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Author Topic:  Rickenbacker B6 pots
Tim Whitlock


From:
Colorado, USA
Post  Posted 25 May 2021 8:34 am    
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I recently acquired a beautiful '51 B6 panda. The pots are shot. Extremely scratchy and multiple shots of electronics cleaner did not help. I need to replace the pots but the impedance is not displayed anywhere on them. Can anyone tell me the correct pot impedances for a postwar B6?


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Noah Miller


From:
Rocky Hill, CT
Post  Posted 25 May 2021 8:54 am    
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Yours is technically a BD6 with that headstock cover.

I think my 1960 B7 has 250K pots. I say "I think" because they actually measure closer to 200K. I assume they used the same pots for all numbers of strings.
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Garry Vanderlinde


From:
CA
Post  Posted 25 May 2021 2:47 pm     Hope this helps
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My Rickenbacker BD-8 potentiometers were non-original:
Volume: 250k
Tone: 250K
I replaced them with 2 new 500k audio taper pots (volume/tone).
Capacitor: .05/200VDC and appears to be original.
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Robert W Wilson


From:
Palisade, Western Colorado
Post  Posted 25 May 2021 9:04 pm    
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My similar vintage b6 went in to repair a non-functioning tone control and was returned with 2 new 250k audio taper pots. I measured the old volume pot at 100k. It sounds beautiful but very bright. I would like to try it with new 100k pots or different capacitor someday. No matter which way you go, you’re going to love that lap!
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Garry Vanderlinde


From:
CA
Post  Posted 25 May 2021 9:33 pm    
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If I do it again, I think I'll put the 250k audio pots back in (volume/tone). I love playing this guitar but it can be a little on the bright side. Idea
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Tim Whitlock


From:
Colorado, USA
Post  Posted 26 May 2021 11:17 am    
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I didn't occur to me until today that I could check the values myself, but as it turns out my seldom used multimeter was dead anyways. So I went ahead and transplanted a couple of spare 250k pots and they seem to be close in sound to the originals - possibly a just a tad brighter.

Quote:
Robert W Wilson: My similar vintage b6 went in to repair a non-functioning tone control and was returned with 2 new 250k audio taper pots. I measured the old volume pot at 100k. It sounds beautiful but very bright. I would like to try it with new 100k pots or different capacitor someday. No matter which way you go, you’re going to love that lap!


I wouldn't be surprised if the originals were lower. The BD6 is quite bright with the 250k. Easy enough to dial it down with the tone pot or even rolling a hair off the volume sweetens up the top end. Yes I do love this one! All the accolades I have heard about the bakelite Ricks are true!
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Garry Vanderlinde


From:
CA
Post  Posted 26 May 2021 4:05 pm    
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This is from Rick Aiello's website.
http://www.horseshoemagnets.com/userfiles/rickwiring.jpg
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Tim Whitlock


From:
Colorado, USA
Post  Posted 27 May 2021 7:57 am    
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Garry Vanderlinde wrote:
This is from Rick Aiello's website.
http://www.horseshoemagnets.com/userfiles/rickwiring.jpg


Good info - thank you! Maybe down the road I'll want to fine tune the controls. The earlier models are famous for their sweetness. I wonder how much of that had to do with the pot values and wiring scheme.
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