Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

spongebob wrote:I'd only refin if it feels uncomfortable to play.

Absolutely! I refinished my 4003 because the finish was sticky and stained from living with a smoker who played in smokey clubs for decades, but if it had been genuine player-wear like yours: I would have left it alone. Your instrument looks lovely and well-loved!

People pay lots of extra money for "new" Fender instruments which look like yours ... except yours is the real deal and wasn't done by "relic artists" at the factory.

If it feels good and does not inhibit your playing: stick with it.

the front..........

Hmm. This appears to be a pre-1972 Rick with a LOT of replacement parts. Note the lack of "skunk stripe" in the neck-through (that started in early '72), the checker binding, crushed-pearl inlays, and ½" position Toaster. Also, the long acrylic truss-rod cover might indicate that this is a '60s machine. Obviously, the pickguard (particularly the shape) and tuners are replacements. Who knows what may lurk under the pickguard. For a player and not a collectible, it is fine. But if you may some day want to sell it and get the most for it, you might want to restore it.

I agree with Paul. This is a very collectable bass. While I wouldn't refinish it, I would purchase a set of C64 tuners from the RIC Boutique for it. These are accurate reproductions of the original Klusons. I would also make a new white acrylic pickguard for it, and have a professional fill the two holes that will be exposed.

1969 or earlier... the 70-71 basses had a different cresting wave shape.
This bass had Grover flats on it originally. Tough to find but they do come up for sale occasionally.
Nice find!

PS - that pickup cover is installed incorrectly. It should be UNDER the surround...

The jack plate dates it to December 1970, I don't have it in hand yet but when I do I'll take more pics!

I ould love to see pics under the hood. If this one is from 1970,its a rare beast!

I got it yesterday after a life in the UK, the store owner says it belonged to a guy who played in a rock band but he doesn't know the name (not his thing), he said he will ask when he see's him again.
It was dirty when it arrived , home made case that smells of age, Rick-O- Sound was disconnected and the frets are getting down there.
The good, no damage/repairs, neck is straight, truss rods look good, plays and sounds great. It looks to have had a sunken spot on the back of the neck filled with filler, guess at the factory as it extends under the paint, probably the reason it ended up Jet-Glo because the maple on the body looks amazing. It has a acrylic truss rod cover on the 60's style headstock with walnut wings, it has a Dec 1970 jack plate but being 20 fret and having the headstock shape perhaps it is actually 1960's?? I took it apart today, got the rick-o-sound working and gave it a cleaning, no marks in any of the cavities, someone decided to paint the neck pickup cavity gold lol
All in all I am happy with it!

I say mojo! That thing looks great!
In this age of people paying for brand new basses to look aged...

I absolutely love it the way it is,(even the pickguard!), so new frets would be the only thing i'd go for.

It took 46yrs and wore the paint off the neck to get the frets low, it plays with no buzzing and low action , I don't play a ton it might take another decade before I 'have' to address them, the 12th fret is only 90 mins from me, I hear they can handle it

9c1ny wrote:I got it yesterday after a life in the UK, the store owner says it belonged to a guy who played in a rock band but he doesn't know the name (not his thing), he said he will ask when he see's him again.
It was dirty when it arrived , home made case that smells of age, Rick-O- Sound was disconnected and the frets are getting down there.
The good, no damage/repairs, neck is straight, truss rods look good, plays and sounds great. It looks to have had a sunken spot on the back of the neck filled with filler, guess at the factory as it extends under the paint, probably the reason it ended up Jet-Glo because the maple on the body looks amazing. It has a acrylic truss rod cover on the 60's style headstock with walnut wings, it has a Dec 1970 jack plate but being 20 fret and having the headstock shape perhaps it is actually 1960's?? I took it apart today, got the rick-o-sound working and gave it a cleaning, no marks in any of the cavities, someone decided to paint the neck pickup cavity gold lol
All in all I am happy with it!

20 frets and the shape of the headstock is normal for that vintage. The headstock shape "shrunk" to the squarer, more stocky look with the new three-piece neck with the center shedua strip. The 21 fretters were rare and made occasionally in 1969, '70, and '71. That doesn't mean that any 1970 bass should have 21 frets. No. The longer acrylic TRC and walnut wings were also standard in 1970. I see no reason to doubt it is 1970 bass.

I was just going on what I was told, almost all of the 70's I have seen are 21 fret