neck pickup channel

[radapaw]

Do all 4001/4003 basses have the 'drill holes' channel from control cavity to neck pickup? I recently came across a modern 4003 with a smooth routed channel, but for some reason thought rickenbacker was still doing that with the 'drill hole' channel. Just want to be sure I'm dealing with the real mccoy.

Thanks for the rickenwisdom
Radapaw

[bassduke49]

No, modern ones have a smooth routed channel. I don't have a "time period" of when they used the old-fashioned method of using repeated plunges of a Forstner bit. Don't know for sure if the "vintage" models went back to the old method for "authenticity" or not. There are a lot of other more reliable "field marks" to distinguish Rick basses from phonies.

[jps]

I can say that certainly the 4001V63 has the smooth route.

[radapaw]

cheers! thanks!