Anyone Else Think This Is A Faker?

[johnallg]

http://cgi.ebay.com/1978-Rickenbacker-4 ... dZViewItem

There is just too many small things about this bass that makes me wonder if it is a Univox or such. Clear coat is wrong-looking, like it is rounded. The inlays look wrong for the time. The shedua stripe is darker. The FG looks non-RIC. Anyone else got an opinion?

[johnallg]

Here is a RIC FG from the same era:
http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-RIC-RICK-RI ... dZViewItem

This one was in Kentucky for a few years then traded in at Wilcutt Music on 10/28/07 - for a Fender!!!!
http://derekhughes.wordpress.com/2007/05/09/the-rick/
http://derekhughes.wordpress.com/2007/1 ... -apostasy/

Now it is being auctioned from WarpDrive in Wisconsin.

[leftybass]

To my eye, and what I see in the pics, this one is okay. Legit.

[1965]

The burst looks like it's been outside tanning for too long

[johnallg]

Might just be poor digital photos. But I thought the headstock should have the "burst" effect also? And the neck stripe looks woo dark, like walnut or something. Look at the back shot of the body where the FG looks more right, but the stripe is very dark.

[gareth]

http://cgi.ebay.com/1978-Rickenbacker-4 ... dZViewItem

There is just too many small things about this bass that makes me wonder if it is a Univox or such. Clear coat is wrong-looking, like it is rounded. The inlays look wrong for the time. The shedua stripe is darker. The FG looks non-RIC. Anyone else got an opinion?

I think it's genuine, but rather than buy it, I'd like a pint of whatever he's drinking for that Buy It Now price.

If that's truly what a '78 FG is fetching, boy, do I have a bass for you guys. Only $3800.

[rickenbrother]

That 4001 looks legit to me. The inlays look odd in a couple of the pics, but I think that's just the lighting/photography.
Some of the mid to late '70's fireglo finishes look kind of rosy.
My '79 4001 FG doesn't look like the typical RIC fireglo either.

[antipodean]

G'day John,

I'm with John S on this. The TRC and jack plate are authentic, but these could always be scavenged, so they would not be sufficient to prove authenticity. The elements that settle it for me are:

- 1 inch neck pickup spacing (I have only ever seen fakes with 1/2 inch spacing);
- Correct width for the skunk-stripe - most fakers have a wider stripe when it is present;
- Correct colour for the fretboard. Fakers tend to have a darker board;
- Black tuner ferrules. I learnt from this very forum that these were used by RIC in the last '70s and early '80s;
- Correct riveted tuners. The clover-leaf tuners used by Greco et al are usually a bit oversize.

Great colour, decent condition...nice bass, not a nice price...

[johnallg]

Okay, thanks to everyone. I still can't resolve the headstock being solid color, not the lightness in the center, but variations happen.

Evan, you are right; I had forgotten how the faker fretboards are darker, not the nice-grained bubinga RIC uses.

[tennis_nick]

The first picture shows the headstock, and if you pay very close attention, you'll notice a slight change in color towards the middle.

Remember the 650 that was essentially completely red with very little light colors in the middle? We know that Rick Fireglo's vary QUITE a bit!

[jwr2]

The only thing wrong with that auction it the bass is overpriced ...

[whojamfan]

Quite a lot of money for it even if it is 100% legit. Other than extreme wishfull thinking or verified celebrity ownership,isn't this bass in this condition worth around half that BIN price? Am I missing something(other than my sanity)?

[1965]

Other than extreme wishfull thinking or verified celebrity ownership...

Check this out, how about all of the above? See this auction, they don't even say what model guitar is for sale. One must assume they mean a 350v63, but honestly who's even heard of Redbone? Not to mention, if it did actually belong to a famous person, wouldn't the fact that they never even played it make it not special at all?

http://cgi.ebay.com/Rickenbacker-Vintag ... dZViewItem

[whojamfan]

Wes, I totally agree with you. This band had a hit from the early 70s, and this one is a non played made in 1998 guitar. Maybe the seller is the guys poolman or something and said "Hey Bro, let me take a picture of you holding this guitar and autograph it for me and I'll clean your pool for a month for free" or something. Who knows, the "artist" never used it to record anything, or has even used it live or played it(much, if even at all) by the admission of the seller.

Were "Redbone" Rickenbacker users back in the day, or ever? I don't know as I've never heard of them. The only "Redbone" I know of is Leon, and I can pretty well assume he didn't use a Rick, and might not even be a guitar player.

If in fact "Redbone" were Rick users and by some unknown cicumstance there is an ounce of legitimacy to this auction, I apologize to anyone I may have offended. Thinking of "Leon Redbone"makes me want a scotch on the rocks for some dooby doo reason.

[1965]

The seller obviously doesn't know how to sell guitars. Number one problem, there's not even a photo of the damn guitar for sale!!!! I could list the rest but I'm sure you can figure them out pretty easily. Nobody cares if it came from the "private collection" of some one-hit wonder from the 70's.