Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I believe that Chris Squire used his 21 fretter for at least one track of "The Fish". If you play all the parts of that tune(from the Fragile album), you'll know what I'm talking about... Ilan, I don't believe any of the 4002 models were 21 fret, those basses came later, and I think the 21 fret basses were limited to '70-'71 like John Simmons posted above...

Gene - check out this link:

http://www.rickbeat.com/modelslibrary/4002/4002.htm

All the 4002s I have seen are 21 fret!

Page 211 in the Smith book states that "the (4002)features listed for the 1981 catalog: ... Twenty one frets on a 33 1/2 inch scale..." Although there is a pic on the same page of a 4002 prototype at the Rick musuem that has 20 frets. It looks like a curly maple 4001 to me. Obviously it changed by the time it got to production.

That prototye really is a 4001/3, not what the 4002 became, which is a 21 fret bass.

Well, Its been too long since I looked at my Rickenbacker books, especiallly the Smith book. I stand corrected! I used to lust after one of them, after finding one in a store brand new in like '79 or '80, but these days they are so hard to find AND so expensive that I just fergot... I recently bought a 350v63 in Monty Brown, and I've been playing WAY too much geetar lately. its affecting my brain!!!
I stand by my comment about "The Fish" and that was done too early to have been on a 4002....

I have a '79 4002 with 21 frets. I believe they all had 21.

Ted,
I'll trade ya my 21 fretter for yourn!!
That is a beauty, and much like the one I referred to above that I saw in a music store back in the day... Ebony fretboard on her, too, isn't that right?

Yep, I have had her since '81. She hung in a guitar store in Chicago for nearly a year before I was able to bring her home. Some day I will put the original tailpiece back on her. I still have it.

Nice Ted ... btw, the boookmatched oak on that door behind is also really nice !!!