What Year Is My Rickenbacker Bass?

[admin]

Kirk Anderson writes

I have a 4001 or 4003 bass, cannot tell which. The serial is either N16102 or NI6102. The last 4 digits are below the hole. Do you know if Rickenbacker stamped the
alpha "I" with lines across the top and bottom, to distinguish it from a numeral "1"? On my bass, it is just a straight line, which normally I'd call a "1". Been trying to
find another one I could look at.

The 4001/4003 are tough to tell from features. My bass is either a '74 4001 or a '98 4003.

Kirk

These photos were attached.

[basshawk]

Looks like a 4001 to me. The neck pickup placement is one give-away. Nice Burgandy-glo.

[paul_yan]

Nl (not 1)=September '74.

It's a 4001 Burgundy. Burgundy was officially available from '63-'84. The second version Burgundy was available in '99 and '00. And also as colour of the year for 2002.

The center stripe (walnut/padauk?) is another sign that she's a '70's bass.

Yes Randy's right on about the '1/2" to neck' position of the high gain bass pickup. It was moved to the current 1" position from about '75.

The knobs form 2 lines almost parallel to the center stripe, which is another clue for the '70s.

Hey you've got real nice bass, Kirk!

[basshawk]

Gee, I didn't even notice the skunk stripe (good eye, Paul). No doubt about it, 70's. Burgundy, not burgandy.

[rickcrazy]

Just curious: did Kirk just pick that one up from Ebay?

[doctorwho]

Another way to confirm a date of manufacture is to take the control panel off and look at the date codes on the potentiometers (assuming they are original to the guitar, of course). Here is a resource for dating electronic components:

http://www.triodeel.com/eiacode.htm

Using this, I am able to date my 4001 WAL, which came with an anomalous jackplate, to 1973-1974 (pots date to late 1973).