Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Andy, one more thing I've done that you may be into. I wasn't happy with the range of pickup height adjustment, I took the pickups out, ( remove the screws and they pop right out ), and put small pieces of foam rubber underneath, this gives you more adjustment. It gave me a lot more output to play with.

Scott, all I have right now are the ebay pics, which I'd have to resize. Let me see what I can do.

Andy,



Walnut headstock wings or not, your new baby is an absolute beauty!

Here you go:


I agree with Paul, she is a nice bass Andy.

Breath-taking, Jeff!

Man, after seeing Jeff's and Andy's, I think a 4004 CII Natural is high in my wishlist.

I let one slip through my fingers a fews ago, I've been kicking myself ever since. But I want the walnut wings though. I see that Mike Parks has a 4004c that's supposed to be coming in...

yes, Paul, she looks great. The new ones don't have the walnut on the back (see Andy's pics). That was one feature I wanted, so I bit the bullet on the auction. The only place I'd seen another like that was on Bjorn's site.

Great bass Jeff thanks for the pics.

Okay, to answer your question Scott – the bottom line is yes, I love it. Finally after a couple of days, something suddenly clicked, and the bass feels pretty comfortable to me now. I really am enjoying the feel and of course the sound. Scott, I think you described it well – it has a darker tone, but it really does have what I would call a bite to it. Maybe that’s because of the maple body and/or the finished neck – don’t know. And the lack of figure is absolutely perfect for me. I’m not a big quilted fan. The finish is more what I would call a tiger design than quilted - again the figure is very subtle though - you can actually see the maple grain.

Scott you should try to determine if your bass is laminated maple or walnut.

I think what disappoints me most is the finished neck. I would have much preferred it to be natural. I’m perfectly fine without the walnut wings (now) – I like the look of the new headstock.

To answer Ron or Jeff’s question: Was it worth the wait? Well this one is tricky! It’s funny how emotions run. For those of you who have been following this story you may have seen anger, frustration and towards the end you may have noticed that I wasn’t even thinking about it much. But overall, definitely not a happy camper! But when it arrived, and I opened the case, it was like all is forgiven, and I bet this is exactly what John Hall is counting on! To answer the question, I love the product I got, albeit not necessarily the product I ordered. I guess the answer is yes. But it still doesn’t it make it right that someone has to wait a year and a half for a companies standard product.

As usual, Mr. Hall has produced a wonderful product. I don’t think however that I will go through this process again. This is the first bass I bought sight unseen and I think I pretty much lucked out. My next Rick (don’t let my wife read this) will come off the wall where I will be able to see and feel what I’m getting before I pay for it.

Good luck to you guys patiently waiting for your bass, whether it’s a Cii an LK or maybe even a C64. A word of advice, don’t be too patient, let Mr. Hall know you’re waiting too long. I think it helps. Keep us posted on your progress. Keep this thread alive. I think it’s the longest with the exception of “Pictures of your Rickenbacker Bass”

And yes Jeff, that one sweet bass! You know I considered it! I think we both did good!

Cheers and good luck!

Andy, once again , your bass is beautiful, welcome to the club. As far as the finished neck though, dont be disapointed, as my unfinished neck tends to get somewhat dried out, or chalky looking if I dont keep it conditioned. I use light lemon oil, but I am looking for something more permanent. Any suggestions anybody ? I hope I didnt give you the wrong idea when I commented on the changes they made to the 4004 II. By no means did I mean to disrespect your fine bass, or a more serious offense, steal your thunder after waiting nearly 600 days for its delivery. Its a fine looking instrument that you should be proud to own. And I'm sure that you are. Get out and play it live and you'll be amazed at how it punches through the mix. mabye you can supply action pics.

Andy ... Do you gig? the 4004 is a good gigging bass ... Also it sounds good in the studio ... it has a nice growl ... good mid punch ...

Scott, none taken at all – not even a thought. Hey man, you’ve been a supporter all along and I appreciate that. Happy to be a new member of the club!

I’m not gigging currently – however, will be working on putting something together over the winter. I’ve been traveling way to much this year to even attempt to do anything. I’ve been in Germany 1 – 2 weeks a month for almost a year now. Can’t wait to put her to work!

Cheers

One of the guys in my band goes to Germany for business about 10 times a year ... we are able to gig most every month ...

Anyway take the 4004 out for a gig ... it cuts through the mix pretty well ...

Well whoever it was that was speculating that they ran production in batches of certain models appears to have been correct. I think Andy was about a year into his long vigil when I ordered my 4004 CII translucent red. I just received a phone message from Scott at Ed Roman's telling me that it is in. Now I am faced with two issues: Somewhat like Andy purchasing his new amp right before getting the call, I had just purchased an old Triumph motorcycle two weeks ago (not sure what forum that would fit under!) The second issue is what I would like advise on. whether to let Ed Roman's setup the bass or to have them leave it sealed from the factory. Should I expect the bass to be reasonably setup from the factory (my thinking is yes) or should I let other people touch my baby before I do (my inclination is no). Any thoughts would be appreciated. This is turning into a very special month for me! A motorcycle, a CII and then surgery on my ankle. I'll have a wonderful new toy on which to play vicadine influenced tunes on while I recuperate!

Well, that sounds like great news! It looks like I'm gonna get my green 4004 CII pretty soon. Now I just have to sneak it into the house without my wife knowing... I'll definately post some pictures once I get it. Looks like an early Christmas for me!