Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

quoting Jeff Rath:
"why in the world would anybody pay $1400 for a 74 4001?? that makes no sense ... you can get a brand new 4003 for $1100"

you are absolutely right.. but look at what happens in places like Italy, where Ricks aren't as common as in the USA:
http://www.scolopendra.it/dettaglio_usato?ID=6490&acv=a

would you pay 1750 euros fot that??
with modified pickup switch, tailpiece lift, string mute screws missing and who knows how many dings and scratches....and those Vintage Gurus keeping asking money for those "Holy Grails"

dealers here are selling ordinary late 70s Fenders P and JBs at 2500/3000 euros saying that they're "vintage"

Dear friends from America, over here in the UK things are, or at least were, quite different when it comes to prices of old and vintage RICs.

I guess with eBay and the internet a greater degree of global market is taking its effect.

Prices here unless one really hunts out a bargain are new 4003’s are just shy of 1000UKP, that I think is about 1850 USD. A decent 1976 4001 in a London store would be about 1250 UKP. A good condition 1974, about 1400 UKP and a tidy 1972 with check and pearl at least 1800 UKP if not well over 2000 UKP.

I own two mid to late 4001’s a ’78 Burgundyglo and an ’80 Azureglo. They both feel great in the neck and sound very good, though very different to each other. I have tried new 4003’s in my local store and try as I might I just can’t connect with them in the same way as my 4001’s. It has a lot to do with the neck but also the tone of the older RICs floats my boat more that the new ones, this is probably why JH has introduced the vintage tone option on new 4003’s. Slim the neck down a bit and maybe the new 4003’s would suit me.

My favourite playing bass is rapidly becoming my 1972, and I think that even heavily tweaked 4003’s will sadly fall short of the feel and sound of that bass.

Sergio, the misaligned neck pickup can be the result of an aftermarket pickguard. I had the exact same misalignment with a WD (Wrong Dimentions) pickguard.

Nice lookin' wood on that 4003S.

1750 Euros is way too much to ask for a '75 4001, no matter how desirable it looks, and that one sure looks desirable to me. Price it at 900 Euros and I'll buy it. Modified selector switch? No biggie - just replace it with an original one. Mute adjust thumbscrews missing? No biggie either. Tailpiece lift? A misconception. Dings and scratches? Mojo!
Two or three years ago I spotted at a local music store (I live in Lisbon, Portugal, Europe) a '79 MG 4001 and a '81 FG 4003. Both were in near mint condition, but the asking price for either was downright unrealistic: 2,000 Euros! Still, what astounded me more was that when I returned there, a couple of weeks later, both Ricks had been sold! The store owner kindly explained to me that he had had both basses come from London, and that there was no way he could afford to sell them cheaper than he did. Yeah, right!

Sergio, I know that modified switch and something missing in the tailpiece are not big problems... but 1750 are maybe too much for it

I still think that about 800 UKP for a '74 S in good nick is a good price. It is quite rare, has plexi TRC and Grovers. That would sell in excess of 1200 UKP in London