Thoughts on the 'new look' 4001
Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2005 8:41 am
I thought I might pen some of my memories of when I bought my first serious bass back in 1974.
My love affair with Rickenbacker started back in ’72. I was at school, playing in the 2nd 11 band, I was 15 years old & the 1st 11 band were all about 18. The bass player in the ‘top’ band was an American called Mark Rattigan, and he brought back to the UK his stunning new bass, it was a 4005 FG !!!!
Just looking at this dream machine in its case made my pulse race, he let me play it too, which to be honest was a bit of a disappointment as I was used to a short scale bass and this thing was just too big for my hands, but still I was smitten.
I started working any part time jobs that I could to get together enough money to buy my own 4005 FG. After just over two years later I made a trip to London to buy my own Rickenbacker. By this time I had really fallen for the look, and size, of the 4001. My hero Chris Squire had one and that was good enough for me.
The think I was most pleased about, and this is the main point of this ramble, is that the bass had recently been visually breathed upon, and the results to my 17 year old eyes were a wholesale improvement.
Gone were those rather sparkly inlays on the fingerboard. I felt the full width ones hade the bass a little neck prominent visually. Gone was the ‘fancy’ binding, replaced by a sleek, understated plain one. To my eyes this was like the transition from Art Nouveau to Art Deco. The neck pickup was now at a more balanced position the scratch plate, before it always seem far too close to the neck. The head stock was still thankfully short. Gone were those rather flimsy looking Grover machines, replaced by a much more purposeful & masculine model. To me the recent improvements were very positive, and certainly worth the waiting.
Sadly money was short in the early 80’s and I had to sell my baby. I have recently acquired two new Ricks. One is a 1980 4001 Azureglo, and the other is my V63 prototype in MG. My band who I think are a reasonably visually tasteful bunch think the 4001 is by far the prettiest bass and can’t quite understand my slightly greater affection for the V63. On hearing the V63 they can see why I feel this way, but to them, aesthetically the 4001 is the clear winner, no contest.
I was recently thinking I would like to get a ’72 or ’73 with all the original features but then had a reality check. I’m not a collector, I’m a player. I can only justify taking two basses to a gig. I really love my two Ricks, in fact my other four basses are being sold off. I f I got say a ’73 what would happen to the other two? Which would get left under the bed? So I’m happily sticking at two. OK, OK, there is just one more I would like. I am now ready for that ’72 4005 FG.
Bob
My love affair with Rickenbacker started back in ’72. I was at school, playing in the 2nd 11 band, I was 15 years old & the 1st 11 band were all about 18. The bass player in the ‘top’ band was an American called Mark Rattigan, and he brought back to the UK his stunning new bass, it was a 4005 FG !!!!
Just looking at this dream machine in its case made my pulse race, he let me play it too, which to be honest was a bit of a disappointment as I was used to a short scale bass and this thing was just too big for my hands, but still I was smitten.
I started working any part time jobs that I could to get together enough money to buy my own 4005 FG. After just over two years later I made a trip to London to buy my own Rickenbacker. By this time I had really fallen for the look, and size, of the 4001. My hero Chris Squire had one and that was good enough for me.
The think I was most pleased about, and this is the main point of this ramble, is that the bass had recently been visually breathed upon, and the results to my 17 year old eyes were a wholesale improvement.
Gone were those rather sparkly inlays on the fingerboard. I felt the full width ones hade the bass a little neck prominent visually. Gone was the ‘fancy’ binding, replaced by a sleek, understated plain one. To my eyes this was like the transition from Art Nouveau to Art Deco. The neck pickup was now at a more balanced position the scratch plate, before it always seem far too close to the neck. The head stock was still thankfully short. Gone were those rather flimsy looking Grover machines, replaced by a much more purposeful & masculine model. To me the recent improvements were very positive, and certainly worth the waiting.
Sadly money was short in the early 80’s and I had to sell my baby. I have recently acquired two new Ricks. One is a 1980 4001 Azureglo, and the other is my V63 prototype in MG. My band who I think are a reasonably visually tasteful bunch think the 4001 is by far the prettiest bass and can’t quite understand my slightly greater affection for the V63. On hearing the V63 they can see why I feel this way, but to them, aesthetically the 4001 is the clear winner, no contest.
I was recently thinking I would like to get a ’72 or ’73 with all the original features but then had a reality check. I’m not a collector, I’m a player. I can only justify taking two basses to a gig. I really love my two Ricks, in fact my other four basses are being sold off. I f I got say a ’73 what would happen to the other two? Which would get left under the bed? So I’m happily sticking at two. OK, OK, there is just one more I would like. I am now ready for that ’72 4005 FG.
Bob
