Odd 4001 on evilbay

ken_james · Post by **ken_james** » Fri Sep 27, 2002 9:36 am

Check this out, triangle inlays, weird cutaways, and no binding, what's up with this?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=909674392

rickcrazy · Post by **rickcrazy** » Fri Sep 27, 2002 10:03 am

Yes, I saw this oddity this morning. Plus, why is the bridge off-center, so to speak? No genuine Rick bass would come with a misaligned bridge, right? What do you make of this one?

leftybass · Post by **leftybass** » Fri Sep 27, 2002 10:16 am

My 2 cents: HEAVILY refurbished, with no attention to originality. I kinda dig the pseudo-McCartney horn shaping..it might play really good, who knows???

rickcrazy · Post by **rickcrazy** » Fri Sep 27, 2002 10:55 am

And check the headstock - it either has been reshaped or is a sure sign that this bass is a fake. Also the tuners, in particular the bushings, don't look good to me.
Hey, check item 908485868, "1975 4001 bass Great Find" (sorry I can't post its picture here). The seller claims the pickguard is original. Oh, yeah? Check the pickguard shape, it is the recent design (under the knobs, that is) and it clearly has been slightly cut out to accomodate the neck, not to mention the relative position of the knobs which is not period-correct. Original, eh?

ken_james · Post by **ken_james** » Fri Sep 27, 2002 1:56 pm

I'd say that the headstock has been broken or the fretboard has popped off the neck due to inproper truss rod adjustment.

mortivan · Post by **mortivan** » Sat Sep 28, 2002 6:03 am

I hate it when the upper horn has been McCartney-ized

mortivan · Post by **mortivan** » Sat Sep 28, 2002 6:06 am

BTW, pardon my ignorance, but what are you guys looking at re: the headstock?

rickcrazy · Post by **rickcrazy** » Sat Sep 28, 2002 10:26 am

The right side of the headstock (as viewed from behind) looks like it has been slightly shaved-off thus rendering the headstock narrower than usual. As for reshaping the upper horn McCartney-style, I hate it too. And as for installing a humbucker in a Rickenbacker bass, it's a stupid thing to do. Enough said.

rick12dr · Post by **rick12dr** » Sat Sep 28, 2002 3:15 pm

I'm not sure the headstock has been shaved; consider that if maybe the original tuners were
Not the Klusons it is pictured with[rather, the Grover "butterfly key" units],a retrofit placed the Klusons closer to the edge than what Grovers would have been.

headbanger · Post by **headbanger** » Sun Sep 29, 2002 3:17 am

Has anybody noticed the missing body binding? On a 4001? I'd like to see under that trussrod cover...screams of "fake" to me.

bottom4 · Post by **bottom4** » Mon Sep 30, 2002 1:47 pm

I saw this bass this morning and I couldn't believe my eyes. A friend of mine has one identical to this one - I called him to see if he sold it. It had been in his shop for years. Someone brought it in for some repair work back in the earley 80's and never came back for it. He still has it. It's amazing - weird pick guard and all - even the HUM cut in - shaved horn and the little accent on the small horn. Can't believe it. I wounder if Rick actually made a few like this (without the HUM of cause). The bass seems a little smaller too. I can tell you it is a Rick- I've played it many times!

rickcrazy · Post by **rickcrazy** » Mon Sep 30, 2002 11:00 pm

I'll be d***ed! The plot thickens...
Hey, tell us more about your friend's bass!

rhinobass · Post by **rhinobass** » Thu Oct 10, 2002 5:13 am

OK - I'm no expert, but it looks like a modified 4002 to me. (Granted, I have only seen photos of a 4002).