Get a Rickenbacker 4002 for half price!!!

[MiroN]

I think ....
for $ 23,000....
Mr. Hall would be happy to build a new 4002

[heinpete]

I think ....
for $ 23,000....
Mr. Hall would be happy to build a new 4002

...no, I don't think so. As soon as he restarts building the 4002, the price drops drastically.

[jdogric12]

Excellent point. Although I still wonder what a factory one-off 4002 would go for these days.

[johnallg]

Excellent point. Although I still wonder what a factory one-off 4002 would go for these days.

It would be really interesting, yes.

[cjj]

Excellent point. Although I still wonder what a factory one-off 4002 would go for these days.

Probably a lot if they had to recreate the 4002 pickups.

I've heard there are still some body wings in existence, but nothing about pickups. Of course you could use HB-1s, but then it wouldn't be quite the same. JH also stated that they don't have any more ebony of the right size for the fretboard, of course, that can be obtained, but likely at a higher price than they normally pay for materials, so more cost increases. He also said they no longer have any of the proper b-w-b pickguard material, which again can be found, for a cost...

Personally, I hope they don't make one for a year or two... 'Cause I would HAVE to buy it and I'm a little short on cash just now...

[jdogric12]

Excellent point. Although I still wonder what a factory one-off 4002 would go for these days.

Probably a lot if they had to recreate the 4002 pickups.

I've heard there are still some body wings in existence, but nothing about pickups. Of course you could use HB-1s, but then it wouldn't be quite the same.

Definitely not close. The 4002 pickups are split coils, like on a Mustang.

IIRC, Dave got the last pair of 4002 pickups from the factory when they were accidentally included in a ric-outlet sale.

[wints]

Realistically, if you want a selling perspective, this bass is worth approx 30-35% of the asking value on that auction. If you can get someone to pay 10K for a 4002 then take the deal without thinking twice.

$5-7K is the new reality here...

[cassius987]

Definitely not close. The 4002 pickups are split coils, like on a Mustang.

I beg to differ (slightly), having played the genuine article and HB-1s rewired to parallel humbucking in the same bass. Yes, there are some minor tonal differences after you "correct" the HB-1's wiring from the original series setup, however slight. But the HB-1 is nice in that it doesn't suffer from having a void in the middle of the pickup. This probably doesn't matter on a real 4002 but in the neck position of a 4001/4003 there is more flexibility in the string so that if you play aggressively, you enter the "dead zone" and the signal goes away for a second. Still, there is some mojo the 4002 pickup has that is hard to put into words. Which either means I'm full of it or need to improve my vocabulary...

[Kopfjaeger]

Having a 4004, a 4001, and 4003, and a 4002, I can say that none of them sound exactly alike. Actually all my RIC basses sound different from one another. Various vintages, pups and configurations all come into play.

While I may have an exceptional 4002, as I'm reminded every time I mention the bass's playability, I guessing it's tone is due to both the pups it has as well as their location. I'm sure Dave can chime in about how the sound changed when he returned the proper 4002 pups to the bass.

I've heard it mentioned that the 4002 has the pups in the "Fender J" configuration. I've played fender J's and I do not see the similarity other than where they are located on the body. Neck shape and tone controls aside, the tone is not the same to my ear. At all!!

Perhaps I'm slightly biased toward the 4002. I'll admit, there is a "love affair" going on here between me and that instrument. Is it that this bass is exceptional? We'll soon see. I treat Dave's bass, btw I think it will always be referred to as Dave's bass no matter who owns it, like a China Doll. I treat her better than I treat myself. I'm really looking forward to sending the MG 4002 I won on ebay to Larry Davis so he can work his magic on her. I really want a 4002 that I'm not afraid to mistreat slightly and bring to practices.

Once she has been restored I'll gladly report as to the any sound or tone difference between both basses. I really hope they are identical.

Sepp

[iiipopes]

I've heard it mentioned that the 4002 has the pups in the "Fender J" configuration. I've played fender J's and I do not see the similarity other than where they are located on the body. Neck shape and tone controls aside, the tone is not the same to my ear. At all!!

Many moons ago I measured the positioning of the pickups on my 4002. The "neck" pickup is, proportionally, more where a Precision bass pickup is. The "bridge" pickup is very similar to where a '60's Jazz bass bridge pickup is. All measurements were adjusted proportionally to account for the different scale lengths of 33 1/4 vs 34. Part of the difference in tone is the coil geometry. with more rounded coils and different wire size, windings, and magnets, the inductance and impedance are going to be different, so that will account for some of the tonal differences.