Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Does anyone think John Hall has it?

I don't think so. If he did I'd think it would have been at RIC and most of us would have seen it when we saw his collection, although not everything was/is displayed. If what I heard is factual, F.C. Hall sold it in the 50's, maybe to a woman....

John Hall said he didn't know who had it.

Thanks for the information, guys. I'll start following the leads . . . .

I certainly don't have it, but more importantly, who even knows what the first one is? How could anyone possibly know?

The info is *probably* there in our files but no one other than myself or our erstwhile curator, Matt Hill, has had full access to the records during the last 50 years.

John: I think most people refer to the 'first' as the one pictured in the Smith book with a black nameplate and black saucer knobs also used on some 50's Combo models.

He also refers to an account of this bass being taken from Electro-String to the sales office for a photo shoot on a certain date in 1957(?)...I don't have the book in front of me at the moment, but I suppose it was something that Richard found way back when...

Smith's book (page 201) says: "The factory sent the prototype to the sales office to have it photographed in April 1957. They produced the first commercial model in the following June." Also: "The instrument pictured in the 1957 catalog had a one piece solid mahogany twenty fret neck/body. Two pieces of maple laminated to the mahogany center made the outer body. The factory mounted the tailpiece, bridge, nut and tuning keys on the mahogany."

The photo (may or may not be the No. 1) shows the strings going all the way to a wrapover tailpiece, a metal cover (over a mute?), but not a sliding mute as later production models, two black saucer knobs, outlet on the pickguard face, horseshoe pickup, and black truss-rod cover.

Smith's book has no photo credits, so it remains unclear if this was a factory photo or one sent by a collector. The caption simply states: "The first Rickenbacker Model 4000 electric bass guitar." It's possible that this may not be correct; it could be the first bass shot at a later time and it could be modified. Lots of questions remain.

Paul-- There is also another pic of a model holding a very early 4000 in the color middle-section of the Smith book....This bass in the pic also has the strings anchored at the end of the body and the input jack on the pickguard.

IMHO I do believe the bass on pg. 201 to be the prototype or 'first' 4000 bass as Richard Smith describes, it has details/parts that other Rickenbackers share from the 1955-56 era of manufacture. I can't prove it, but I also believe that the pic is a factory archival pic.

Definitively it doesn't say it's the first, but there are no others I've seen from the 50s that look quite like that one.

Oooh... Rickenbacker curator! THAT's a job I'd like!

John, just looking at the "first" bass on p.201 and it's got a black/white TRC!

I would have thought that was not original. If so, when was that photo taken?

Andy: It appears black TRCs were fairly common item on Rickenbackers in the mid 50's, probably made of metal like their gold counterparts that were used on Combos and such. So, it's probably something they just installed on the bass....it also looks like this 'first' bass also has a white plastic pickguard rather than a gold one, and no clear tug bar either.

If it is the bass Richard Smith speaks of as the prototype, then the pic was taken in April 1957.