Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Except for 1!!!

Who has that bass now?

I'd love to know. The caption for this photo on the RIC website "Gallery" (60's artists) states: "Jimmy Luttrell and the Vagabond Trio tune up their guitars before a show. The instruments shown are a rare Model 4000 in Fireglow with deluxe features, a 365 in Fireglow and a 330F in Natural."

Obviously, this caption needs a few corrections.

and a 330F in Natural

Maybe they were talking about the girl! But she doesn't seem to be 'au natural'!

dan,that's a beautiful burgandyglo---it looks brand new! my 74 4000 is also unrouted for the neck pickup,and is one of the best sounding/playing ricks i've owned. i don't find the absence of a neck pickup any problem...i would love to hear a ri horseshoe in place of the higain,just out of curiosity.

Thanks, woodyng! Is Burgundyglo a proper Rickenbacker finish denomination?

FYI When I purchased the bass there were dings, dents, buckle rash, and shrinkage of the finish into the wood grain, as well as major dust bunnies in all the cavities. I wiped it down right away with everyday guitar polish, noticing a yellow-brown film on the polish cloth. Probably nicotine from having been used in a smoky nightclub/bar? A more intense cleanup was in order...

Using a 3M rubber sanding block and a combination of 1000, 1500 and 2000 grit wet/dry paper, I carefully leveled the finish as much as possible. Only the deepest nicks and gouges, and of course the areas where chips and buckle rash have exposed the bare wood, were left untouched. I polished it up by hand (A LOT of sweating!) with Finesse It machine polish for the luster you see in the pictures. My photography skills are modest, but I tried to capture the sheen as best I could.

These "Plane Jain" 4000's have a vibe all their own! I love playing it, don't see myself ever parting with it, and now consider myself a certified Rickaholic!

And, Dan, if you used "Finesse-It", the surface MUST be waxed, as you've opened the pores of the CV and they need sealing. You'll also notice an improvement in gloss and a reduction in sensitivity to fingerprinting once it's waxed. I recommend Zymol Cleaner-Wax (light blue plastic bottle) for best results.

Incidentally, "Finesse-It" is a surface glaze that should be applied by machine for best results, as it needs the heat of friction to work its best. If you think you got good results by hand, you'd be blown away by the results with a power buffer.

Thanks, jingle_jangle. I will get some Zymol right away. For future work, what is recommended for buffing out the finish on Rick's? I remember reading it somewhere - possibly in this very thread - but forget what it is.

DanJ wrote:Thanks, jingle_jangle. I will get some Zymol right away. For future work, what is recommended for buffing out the finish on Rick's? I remember reading it somewhere - possibly in this very thread - but forget what it is.

Try this, Dan:

viewtopic.php?f=14&t=255794&p=431803&hi ... ol#p431803

Welcome to the forum, Dan! Nice Rick!

Thank you, rickenbrother.

Per various recommendations, I will pick up a bottle of these items today for the continued care and feeding of my Rick (These are the correct products, yes?):

No, you want the original Scratch-X, not the Scratch-X 2.0.

Here's the info concerning Scratch-X 2.0:
http://rickresource.com/forum/viewtopic ... 3&t=387310

Thanks, CJ. Glad I checked in here before heading out this morning! So Scratch-X may not be available now according to the info in the thread you linked. Therefore, I may be looking for this instead:

I've had good results lately with Scratch Doctor.

Meguiar's has a new product out which replaces the OLD Scratch-X. It's called "Swirl-X".

Don't forget the cotton diapers.

I uploaded and registered this 1960 4000 off of ebay that's asking $29,800.

New guy here. Enjoying all the RIC folklore. I recently replaced the neck pickup and tailpiece on my 4000. Volume is up, and noise is down.
I bought it new (~$500USD) in December 1976, and the shop added the neck pickup with my order. Note the terrible routing job.
They couldn't get a proper pickguard from RIC in a reasonable timeframe, so I cut mine by hand from black plex.
It was a surprise to find that my RIC is NOT a neck-through design, but I'm still enjoying it, 33 years on.
Cheers!