Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

A valid point, to be sure. Anyone skilled enough to make so accurate a copy and unscrupulous enough to pass it off as the real thing could make money.

"Anyone skilled enough to make so accurate a copy and unscrupulous enough to pass it off as the real thing could make money."

I don't think they could make up financially for their time.

James: the mistery remains unsolved? Or are there new developments?

I emailed Mr. Hall about visiting and he hasn't got back to me yet. No new developments except that I spent a bit of time trying to compare the headstock cresting wave to other pics on the net. At first I thought mine looked wrong, but it appears to me that they aren't consistent. As an engineer, I would have designed a steel router template in 1963 or so, and they'd all be identical. That must not be how they're done.

James, look at the neck on THIS bass; check out the neck construction....


http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2515721578&category=2384

Interesting to see another one similar to yours, eh??

Whoa! This one has a volute...I've never seen that before. All pics duly downloaded. Thanks.

James: as I pointed out in my post of 21 February, both headstock shape and tuner placement on your 4001 are EXACTLY as on my '70 21 fret 4001. This fact alone should account for something. Again, I say your 4001 is genuine. Granted, it has a number of highly irregular features for a Rickenbacker, still I can't help feeling it is a one-off rather than a fake. To be continued...

I'll tell you what: why don't you remove the pickguard, the treble p.u. assembly and the bridge from the bass and let me (us) see what the body routing looks like (a top view)? It also would give me a chance to compare it with the routing on my 21 fret 4001. I know you have posted some pics before showing the body routing on your 4001, but they were not full shots.

Sergio,
I've been out of the loop on this thread for awhile, what do you mean about James' headstock and tuner placement? I'll check out how it compares to my '71 if you direct me to where the pics are...

Thanks!

GS

Hi, Gene. The headstock shape and the tuner placement on James Grove's 21 fret 4001 are exactly as on my November 1970 21 fret 4001. I do not remember where the picture of the headstock of his 4001 is to be found in the Forum, however I did download it some weeks ago, so I'll send it to you via e-mail. Stay in tune.

Well, somehow my e-mail has failed to reach you, Gene, but never mind - go to 'Ask A Rickenbacker Luthier', then to '21 Fret 4001 Bass', and then to 'Archive Through March 8, 2002'. There you'll find pics of James Grove's 21 fret 4001. Let us know how both the headstock shape and the tuner placement thereon compare to your own 21 fret 4001. Thanks.

James: I've compared the body routings on my 21 fret 4001 and on yours. They're IDENTICAL. Even the channel for the neck pickup output lead was routed with nine drill bit strokes on both. The only difference is that, unlike my 4001 yours has a narrow, shallow routing on the bottom of the neck pickup cavity, obviously meant for accomodating the bottoms of the long-type magnets of the original 'toaster' pickup.

Er... No further developments in the last couple of months?

id like to know what the conclusion was

Owen, we can conclude from this that only 3 21-fret basses made in all of Rickenbacker history.
That makes them extremely valuable, mine is now for sale for one MILLION dollars (making Dr. Evil quotation marks gesture;~)