RG played the unmodded Rick on Machine Head - there's lots of pics taken at the time of recording.
The version with Jazz pickups at the neck was played on Who Do We Think We Are - it's a woolier tone than Machine Head, but still sounds like a Rick.
It's not baloney. I disliked the original bridge for a variety of reasons so I swapped it for a Hipshot which suits me far better.
I wanted to play the darned thing, so I made it easier to do so.