Forumite Rickenbacker Fretless Bass Guitar Count

[basmansam]

No, I bought it off ebay, it had very large gauge strings on it, the previous owner filed the nut down to accomodate the strings to where the nut needed replacement. The previous owner refinished the back and removed the finish on the fingerboard. I had a lacal luthier refinish the fingerboard with CV and left the back, the nut alone. It's a great bass, I'm glad you made it your own.
The Jetglo is a great bass too, the finish has some bare spots on the fingerboard, I may have the fingerboard refinished too. I would never file a nut down like that or do it yourelf hack refin job on the back like my old - your bass now.

I replaced the nut with a genuine delrin reissue. That nut was butchered all right.

Had the neck been repaired for improper truss rod adjustment before you had it? It's rock solid, but the seller had no idea what that repair represented.

I received the bass is the same condition as you received from the bass place, the neck was repaired prior to my ownership. Like I said, the only thing I had done was to have the fingerboard finished as it was bare when I bought the bass off ebay. The previous owner did not reveal that the fingerboard was unfinished in the ebay listing, he was honest about the poor refin on the back though. I'm glad you made it your own, it's a great bass. I did a radio show (with that bass) with a sextet I was playing in, the 60 cycle hum drove me nuts.

[bd2]

one more to add to the count... '74 4001 that had the frets and lacquer shaved off before I found it back in the 80s. Like Boz Burrell, I believe fretless belongs quite nicely in any rock setting. Although I do some slides, I mainly like fretless for the low action... and tend to play like it was a fretted bass but don't like on this one where the dots are since it started life with those dang speed bumps on the fretboard... the fret wires are still there but I can't see 'em when playing. Like the sound and feel of the bare rosewood. Changed from rounds to half-rounds to preserve the fretboard but liked the sound better with the rounds.

[walker]

That's cool, Bruce. It still looks like a fretted bass - for those who like the look but want a fretless sound!

[Fuzzy Thoughts]

Here is my 74 4001 [with 77 4001 and 80 4003] kind'a funny.... apparently [going by tumblr comments..] you can't get a clean sound out of these and you can't play them finger style... their loss I guess...

[Kiddwad57]

Another one for the books. Mine's a jetglo with HB1s and the cove bezel. Haven't changed out the pots yet, but will soon. Tried a hipshot bridge. Youch! Tried their tuners too, but one creaked so they went back with the bridge. I haven't quite given up on hipshot though; I've got one of their drop D tuners on the way and hope that it works out well. I get used to the low B on the five string and occasionally need those notes on the fretless.

To me the 4000 fretless' are tops in terms of elegance; a 4004fl would really be great, but in either case I'm not holding my breath, and besides I love my jetglo 4003fl!

[r-gordon-7]

Very late to this party, but very glad to be here. It's my first Ric FL. Just got it - an '05 4003FL MB. I don't think it's been represented here on this thread until now...

[cjj]

Very nice!

[woodyng]

Here is my 74 4001 [with 77 4001 and 80 4003] kind'a funny.... apparently [going by tumblr comments..] you can't get a clean sound out of these and you can't play them finger style... their loss I guess...

Love the v63-type pickguards on these!

The MB fretless is gorgeous,too!

[fretless]

raises hand.. oh wait , sits back down

[Fuzzy Thoughts]

Here is my 74 4001 [with 77 4001 and 80 4003] kind'a funny.... apparently [going by tumblr comments..] you can't get a clean sound out of these and you can't play them finger style... their loss I guess...

Love the v63-type pickguards on these!

The MB fretless is gorgeous,too!

thanks! that fretless is funny, pervious owner[s?] modded it with weird pick guards and moving the strap buttons around but there is next to no actual play wear on the FB... part of that might have been that at one point someone really messed with the saddle placement so it was hard to play in tune with it's self... I've seen way too many fretlesses where someone has done this... it's like they always try to reverse the angle by making the E the shortest and the G the longest.. it's hurts your head try to think why... and yeah the old guard shape has always spoken to me

[blueflamerick]

Laying down a track with the '74 fretless on my band's latest album while making kissy faces.

[rickenbrother]

We love you too, Erik!

[Ashgray]

Another one here:

Ash (first post, so please forgive any blunders! )

[johnallg]

Nice white 4001, Ashley. Welcome to the RRF!

[Ashgray]

Thanks for the welcome John! As for the Rick, it's a beauty (played it with the band for the first time tonight) - still mulling over whether to put a toaster on it though...