Model Of The Week 9.5: The BIG One -- The 4003

[johnallg]

That is a good question and something I should have included. I think the fret wire changed sometime in the early 90's. I own examples from '81, '85', '86', '87, and '88 all of which have the small wire but as we know RIC changes are usually gradual. My '93 and '94 both have the larger wire (I think it is #149). So the 4003 came with the smaller size for probably the fist 10 years.

I'll have to compare fret size on my '91 4003S to my 4001 and '04 4003.

[thinneckrick]

Heres my 08 Jet

[johnallg]

That is a good question and something I should have included. I think the fret wire changed sometime in the early 90's. I own examples from '81, '85', '86', '87, and '88 all of which have the small wire but as we know RIC changes are usually gradual. My '93 and '94 both have the larger wire (I think it is #149). So the 4003 came with the smaller size for probably the fist 10 years.

I'll have to compare fret size on my '91 4003S to my 4001 and '04 4003.

Okay, May 1991 on my 4003S MGBT and it has the small fret wire.

[rickfan60]

OK, so the 4003 came with the small wire for at least the first 11 years. So are we looking at '92 /'93 as the transition?

[weemac]

I had a 4003 that was made 12/92 and it had big frets! (played well too)
Eden.

[antipodean]

Silly question - is there a story as to how/why the bass was designated 4003 rather than 4001? The 4001 had a lot of changes over its lifetime (particularly in neck construction) and I'm wondering why the changes in '80 were considered to be a tipping point to new model number.

NB Curiousity here - not criticism!!!!

[rickfan60]

There came a point when Rickenbacker had to embrace round wound bass strings. Changing the model name to 4003 they could allow the use of rounds without confusion as to which basses could use them. The first 4003 was really just a 4001 with body end adjusters. The old style rods can exert terrific expansion force near the adjusters. So much so that the fingerboard can actually separate from the neck. By moving the adjusters to the body end where the fingerboard was widest, the rods were less likely to pop the board off. The increased surface area of the lamination saw to that.

The earliest rounds (Roto Sounds) pulled hard on the neck and many players and techs did not know the correct way to adjust the old style rods. The result was a lot of trashed bass necks. For years there was a widely held belief that all rounds pull harder than flats and that you could not put rounds on a Rick. Except for the first few years of Roto production, this is totally false but early Rotos set the tone for later perceptions. The fact is, a set of Fender flats from the '70 would damn near fold a 4001 in half. I used Rotos for years on 70's 4001s with nary a problem. They did eat my frets but they never hurt the neck. Warranties back then stated quite clearly that the use of strings other than those made for/by Rickenbacker would void the warranty. The strings they used back then were very soft. Rather like the ones made by Thomastik Infeld these days.

[antipodean]

Thanks Ted! I wasn't aware that the reversal of the rods could have such an impact.

[dog]

Hmmm. I have wondered about that myself. Thanks for the explaination

[nov_1981]

OK, so the 4003 came with the small wire for at least the first 11 years. So are we looking at '92 /'93 as the transition?

Maybe even ealier Ted,
My 89 4003 has the same larger size frets as my 08 4004L.

[cheyenne]

How'd I miss this post??

Here's a quartet for you.

[rickfan60]

Tasty quartet Scott! That white one is gorgeous.

[cheyenne]

All mint Ted.

I've liquidated all but the Anniversary though. I've downsized considerably, and ventured into some "other" manufactors. But I like to have different tools in my toolbox. I do have a Rick purchase in the works...

[paul_yan]

My beloved '98 4003 FG. She's my first Rickenbacker bass and is the one to keep if I could only have one Rick bass in my life! Perfect neck profile: not as thin and narrow as my '86 Shadow and not as thick as the post-2000 4003 basses.











A 2007 4003 BBR I owned briefly. Beautiful finish but over-chunky neck which I was not comfortable with. I sold her a couple of months ago. How I wish she had a slim neck or at least a neck similar to my '98 FG...

[rickfan60]

Again, nice photos Paul. You have a great eye for aesthetics.