Reasonable and fair for rare 4003's? (all black bass)

[Rickless]

I have one of the all black 4003's (all black hardware, black trim, black pickguard and trussrod cover, etc) that they don't make anymore. It's in top notch condition. Any idea what would be a reasonable and fair amount I could expect to get for it if I decided sell it? It's not the Shadow Bass with the checkerboard binding, and it's not the Smithereens model. Thanks for any good insight, Jon.

[Low End Lover]

Jon,

Welcome to the RRF! Sounds like a nice bass! When you get to 30 posts, you will be allowed access to the Marketplace. There is a forum on there that is dedicated to appraisals, so that will be where you get the information you want.

Hope that helps,

LEL (Jason)

[rickenbrother]

Welcome to the forum, Jon! With the market as soft, yet unpredictable as it is, I hate to give you a price quote, which might help, but also might hurt the actual selling price you get. Though I think you should do well. It seems many like blacked-out Jetglo 4003's. Especially if it really is in top notch condition. Good quality pictures with lots of detail also help bring a better selling price.

[bassduke49]

What Jason and Joey say. But also, value will depend a lot on the condition of the instrument. Unlike Fenders, user mojo seems to cut down on the value of Ricks. What you have is called a BT/BH for black trim (pickguard, binding, truss-rod cover) and black hardware (tuners, pickup covers, tailpiece). Regular availability of these options ended in 2002, and although uncommon, basses with BT/BH are not rare. BT/BH has its fans, but some don't like it. By the way, the "Smithereens" model is the 4003SPC Blackstar. Welcome aboard!

[jaymi]

all BT/JG basses are a MUST!!!

[Rickless]

Thank you all for the warm welcomes and good information. I was once a member on here years ago, but due to years of inactivity (4 kids later...go figure), my previous account was no longer available. For a while, I was wondering if my memory failed me and I was a part of another existing Ric Forum like possibly on the official company website, but I don't think so. I'm pretty sure this was the place. Received a lot of great info back then as I was trying to enter the world of Rickenbacker. That's why I had used the username Rickless back then. I went ahead and used it again now even though I'm not "Rickless" anymore. I eventually took the plunge and was no longer "Rickless".

I'm a die hard Geddy Lee lover (sorry if you all are tired of hearing that line around here). That's how I got interested in Ric basses. It's funny, I grew up listening to The Beatles and was always aware of Paul's Ric, but it didn't get my attention back then. Now that I'm playing Beatles Rock Band with my family, I have a whole new appreciation and absolute love for Paul's bass playing. Technically and melodically for sure, but also the subtle muted style he uses. Is he a perpetual palm muter, or was he using the padded mute thing on the Ric tailpiece? I know the Hofner had no such thing, but did he use a combo of the Ric mute and his palm in his Ric phase of The Beatles? Sorry, I'm creating multiple subjects that should probably be other threads.

Anyway, I wasn't trying to pimp my bass in this thread. I was just trying to get an idea of what to expect and where to start if I decide to go down the eBay path (my usual place of selling gear). I don't play as much anymore. More into recording. I have some recording gear needs/desires and have been considering the sale. It's the one bass I own that I swore I would never sell. Funny how life (or time) changes you.

[cjj]

Welcome (back) to the forum Jon!

As others have indicated, it's not a good time to be selling. Prices are way down from where they were just a few years ago. But if you're buying, it's a great time.

Hang on to your 4003 for a while, if you sell it, even if you have to sell it or have convinced yourself you're just not going to play anymore, you will regret selling it. Ask me how I know. And, life and times often change again in a few years too. Ask me how I know that too...

[ram]

Jon, welcome back to the Forum. Another thing is this time of year doesn't seem to be a good listing time - maybe taxes and what not.... I'd say hold it for a while unless the $$ are really needed.

[doctorwho]

Welcome back, Jon!

[markyl]

I'd love to see some pics of that Jon. Sounds absolutely gorgeous

[Rickless]

I'd love to see some pics of that Jon. Sounds absolutely gorgeous

Hi markyl, Um... not sure which button under Post Reply screen to attach pictures. I clicked Img expecting it to have me browse my computer for the pics. I broke down and put it on eBay the other day (I know...what am I thinking). The pics can be seen there. I'm not going to post the URL. Although I was an active member years ago, I had to renew.

Is there an easy way to post pics here? Is it right under my nose?

[markyl]

Ah, I just noticed a lovely all black 4003 pop up on there. Has a near spotless finish on it, very highly polished and currently in Ohio, is that it?

[ken_j]

...Is there an easy way to post pics here? Is it right under my nose?

Yes where it says "Upload attachment" just below the Save, Preview, & Submit buttons.

[Rickless]

Yes where it says "Upload attachment" just below the Save, Preview, & Submit buttons.

Thank you ken_j!

Ah, I just noticed a lovely all black 4003 pop up on there. Has a near spotless finish on it, very highly polished and currently in Ohio, is that it?

Yeah, that's it.

Okay, so I know how to record and edit music, but ironically I don't know how to downsize the amount of memory a picture takes up. When I tried to upload a pic, it said the file was too big. I guess I need the degraded equivalent of an MP3 for pictures to upload. If I get a chance later on, I'll try messin' around with it.

[jc-sz]

Hey there, I just saw your ebay posting! Beautiful bass! I love BT/BH, and I think all blacks look awesome too!

Anyways, just wanted to give you a heads up on an easy and quick trick to downsizing pics: make a copy of the file (so you don't alter the original's quality). Right click on file -> "open with" -> "Paint". Once it opens, save the file (no need to change anything) and that's it.

If the file is still not small enough, you can always try reopening with Paint, go to "Image" -> "Stretch/Skew" and in the Stretch box you can go to 50% on both fields and then save. This will shrink the image's dimmensions, but it's sometimes necessary to make it lower size in bytes.

That's how I do it when I want to make 'em smaller quick without any special software.

Hope it helps!

And again, beautiful bass!! Looks like ideal for heavy metal!

Cheers!