Rickenbacker Bass Cold Case

[admin]

The following question was submitted to the RRF mailbox along with accompanying comments and photos by Tim Pritchard.

Hi, I was given a Rickenbacker bass many many years ago that had been bastardised. The only thing worth saving was the neck which I have just rediscovered. I am now trying to identify it. I'm hoping that you can help. I have read your page but was unable to match all the details.

The neck has 20 frets and dot markers. It has what I believe to be wenge(sp) for the fingerboard it is very dark chocolate brown and very hard ( I worked for many years in an exotic timber yard before going on to make guitars for a living). The fingerboard was originally bound.

The neck is a three piece construction with a walnut centre and has a double truss rod. It was set into the body. The body was solid maple.

I have enclosed 2 pics that may help.

Many thanks, Tim

[admin]

One additional photo.

[gray]

Neck from a seventies-era 4000?

[rickenbrother]

An "S" neck that was originally bound?

[kernkamp]

It looks a lot like the neck of my 74 4000 althought the wood on tha neck is MUCH darker. Mine looks like rosewood and the grain looks different. But the thickness of the fretboard itself and how it's rounded off at the end looks a LOT like my set-neck 4000.

Mine also has 20 frets.

[admin]

I suppose it is possible that some 4001S models may have been customized with binding, however, Joey's point is well taken.

I am reminded of some 4001S and 4001FL basses that were crafted by Rickenbacker in the late 1970s and early 1980s with a set neck that resembles the neck submitted by Tim.

Examples of these basses can be seen at http://www.rickresource.com/rrp/setneckbasses.html

[badeggs]

What's been sprayed in the truss rod cavity?

[86kubicki]

It may be the old finish if the neck has been stripped. Jetglo or Azureglo most likely.

[aceonbass]

I don't think this neck is from any Rickenbacker bass. The truss rod cavity isn't shaped right, the truss rod thrust plate below the nuts is not shaped right and does not appear to be aluminum either. I've also never seen a 4001S with a bound fingerboard and RIC fingerboards are not that dark. The tuner holes are also WAY too big and the truss rodd routes at the end of the neck are uneven and not long enough. The red finish on th eend of the neck indicates that the neck was shot before being attatched to the bass, which is NOT the way RIC did it either.

[86kubicki]

It could be from a faker Dane, but did any come with dot inlays rather than the more common triangular inlays?

[solidspendthrift]

Thankyou everyone

I have been looking and it is great to see the response

I have some more info.....

When I got the bass it had an original Rickenbacker truss cover white with black Rickenbacker logo. The tuner holes had been drilled out to accommodate Schaller tuners. The bass had been resprayed black to cover the bastardisations as seen in pics. Note the duel output holes, one has been filled.

Also I scratched through the black lacquer in the truss rod cavity and it was black through to the maple / walnut??
There appeared to be 2 separate layers of black. The red marks on the heal of the neck look like smudged red marker not lacquer.

Here are some more pics

Many thanks for your knowledge

Timmo

[jps]

The body does not look genuine, the edge radii are way too rounded, and the two output jack holes look too far apart.

[johnallg]

The wood also does not look like how RIC maple looks.

[rickenbrother]

An S bass with a bound fingerboard and two output jack holes. I agree with Jeff about the body shape. Some of the later 4003S basses were a little rounder. Is that body wood maple?

[teeder]

Could it have been a fretless that had the body binding removed and edge radiused?