Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

His has a bound headstock. Weird.

the skunk stripe worries me. noticed the headstock leaning forward ... weak or cracked wood ? would say '72 if not a custom instrument. the stripe is not as wide as a '60's 4005, but wider than a '72 skunk. i believe i read somewhere here that mr. hall dis-agrees with this instrument's manufacturing heritage. supposedly there are two like this ???

mind you, the strange width of the skunk stripe could have been a pre-test model for the proper width RIC settled on for the '72 onward basses.

sloop_john_b wrote:His has a bound headstock. Weird.

Custom work was done on the headstock after the bass took a fall. It's on the corporate forum where Chris posted about it briefly.

ok...since there is lack of early basses in the fretless mode... what is anybody's earliest known documented fretless specimen on a 4000/4001?

The registry includes listings for five factory (apparently) FL 4001s that were made pre-1973 change:

One from June '68 - entry indicates "fretless prototype." Unfortunately, it's a collected item with no photos or even a finish designation.
One from December '72 (MG)
Three from April '73 (MG, JG and FG)

There's also a Jan '73 defretted 4000.

BAD RONBO, KiLLeR DWaRfS wrote:anyone have pics of or own any fretless 4000/4001 basses ? pretty please with sugar on top ?

Look in the registry - PI6564 (a Collected Item).

It sold quickly, within a week, alas not to me....

Here's the April '73 FG.

And the 4/73 MG:

songdog wrote: Look in the registry - PI6564 (a Collected Item).

I don't know how I missed "PRE-1970"... guess I was tired last night.

But despite being more recent, PI6564 is nonetheless a pretty bass. I wish I'd had $2500 to spare.

that's ok, i love to see fretlesses anyways. would love to see a '60's long headstock fretless in 4000 or 4001 with the old hardware. even a 4005 !

I remember an old thread/ad from about 10 years ago, where someone was selling a '68 that had gone back to factory and made into a fretless.

I'd LOVE to find that one.