Need help dating my New Rickenbacker 4001

[T.A.R.]

Wow Great deal Congrats! I hope you keep us up to date on the progress.

[rick_ovic]

Definitely a great find. No doubt we will all want to follow the blow-by-blow restoration of this beauty! Welcome to the Forum.

[antipodean]

Super-cool! Can't wait to see how it scrubs up!

[s4001]

Super-cool! Can't wait to see how it scrubs up!

Yeah, a Badass bridge, chrome pg, some Pbass pups.... good to go!

[7CardStud]

Thanks guys, it goes off to one of the best builders in Canada this afternoon...I'll ask him to take some photos as he strips, repairs and refinishes it. Turnaround time might be around 2 months though as he's pretty busy.

[walrus]

Great find!
Looks like your truss rods are bent and that's what popped the fretboard. A very common casualty of a neck adjustment done by a person without RIC knowledge. I know that your friend, who is very good at restoration work, is doing this project but make sure that he knows everything about the RIC specific issues first. There are a few great restoration people on this forum that can give your bass what it deserves. Choosing the right person for the job will make all the difference in the world.
Post Pics as you begin the work.

[johnallg]

Maybe you could remove one of the keywinds and scrape a little paint off the inside of the hole and see if it had walnut wings?

Great idea and suggestion!

[7CardStud]

I chose the right guy for the job and trust him completely, he has worked on 1000's of instruments including some famous ones that would blow your mind and he is familiar with Rick basses. I've asked him to take pictures all the way through the restoration process and I'll post them as he sends them to me.

[teeder]

The finish looks pretty poorly done the more I look at it so on she goes on the weekend for a re-fin to Fireglo or natural. Here's the headstock shots front and back. Looking at the wing separation, I bet it was caused by the previous owner hammering a block of wood into the bridge cavity to accommodate a cheap fender bridge...why, who knows?!?!

It's a small area, but I don't see a skunk stripe where the paint is scaped away by the truss rod end or between the rods.
That's a good sign!
The peghead definitely looks '60's to me.

[paul_yan]

Great score, Mike! Congratulations!

Send the girl a little gift, maybe a pack of bass strings or two.

[opticnerve]

Finding an original aluminum cast tailpiece will be expensive but more an adventure in patience finding one.

Look at this John!!!

http://cgi.ebay.com/1971-RICKENBACKER-4 ... 3caf22889f

A 1971 tailpiece AND bridge, BIN $75.00...with free shipping no less!!!

Congrats Mike! Not many '67 4001's out there! The tailpeice and bridge from the above auction would have been perfect for your bass. I actually scored a similar tailpeice a couple of months ago for a few bucks more on a BIN...Keep your eyes peeled!

Regarding the bridge pu...

The bridge pickup on the '67 has '72/early '73 aluminum baseplate...with a larger magnet like my ex March '73. I have a
December '72 pickup with a small magnet. See pics...

I'm thinking this bass has an early '73 highgain.

[berth]

Look at this John!!!

http://cgi.ebay.com/1971-RICKENBACKER-4 ... 3caf22889f

A 1971 tailpiece AND bridge, BIN $75.00...with free shipping no less!!!

And gone it is.

[ken_j]

...Also includes (7) original screws...

Pics and description don't match.

[henry5]

No way that's an early 70s headstock, they'd shrunk by then. Definitely 60s. This has to be the bargain of the century!!!! Heck, I'd give you a thousand bucks for this tomorrow without blinking!

[opticnerve]

No way that's an early 70s headstock, they'd shrunk by then. Definitely 60s. This has to be the bargain of the century!!!! Heck, I'd give you a thousand bucks for this tomorrow without blinking!

Yes, a '60s bass with an early '70s pu.

As is...a 3K+++ bass...maybe more...maybe 4?