4003 improvements timeline

[bassduke49]

I'm trying to list all the incremental improvements/changes found on 4003 basses (and others) and want to establish when certain features appeared. I need to know when the body horns were made skinny again, and when hex-head poles on the high-gain pickups appeared. I tried using the search function here, but without results. So far, I have this:

4003

Original truss setup ("upside down") from 1980 to 1986
"New" truss rod design 1986 to present
Chrome-plated Schaller tuners with "Rickenbacker" on base plate from 1985
Body horns made "skinny" again (did this come along before the CNC cutting machines?) 199x?
CNC cutting started late 1996
Walnut head wings re-instituted 2006(?)
Full-width pearloid position markers early 2008(?)
Two-piece neck early 2009(?)
Caribbean rosewood fingerboards (fall 2011)

And wasn't there a change in the value of the vol/tone pots along the way? When?

Any other changes I'm leaving out?

Want to get these details correct for the book.

Thanks!

[sloop_john_b]

Walnut Wings (first mentioned by Ben here. They start to ship shortly after) reintroduced in late 2005.

Vintage Tone Selector introduced for NAMM 2006.

Full-width inlays reintroduced March 2008. First sighting here.

[sloop_john_b]

Adjustable Higains first spotted September 2006.

[badeggs]

Pots went from 250k/500k to all 330k, don't know when...

[fran4001]

The change in pickguard shape? It became a bit more 'bulbous' on the side below the controls, for lack of a better description. For that matter, concurrent with the truss rod change, the short-lived 2 piece pickguards? Not sure if these are more just changes as opposed to improvements. Maybe even the increase in headstock size would apply. I'd heard that it was a way to alter the appearance of dead spots along the neck.

[bassduke49]

Ah, thanks, guys. Forgot about the Vintage Tone Selector; thanks John!

Yes, the two-piece pickguard went hand in hand with the "upside down" truss rod system.

[ilan]

The change in pickguard shape? It became a bit more 'bulbous' on the side below the controls, for lack of a better description

Looking at the register, the "double hump" pickguard, as I recall JH refering to it, started around April 1997. Not an "improvement" imho, but certainly a change. I hope Paul will be able to include in his timeline "late 2012: hump-less guard brought back"...

The strap buttons were also changed, right?

Notched pickup surround?

Finish - conversion varnish ended when?

Neck profile - are you getting into that? It was announced that the 4003 will get the c64 profile.

The cresting wave was also changed, they dropped the 'bulbous' cresting wave and went back to the old shape.

7-bolt tailpiece... When did they go back to 5-bolt?

[sloop_john_b]

Paul, I took advantage of a slow work day and examined the photos of every 1986 4003 in the register. The latest appearance of the two-piece guard (and therefore "flipped" truss rods) is April 1986. There are also a few one-piece guards in April 1986. Looks like you can nail down the transition to Spring 1986.

[sloop_john_b]

Finish - conversion varnish ended when?

From this 2010 thread:

We stopped using conversion varnish completely earlier this year. The new coating is a UV curable polyester.

[johnallg]

Check your PM Paul.

[bassduke49]

Wow! Thanks, guys!

[godber]

More details here.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=20652&hilit=+4001+1977

[weemac]

Now all that needs to happen is plexiglas nameplates and 1/2" pickup spacing and we are there!
Eden.

[cheyenne]

Now all that needs to happen is plexiglas nameplates and 1/2" pickup spacing and we are there!
Eden.

Dont forget the checker binding.

[Colonel Sanders]

Dont forget the checker binding.

Yep. Dropping it from the bass lines was Rickenbacker darkest hour!!!

For Paul, I think the 4003 bodywings were made skinny again in 2008 according to the answer I got on the RIC forum. That would fit with my observations.