Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Nice, Richard!

Interesting that RIC went back to a split neck!

jps wrote:Nice, Richard!

Interesting that RIC went back to a split neck!

I don't know if all future 4004Ciis will have the 2-piece neck, or if this was just a one-off that Ben did for me (Thank You, Ben!)- I guess we'll see in the next few months as the new ones roll out...

DANG.

Wow, that's a beauty!!

I 'like' my bass...and I 'like' my dishwasher, too...

The word 'love' has been beaten into an unrecognizably shapeless mass...

that is really intense grain/flame! i do have a question---and this is so bizarre. in all of your pictures of the headstock,neck,and front of the bass,it appears like the neck is actually two peices of wood,rather than a single piece. if this is the case,is this a first in rickenbacker construction methods? i have never seen another rick neck that looked like this one. what do ya think?

edit....ok somehow i missed seeing the last 4 posts...sorry....very interesting! when did rick have split necks before? (or are we talking about the skunk stripe era?)

woodyng wrote:that is really intense grain/flame! i do have a question---and this is so bizarre. in all of your pictures of the headstock,neck,and front of the bass,it appears like the neck is actually two peices of wood,rather than a single piece. if this is the case,is this a first in rickenbacker construction methods? i have never seen another rick neck that looked like this one. what do ya think?

edit....ok somehow i missed seeing the last 4 posts...sorry....very interesting! when did rick have split necks before? (or are we talking about the skunk stripe era?)

jps referred to it as a "split neck" and seemed to imply that RIC was "going back to it"...as if it's been a construction method used before?

Steve Garner has or had a 4003 with a similarly constructed neck. From what I recall, early in the life of the 4003 the necks were made this way.

woodyng wrote:that is really intense grain/flame! i do have a question---and this is so bizarre. in all of your pictures of the headstock,neck,and front of the bass,it appears like the neck is actually two peices of wood,rather than a single piece. if this is the case,is this a first in rickenbacker construction methods? i have never seen another rick neck that looked like this one. what do ya think?

edit....ok somehow i missed seeing the last 4 posts...sorry....very interesting! when did rick have split necks before? (or are we talking about the skunk stripe era?)

Yes, that is a 2-piece neck. My bass was specially built as a replacement for my 1st 4004 which developed a fatal neck issue. Mr. Ben Hall personally oversaw it's construction, and as far as I know, mine is the first and only 4004Cii with a 2-piece figured maple neck and the brand new UV-cured finish. I have also noticed that newer 4004Ciis (mine included) have only two dot markers past the 12th fret, where the older ones have three. This is imho with out a doubt one of the finest examples of a 4004Cii I have ever seen or played (and I've played quite a few of them), and proof positive that Rickenbacker has the best customer service in the industry - Thanks again, Ben - you rock!

This is the only 4004 thus far that has been built with a two piece neck. I did this for the specific purpose of added rigidity. The two pieces of flamed maple were cut and flipped on their sides so that the wood grains were not going in the same direction. This makes for a very strong neck that is more resistant to warping than a single piece neck (ESPECIALLY if it is flatsawn).

Not to beat a dead horse, but being figured maple, softer than our standard Eastern Rock Maple, it was more important to build the neck in this fashion.

As for the UV coating, this was a sample we had sitting around in our paint cabinet for over a year. We didn't really like it at first, so we put it away. A month or two ago, Eric sprayed a test guitar with it and it sprayed beautifully and left a super durable finish that was readily sandable (unlike the previous UV product we used). It also made the guitars more glossy than before.

As for 2 piece necks, yes, early 4003's had 2 piece necks (or at least some of them did), I assume for the strength issue Ben talked about.

Here's my '84 4003:

Gah!

I had thought I had fallen in love with my 86 4003S/5 and in some ways I find it super awesome. It takes some getting used to obviously since the neck is so thin compared to other 5 stringers.

I had thought about a 4004 at some point or even another 4003S JG (I do love the JG).

After seeing that 4004, though. I'm starting to develop some serious GAS toward that but then get torn between my JG affection and the flaming of the 4004.

I just need to win the lottery so I can get one of each, I guess. But then I'd want a 4004/5 FL, then a 4003S/5 FL and on and on and on...

The 4004s are GREAT basses, save up & get one - you will love it. I played mine for the first time with the band last night, and everyone loved the deeper, darker tone. It is a very comfortable bass to play for 3+ hours - I love the slightly lighter weight (than my 4003) and contoured top body edges. What a machine!