Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

more the merrier!

actually if Ric made basses like they did in the 70's would anybody buy them??? basses with grover tuners that fall apart and won't stay in tune ... basses with a neck so weak that simply putting on round wound strings will stress it beyond its design specs ... basses with a truss rod system that can pop off the fret board ...

I think you're right Jeff- while some are real savvy keeping their 4001's alive (and some are lucky like me, who's not too savy but my 4001 has not need a rod adjustment in 12 years of ownership) people demand user friendly stuff- owning a 4001 is a lot like owning an early 80's diesel powered GM car- they run well, but only if you are willing to put up with the maintenance. and they are cool too

Every instrument has its limitations and no one is perfect. I see no merit, however, in being so negative with regard to RIC. Vintage instruments may perform somewhat differently and knowledgeable owners know the difference and act accordingly.

I am not being negative ... I am trying to figure out why people pay so much for 70s instruments ... there is a reason why they changed the way they make them ... the new ones are better ... maybe they don't have the checkered binding or full width inlays but they have strong necks modern truss rods and strong pickups and strong tuners that don't turn backwards ... 70s 4001 basses are not rare ... they cranked out thousands of these ...

Jeff: Thank you for the clarification.

Nostalgia, perhaps?
That's like, i love listening to the cassettes. CDs might be better quality, but cassettes remind me of my childhood. Something like that.

"actually if Ric made basses like they did in the 70's would anybody buy them???"

Yup... I would. Mine is flawless. Perfect.

"basses with grover tuners that fall apart and won't stay in tune... "

Some maybe... but not all. Mine hold tune like crazy.

"basses with a neck so weak that simply putting on round wound strings will stress it beyond its design specs"

except that mine had nothing but roundwounds on it for about 30 years... 45-105's.

"... basses with a truss rod system that can pop off the fret board ..."

true... if you don't know what you are doing and try to adjust them like modern style truss rods.

I think all models of instrument from any company have had their share of issues. I agree that the modern rics are improved in design in many ways... and they keep getting better.

I think ric got most of it's bad rep from the 60's bases as far as neck issues and roundwounds. Those necks were thinner than the 70's necks and didn't have the walnut stripe... so when roundwounds came into fad (long fad) a lot of 60's rics got pushed to the edge of breaking. That gave rics a bad rep as far as necks go... but the thicker neck designs in the 70's seemed to largely counteract the roundwounds (I believe that is why they changed the neck design in the early 70's).

They got a bad rap on the truss rods because people who didn't know better figured they would adjust just like a fender truss rod... and every once in a while... crack.

Maybe someone else can jump in who knows more, but that is how I see it.

p.s. I like vintage rics for the looks more than anything... but mine also plays like a million bucks.

I am trying to figure out how come I've never come across a 4001 with a weak neck (or an ineffective truss rod system). A popped-off fingerboard simply means that someone s*****d-up, not that you're dealing with a poor quality product. Defective tuners? It's cheaper to replace them than to make a 4003 sound like a 4001. As for a demand for 4001 basses, I recently sold both my '80 BG 4001 and my '77 JG 4001 without even having to advertise. Things didn't go so smoothly with my early '86 4003 though: fitting it with modern high-gains and the 'new style' wiring harness made every potential buyer say 'I don't get it, sir. Why doesn't your 4003 bass sound like a Rickenbacker? Did you change anything on it?'...

"I am trying to figure out how come I've never come across a 4001 with a weak neck "

My guess is, any basses that had a neck issue have already given up the ghost- the ones that remain (mine included) are strong enough to hold up over time.

70s 4001 basses are very cool ... I just can't see paying $5000 for a bass from the 70s ...

Jeff wrote "...I just can't see paying $5000 for a bass from the 70s ..."

Yes, for those of us who paid hundreds rather than thousands for one of these look at how they've jumped in value with great curiosity and wonder, at least I do.

I think the answer is this: These particular basses are coming into their own as a collectable; these basses bring big money now because Rickenbacker basses from the 50s and the 60s can no longer be purchased on the cheap, they are even more than the early 70s basses.

It is an old formula that has proved true for every thing in demand, no matter what the hobby. Values go up and up, and the focus shifts onto what is affordable at the moment.

Unless it's a mint '70 or '71 21 fret 4001, preferably in BG like one time forumite Grant Arthur's...

"70s 4001 basses are very cool ... I just can't see paying $5000 for a bass from the 70s ..."

I 100% agree with you there. Five grand is a lot of cash. If I was rich I would get it... but I am not.

5K would get me a thunderbird, a 75 reissue jazz, a new ric and maybe something else too.

Personally I wouldn't pay that, particularly for a skunk-striped 70s bass, but hey, that's just me. I prefer the earlier ones....walnut wings anybody?