I just noticed that the ceramic magnet on my 2007 4003's neck Hi-Gain has holes bored all the way through to accommodate the travel of the pole pieces. However two later examples in my possession are totally intact, at least on the bottom side. Was there a transition from one method to another in recent years? Is there an impact on the magnetic field?

The reason I'm curious about this is that the E string sounds weak on that 2007 4003 neck pickup no matter what I do--unlike its bridge pickup and unlike the neck or bridge Hi-Gain pickups in my 2010 4003. Checked against a dB meter, the neck pickup of the 2007 4003 comes in at -5 dB compared to the average value of the other strings. Not so with my other Rics or with the bridge pickup of that bass where the E string comes in the loudest by a few dB.

Maybe I need a new magnet??