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Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2003 3:48 am
by paul_yan
Sérgio,
Akiko's treble PU surround has rounded corners but not as round as Annie's and Sophie's.

Akiko (Dec. '72)
Image

Annie (May '98)
Image

Sophie (Oct. '86)
Image

Bob,
Is the treble pickup surround of your '72 Fretless JG the "non-recessed under the strings paths" type like my Akiko?

Image

Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2003 4:44 am
by rictified
Yeah it is non recessed and the corners aren't as rounded as later ones, I did a quick look yeaterday, should have compared them, it is just like yours. All my 4001's are non recessed. I don't think that they recessed them until somewhere in the late 80's, I had two 84 4003's and don't remember them to be recessed.

Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2003 1:18 pm
by mortivan
Paul,

You need to publish a RIC bass photographic art book! Akiko's close-up showing the checkered binding is particularly gorgeous!

Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2003 1:58 pm
by rickcrazy
Paul and Bob:
By now I'm pretty sure the December '72 4001 I once owned is not the missing link between your December '72 4001s. I wish I could remember the four serial number digits thereon.
As for recessed treble pickup surrounds, my 1970 21 fret 4001 is fitted with just such a surround, and I can recall seeing it on many 4001s from the 60s. I guess that once in a while accidental minor construction variations in the neck on 4001s would cause strings to hit the treble p.u. surround, an issue easily solved with a recessed surround. When I bought my 4080 I had to make just such a recess on the treble pickup surround.

Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2003 4:44 pm
by admin
Jon Casselman's 1973 Model 4001 in Burgundyglo. Thanks Jon, this is a beautiful bass.
Image

Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2003 4:53 pm
by dano
WOW!!!
Beautiful Jon, Beautiful. Looks to be all original. Nice!

Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2003 5:18 pm
by rictified
I must say that I've never seen a 60's 4001, but have seen many 70's 4001's and have never seen a recessed treble surround on one.

Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2003 7:06 pm
by ken_james
My 68 4001 has a recessed surround, as does my 71 21 fret Ric. Image

Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2003 7:19 pm
by rictified
Does anyone here have a 72 or 73 and on 4001 with a recessed treble cover? Maybe they did away with them as the 70's went on only to bring them back later, because I have seen a real lot of later 70's 4001's and have never seen one. I thought they started them with the 4003's, those must be about as common as metal treble pickup covers, which I have never seen either.

Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2003 8:09 pm
by ken_james
I did have a 73 that didn't have a recessed cover, I personally think that it was what ever they had in the bin at the time got installed, at least that's what it seems on the truss rod covers.

Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2003 1:15 am
by squirebass
Lemme make sure I understand what "recessed" means here... That would be the little cutout area in the surround where the strings pass? Well, I don't have ANY basses with surrounds that don't have this... My '71, the '73 and the v63s all have it. I don't think I've ever seen a pu surround like Paul's photo above, where there is no cutout for the strings...

Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2003 2:39 am
by rickcrazy
There's quite a lot of those about, though. My 1970 4001 aside, none of my 4001/4003 Ricks past and present had/have a recessed surround.

Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2003 12:34 pm
by rictified
I have 3 4003's from 96 to 2000, all are recessed, I have 3 4001's from 72 to 79, none are recessed.