1968 4001

[johnnysain]

There is a reason it never left the factory.

That is the best action achieveable after a pro set up?

[ken_j]

Having purchased a new "68 4000 I will say that the action was high straight out of the factory with the bridge bottomed out as low as it would go, so this would not surprise me. I had to sand the bottom of the bridge to get it playable. A friend's '69 4001 was the same way. The nut on my '68 was back. The factory strings were also black with yellow/gold silks.

[badeggs]

Shells from Okinawa, right...gotta give him credit for his imagination!

But $10,500 for a bowed neck that he swears up-and-down plays beautifully? I don't think so...

[rickfan63]

The action is very high and the bridge looks bottomed out. Otherwise, DROOL.

Yeah, I noticed that high action too and the bridge as well. Other than that, the bass is absolutely beautiful to be as old as it is. Very nice wood used on it. It has been well cared for. Another thing I noticed in the close ups is that the finish dosen't seem to be as heavily applied on the fretboard and built up on the side of the frets as it is as on some more current examples. Mine included.

I love the wider gap in the HS too, as well as the crushed pearl inlays These don't come along often.

If the neck is indeed bowed, it can be repaired if you know what you are doing.

Vintage instruments are always going to be ridiculously priced. I once saw a '52 Fender P-bass priced at $25,000, it looked like someone had used it for a battleaxe.....in a real battle LOL! Even 70's F's, which were considered junk by a lot of musicians back then, are outrageously priced now IMHO. So as rare as a 60's RIC 4001 is, the asking price is not too suprising to me.

[rickaddict]

Beautiful bass! I loves me a nice '68. Only way to improve upon it (aside from the neck issue) would be if it had a hi-gain bridge pickup. But that's easy enough to fix.

It even has its original Pyramid flatwound strings that came with the bass when new in 1968.

Really?

[jingle_jangle]

It could be fixed once and for all by pulling that gorgeous fretboard, routing the neck and fitting one non-adjustable square carbon fiber rod, only 1/4" X 1/4" in cross-section, to stiffen up the neck without adding weight or affecting either balance or appearance. Glue back up, rebind, touch up the varnish, and clank without fear.

Yeah, I know, then it wouldn't be 100% original, though the action would then be to die for.

But at $10,500.00 who's gonna risk it?

The paradox of originality VS utility VS beauty.

[ilan]

So that's how it's done... I'd have it done if this was my bass. Will it have functioning truss rods after that?

[jingle_jangle]

100% functioning truss rods. This just gives the original rods some back-up to counteract string tension.

Those early necks can be flexy flyers.

[rickaddict]

I wonder if the strings really are Pyramids. 'Cuz if they are, then swapping them out for RIC/Maximas or TI Jazz flats would go a long way toward fixing that bow.

I wouldn't be willing to take a chance on it though for $10,500...

[johnhall]

"Note the crushed shell inlays in the fingerboard. Ric quit using this unique material around 1972-3 because it became unavailable. This type of shell comes from a small chain of islands near Okinawa that are now protected as a national park, hence the material is not only unavailable, but strictly protected."

Quite a yarn-spinner. We gotta have him over to the next BARC...

Err, this is actually true.

Most of that shell material came from Kohamajima Island, Okinawa, which was turned into a protected marine reserve a number of years ago. A number of years ago I visited Ishigaki Island, which is the next island over from it in the Straits of Taiwan, to see if its abundant supplies of shell material could be utilized as a replacement but there were just too many hoops to jump through on that one.

I did some diving in the South China Sea there, between Kohamajima and Iriomote Island, and it was both interesting and frustrating to see so much fingerboard inlay material lying on the seafloor! Bu it's probably best that it stays there.

[teeder]

That's way too much $$$'s, IMO.

[jingle_jangle]

"Note the crushed shell inlays in the fingerboard. Ric quit using this unique material around 1972-3 because it became unavailable. This type of shell comes from a small chain of islands near Okinawa that are now protected as a national park, hence the material is not only unavailable, but strictly protected."

Quite a yarn-spinner. We gotta have him over to the next BARC...

Err, this is actually true.

Most of that shell material came from Kohamajima Island, Okinawa, which was turned into a protected marine reserve a number of years ago. A number of years ago I visited Ishigaki Island, which is the next island over from it in the Straits of Taiwan, to see if its abundant supplies of shell material could be utilized as a replacement but there were just too many hoops to jump through on that one.

I did some diving in the South China Sea there, between Kohamajima and Iriomote Island, and it was both interesting and frustrating to see so much fingerboard inlay material lying on the seafloor! Bu it's probably best that it stays there.

Thanks!

I wonder where the seller read/heard this?

[sloop_john_b]

I did some diving in the South China Sea there, between Kohamajima and Iriomote Island, and it was both interesting and frustrating to see so much fingerboard inlay material lying on the seafloor! Bu it's probably best that it stays there.

[leftybass]

Interesting that it's a '68 and has Rick-O-Sound.

[ilan]

No kidding. I was sure this was a synthetic material. Oh well, we live and learn.