When was horsehoe pickup discontinued on 1960s' 4001 basses?

[DavyR]

So, here are a few pics after how many years? A decade?! Check trim, toaster, no tug bar, space between pup and pick guard, strip showing between pup and bridge, full length inlays. What year was it? Thanks!

[antipodean]

Very late '72 to early-mid '73. The full width inlays vanished in late '73, and the tug bar vanished very late in '72.

[jps]

The HS PU was phased out in 1968.

[teeder]

Very late '72 to early-mid '73. The full width inlays vanished in late '73, and the tug bar vanished very late in '72.

+1

[henry5]

So, here are a few pics after how many years? A decade?! Check trim, toaster, no tug bar, space between pup and pick guard, strip showing between pup and bridge, full length inlays. What year was it? Thanks!

67110169_10157454718828112_3037243963690975232_n.jpg

I’d say early/mid ‘73. Photo isn’t clear enough to be certain, but they look like the transitional full-width acrylic inlays on the ‘73s. Also lack of tug bar holes suggest this.

[FretlessOnly]

I have a December '72 and an April '73 and I'm going to pin it to early '73 because the body appears to be on the larger size (based primarily on how much body wood is visible between the teardrop of the pickguard and the input jacks). On my December '72, the pickguard goes almost to the very edge of the body; not so on my April '73. The body of the April '73 is visibly larger than the December '72. Measuring from bout to jackplate at it's widest point (right across the teeth of the tailpiece), the December '72 is a hair over 12 1/2" wide while the April '73 is 13 1/8" wide.

[DavyR]

Thanks for all the responses. Things still aren't making sense.

I have a JG MD. I'm getting 13 1/8" across widest part of the bout, which cuts across the forward edge of the teeth of the bridge, BUT, the pickguard goes to the edge of the body by the jackplate. The body of the FG in my pics does look large, however.

Here's a puzzle for yinz. I always believed that the FG in the pic was a 68. It obviously wasn't, but, since I did believe so back then, one of the letters in the serial number must have been an 'H', of if I was counting wrong and starting at 1960 = A, an 'I'. I must have been thinking month/year, instead of year/month. If so, and since the bass has to be a 72 or 73, the only combinations could have been, LH, LI, MH, or MI. MH and MI put it way too late in the year 73 because of its other features, therefore, it has to be a LH/LI, 72 Aug/Sept.

[henry5]

Thanks for all the responses. Things still aren't making sense.

I have a JG MD. I'm getting 13 1/8" across widest part of the bout, which cuts across the forward edge of the teeth of the bridge, BUT, the pickguard goes to the edge of the body by the jackplate. The body of the FG in my pics does look large, however.

Here's a puzzle for yinz. I always believed that the FG in the pic was a 68. It obviously wasn't, but, since I did believe so back then, one of the letters in the serial number must have been an 'H', of if I was counting wrong and starting at 1960 = A, an 'I'. I must have been thinking month/year, instead of year/month. If so, and since the bass has to be a 72 or 73, the only combinations could have been, LH, LI, MH, or MI. MH and MI put it way too late in the year 73 because of its other features, therefore, it has to be a LH/LI, 72 Aug/Sept.

Shame the photos of the inlays aren’t clearer, as that would help date it.

Not sure about the body size thing, as I’m pretty sure my Aug 72 has a slightly smaller body than (and a slightly different headstock shape to) my Feb 72. I’d have to measure it to be sure.

[teeder]

I'm not sure about the body size thing either, but we could narrow it down also with the rear pick-up. The larger magnet would pin it down to early '73 also.

[admin]

I am going out on the limb (and agree with Jeffrey) and suggest that 1968 was the last year of the default horseshoe pickup on the 4001. I would never say there we none after that, but a review of the photographic evidence in the RRF Gallery shows a rapid drop off after 1968. So stragglers in 1969 perhaps and some custom offerings after that.

[DavyR]

Thanks again for the input. (I had the bridge pup cover removed. There was no horseshoe pup.) It was stolen out of my car around Dec. 79/Jan. 1980. When I dig further thru my papers I may find the exact date it was stolen and maybe more info. Why I thought it was a 1968 had to have something to do with the serial number letters. It had a thunderous sound, according to my memory, and even across the strings and up the neck. Nothing like the MD (April 1973) that I own now.