Calling all 4080 owners!

admin · Post by **admin** » Wed Apr 30, 2003 4:14 pm

Rickengeezer: Nice post. You can check out Mike Rutherford's doubleneck here. The crafting of his doubleneck is a great story and it was great of Mike to respond to questions about this unique instrument.

rickengeezer · Post by **rickengeezer** » Thu May 01, 2003 4:20 am

Well, Sergio, I don't happen to have a pic of the 4080 here at work (I'll try to take one tonight) but I do happen to have one of my favorite 4001, which is a little unusual and I'd like your thoughts on it. First, it has a ZZ serial number, meaning that I'm not sure about the date but I've had it for over 20 years. Second, it has a Badass bridge, with an interesting plastic frame that matches the pickguard perfectly--might this be a factory installed option? Third, the pickups don't seem to be standard. George Gruhn claimed that they were Gretsch guitar pickups, but I've never really believed him. Any ideas? Whatever they are, interestingly I think it sounds more like a classic Squire-type Rickenbacker than my other 4001, which is a stock 1973 model.

ojobob2 · Post by **ojobob2** » Thu May 01, 2003 5:15 am

hmmmm..... is that real?

rickengeezer · Post by **rickengeezer** » Thu May 01, 2003 5:37 am

Pretty sure it is; Gruhn said so after appraising it in person, and he certainly is thought to be knowledgeable about such matters, although I'm still dubious about his identification of the pickups. Also, judging from the binding at the bottom of the instrument, I suspect that the Badass bridge was a replacement item.

rickcrazy · Post by **rickcrazy** » Thu May 01, 2003 5:42 am

Les:
Thanks for your reply.
A 'ZZ' serial number?? Probably a (non-original)replacement jackplate. I believe that the prefix on an original Rick replacement jackplate always was/is XX. Back in late 1982 I ordered one such jackplate for my 4080 from RIC which had XX 0382 on it.
As for the Badass bridge, I'm pretty sure RIC did not install it. And I can't decide from the photo whether the pickguard is original or not, but even if it is, it would be easy for anyone to find a piece of matching white acrylic sheet stock for the bridge.
Gretsch guitar pickups on a Rickenbacker bass? Wonders never cease. Seriously, Gretsch or whatever, those are not original to your 4001. Can you post a better pic of it?

admin · Post by **admin** » Thu May 01, 2003 6:04 am

Les: When you get the chance, please look under the guard and let us know the potentiometer codes. I agree with Sergio that some more photos, showing greater detail, would be a help. Just in passing, George Gruhn has been around long enough to know a Gretsch pickup when he sees one. The additional closeup photos may help us with this aspect.

ojobob2 · Post by **ojobob2** » Thu May 01, 2003 7:04 am

yeah better photos would be nice. My first reaction wa that is was a copy, i dunno, the colouring looks odd, but i think its just the photo

rickengeezer · Post by **rickengeezer** » Thu May 01, 2003 8:05 am

Unfortunately, I keep spending money on guitars rather than digital cameras. Or, another way of looking at it is that my digital camera is vintage. I don't think my pictures will get much less fuzzy; if I get industrious, I'll pull the pickguard and take a look at the pots (and at the pickups) tonight because now I'm really curious.

ojobob2 · Post by **ojobob2** » Thu May 01, 2003 8:58 am

the fact that the bridge and pickups are not rickenbacker makes me a bit curious wether its real or not.

I guess its probably real, with those replaced parts, but the colouration and shape looks like a copy i saw on ebay recently

rickengeezer · Post by **rickengeezer** » Thu May 01, 2003 1:53 pm

Glad you guys prompted me to look into this further, think I've figured out the year. The pot numbers are 137-7330, which I think means that they are CTS, 1973 vintage. Also written in the control cavity was 4001-y (I think "y", kinda bad handwriting) and the initials LC, which is sort of nice given that they are my initials. Also written under there was "#31 MDA". There was the characteristic "drill hole succession" series of routs that formed the channel to the front pickup. Nothing on the back of the pickups, but a little digging around suggests Gruhn was right: they look just like Gretsch Supertron pickups, twin blade pickups which they used for some of their top of the line guitars and basses.

A variety of other clues to the authenticity of my baby are the dual truss rods and the annoying Grover USA box tuners which have a tendency to fall apart once in a while on me (original, judging by the lack of additional holes). It also looks identical to my other (MG) 4001, which also dates to a 1973 from the serial number, and both are the later "70s" version without the various 60s features. As far as the modifications, who knows? The pickups sound great, though, a very characteristic Rick growl believe it or not. As far as the bridge, I seem to remember reading about there being some issues with Rick bridges in that era, and perhaps the Badass replacement wasn't that uncommon. Here is a website with another Rick with a similar modification, although a different plastic plate:

http://www.basspalace.com/dynamic/displaybass/4StringBass/2838

Both that bass and mine share the interesting characteristic of the binding not being complete under the original (Rick) bridge, meaning there is a gap in the binding down at the bottom of the bass. Cost-saving strategy?

Thanks for the input, all.

jwilli · Post by **jwilli** » Thu May 01, 2003 2:05 pm

MDA? Might that have been Mark Arnquist?? Thats how he's always signed his emails to me......

markthemd · Post by **markthemd** » Thu May 01, 2003 2:16 pm

That is me . LC is Laura Clark , she scraped the binding on the edge of the necks/body .

#31 was a job number , it was the first one after prep sanding ... I do not recall what it was .

I will answer the obvious question of "where have you been " under that heading .

rickengeezer · Post by **rickengeezer** » Thu May 01, 2003 2:59 pm

Thanks a bunch for the info, Mark--how cool is this board that you can get a post from the guy who built your guitar 30 minutes after you describe it!

And thanks for your craftsmanship...after 30 years, 20 with me, that Rick is still gigging as my primary bass and going strong, and it is still earning appreciative comments from those in the know...

admin · Post by **admin** » Thu May 08, 2003 11:31 am

Posted at the request of Sérgio Silva. He is RickCrazy!

jwilli · Post by **jwilli** » Thu May 08, 2003 2:08 pm

Here's a few of my doublenecks. They've been sold long ago........;-(
http://www.homestead.com/aurs/prevdn.html