Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Robert,

I really need a 4001 TRC for my beautiful 1979 4001. email sent to you !

Robert, I'm totally blown away by the way you handled this! And I agree, you really oughta hang out here, being a Rick owner and all. And a true gentleman!

Welcome to the Forum, Robert. It is refreshing to find an honest eBayer these days!

And, speaking of B.C. Rich:

Welcome Robert! A very commendable thing you've done.
BTW, the TRC's tend to sell for seemingly huge prices because you can't buy one from RIC. The only way to find one that's not fake is for someone to part out a bass or guitar.

Kevin, yeah, I guess many/most guitar manufacturers don't sell their parts do to counterfeiting issues. I ended the auction to sell the TRC to a forum member here. Could have gotten more but it didn't matter to me and I know it's going to a trustworthy person.

Gary, nice STIII bass. No pup selector, or is there a stacked blend knob? I help some people out with a BCR archive, similar to the Rick archive I saw on this site. If you don't mind, could you please send more pics to my email address, [email protected] (there's lots of space on gmail accounts so as many pics and as high res as you have is fine)? Also info on serial number (and pic if poss), specs (tuners, bridge, pups, body/neck wood, etc.). If yours is from the 80s, which it looks like it could be, with those diamond inlays you may have an early one with a handmade neck (the serial number would likely, though not necessarily, be stamped in the back of the headstock if that is the case). Unlike the Rick archive, the people in charge of the BCR archive keep everything confidential and use the information to help people looking for info on their personal instruments or instruments they are thinking about purchasing, the owner's identity of a particular instrument is kept strictly confidential. If I was in charge of it, I would do something similar to the Rick archive and make it publicly registerable and viewable but I'm not in charge, just a worker bee (BTW, the archive is not associated with the BCR company, just enthusiast individuals). . . . which brings up a question I have concerning the Rick database . . .

As old BCRs are beginning to take their place among collectible vintage instruments, there is increasing incidence of, and/or fear of, counterfeits. There is one individual in particular that in the past has, purportedly, made very very nice BCR copies that can fool all but the most knowledgeable. The people in charge of the BCR archive keep the total database confidential for fear of someone like that seeing, information like "Mockingbird guitar, serial number xxxxx, black, two humbuckers, etc." and making a copy so that if a potential buyer contacts the BCR company with the serial number the instrument checks out as legit and they get scammed. So . . . the Rick archive is public for all to see. Are there no people who build counterfeit Ricks (as opposed to just putting Rick parts on a copy) that the keepers of the Rick archive are concerned about or has that not been an issue in the Rick world? What are people with large Rick collections like generally about sharing info on their collections? In the BCR world, many of the big collectors are fanatically secretive about what they have for various reasons (fear of theft, counterfeit, "ownership" issues, etc.) I'm one of the ones who posts my stuff freely.

Again, thanks all, this is a very "adult" forum from my limited experience here. If anyone cares, I can post a pic of my 4001 sometime, great bass but I'm sure you've all seen early 70s fireglows a million times.

Robert

We'd love to see pics! Early 70's seem to be the most desirable lately. Sixties versions are pretty rare & command a premium price.
Mid to late 70's are common, but prices are rising on everything.
Value, on the other hand is a very subjective matter.

Okay, I had some on my computer here a work. You may not be able to see in the pics but it does have the checkerboard binding and also has the inlays that span the entire board and the little cutout in the bridge over the mute. There are three things someone told me are important to some people and that some of those items changed later in 1973. I've opened it up and everything looks old and original. Only thing missing I think are the little silver "volume" and "tone" inserts on the knobs.

Crud, obviously I don't get the coding, can someone give me help? I read the "Coding" section but obviously don't get it an you don't seem to be able to edit posts once posted. Do I have to actually type out the location of the image, i.e., "c:\xxx\xxx\xxx.jpeg? I thought the coding section said it would prompt for location of the image when you hit "Post."

Edit: oh, you can edit posts, I'm just used to phpBB and trying to figure out things on this board.

Robert, if you like, just email me the pics and I can resize/post them easily when I get home. I don't understand the whole coding thing....I just know how to get 'em to post. [email protected]

BTW....I used to have a mid '80's USA Mockingbird that was fantastic.....long horn, neck-through, maple wings with full electronics. Unfortunately I sold it in the midst of my divorce about a dozen years ago....I wish I still had it and I'm casually looking for one as a replacement.

Here are Robert's pics.... NICE!

Robert dig this; I've got a early Eagle, blonde, ebony fb w small diamonds, pacific tech p-ups and no sn. I picked it up new in 78 and it was in the store for a year before I touched it, boy its heavy. Cost me a neckthru 4000 with real hs, I wish I still had that one, a p and 400. cash, now it's bead tuned with a very nice neck.

Robert: You are a class act and I hope you decide to hang out here and chat with us regularly. That is a beautiful 4001! Thanks for sharing.

Robert, that's a gorgeous Fireglo. And, there's no such thing as "just another FG"!!!! Jetglo, maybe, but...Just kidding folks!

A beautiful aged FG! You can never see enough of those.

As far as posting pics, all I do is resize 'em with Photoshop if I have to, then:
\ image {name of pic} leave out the spaces
then when prompted, browse for the pic.
It's simple when you get used to it.

I saw the original fake 4001 on Ebay a few weeks ago that those parts were from and offered the seller $50.00 for the truss rod cover. When his auction got cancelled, he accepted but then just listed the parts by themselves as genuine. I E-mailed him that we both knew they were fake but I'd still buy his truss rod cover. Next he E-mails me that he sold the parts to someone else knowing they were fake. When Robert listed them on the Bay, I pointed this all out to him and he changed his listings accordingly. It's to bad the original seller didn't have Robert's sense of class and fairplay.