Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Tease!

Sergio did you find another 21 fret bass?

Jeff ... to me both of those headstocks have the same shape ...

I agree with Jeff, the Monty's headstock is shorter than the MG's but the cresting waves look the same shape to me.

They are very similar. The bulbous one is a bit thicker at the tip, but the giveaway is the length of the headstock indicated by the truss rod cover.

That would be privileged information, Gene...

The deal killer on buying a CS/vintage reissue for me was that most of them have the un-authentic bulbous headstock instead of the correct narrow elongated one. RIC switched from the correct headstock on the CS to the bulbous one at some early point...why??

That's a good question and I agree that the bulbous headstock along with the incorrect appearing bridge pickup surround are two reasons that a later CS4001 would not appeal to me.

I also find it strange that some 4001v63s and 64s have a pickguard that doesn't quite touch the edge of the bridge pickup surround and some fit perfectly. But perhaps that's a naeive way to look at a factory made instrument.

The vintage pickguards varied a lot so this is nothing new; think of it as hand crafted.

Sometimes its hard to tell the difference. If we were comparing only vintage TRC headstocks it would be easier as the TRC ends about 1/8" from the end of the headstock on the bulbous headstock and about 1/2" from the headstock end on the non-bulbous headstock. I don't have any close-up photos with vintage TRCs except for the lefty below, but maybe more examples would help.:

2004 bulbous:


2004 lefty non-bulbous:


2005 bulbous:


2006 non-bulbous:

It's hard to find two vintage guards from the 60's that are exactly the same....

The V and C are being replicated perfectly in that regard!

It seems that the evolution of the CS headstock coincided with that of the 4003 and V-63. Didn't they all change at about the same time? So does that make the reissues just 4003S's with different pickups (and finish)?
I have a '91 V-63 with the long beautiful headstock. And my '97 CS has the shorter bulbous one. But regardless of the headstock, the CS is my best Rickenbacker. Just a killer bass!

I guess it would have been one thing if they had just taken a 4003S,"Squire-ized" it and called it a 4003CS. However, instead, they started out with a fairly accurate reproduction and then kind of melted it into the regular line, although it did keep the vermillion wood treatments, color and pickguard. I just find that odd.

Yes, Dave the V63, CS, and 4003 headstock all changed at the same time in 1997. I suspect that the change was made in order to "standardize" the production of bass necks by RIC. Prior to 1997, the 4003 had the shorter headstock; basically the same one that had been used since the 70's 4001's. The 4001V63 on the other hand got the (quite different) 60's headstock. Sometime in 1997, RIC changed to the bulbous headstock for all three of the above models.

I'm not sure I know what you're asking about re-issues being 4003S's with different pickups, but the two models do have a lot in common. The 4003S ceased production right before the bulbous headstock appeared. I've never seen a 4003S with the bulbous headstock.