Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

cassius987 wrote:

cjj wrote:So here's a question... were there ever any 4004 Fretless basses made?

Besides Dane Wilder's, I don't believe so.

Also, has anyone ever seen a 4001 FL or 4003 FL with black trim -- I mean the full deal with black binding?

I believe I have seen one or two like this that were white + BT. Could be wrong.

Hmm, I guess I messed Dane's.

Actually, I asked the black trim question a bit wrong. I meant to say has anyone seen a Mapleglo fretless with black trim/binding...

Here's Dane's bass (do want):

cassius987 wrote:Here's Dane's bass (do want):

Nice 4002 pickguard!
Would this be a 4006?

In those pictures of Dane's bass, it appears to have fret lines. Was this made as a fretless, or was it de-fretted?

cjj wrote:In those pictures of Dane's bass, it appears to have fret lines. Was this made as a fretless, or was it de-fretted?

It was originally a fretted Cii. It plays and sounds really nice.

cjj wrote:So here's a question... were there ever any 4004 Fretless basses made?

Also, has anyone ever seen a 4001 FL or 4003 FL with black trim -- I mean the full deal with black binding?

Think so...

Oh, I do like that black on black!!!! Just think if it had an ebony board...

OK, I can now add one more to the count:

rickenbrother wrote: There are 18 owners of Fretless Ricks in thread who have posted or where mentioned, one "I want one!...

Consider this an "I want one." post.

I've wanted one for quite some time... and I'm not picky at all about the type, defretted, S, 400x... it doesn't matter. I'd really like a 5 string FL but will definitely be ecstatic over finding a 4.

If I find another that feels right, I may have it defretted.

Can anyone tell I'm missing fretless lately? I really need to get a cheap fretless just to bang on or I may go nuts.

Scott: I'm not an expert in fingerboard varnish, but I would think that the presence of the varnish would pose a fair bit of extra work in terms of cleaning up the board after a de-fret. Also, if it has neck binding, that adds to the challenge of doing a clean job.

Personally, I'd like to see a Rick fingerboard without the varnish on a FL. I think that would add more woodiness to the sound and reduce "string clack" (for me, anyway). I play in a manner that includes hammer-ons and otherwise fingering the notes heavily which produces significant clack at times. But I'm not sure how a bare fingerboard would survive with an oil finish and in terms of string wear.

cjj wrote:In those pictures of Dane's bass, it appears to have fret lines. Was this made as a fretless, or was it de-fretted?

I sold the bass to Dane. Here's a photo of how it (and I) used to look:
Oh - and add me to the "do want" list!

"Do Want" List:

• Scott Tarr
• John Biscuti
• Scott Jehlik (I think )

Anyone else?

FretlessOnly wrote:Scott: I'm not an expert in fingerboard varnish, but I would think that the presence of the varnish would pose a fair bit of extra work in terms of cleaning up the board after a de-fret. Also, if it has neck binding, that adds to the challenge of doing a clean job.

Personally, I'd like to see a Rick fingerboard without the varnish on a FL. I think that would add more woodiness to the sound and reduce "string clack" (for me, anyway). I play in a manner that includes hammer-ons and otherwise fingering the notes heavily which produces significant clack at times. But I'm not sure how a bare fingerboard would survive with an oil finish and in terms of string wear.

That's one of my problems, John. I don't quite know how a Ric FL feels. I've never even picked one up.

I rarely see a Ric out in public, let alone a FL but then again I don't go out hunting for them either.

I'd be tempted to bare wood one but then again, I'd be tempted to have it done right and have the entire fretboard replaced... with or without varnish.

This is why I've wanted a beater Ric for some time. I'd built it and it would go through a few stages, I'm sure and I wouldn't feel bad about "devaluing" it at all.

Don't get me wrong, I play my 4003S/5 almost daily and have just about finished cleaning up all the gashes I've put into it the last year but I don't want to have to clean up a valuable instrument as often as I play them.

Now I've rambled...

I haven't found that the varnish makes a very big difference in the feel when playing. I have played (and owned) other fretlesses before, mostly with unfinished rosewood fingerboards and one that looked like ebony. If I can tell any difference due to the finish, it seems that the finish keeps everything slick and fast--whereas the unfinished stuff has to be kept clean to stay smooth and speedy because dirt/gunk adheres to the unfinished wood better. But YMMV of course.

I haven't found that the finish on the neck makes much of a difference when playing either. If it does anything, it probably just adds a little brightness to the tone.