Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

From Lou Reed's band back in the seventies, among others... Inside cover of the live album, he's shown playing what looked like a jetglo 4001 with three pickups. This definitely isn't that bass but it is very niiiiiice!

OK. Found something:

"Prakash John played bass with Alice between 'Welcome To My Nightmare' and 'From The Inside' and on 'Dada'. He is also the guy you always hear when they play that long intro to "Sweet Jane" on the Lou Reed 'Rock'n'roll Animal' live album. http://www.alicecoopertrivia.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk"

We have likely heard some music played with this bass if it was really him!

More Info Here.

A great looking (and i,m sure playing) bass. My 64,s don,t have that 4th screw on the truss rod cover, and are copper coloured, those look brighter, but if John says they are on most 63,s take his word for it!! I,d agree the nut is replaced, but apart from that it,s probably all original, horseshoe included. Fabulous,.........4, maybe as much as 5...

On pages 202 and 203 of the Richard Smith book you can see the fourth screw on the truss rod cover of a '63. (Also the plain fret markers). One thing different on the E-bay bass; there are only seven screws on the pickgaurd. Usually there are eight. Could this be an early prototype? Maybe Mr. Hall can shed some light on this....

David, you are right. I've checked Smith's Rick book and there was in fact a fourth screw. As to the missing pickguard screw, how come I didn't notice this? Yeah, I'd like John Hall to enlighten us.
As to Prakash John, yes, he was a great bass player. I happen to have, besides the above-mentioned Alice Cooper and Lou Reed recordings, a British pressing of the first album by Bush (1970), which included 'Whitey' Glan (the drummer on Reed's 'Rock & Roll Animal') and Don Troiano of 'The Guess Who' fame. John's bass with Bush sounds very similar to 'Rock & Roll Animal'. It is an exciting sound, but not one you would associate with a Rickenbacker bass.

Hey, maybe the famous player's name is not revealed because the seller IS that famous player...?

If he is, will he be able to back it up?

A friend of mine says that maybe the pickguard is not original. I've pointed out to him that anyone making a repro pickguard for this particular '63 4001 would not omit the finger rest screw holes and one of the eight fixing screw holes. I say it is original, still I'd like to hear John Hall's opinion.

For what it's worth: In the Smith book there is a picture taken at the NAMM show in 1963 of Rickenbacker salesman Harold Buckner holding an identical 4001 bass; this bass does not have a finger rest mounted on the pickguard..Not all 4001 basses were equipped with a finger rest. One way to tell if it had one is that the screw holes for the finger rest would be under the pickguard in the body.

Judging from what I see in the pics, the 'guard looks to be original, and the number of screws is correct.

Hi Guys, my 2c, It's original except for the nut. You can see the Al horseshoe pickup plate under there & the ridge around the coil edge.
Lefty, I think a new guy took over the paint shop sometime in '64 'cos you can see a different hand to this one in '64/'65 finishes.
Could the 4th screw on the nameplate be a later addition? The plate tends to not sit flat in the middle on these older basses.
Mine too has just the top layer of finish worn off in some places just like this and my pickguard has one less screw like this one but in a different posi. All acceptable variables on a 60's Rick.
If only I had the moola....
5 even 6.....Sukunk's been after one for a while.

John: yes, on page 67 the 4001 Buckner is holding has no finger rest.
Gerry: thanks for getting the record straight. I wish I had the moolah too...

I agree Jean. The seller may be the "famous" player. Fame=money, however, in the case of vintage instruments, so I can't see the harm in letting us know. Not to pry (ha), it certainly adds to the quest and to the historical value in my way of thinking. I agree, this is a great find and I would love to be able to afford it myself. I also concur that the nut does not appear original and the screw is likely aftermarket.

The hard shell case is also interesting:
1-It appears to be a little bit excessive in length for the bass. Is this normal for original bass cases in those years?
2-The little neck fastening belt thing . Was it stock or an add-on? I don't think I've ever seen another one beside this.

Any one cares to demystyfy?

This baby sure is holy! (Except the not-so-original nut.)

Paul, I can speak for how the '60's guitars fit in their original cases(Never had a 4001 this old, but plenty of guitars..)

The smaller guitars in my collection that date from 1961 to 1967 are constructed similarly to the case for the '63 4001, silver/black with blue lining(my 1961 450 has a red-lined case)..they are the correct cases and the guitars have plenty of room inside to move around. The tend to be slightly longer than they need to be--in other words they weren't a tight fit even when they were new---I have to add additional padding when I take them out. Not so for the later Ricks in my coolection. The Vintage Reissue casses are much better than the originals IMHO...

Dunno about the leather strap to hold the neck in place...it looks like it's crudely attatched for the moment...

Leftybass,
Thank you very much for enlightening me.
The vintage silver cases are nice to look at.(I was really impressed when I saw the one that came with the 381 V69 FG that I bought in Japan for a friend.)

By the way, for those who need a vintage bass case,Musicians' Friend is selling them for $169.99 a piece these days.