Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Here's an update: took the guitar to a local luthier. He has what seems to me to be a good plan to try and fix the crack issue and quoted me $150.00 CDN. Very reasonable and he has a reputation for good work. I'm not expecting a miracle though. We were able to do a thorough inspection of the neck pickup cavity and there is a hairline crack in there as well. Fortunately, it is not a bad crack in that when the neck is pulled forward by normal string tension the crack is forced closed. The luthier said he may be able to open the hairline crack a bit and force a little glue in as well. To fix the main issue of the neck pulling forward he is going to try screwing a stiff metal plate across the wall of the pickup cavity where the neck joins the body to block the heel of the neck from pulling forward, as well as putting glue down into the cracks on the back and sides and clamping the neck while it dries. If the "accountant" is OK with the cost then I'll be taking it back in a couple of weeks for the repair and I'll report back with the results.

Sergio: We checked inside the cavity and the luthier confirmed it is solid maple and the fretboard is brazilian rosewood. The luthier seemed impressed by the workmanship and explained that the manufacturer "Northern" made replicas back in the late 70's and even had some of them built at the Ibanez factory. At that time companies that made replicas really wanted to make a dent in the N.A. market so they really went the extra mile to make well-made replicas which, as we all know, got them into legal trouble with the original manufacturers. Northern only distributed their guitars in Canada for a short period of time which explains why they aren't well-known in the U.S. or elsewhere. All traces of Northern seems to have vanished though; nothing on Google about them.

Bob: Thanks for the welcome Nope, I've never played with a band of that name. I'm located in Ontario Canada and play with a local Rush tribute band (thus the desire for this bass to get fixed <g>) called My Weekly Crime. Here's the website:

http://www.rainycitynights.com/band/myweekly/

Hi Andy,

I checked out Your site and noticed you play bass, keyboards and vocals.

Quite eerie as Andy Skuse of Shiva(and Mantiss as Bob mentioned), played bass keyboards and vocals....and he played a black Rickenbacker bass!

Check out Shiva here:
http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/amskuse/members.htm

Oh...I almost forgot...they had a guitarist named John Hall!

Hi Martin, yeah I have seen the "other" more successful Andy Skuse during Google searches Not me. I'm afraid to pursue investigation of him any further though because one of us may suddenly vanish into a "duality error access door" or DEAD, and seeing as he has been more successful than me I think we know which one of us would remain

This is quite wierd!

I played bass for the band Mantiss after Andy Skuse left in 1976. And at that time I was playing a black Rickenbacker, a '74 4001...

Anyway, hello Andy Skuse in Canada!

All the best from Bob Atherton in England!

Hello Andy, I glad to see you here and to see the response you recieved to your questions. Like i told you, these guy's are Ric purist's and will not steer you in the wrong direction.
Keep us updated on your project.

I'll see you over in the Rush forums.

Mike

Hello Bob, but I don't want to know more! I might disappear! (Puts hands over ears). Wait... that won't help Do you still have the 4001?

Hey Mike, yep you were right! This is one of the best forums I've joined. Everyone has been extremely cool and very helpful. And considering it's a faker I could understand if they had just ignored my post, but they didn't. Thanks again to everyone for their help. Hopefully I can post here about a *real* Ricky bass sometime in the future

Here's one of the better fakers, made by Fuji-Gen-Gakki in the Ibanez factory.
It is not my intent to promote any brand of faker here, but rather to show the construction and quality put into the better ones.

That is a pretty accurate copy. From that picture it hard for me to tell that it is fake. Sergio probably could though. Even experts like Dale Fortune can be fooled by pictures of the better ones sometimes. There is no way that Dale would have been fooled by that black bass in person though. After all, he did spend a few years making Ricks for F.C. Hall and knows a thing or two about how they were built.

I thought that black was one was pretty good too but probably would have spotted it in person too. The stereo-sound was the most obvious faker give away but I was so intent on looking for the serial number I missed it, haha!

Hi Andy,

I sadly had to sell the 4001 back in about 1980, short of money at the time.

But... i now own a 4001 from 1980 in Azureglo and just about the first ever/prototype V63 bass made in March of '84.

They both are great players and very different, would hate to part with either.

FWIW I might be meeting up with the 'other' Andy Skuse quite soon. The guitarist from Mantiss, Andy Skirrow (he did a tour with the drummer from The Elton John Band, but now I'm just name dropping), & I are getting together for the first time in 28 years in 10 days time.

I can sense a 1 off reunion concert in the wings.....

Thanks Ted. The 1 thing in those pictures that gives it away as a copy is the truss rods. Check out how they are pushed way into to cavity. Hardly any nut is exposed as a real Rick is. The things that look right are the hardware and pick ups. Anyway, seeing it up close in person is the only real way to tell.

Hey Andy, it's nice to see a Rush tribute that sticks to a three piece with everybody doing what they're supposed to. I get annoyed when I see a tribute with 5 people where it takes three people to do what Geddy does. Or they get a woman to sing.

Also, does 2112 shred your vocal chords like it does mine?

I would do a Rush band like yours but I don't have any keys and I don't know a drummer or guitar player good enough. And I'm not trying to brag, but I do have a black 4001. Heheh.

Bob, tell the other Andy I did *not* say hello And make sure MTV is there to video tape the reunion for their Bands Reunited show

Hi Nate, yeah, I think a Rush tribute should have just 3 people because I want to see them work at it (midi pedals, drum triggers, samples etc.). That's half the fun for me as a musician and a Rush fan whenever I watch The Boys play live

2112 isn't too bad on the pipes though I don't quite hit all the notes Geddy does on the studio version. But then again he is singing it live tuned a whole step down these days so I guess I'm doing okay. But that one section near the end in Freewill is a killer! Generally I make sure I sing Freewill early on in the setlist while my voice is still fresh or fahgeddaboutit

And I certainly envy you and Bob and everyone who has a 4001 or a 4003 A faker will do for now but it ain't the real thing, so someday...

Gee, the above 4001 copy screams 'fake' so loud it's unreal. And if you look closer, you'll realize the sum of its features is inconsistent with any given year. Not to mention its really wide headstock...

Freewill is easy for me. 2112 hurts my voice. I can still do it but it hurts sometimes. Do you cheat at it a la "A Show of Hands" video?