though. If I had bought these parts expecting 'instant Ric' I would be disappointed, even though the bass sounds fine in its own right. Clearly the Ric sound is a combination of several different elements. But it's always been striking to me how many famous Ric users have found it necessary to make mods, particularly to the pickups - Chris Squire, Lemmy, Hellmut Hattler among others. So what many of us think of as the Ric sound may actually be already modified.

[@LowEndLobster]

Great comment! Very well said.

[@Sheehy223]

Chris Squire added a stereo jack and painted his RM1999, no pickup mods were ever done to that bass.

[@garywillacey9979]

I think the stock sounds better than the mod & closer in sound to the Rik.

[@philipmcadam5339]

Hey Lobster, I love the humour that you often inject into your videos. Having said that, I agree with you, the Thomanbacher does not sound like Wally, your Ric. It is brighter to me, hotter? The Ric sounds thicker and deeper in tone to my ears. Thanks for another excellent video.

[@NicholasANappiNick]

The stock HB SOUNDED GOOD

[@brawdygordii]

Well, I'm convinced. I shall be investing in a Lefty HarveyBanger asap and leaving the rest of the $2,000 where it belongs. And I used to own a 70's Ric 4001 in the early 80's.

[@davidmurray9193]

Not a bass person but actually liked the hb pickups lol, just ordered the brown version Ill mod the bride and possibly tuners, and that's about that cool vid thanks

[@wanieldeir2]

For me your reverb affiliate hyperlink at the top takes you to Reverb's mainpage. But the link at the bottom does take you to your shop. Not that having the /right/ link does me any good, since I'm a lefty. Great vid. I thought the RB Rickenslopper sounded pretty good w/mods. Thanks!

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks! They're functioning as intended. The affiliate link is for buying other people's stuff, shop link is for my stuff.

[@WildWildWeasel]

Ric tones are like if bass tone had MSG/umami.

[@LowEndLobster]

Makin me hungry

[@mr_ozzio5095]

@@LowEndLobster Uncle Roger say, bass(lowend) ingredient missing..yi-yi-yi!

[@WildWildWeasel]

@@LowEndLobster Also the "in terms of almost like a *meow*" part, kitty wanted their opinion too xD

[@valintime2313]

Damn, the stock is actually better. This makes me feel better in just buying the bass and not having to mod it at all. However if i had better knowledge in pickups i might beable to find a cooler combo. In this case, if it aint broke dont fix it. Good video.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks! Im 0 for 2 with modding this thing hahaha. I'm never going to pretend to justify a mod like this hahaha, the stock setup definitely worked better!

[@57precision]

The bass sounds even worse now, but I appreciate what you're doing in the name of science. I'm not normally a believer in tone woods, but there is an undeniable bite and snap that has to come from a Ric's neck-through all maple construction. Traditional Spectorss have the same kind of quality.

[@kevmac1230]

I put a three band preamp in a long with the new pups.Lots of tonal variety.

[@DMSProduktions]

You DIDN'T mention IF you got a lower string action with the new bridge! Also I think you wired the pick ups OUT of phase with each other! On their own they don't sound too bad, but really thin & NASALLY combined! I'd do a rewire! I'd also replace those pots! It SHOULD still have more low end THUMP than it does! GLAD at least, they made a HUM BUCKER for the bridge position! Cheers Lob!

[@LowEndLobster]

Whoops! Yeah the new bridge was a major improvement. Had to raise the saddles up a LOT and it was still lower than stock. Pickups only have black and white wires with white being hot. I think this was intended for use with a real Ric harness, as this is the second time I've encountered phase issues when installing Ric pickups on a non Ric harness

[@DMSProduktions]

@@LowEndLobster Sounds about right! That cap in the harness, is prob filtering a lot of treble out of the bridge pick up, & lowering its reosnant peak, as it too is a single coil! I have a similar mod on 1 of my Teles! Makes it sound like a humbucker! TRY swapping the wires around to see how the phase is after that. It may improve it, it may make it worse, or make no difference, but swapping over 2 wires is a 5 min job! I know a pick up maker, he is very experienced in Ric pick ups! I can ask him about it! GOOD to hear also you got better action. I will get an after market Ric replacement bridge. The Hipshots are over $300!!! A generic is around $50-60! Cheers Lob!

[@PushSueAside]

I just did this mod to my 99 4003, I absolutely love my new bridge. My favorite part about it is, how comfortable it now is to play “right on top” of it. I never realized how much the mute adjustment screws got in the way, down there. The pickups I’m still experimenting on, i only changed the neck pup, I’m liking the results of the original B.pickup with the JB at the neck. So I haven’t got around to the complete swap. Anyway…thank you for sharing, you are awesome. Cheers

[@WayBackNowLetsGo]

I bet if Ric used this design with their components, they'd have a winner.

[@desertdrives7482]

I own an rb414, and it definitely doesn't get the Rick sound. It sounds more like a mix between a thunderbird and a jazz bass. It has a very unique sound that ironically is like a Rick in that you can't easily get it anywhere else. I had considered doing this exact project in the past but it wasn't financially feasible to throw $500 in parts at a $200 bass. What you have done is shown that despite the many issues that Ricks can have(including the price), they do have a sort of magic special sauce that is unique to them, and that's part of what justifies that price.

[@NofreedomofspeechonYouTube]

New pickups are loud but i like stock ones . They sounds melodious.

[@ovash1]

I loved the sound of the real thing, (I'm too lazy to spell Rick......), and I very much liked the sound of the stock pickups on the HB. After the new pickups and bridge were installed, to my untrained ears, the new pickups had more treble but were not as dynamic, in my opinion. Maybe the stock pickups that originally came with the HB bass were chosen to give the best sound for the materials used in the instrument? If the new parts cost more than the guitar, I think leaving it stock is better. Just my opinion, thank you so much for the video. Now I know, if I buy an HB RB-414 bass, leave it alone.

[@piedpeter1]

I don't think they were trying to clone the tone, just the looks. Stock sounds great or put a vst pedal or micro-tubes pedal and good eq'ing in front of amp and your good to go. Although I am going to put a foam pad under bridge pu to get it right up close to strings to get max growl.

[@LowEndLobster]

Great comment! I think a lot of folks (especially newer players not well versed in pickups) can make the mistake of associating looks with tone.

[@piedpeter1]

@@LowEndLobster for sure. Great videos, THANKS. There's something about the growl and non-mundane tone of your Rickenbacker, I love the fact that it's not just a generic bass tone, makes you wanna step up and own it especially with a quality distortion (mild). Keep it simple, not so polite and always I don't care and in your face badass riffage. Riff on and enjoy!

[@garybratton7756]

I would love a real Ric bass someday, but it’s way down the line. This is in dangerous “impulse buy” territory. This video may have been enough to talk me down from the ledge…thank you! Still gonna do the 12-string, though! 😬

[@stefanaretz8136]

Thank you for this interesting modding report. I like the way you realized it and agree , it sounds good,but not like a Rick. And i like how you say the jiddish word Schmutz at 11:05 😂 Cheers Stefan

[@earlgarcia9824]

I agree with Richard, I prefer the stock pickups which are Artec made in Korea, they make pretty decent pups I have used there p and j alnico5 ,only a Ric is going to sound like a Ricky.

[@jeffjones1359]

Wally still rules! Close but no cigar. And after all that great work the bottom went away?!? What’s the secret sauce Rickenbackers have? I guess it’s a combination of wood pickup placement and electronics? Hmmmmm…

[@LowEndLobster]

They do some WEIRD stuff with the electronics. Given that both mods that I've done ended up sounding bottomless (out of phase), I'm thinking the 'true' Ric wiring is out of phase by default. Maybe third time will be a charm here hahaha

[@revlewisrees9880]

Strange, I thought the modded RB sounded more like a Ric than the Ric with the aftermarket pickups.

[@LowEndLobster]

I thought the neck pickup especially on the mod (bridge too) soloed sounded very 'Ric' esque, especially with a pick. I think that the default real 'ric' harness config is wired out of phase, and the pickups aren't cancelling each other in stock form. I think that wiring up the pickups on the harley benton's harness puts them out of phase or something. I don't know, all I know is I'm 0/2 on modding this beast to my satisfaction hahaha

[@revlewisrees9880]

@@LowEndLobster - Will you be further upgrading the electronics?

[@rodneyshuffler5810]

The stock pick up sounded way better, I would put them back in

[@studiosix4431]

I feel that just a little honk (700hz) and maybe a cut around 300 could get the sotck pickup real close to the Ric. Mod not needed.

[@DMSProduktions]

Been WAITING for this 1 Lobby! \m/

[@foxolsen5747]

I wanna hear the modded version with distortion. The new pups may not have had as much low end but maybe through a distorted amp theyll sound dry and growly, closer to how lemmy liked to sound

[@kevinturvey8213]

the stock HB pickups sounded best of the 3!!! the modded ones were horrible! IF IT AIN'T BROKE...(nice to hear the cat)

[@rmccain99]

I like the stock pickups but I would do the bridge mod. My basses all have HipShot bridges and Dunlop stainless steel UltraBrights.

[@duartebriz]

Even with the new pickups it is far from the real Ric. Very nice "in the name of science" mod.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Duarte! I agree. I like to approach these mods with an open mind. They won't all be winners but we definitely learn something new with each one

[@h.p.brownsaucecraft7966]

The tone was a huge improvement to the stock tone, but the real Rick is still so much smoother. Nice mod, thanks for letting us in on it.

[@RichardCampbell-smith]

Quite like the Hartley stock sound myself.

[@markpickardlife]

The bridge does look a lot better. Did the string action change after installing the new bridge? The stock pickups did sound pretty good in the comparison, but the real Rick sounded the best. I was wondering about the pickup height after the mod. As always, thanks for making the video.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Mark. YES! Before, the Harley bridge was bottomed out and couldn't get any lower. The hipshot has MUCH more adjustment. Tried to keep the heights similar, but I think there's much more at play here.

[@alexskibicki2262]

Cool review, lobster. 😎I’m not a big fan of rickenbaker basses, but this one sounded pretty good. Especially before and after the modifications.

[@discodynamite]

Great Mod -Video as always ! But for my ears - (sorry to say this), the stock pickups sound better !

[@LowEndLobster]

No need to apologize!

[@kelalamusic9258]

Much prefer the nice low end sound of the original pups, which, to my ears at least, sound closer to your Rick.

[@LowEndLobster]

Yeah this mod was not a winner lol

[@russellzauner]

The H-Brickenbacker good stuff

[@bassplayer3348]

it sounds better with the stock pick ups

[@wallysef5653]

I agree, the sound with replacement pickups is weird, maybe a wiring issue ? Did you check ?

[@LowEndLobster]

Twas a phase issue, I'm 0 for 2 with these basses lol

[@michaelplaysbass]

I know a couple folks have asked if the bass is out of phase again after the mod? I saw you responded that you put the white/black wires where they were supposed to go. But when I dropped some new pickups in my Jazz, the "hot" and "ground" wires were actually backwards. At least according to the colour scheme! Wired it up "properly" and it was out of phase. Once I put them in "wrong" the bass was in phase. If Lindy Fralin can get their wires crossed, I assume Joe Barden could too! It really didn't sound right. Maybe it's just the pots? It's possible certainly, but that would be a pretty extreme loss of tone, the likes of which I've not seen pots be capable of. EDIT: The middle position of the modded HB is actually sounding a lot like a Rick's middle position when it's in "vintage" mode with the .0047uF cap in line. Well, it sounds kind of like my 4003, anyways. I wonder if something is going on there? The neck solo'd sounds the most Rick-like, while the bridge pickup doesn't really come close at all.

[@LowEndLobster]

Great observations! Considering I had the same phase issue twice using both the stock Ric pickups and the Bardens, I am thinking that the stock Ric wiring is 'out of phase' as a "feature", and the pickups are also wired out of phase, making the combo work. So when wiring up either the stock pickups or the bardens using a 'non-ric' wiring harness, the phase issue presents itself.

[@sd3falco]

Cool video like always. Your "real ric" is quite beautiful.

[@antoniolopez6798]

Great video Lobster!... Yeah... Great video!

[@ianjohnson4987]

What a great project which made a very interesting video - thanks

[@rmccain99]

I picked up a Yamaha RBX375 and I'm looking for a set of RBX765a pickups to go in it. These are the best sounding pickups that I have come across. Too bad no one sells them. I have an RBX760 but I don't think those pickup blades will cover the five string and they are a reverse P design.

[@devinparker8530]

I think the stock pickups were closer

[@ragingmong5593]

Oh yeah those pick ups make that bass sound way more beefy

[@user-ee6jm3wu4q]

I actually thought the stock version sounded closer to the Ric-- the modded version had a lot of output and was badass though-the modded was my fav but I felt stock wasn't really too different from the Ric---not extreme anyway

[@rmccain99]

Under the pickguard is plenty of room for your Favorite preamp. The upper horn is no where near the twelth fret.

[@harrydassori7726]

nice job, on video th HB sounded great.

[@EddieG1888]

I wish Thomann would make these in 33" scale, no Rick copies besides the 70s and 80s ones like the CMI I used to own are made in that scale.

[@egroegmcdonald9870]

The only questions I would raise regarding the thin modded tone would be...!) did you set the pickup height to spec or perhaps the same as your Ric? 2) The cheap pots in the Thomannbacker should be replaced to either matching with the Ric or at least higher quality pots?? Even with that it will sound like a modded Thomann instead of a Ric. How about you try the same pup swap into the Jacksonbacker?

[@LowEndLobster]

Heyo George! I eyeballed it as the pickup heights are a bit hard to measure on the Ric with the surround and different depths of the cavities (and height of the neck). I think the quality of the pots had an impact, but also HOW the harness is setup. The stock Ric uses a cap on the bridge pickup and and has some other wiring differences. Both times when modding this thomannbacker, the pickups sounded out of phase even though they were wired with white=hot, black=ground. I think that the 'real' ric wiring harness is setup 'out of phase' so when you wire the pickups up, it works out. However using a non ric harness with Ric pickups appears to give us this phase issue. Jacksonbacker is getting Geezers, these pickups won't fit and it would be a bit too much work for me to mod these in there. Great questions!

[@georgekushner323]

@@LowEndLobster Yeah, I got to thinking about the Jackson and it occurred to me that it is Ric-ish in shape and inlays only. My bad.

[@Wolfythereviewer]

I do think the hipshot or a hipshot copy is a necessary mod, otherwise I wonder what treating this thing more like a Gibson bass than a ric copy would result in? I like the base bass, it's just not a ric and that's okay. I would kill for Thomann to make a ripper bass copy, because all of their Gibson copies are really dope.

[@LowEndLobster]

Yeah the bridge was worth it, though I'd probably just do a fender style one in retrospect as the Hipshot wasn't a direct fit. The stock bridge blows the big one

[@skyra1der]

I'm a little surprised that the control cavity was CNCed and not a hundred forstner bit holes like what I've always seen on Ricks.

[@Apprentice_of_the_Leonine]

One more mod, an aftermarket wiring harness with both vintage tone and mono/stereo push-pull pots (yes, that's a thing) would make that bass perfect.

[@Jonny-Saurus-Wrecks]

Isn't it funny to say that the HB stock pups sounded better than JBE pups with a Hipshot bridge? Way to go HB! I see now from where my next bass cometh. I wonder however, if there is a different way to stash those wires coming off the bridge pup? It's purely a cosmetic thing, but now all I would do is stare at those wires, and if you're going to do something . . . Anyway, it seems that the wires could be run through that acrylic plate that came stock, even if you had to drill a 1/4 inch hole to do so in order to drop them through? Before mounting the pup on the plate, of course. Certainly you can go back and do that, but after removing the strings, etc. . . . Otherwise it was a good experiment, and though not a successful mod as far as improving the HB's sound, well, we all learned something, which is what science is all about anyway, right?

[@stockholm1752]

Did it occur to Lobster that maybe the people spec’ing this understood the differences in materials and compensated accordingly? Because the stock version sounded closer to your actual (albeit modded) Rickenbacker. I’m curious to hear what difference changing *just* the inferior bridge might have made.

[@LowEndLobster]

I think the biggest issue was the phasing. I couldn't get that right either time i modded this bass. Not all mod projects are winners and this one was definitely not a winner haha

[@stockholm1752]

@@LowEndLobster Well, I thank you for the video, because I’m looking for a decent, cheap bass. Still on the fence, but I like it.

[@drydreams8513]

It’s a bass with no bass now idk about these pickups they definitely have the top end but they need more lows. Can you just install one pick up perhaps to persevere the bass frequencies , the treble was great though

[@drydreams8513]

I’m back to tell myself that it’s been 11 day’s since I saw this video and I watched it again and that bass still has no bass and looks stupid with out the pick up cover. To my future self it’s a stupid looking bassless bass don’t do it , u thought it the first time and now a second time chances are u will think it a 3rd time

[@dentninja]

I just put on the Hipshot bridge to my HB Rick bass and the neck was pitched too far making it impossible to use the bridge with mine. Looks like they changed the bridge on the newer ones and pitched the neck so you could make the action lower. Now I’m out almost 300 bucks because of this mod. FML.

[@LowEndLobster]

Aw bummer! Sorry to hear that.

[@LowEndLobster]

I've updated the description with a disclaimer. One possible solution is to make a little baseplate out of acrylic to raise the bridge and hopefully get things better. Thanks for letting me know and sorry again!

[@dentninja]

I can afford it. I still love you boo boo

[@robbee23]

No measuring when replacing the bridge ? Hmmm. Gee, the taped pickup is a real nice addition. LOL. No pot rewire either ?

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Robbee! I'm 0 for 2 on the mods on these HBs when using Ric pickups. Both with an aftermarket pre-wired 'ric' harness (just ric styled as we got similar results with the phasing), and the stock HB harness here definitely didn't play nicely with the Ric pickups.

[@mattalward3777]

The wiring is different on the HB. That will be a big issue

[@dog61]

All of that work and it still doesn't sound like a Rickenbacker.

[@LowEndLobster]

Yep, I'm 0 for 2 on modding this thing with ric electronics

[@michaelblaney4461]

I think the Walnut RIC doesn't sound like a Maple RIC either. The new pickups on the 414 were louder then your RIC. Unfortunately if you want the RIC sound I think you have to buy a RIC . ( if you can find em)

[@scottdunn2178]

I'd take one of these over a Chickenbacker anyday.

[@nachostopthebones3352]

Hello, thanks for the tutorial, is good! i see other good tutorial in KZbin and perhaps the combination of your changes with the changes in electronic elements of this other tutorial can be a sound more Ricken, salutations and sorry for my "vikinglish"... this is the other tutorial:

[@nachostopthebones3352]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/pIikoKarbruhpbssi=LZkXgqxkQ16RVWjw

[@johnwelch557]

Ric or not, I like the stock pups.

[@crazeefingas33]

Stock is the way to go in my opinion. The modded sounded too nasal for my taste and overall just lost that bottom end. I would use a Sans Amp pedal with the stock and make that fricking thing growl

[@jagerking7020]

When do the low end lobster pajama pajama pants come out?

[@nrich5127]

Painters tape .. no no no ... a dab of solder like the original PU was attached would be appropriate.

[@chrisbardolph]

Man, something doesn't sound right with those replacement pickups. I've had name brand pickup sets come with incorrect wiring before - I always double check the phase with a multimeter.

[@LowEndLobster]

It wasn't the pickups, they were made to go into a real Ric which has the pickups wired untraditionally.

[@cyrilgleiman7202]

Ever try one of the Greco Ric knock offs from the 70s? Actually - ever try Greco Basses or Zemaitis?

[@fwanson]

Lobster, do you know if a stock Ric Treble Bezel will work on the stock HB Treble Pickup assembly? I'm curious because I've removed the HB Treble Pickup Cover and am thinking about trying a Ric Treble Bezel to cover up the big gaping hole that it left. Any assistance is appreciated. Love your videos!

[@dr.miguelitoloveless9478]

I don't believe that the Joe Bardens were designed to be used with the cheap stock 'dime' control pots,....and the capacitor value is also a factor. The stock controls did not do the modification any justice.

[@LowEndLobster]

100%, this one was definitely a flop and didn't to the bardens justice at all. I love them in my 4003S. We tried though!

[@dr.miguelitoloveless9478]

@@LowEndLobster That's the main reason I always upgrade the controls along with pickups. It's one of the main reasons I use Audere preamps in a majority of my jazz basses. I've been wanting to go 18-Volt instead of the regular 9-Volt. I already have a 9-volt battery compartment on the back, but not sure how to use it with a second battery clip.

[@MichaelJ023]

Very informative modifications! I am actually very curious as to how the original Harley Benton Neck pickup is constructed. To me it sounds much better than the Barden. Did you get a chance to dismantle it and see what it is? I had heard it was just a cheap rail humbucker similar to those on Strats. However the glimpse we get as you take it out of its cover makes me feel otherwise. It looks pretty substantial.

[@meyersguitars2196]

I think you wired these out of phase again. Soloed they sounded good but together not good at all and nothing like the ric. I think stock sounded more like the Ric then the modded.

[@LowEndLobster]

That's what I thought but the pickups only have a black and white wire, and they're going to the correct spot. I think it's the pots and the harness as these are made to be drop in for a real Ric which is wired quite differently to the HB. Same thing happened with the stock Ric pickups in the HB.

[@Usertfders]

Test with some flatwounds!

[@YoutubeAccount-gk3gn]

Stock FTW

[@Espresso101]

So in retrospec if you had to do it again, what mod would you still make to this bass to improve whats there. And for someone that could never own a real rick. What would in your mind still be the best budget alternative, that could include mods over time?

[@bassimprovjams3772]

Cool mod!! I kept steering at that cord wire in the bridge pickup you put in did it really stay on top of the pickup like that? Or was I seeing things? Thanks for showing us another mod I really enjoy them!!🙏

[@DrSpeener]

Great video! So the question is how do you mod a bass to sound like a real Ric? Or is there a cheap alternative that comes close?