'68 4001 Opinions?

[mc2NY]

I've got this one on hold. Changed horseshoe and pots....so far, unsure what horseshoe is in it...but I have one correct for this year. Missing thumbrest.

Any of the experts see anything else non-orig or odd? Seems very clean.

Just looking for some reassurance it's worth dropping $7k on if it plays great.

Wondering if this one has popped up or circulated for sale here before?



---- 1968 Ric
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1968-Rickenback ... 35d67f6a34

[s4001]

It's in the database with comments.
To which I'd add that it looks like perhaps it's been resprayed, but a closer look would be needed. Seems solid, though.

FWIW, same manufacture month as mine.

[Ontario_RIC_fan]

It is in the register with some different images.

http://www.rickresource.com/register/vi ... 6order%3D5

[mc2NY]

Owner of store says he has owned it a long time and it is original finish. I did ask, since it looks so clean.

Apparently selling some of his personal collection to fund getting into manufacturing Fender style guitars and basses.

QUESTION....wouldn't any other Rickenbacker pots off another 1968 work on a 4001, as long as they were off a model with pots mounted thru a pickguard?

Anyone have good shots of a correct '68 4001 wiring harness?

[s4001]

Hate to sound so simplistic, but pots is pots to a certain degree. As long as the post holes are the same, they'll work. There's personal preferences to resistances of pots, etc. but I've done more than my fair share of mixing and matching of electronics.

[mc2NY]

I guess I should have worded that question differently.

Do all mid-60s Rics with vol/vol/tone/tone pots use the same rated pots, whether they are guitars or basses? So, they would be interchangeable? And then they use caps as the differences between model wiring?

What are the hardest wiring harness parts to find to correctly replace a 1968 4001 harness?

Any recommended guy who does this sort of work who has NOS parts?

[Lefty4003S8]

I guess I should have worded that question differently.

Do all mid-60s Rics with vol/vol/tone/tone pots use the same rated pots, whether they are guitars or basses? So, they would be interchangeable? And then they use caps as the differences between model wiring?

What are the hardest wiring harness parts to find to correctly replace a 1968 4001 harness?

Any recommended guy who does this sort of work who has NOS parts?

I would recommend Dane Wilder--(Aceonbass) here on the Forum. He's done A LOT of this type of work, and is supposedly very good!!!
Nice looking '68. Best of luck to you!!!!

[teeder]

+1 on Dane's work.

[Ashgray]

Hi Jon

I can thoroughly recommend Dane Wilder without hesitation - he's quick, reliable, his costs are reasonable and he uses original spec components. He's done two amazing wiring harnesses for my V63 and 4002 Ricks that have transformed their sound.

Unfortunately Dane is no longer around on the forums but if you'd like to send me a PM, I'd be happy to put you in touch with him.

Ash

[Kopfjaeger]

I too recommend Dane's work. He does a fantastic wiring harness! Very meticulous!! The hardest component to find on a pre 70's harness is the .0047 cap. The little aqua colored bugger!! Good luck finding one!!

I hope it has the correct bobbin in her. It needs a 1/2 tall green bobbin with slotted pole pieces. You say you have correct shoes for her?? The 68 uses the wide opening shoes. Quite rare and very difficult to find actually. The narrow opening shoes will not afford enough room to play her properly with the taller bobbin. How do I know this?? I'm rebuilding a 1968 4001!!

Fotos of 68 harness'? I have a few but I'll have to resize them all in order to fit them here. Let me know if you need them and I'll do it when I have some spare time.


Sepp

[opticnerve]

Actually Sepp, the early '68 basses had the black raised lip bobbins, which this bass appears to be sporting...but the pole pieces are wrong.

From what I can tell, it has fillister head screws, which were phased out around 1965 or so...should be pan heads.

The mags do look like they have the smaller gap here. I'm thinking this may be a Mark Walker conversion pu...???

[Kopfjaeger]

Actually Sepp, the early '68 basses had the black raised lip bobbins, which this bass appears to be sporting...but the pole pieces are wrong.

From what I can tell, it has fillister head screws, which were phased out around 1965 or so...should be pan heads.

The mags do look like they have the smaller gap here. I'm thinking this may be a Mark Walker conversion pu...???

Tony,

I guess I should have checked the serial number. I was assuming it was a later 1968 because the OP said he had the correct shoes for her. Oh well. Mark prides himself on vintage accurate. If it's his, there is no way he would have put the wrong vintage pole pieces in it. Possibly original mid 60's horsie??

Sepp

[Kopfjaeger]

Just went back and looked at all the fotos, wow, hack job on the harness!! The correct Ajax .047 caps are an east fix. Dane will hook you up with the correct cloth wire, if you go that route.

The pole pieces on the bobbin, tough call. The foto looks very blurry like there was some movement going on. It's a raised lip bobbin for sure but the heads, I really am not sure.

To the original poster, play it and see how she sounds! 1968's are one of my favorite years!! Really thin necks and a joy to play!! If you wish to return her to stock, You have most of what you need there. Finding a 1968 pot case may be challenging. Maybe as challenging as the .0047 cap.

Here is the harness Dane did for my 1968. I had all the components. he rebuilt the pots and rewired her.

Sepp

[opticnerve]

Tony, I guess I should have checked the serial number. I was assuming it was a later 1968 because the OP said he had the correct shoes for her. Oh well.

You can tell without knowing the serial number Sepp. The greenies are usually seen with the rectangular surrounds & the flanged surrounds have the raised edge bobbins.

Mark prides himself on vintage accurate. If it's his, there is no way he would have put the wrong vintage pole pieces in it..

Maybe he didn't make the pickup with the idea that it was going into a '68. It can be a '64 style pickup that found it's way into this bass.

Possibly original mid 60's horsie??

Could be '63-65'ish.

[mc2NY]

Thanks for all the help and info guys. I am by no means a Ric expert, although I have played borrowed 60s 4001's from a couple of friends over the years when I needed that Ric sound in the studio.

This one appeared to be mostly there but I figured I would ask you guys to be sure. It is not yet in my possession, so I cannot answer the specifics on just what was done with the Horseshoe. I was just told it had been replaced at some point when the original was dead.

Hopefully, the PUP may turn out to be something good but, if not, I DO happen to have a complete, good to go 60s Horsie rebuilt by a name guy using a set of 60s horseshoes. I was going to use it on that other Mapleglo 4001 (a'1971) that I had bought from BassNW but ended up returning the bass for a refund. The "GlueGlo" and the "Big Toe" headstock wave, plus the big black spot under the finish on the fingerboard all ended up too ugly to make it a keeper, after searching for one for a long time.

This one seems to be the right year and have all the early appointments that I like...just would like to straighten out the electronics a bit. But it seems a lot better choice to restore that trying to make a '71 look like a '68.