Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

The only, I think.

My only thought here was if there was a VP option for the 4004 bass, but I don't believe there was.

Yeah, not that I know of. I wish from the very beginning that the twin pickup solid-body bass had used two surface mounted Toasters. It looks normal to us now, but if you had never seen the typical 4001/4003 before, you might think "what's with the two different sized/shaped pickups?" Two Horseshoe pickups would have been silly (well, now I seem silly ), but two Toasters and a teardrop pickguard would have looked perfect. But I was 12 years old and not consulted when they came up with the first 4001.

Given my mild familiarity with the 4005, two surface mounted toasters on it seemed perfectly normal, to me.

bassduke49 wrote:...I wish from the very beginning that the twin pickup solid-body bass had used two surface mounted Toasters...

I remember some speculation from 2010 here:

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=395263

From that thread, toasters appear in the 1958 catalog, so for the 4000 and follow-up 4001, it seems they were available, but decided against.

sloop_john_b wrote:My only thought here was if there was a VP option for the 4004 bass, but I don't believe there was.

Did they not offer that on every model?

*checks register*

Wow, not a single 4004 in the register with VP marked!

No Vintage option for the 4004. Hoewever, they did say "eight-string available" on the 4004 - but only on the catalog/poster.

4005 XC appears to be 24 fret 2 octave.

chrisdski wrote:4005 XC appears to be 24 fret 2 octave.

Yes, it is. I use those frets up there so that is a great thing Now, to figure out how to fund the thing!

bassduke49 wrote:No Vintage option for the 4004. Hoewever, they did say "eight-string available" on the 4004 - but only on the catalog/poster.

That still tortures me.

sloop_john_b wrote:My only thought here was if there was a VP option for the 4004 bass, but I don't believe there was.

Kind of makes sense that there wouldn't be - the 4004 itself was not a "vintage" instrument at the time and weren't bass Toasters a bit low in supply back in those days? I remember struggling to get one in my early days.

cassius987 wrote:

sloop_john_b wrote:My only thought here was if there was a VP option for the 4004 bass, but I don't believe there was.

Kind of makes sense that there wouldn't be - the 4004 itself was not a "vintage" instrument at the time and weren't bass Toasters a bit low in supply back in those days? I remember struggling to get one in my early days.

There are no "bass toasters" and "guitar toasters" - the only difference with the bass ones is how they mount in the 400x pickguard (i.e., they are mounted to "float"). The pickups are otherwise exactly the same in every way.

On the 4004, the pickups are surface mounted (as on the guitars), so any toaster pickup would have worked fine.

Since the 4004 (1992) was supposed to offer the customer a "modern" updated look and features (humbucking pickups), offering a "vintage" option would have been anachronistic, incongruous, and oxymoronic!

sloop_john_b wrote:

cassius987 wrote:

sloop_john_b wrote:My only thought here was if there was a VP option for the 4004 bass, but I don't believe there was.

Kind of makes sense that there wouldn't be - the 4004 itself was not a "vintage" instrument at the time and weren't bass Toasters a bit low in supply back in those days? I remember struggling to get one in my early days.

There are no "bass toasters" and "guitar toasters" - the only difference with the bass ones is how they mount in the 400x pickguard (i.e., they are mounted to "float"). The pickups are otherwise exactly the same in every way.

I was aware - I just meant that buying one that was configured for a pickguard mount (in other words, for a bass, with machine bolts), was tough for me back in the late 00's.