Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

henry5 wrote:with a new pickguard and a 1/2" toaster all my reasons for not owning a 4003 seem to have gone out of the window.

+1

(Actually, -1/2" )

Hmm... I like them I think.

I need to see them on a finished 4003.

FANTASTIC!!! Great direction. All of the cool features coming back, over time. The full witdh inlays are VERY cool. I suppose it wouldn't be to terribly hard to get the checkerd binding upgrade from Dale Great job RIC!!!

Fantastic. All the features they shoulda kept to begin with are slowly returning. Wait a year to clear out the "transitionals," and place an order...

I'm thinking that I will probably be waiting to see what any possible color of the year will be for next year and if it's just right, then I'll place an order for another 4003.

lennon211 wrote:I'm thinking that I will probably be waiting to see what any possible color of the year will be for next year and if it's just right, then I'll place an order for another 4003.

+1, though a Mapleglo 4003 does sound a tad enticing...

The checkered binding retofit is not not an inexpensive add on as it requires the existing routing to be made deeper(checkered binding is actually two separate bindings) and a refin of the bass. This would probably be around $1100.00 worth of work. I don't think I'd be inclined to add it to a bass except one that was being completely restored.
How are the new inlays being done if they are not poured? Pre-cut triangles glued into CNC cut slots?
I like all the new/retro features. I theorized here on the forum some time ago after the walnut wings came back that RIC was merging the vintage and standard lines. It appears that I was correct. This should help reduce the backlog and make the price increase much more bearable. It's concievable that there will be 4003AFG and 4003BB's produced with this new feature, making those rare instruments quite a bargain.

aceonbass wrote:The checkered binding retofit is not not an inexpensive add on as it requires the existing routing to be made deeper(checkered binding is actually two separate bindings) and a refin of the bass. This would probably be around $1100.00 worth of work. I don't think I'd be inclined to add it to a bass except one that was being completely restored.
How are the new inlays being done if they are not poured? Pre-cut triangles glued into CNC cut slots?
I like all the new/retro features. I theorized here on the forum some time ago after the walnut wings came back that RIC was merging the vintage and standard lines. It appears that I was correct. This should help reduce the backlog and make the price increase much more bearable. It's concievable that there will be 4003AFG and 4003BB's produced with this new feature, making those rare instruments quite a bargain.

Retrofitting a bass or guitar with CB is not too difficult a project; I've got at least half a dozen on the books at present. Cost is not prohibitive, although Dane is correct--because this usually requires a refinish, you're looking at more than just the cost of the CB rebinding, something that Dane is touching upon when he mentions figures in excess of $1K.

As I've mentioned in a previous post, the new inlays are CNC cut and fit perfectly into their new recesses.

Although the new/old features are coming together at this point, I think it's a case of serendipity--it's becoming possible to accommodate the wishes of RIC afficinados, while improving throughput and keeping costs down--a win-win situation that's most agreeable to most of us!

Well yeah, the inlay POCKETS are CNC cut...That newfangled laser thingie does the inlay material.

It is good they figured a way to do the full width inlays and have a strong neck ...

The neck on my old 68 4001 was weak ... I could bend it easily with my left hand while playing ... it never really flattened out like the modern 4003 and 4004 necks do ... but the nice thing about that neck is I could add the amount of fret buzz I wanted just by pulling on the neck ... but some of those old necks simply didn't hold up ...

This is great news. Love the win-win! Kudos to RIC!

Poured inlays WIP=2 days... New full-width inlays WIP= Five minutes.

No checkered binding basses on the horizon, sorry. There is no quick method to make those... for now.

If you have a 4003 on order right now, there is a STRONG possibility it will have these inlays.

Yeah, yeah. In 5 to 10 years you guys will be lusting for the old inlays and begging Ben to bring them back.

Yeah right...

I for one cannot stand the sight of the old inlays compared to the new ones. These are so bright and distinctive.

The 360 Mids look especially cool!

You know how we are. The minute we can't have something we want it.

Is the new material a secret?