New look for a 4003

[finlover]

I wanted to add a little vintage flavor to my new 4003 so I commissioned this gold pickguard and trc from Quickguards. Mike does beautiful work and he's always great to deal with. I really love the contrast of the gold with the mapleglo. Now it looks as good as it sounds! Please excuse my amateurish photos.

[woodyng]

Very nice,looks especially good in the outdoor shots!
I love gold plastic on most Ricks....

[finlover]

Thanks, Woody! I entertained the idea of a more vintage-shaped pg, but decided not to drill new holes and cover up more of the pretty maple. Someday I hope to get a 4001v63--I love the classic look!

[aceonbass]

Nice flame in the maple. Usually only 4004Cii's get that kind of wood. Who did the truss rod cover?

[finlover]

Thanks, Dane! The flame is what drew me to this particular bass. Mike Quick at http://www.quickguards.com in Florida did a gold sparkle pg for my Thunderbird--he's a true craftsman.

[jdogric12]

I like it! Although I think you mean "old look"

[woodyng]

The gold sparkle pickguard on the T-bird is awesome!
The original '50's 4000 models did have gold plastic,but you don't see a lot of 4001-type basses with them.
Like i said,i love the look!

[finlover]

I like it! Although I think you mean "old look"

Right you are! I should have entitled it "Old look for a new 4003". Too late to change it now, dangit!

[finlover]

The gold sparkle pickguard on the T-bird is awesome!
The original '50's 4000 models did have gold plastic,but you don't see a lot of 4001-type basses with them.
Like i said,i love the look!

Thanks, man! I'm a sucker for anything retro and flashy (and maybe even slightly tacky). Before I had the Rick plastic parts made I did an image search to see how the gold might look on a 4001-style bass but couldn't find much. To my eye the stark white of the original pg was a little severe against the Mapleglo. Had it been cream-colored like the binding I might have kept it.

[fireglo]

Even the strings have gold wrapping! What kind are they?

[finlover]

DR Legend flats--love 'em! I play vintage country stuff and they just sound right. Not playing my Rick in this clip but the strings are the same:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pk5C2E8LgfY

[superheavydeathmetal]

Nice flame in the maple. Usually only 4004Cii's get that kind of wood. Who did the truss rod cover?

Yeah, and the fretboard has really nice grain patterns, too!

[finlover]

Thanks, superheavy! The swirly grain of the Caribbean rosewood is pretty amazing--it looks great under the stage lights! I do like the color of bubinga too though.

[woodyng]

The gold sparkle pickguard on the T-bird is awesome!
The original '50's 4000 models did have gold plastic,but you don't see a lot of 4001-type basses with them.
Like i said,i love the look!

Thanks, man! I'm a sucker for anything retro and flashy (and maybe even slightly tacky). Before I had the Rick plastic parts made I did an image search to see how the gold might look on a 4001-style bass but couldn't find much. To my eye the stark white of the original pg was a little severe against the Mapleglo. Had it been cream-colored like the binding I might have kept it.

Tacky you say? I had an Italia Rimini bass in white-mother-of-toilet-seat for a while....it was glorious.
I feel the same way you do about the very white pickguards on the walnut 4003S,it's a bit stark to my eyes. I think a backpainted gold pg and matching trc would look FABULOUS on the walnut.

[finlover]

Absolutely! I love the contrast of the metallic with the beautiful grain of the walnut. The white looks great with solid colors though.