ash Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 (edited) Sold.Thanks for looking. Edited May 15, 2012 by ash Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delberthot Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 The body looks like a 4003S but would normally have dot inlays. Its hard to tell at that angle and without any binding visible. Is the top edge of the body rounded or square? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ash Posted May 6, 2012 Author Share Posted May 6, 2012 The binding was taken off and edges sanded down when the original owner 'refinished' it, there's only binding on the neck now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HADGE Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 [b]hi ash what you could do is ask Geofio about your ricky i dont know them but they seem a couple of decent guys and seem to know everything about ricky guitars hope you get sorted mate good luck with the sale.[/b] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geofio Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 (edited) hi ash , it looks right going by the neck shape and volute, body shape is a 4003s would like to see some better photos if possible, if it were a 4003s it would be dot inlays on the neck so someone has altered the shape of the body, its not a 4001 due to it having 2 truss rods. scratch plate should be humped also its straight. the more i look at it the more faults i am finding ash. . cheers george Edited May 6, 2012 by geofio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ash Posted May 6, 2012 Author Share Posted May 6, 2012 Yes the body had been sanded - slightly rounded off apparently when the binding was removed I can send better pics if you pm your email cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godber Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 It looks like a real 4001 to me. The back of the headstock shows a faint centre section line between the tuners. The (post 1971) 4001 had a dark shedua "skunk" stripe down the middle, the 4003 did not. Try to scrape a little paint off of the area under the truss rod cavity to be sure - there may be an area to check this by the tail piece which is clear of paint already by the look of it. Both the 4001 and the 4003 have dual truss rods George. [color=#333333] [/color] The horns are huge even after the edge sanding to remove the binding rout and so I would put it between 1980 and 1985, probably edging towards 84-85. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geofio Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 (edited) the headstock looks of older design to me , i was talking about the truss rod anchor godber it looks more up to date than the rest of the bass to me the spacing, interesting bass . would like to see better straight on pics to see the headstock properly. it is defo a ric neck and headstock. . after looking at the bass more am going for a modified 4001!!!! Edited May 7, 2012 by geofio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrismuzz Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 It's amazing how much someone can tell about a particular instrument if they know enough about them! Looking at it myself the only conclusion I came to was that it looked like a Ric, and that it actually looks pretty sweet in green Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocker19 Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 Hi Maybe I could be interested but I miss one important pic. The BACK of the bass. Is it neck thru? Fom the front it seems it is but you should provide this picture. Cheers Jan Could you write more about pick ups?Are they RICK? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ash Posted May 7, 2012 Author Share Posted May 7, 2012 Hi thanks for all the interest, sorry for the delay in posting I had a late gig last night at a biker rally playing until 2am! In answer to your questions, yes it has a skunk stripe, the thin green finish has 'sunk' into the back and there is a clear line showing, On the front near the bridge there is an area where the finish has been sanded and this reveals a darker stripe thus showing the neck construction mentioned by Godber. The neck through is very sturdy unlike many of the Ricks I've played - and one I owned from this era. There is no forward bowing away from the body wings. Rocker19 I will post a picture of the back of the bass and also a picture of the body minus hardware before fretting so you can see the routing. Yes the pickups are Rickenbacker, the neck is original to the bass the bridge is a later one I bought in from the US. The pickup surround and hand rest assembly were also with this pickup as the original surround was rusted up badly and the pickup was missing.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vax2002 Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 Its real, it is from the age when an Old 4001 would fetch £250-£350, they have not always been worth stupid money and those old enough will remember you could not swap a Rick for a Precision, these days they would get you 3. Folk did sand them, spray them, all sorts of things as they were not seen as a holy grail in the 70's and early 80's, more of a dog of an instrument to play. Most music shops would have several hanging on walls in various home custom jobs and they were very hard to shift. One thing John Hall has done is made them in to an expensive trinket type thing to own, you have to hand it to him, he must be lighting cigars with hundred dollar bills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brabasam Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 How much would you want for it dude Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ash Posted May 7, 2012 Author Share Posted May 7, 2012 (edited) [quote name='vax2002' timestamp='1336386689' post='1644695'] Its real, it is from the age when an Old 4001 would fetch £250-£350, they have not always been worth stupid money and those old enough will remember you could not swap a Rick for a Precision, these days they would get you 3. Folk did sand them, spray them, all sorts of things as they were not seen as a holy grail in the 70's and early 80's, more of a dog of an instrument to play. Most music shops would have several hanging on walls in various home custom jobs and they were very hard to shift. One thing John Hall has done is made them in to an expensive trinket type thing to own, you have to hand it to him, he must be lighting cigars with hundred dollar bills. [/quote] I agree with some of what you say especially about the way instruments are hyped and prices inflated. I'd be happy to swap this for a maple neck P bass! However I believe it boils down to instruments being a matter of taste - my two favourite basses are a 70s Tele with a mudbucker & customised and a Gibson Grabber that remains all stock, dogs to some but to me great instruments that work well and inspire me. The Rick here perhaps exemplifies how a good core instrument can survive despite all the 'bling' being stripped away...if that makes sense? When I picked it up from the chap I got it from it somehow felt 'right' I just thought it would be a fun project to work on. I've always had a 'thing' for Rick's and as a kid I used to lust after them when I saw people like Barry Adamson or Bruce Foxton using them. Ironically now I can afford one I've never found one to suit my playing style as the switching is just too damn fussy for me and the pickup placement means there's nothing comfy for me to rest my thumb on. I would still love a 4000 mono bass though! Edited May 7, 2012 by ash Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vax2002 Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 The 4001 was a very funny instrument and the switch to roundwounds killed them off by the dozen, finger boards snapped, bridges bent up, many were just scrapped for bits as they were not worth that much in those days. The killer was if you dropped them on the bottom strap button, they almost exploded if the skunk stripe split But from amongst them emerged survivors, basses that took roundwounds and played great, what was different no body knows and some of these old 4001 will last forever, someone will buy this, clean it up, paint it and it will be around for ever. As we moved to the 4003, the skunk stripe was identified as the culprit if you dropped one so they halted it dead they first tried inverting the rods, but these basses played like the worst they had ever made, dull, unstable tuning, they even switched back to grover tuners thinking it was the machine heads slipping so they switched to a newer rod technique with stronger steal rods and now they generally stay where put. All in, this will make a great little project for someone to restore, a 4001 survivor bass lives again ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ash Posted May 7, 2012 Author Share Posted May 7, 2012 [quote name='vax2002' timestamp='1336390870' post='1644788'] As we moved to the 4003, the skunk stripe was identified as the culprit if you dropped one so they halted it dead they first tried inverting the rods, but these basses played like the worst they had ever made, dull, unstable tuning, they even switched back to grover tuners thinking it was the machine heads slipping so they switched to a newer rod technique with stronger steal rods and now they generally stay where put. All in, this will make a great little project for someone to restore, a 4001 survivor bass lives again ! [/quote] Yes I had one of those with the split guard you couldn't gt rid of the concave bow right in the middle area of the neck, my luthier took the TRs out and said they were as nearly as flexible as the strings! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 Tentative pm... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hairyhaw Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 [quote name='Godber' timestamp='1336346850' post='1644427']The horns are huge even after the edge sanding to remove the binding rout and so I would put it between 1980 and 1985, probably edging towards 84-85. [/quote] The massive top horn plus the headstock made it a bit later for me - a late '80's/early 90's 4003. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geofio Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 i received better pictures from ash, it is a 4001 probably between 1977-1980, its a genuine rickenbacker, i have seen the bass stripped of hardware, just needs some love and a new paint job then it will be as good as new. george Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ash Posted May 7, 2012 Author Share Posted May 7, 2012 Thanks for all the help with this and for verifying what I actually[i] thought [/i]I have here! I've had some interesting offers of trades however I'm still scratching my head thinking should I get it refinished and keep it....... but there again I'm open to trades/offers as its just languishing in the corner of my spare room..... I probably won't be able to get another old Rick like this for under a grand....ah decisions, decisions!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeBass Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 "The 4001 was a very funny instrument and the switch to roundwounds killed them off by the dozen," I had a 4001 in the late 70s and wore out the fingerboard with roundwounds!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ash Posted May 7, 2012 Author Share Posted May 7, 2012 All PMs answered, thanks for all the interest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ash Posted May 8, 2012 Author Share Posted May 8, 2012 Bump for edit and new pics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ash Posted May 10, 2012 Author Share Posted May 10, 2012 Bump for edit - its still here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ash Posted May 11, 2012 Author Share Posted May 11, 2012 Still getting requests for trades but nothing concrete price wise would be looking at £600 ish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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