Every single time I get I Ric off of Ebay it needs work ...
I just got a 1990 Blue 4003s5 ... the pictures on ebay made it look great ... well it was a repaint with a screwed up bridge ... I think it was mapleglo, then repainted silver, then painted blue ... the silver shows thru the blue ... kinda cool ... except where the paint chipped and showed the silver ... bummer
But then again all of my p-basses and j-basses needed work as well ... like neck replacements, fret leveling, fret dressing, pickup replacement, pot replacement ... etc ....
Why can't these bleeping e-bay sellers just be honest!!!!
Every time I get a Ric off of ebay ...
Moderators: rickenbrother, ajish4
Jeff, I guess I was lucky in my ebay rick experience...One popped up on the going going gone page that I hadn't seen in my usual rick search...it was kinda beat with changed out tuners but everything else original...so, I sniped it for $460 and won! it was only 100 miles away so I went up a couple of days later (thereby being able to check it out in person) and came home with a 76 4001 mg.
There were finish check cracks and a couple of small worn spots and the binding was coming loose in a couple of places near the neck and bridge...scratchy pots and a tempermental neck pup, but with a little help from Mark A. (he sent me a drawing of the wiring diagram) Jim R. (sold me the vintage style tuners) and John H. (who posted on this board how to correctly adjust the truss rods on an older rick) and others here (who suggested how to clean the pots, and re-glue the binding) I now have a great playing and sounding bass. Is it a collectors item? No, but it is sure is a sweet sounding/playing bass.
There were finish check cracks and a couple of small worn spots and the binding was coming loose in a couple of places near the neck and bridge...scratchy pots and a tempermental neck pup, but with a little help from Mark A. (he sent me a drawing of the wiring diagram) Jim R. (sold me the vintage style tuners) and John H. (who posted on this board how to correctly adjust the truss rods on an older rick) and others here (who suggested how to clean the pots, and re-glue the binding) I now have a great playing and sounding bass. Is it a collectors item? No, but it is sure is a sweet sounding/playing bass.
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jwr2
Well maybe it is an original Ric Finish ... I'll look at it closer ... Hey John thanks for posting that info ... I've been playing Rics for 30 years and I am still learning stuff about them ...
Anyway after 4 hours of work the Ric cleaned up quite nice ... fortunately I have a nice box of Ric spare parts ... I put a new tailpiece on, repaired the bridge, put on a new set of strings, waxed it, replaced some rusty screws ... and it is pretty cool now ... nice straight neck, low action ....
The worst problem was the tailpiece was digging into the bass body and it caused the finish to bubble and show the silver underneath ... well this bass is a 4003s5 blue with black trim so I put a 1/4" strip of black vinyl auto trim under the tailpiece and it looks good ... you have to look really close to see it ... much better than exposed silver paint ... also the tailpiece was curling up at the back ... it was a five screw model ... I replaced it with the seven screw model ... Some dufass had reversed the bridge ... the string slots were then too small for the B and E strings ... so when I played it the strings popped out ... well it works great when it is installed right ...
Now I have two 4003s5 basses, a 1989 and a 1990 ... I really like the slim neck and tight string spacing and single coil pickups ... this bass is great for playing stuff like Creed ...
Anyway after 4 hours of work the Ric cleaned up quite nice ... fortunately I have a nice box of Ric spare parts ... I put a new tailpiece on, repaired the bridge, put on a new set of strings, waxed it, replaced some rusty screws ... and it is pretty cool now ... nice straight neck, low action ....
The worst problem was the tailpiece was digging into the bass body and it caused the finish to bubble and show the silver underneath ... well this bass is a 4003s5 blue with black trim so I put a 1/4" strip of black vinyl auto trim under the tailpiece and it looks good ... you have to look really close to see it ... much better than exposed silver paint ... also the tailpiece was curling up at the back ... it was a five screw model ... I replaced it with the seven screw model ... Some dufass had reversed the bridge ... the string slots were then too small for the B and E strings ... so when I played it the strings popped out ... well it works great when it is installed right ...
Now I have two 4003s5 basses, a 1989 and a 1990 ... I really like the slim neck and tight string spacing and single coil pickups ... this bass is great for playing stuff like Creed ...
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jwr2
My '73 4001 that I got off ebay was modified and screwed up ... somebody wired it vol vol tone ... It sounds like a good idea but it really sucked ...
Anyway that bass got a new tailpiece, new tuners, new nut, new pickguard, new chrome stuff, new screws, new vol and tone pots ... finally it cleaned up nice ... great sound with insanely low action ...
Anyway that bass got a new tailpiece, new tuners, new nut, new pickguard, new chrome stuff, new screws, new vol and tone pots ... finally it cleaned up nice ... great sound with insanely low action ...
I have generally had good luck when it comes to buying off of ebay...alot of it has to do with being at the right place at the right time(anyone remember the near-mint 1968 366/12OS in Mapleglo that went off on a 'buy it now' for around $2995?? WOW!!) I bought a 1967 Jetglo 950 this way--it's near mint, an 'under the bed' find....
BUT---when the auction allows you the luxury of time, e-mail the seller for good pictures to help you decide if it's the right buy for you. Get good descriptions from the seller too about any concerns you might have--DO YOUR HOMEWORK, and good luck!!
BUT---when the auction allows you the luxury of time, e-mail the seller for good pictures to help you decide if it's the right buy for you. Get good descriptions from the seller too about any concerns you might have--DO YOUR HOMEWORK, and good luck!!
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jwr2
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jwr2
Yes it is a Ric finish ... I took it to band practice tonite ... Nice growl ... nice action ... the b string is better than my other 4003s5 ... I have to replace the jack it was crackling ...
here is the description of this bass on e-bay ...
"Rickenbacker 4005 5 string bass setneck with the original case. Both are beautiful with almost no playing time at all. These are very rare. Whens the last time you saw one and it is in super condition as is the original case. Don't miss this one. All original even the rare color."
It was NOT a 4005 ... it was NOT a setneck ... it was NOT an original case ... It was NOT in super condition ... There were at least 10 of these on e-bay recently ...
It did have very little playing time because the way it was set up it was UNPLAYABLE ....
The Good news with some new parts and some hard work it did turn out to be a fine player ...
that case is a real joke ... a real ugly cheap thing ... It was good that this bass came my way because I know how to restore Rics ...
here is the description of this bass on e-bay ...
"Rickenbacker 4005 5 string bass setneck with the original case. Both are beautiful with almost no playing time at all. These are very rare. Whens the last time you saw one and it is in super condition as is the original case. Don't miss this one. All original even the rare color."
It was NOT a 4005 ... it was NOT a setneck ... it was NOT an original case ... It was NOT in super condition ... There were at least 10 of these on e-bay recently ...
It did have very little playing time because the way it was set up it was UNPLAYABLE ....
The Good news with some new parts and some hard work it did turn out to be a fine player ...
that case is a real joke ... a real ugly cheap thing ... It was good that this bass came my way because I know how to restore Rics ...
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jwr2
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jwr2
OK I got a 1993 4003 Fireglo ... really pretty ... I think it was stuck in a basement somewhere ... Not too much playing time ... a lot of the screws were rusted ... and it seems like almost every used Ric I get has a funky jack that makes noise ...
Anyway I took it all apart and cleaned it up ... I did my first truss rod adjustment ... the new version of the 4003 is a breeze to adjust the neck ... not like the old 60's and 70's basses where you could pop off fret boards ...
The newer 4003 is a truly excellent bass ... made in USA quality ... when I say newer I mean from the late 80's to now ... last 15 years ...
Any way it has a bent tuner ... dropped? ... it has 5 little chips and a few finish scratches ... the tail piece is pulling up a little so I may have to add a couple of screws ...
I put the 1993 fireglo next to my 1968 fireglo and the most striking feature is the deep red color of the new 4003's is wonderful ... This is the first Ric I've had where I couldn't see and finish checking ...
Anyway I am fixing it up for a friend of mine in Toledo ... He is going to love it ...
Anyway I took it all apart and cleaned it up ... I did my first truss rod adjustment ... the new version of the 4003 is a breeze to adjust the neck ... not like the old 60's and 70's basses where you could pop off fret boards ...
The newer 4003 is a truly excellent bass ... made in USA quality ... when I say newer I mean from the late 80's to now ... last 15 years ...
Any way it has a bent tuner ... dropped? ... it has 5 little chips and a few finish scratches ... the tail piece is pulling up a little so I may have to add a couple of screws ...
I put the 1993 fireglo next to my 1968 fireglo and the most striking feature is the deep red color of the new 4003's is wonderful ... This is the first Ric I've had where I couldn't see and finish checking ...
Anyway I am fixing it up for a friend of mine in Toledo ... He is going to love it ...
Jwr2: Which all goes to prove that each Rickenbacker, whether it be old or new, comes complete with its own adventure.
Life, as with music, often requires one to let go of the melody and listen to the rhythm
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low_rider
"Which all goes to prove that each Rickenbacker, whether it be old or new, comes complete with its own adventure. "
Hi all,
This is my first post (after lurking for about a year) so here goes...
Every time I get a Ric off of Ebay... er, I actually got my first Ric bass well over a year ago off of Ebili (a local version of Ebay here in the Philippines) - a '93 4001v63MG .
I've known Rickenbacker guitars when I was a teenager during the 80's when I rented a video documentary of U2 visiting America's various musical landmarks like Graceland and there was part where they were jamming to "Angel of Harlem" (in one studio where Elvis was supposed to have recorded one of his hits) and the Edge was using this very thin hollow body guitar that just sounded fantastic. My uncle recognized it coz it looked like George Harrison's guitar and he was a Beatlemaniac - that's when I first heard the word "RICKEBACKER". He later showed me some old 70's catalogues that he was able to get from friends abroad.
Back to the bass that I was talking about, I was able to get it for 15,000.00 pesos (the exchange rate at that time was $1 -> 50 pesos - do the math and go figure!). Heck, I thought it was a misprint on the webpage! I called the guy up and told him I wanted to get the bass if no one would bid on it. I ended up getting it from him in his office w/ a portion of my savings in hand - trembling. After that I was hooked.
Here's the kicker, after 2 months, I went out and snagged a '94 4003MG from a fellow musician who was migrating to Canada and he needed the cash. I paid for it using my vacation money that I was supposed to use to go to Hong Kong. Partly, I was supposed to go and crash at a friend's place who works for a company there, who e-mailed me weeks before, a pic of him at Tom Lee Music w/ rows and rows of Rics!
But then again, I guess it was better getting another Rick bass that I can have, play and, hold than go to a place w/ lots of Ricks and would imagine practically just salivating all over.
Hi all,
This is my first post (after lurking for about a year) so here goes...
Every time I get a Ric off of Ebay... er, I actually got my first Ric bass well over a year ago off of Ebili (a local version of Ebay here in the Philippines) - a '93 4001v63MG .
I've known Rickenbacker guitars when I was a teenager during the 80's when I rented a video documentary of U2 visiting America's various musical landmarks like Graceland and there was part where they were jamming to "Angel of Harlem" (in one studio where Elvis was supposed to have recorded one of his hits) and the Edge was using this very thin hollow body guitar that just sounded fantastic. My uncle recognized it coz it looked like George Harrison's guitar and he was a Beatlemaniac - that's when I first heard the word "RICKEBACKER". He later showed me some old 70's catalogues that he was able to get from friends abroad.
Back to the bass that I was talking about, I was able to get it for 15,000.00 pesos (the exchange rate at that time was $1 -> 50 pesos - do the math and go figure!). Heck, I thought it was a misprint on the webpage! I called the guy up and told him I wanted to get the bass if no one would bid on it. I ended up getting it from him in his office w/ a portion of my savings in hand - trembling. After that I was hooked.
Here's the kicker, after 2 months, I went out and snagged a '94 4003MG from a fellow musician who was migrating to Canada and he needed the cash. I paid for it using my vacation money that I was supposed to use to go to Hong Kong. Partly, I was supposed to go and crash at a friend's place who works for a company there, who e-mailed me weeks before, a pic of him at Tom Lee Music w/ rows and rows of Rics!
But then again, I guess it was better getting another Rick bass that I can have, play and, hold than go to a place w/ lots of Ricks and would imagine practically just salivating all over.