Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Thanks Vince:

I look forward to seeing your book.

For the time being, here is a picture of my potato head to hold the forum over a bit

Vince ... When you bought this bass from me ... http://www.3dentourage.com/425/68-ric-2.htm ... you gave me the impression that you had your only 60s 4001 stolen by a dishonest airline baggage handler and that you desperately needed to replace the stolen 4001 ...

Man,

I love that bass Jeff........

Look forward to your book, Vince. Good reference material is always something to look forward to.

Just popping in to say that I love where this thread has gone!

And Dave, I for one would have absolutely no problem with a few more pics of that beauty. I never get tired of looking at that thing, especially since photos aren't in abundance (as far as I've seen).

Whad da 'ya mean, you want t' play it?

Hey Jeff, I remember the bass well. You sent me a similar set of photograghs at the time when I purchased it. Though you did leave out the one of the back of the body in the set I received. I remember being a bit surprised by the amount of wear on the back as the top was so clean. Maybe I missed the back photo when I looked. I had flown to London to play the ATP festival with John Frusciante. On the way back to LA from London the bass was gone. At check in they let me carry the bass on the plane. When I got to the security check point they refused to let me through with it. After a long delay I could either check it in or not fly. I was working so I had no choice. They promised to hand place it in cargo. I used my newspaper to help with inside the case. When I arrived in LA the bass was not to be found. For months they continued to give me hope of finding it. The stolen bass was a 1964 with issues and the only bass I traveled with and kept with me in LA. I was not full time in LA then still keeping my basses and most of my hi-fi collection in NYC. I purchased your bass to take around with me as I could not find another 60’s model in LA. I paid top dollar for your bass at the time but surely would have to pay more today. Over the Years I have purchased basses mainly from dealers. Dealers like Craig Brody who I began buying from in the early 90’s. A Rickenbacker lover in New York named Peter Stewart sold me a few in the 80’s and 90’s. I picked up several over the years from Voltage Guitars in LA. In fact LA was a big source in the 80’s but has not turned up a bass in years. I purchased my first RM 1999 from a guy in St. Louis in the early 90’s. I had to drive to St Louis three times before he finally sold it to me. He had three RM 1999’s and hundreds of other Fender and Gibson basses. Recently I purchased his other two RM basses one of which is a 67 RM that is mint and untouched. The first time Chris Squire visited me in LA I let him play the 64 that was stolen. Chris did not love the bass as he felt the neck was too fat and chunky. Now , for those of you who have played early 60’s basses, you know they usually have thinner profile necks than later models. In 63/64 however some are super thin necked. Chris seems to like only the super thin necked basses. Another odd thing is , Chris’s RM 1999 is not very worn and is not beat up. He and Steve Howe recorded with and toured with the ES 175 and Chris’s RM 1999 for years. Both instruments appear very clean in person.

Funny, Vince: when you release that book, most of your fans will be mystified. But some of the most avid fans of that very book will be members of this forum!

Best regards, and congratulations on amassing a great collection the Hard Way. You must have some will power.

In the Yesspeak DVD Steve was very proud of the fact that his ES 175 was still in superb condition. After seeing Chris' RM1999 close up during a Syn show here in Cleveland, I think the neck on my '67 4005WB may be thinner yet. The RM1999 certainly did not seem all that thin to my eyes, any way.




I suppose it could be an optical illusion due to the color differences between his cream and my 4005WBs Jetglo.

Vince thanks for the update ... I had no idea you had so many Ric basses ... that one I sold you was a real player ... especially with a 4003 high gain installed ...

I love the bass Jeff and you are right it has great feel and is a joy to play. I popped in an original pickup but as you say the 4003 high gain sounded very good in there. I used the 68 i got from you for all shows i did with Yoko Ono. Sean Lennon liked the 68 so much he pleaded with me to get him a 60's Rickenbacker bass. I picked up a Black 68 4001 for him from a Tokyo shop and gave it to him for his birthday. Jeff, I remember how nice you were to deal with and how careful you packed the bass. thanks again. To Jeffrey Scott, holding on to the neck of Chris's bass gives a better idea of the profile i was referring to. It is a little thinner than it looks from the stage or photos. It has a certain feel that is closer to the 63 basses rather than the later 64's. That said, with Chris's giant hands i figured he would prefer a chunky neck. Testing my basses he loved most my thinnest neck maple 63 which has a neck so thin it is odd feeling. When i get my new house finished in march 2008 anyone who wants to visit LA and see and play anything from the collection is welcome anytime.

Well it's a good thing I already live here then! See you in March Vince!

Vincent, it's great to have you and Chris on this forum. You guys are really brining this stuff close to home!

One of the the things I always liked about YES was their respect for their instruments. People tell about rock bands smashing their guitars and I'm never impressed. I always respond by saying "If Yes tours next year, you will see Steve Howe and Chris Squire playing the same guitars that they bought in 1964 (or 65)"

If I'm ever in LA, I'm coming by just to SEE a real RM 1999 up close.

Hey Jeff, if I remember MARF II well enough, that was Dave looking up after someone said "umm, Dave, was that YOUR double-neck that Elys just knocked off its stand?" That was probably just after I had hung up my wall of guitars over on the right side of the store...

This Guinness is for you....

Yeah, here is a pic of some of the folks who saw you knock it over!