Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-1975-Rickenbacker-4001-Bass_W0QQitemZ7409262299QQcategoryZ4713QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Looks like there's enough there for your 'magic touch' to work wonders, Paul!

Hmm... I'll supply the pickups. For free. Deal?

Deal, Sergio. I'll keep an eye on it myself. This would make a nice pre-'73 conversion for a happy Forum member...checkerboard rebind, JG or AFG refin, full-length sparkle inserts...

Look at the picture of the jackplate. I wonder whether that's ordinary dirt all over the binding/body wood joint, or whether it's mildew. I suspect the latter, in which case the guitar is not in the generally very good condition that the seller describes.

The "stress rod cover" looks mint, however...

Looks like some mildew in the bridge pickup cavity and possible in the trussrod cavity too.

I was looking at this as a possible fretless project that is somewhat completed. It could get kinda pricey with the interest!

Hypothetically speaking, I'd love an early deluxe fretless with all the cool features. I know the factory converted a 68 that was sold in the NOS blowout back in '90 or thereabouts.
Now, I would love to know where that is...

Mildew stains in maple are impossible to completely eliminate once they've taken deep hold, especially in end grain, if that's in fact what we're seeing here in areas adjacent to binding.

How does this happen?

Wood absorbs and releases moisture constantly through areas which are uncoated or unsealed (screw holes in a new instrument, and microscopic cracks in older instruments), seeking equilibrium with the surrounding area, which in itself is in a state of continuous flux. If the area is very wet (over 80% or so humidity for extended periods), the wood will swell and remain that way, admitting and harboring mold and mildew spores, which will take hold and stain the cellulose fibers which comprise the wood's structure.

In severe cases, no amount of bleaching and sanding will bring the maple "white" again, and we are forced to finish the wood in a darker burst (if the mildew is around the binding or edges) or an opaque color (if the mildew is all over the guitar or bass).

Those tuner bushings look as though they've been sprayed white...
As for the pickups: 'button' top? Screw top?

Could that 4001 have been stripped?...

Paul, If one could not remove the mildew completely and had to "resort" to a JG of AFG refin. Could there possibly be some type of residual effect from the remaining mildew on the refin, eventually?

Excellent question, Brian. Mildew can be starved. Bleaching can kill the spores and stop it dead in its tracks. A good refinish will seal the wood up, and the better the climate it eventually resides in, the better the chance it won't have any future problems.

For mildew to have even shown up at all, we're talking something like 100% humidity and lots of darkness and warmth for about three months to a year. Hellish conditions for any sort of nice things, whether clothing, furniture, books, records, tapes.

They talk about CDs being relatively permanent, but a lot of my collection went kaput after being kept in my CD jukebox in Brasil for a year, due to the salt in the air. You could see the missing reflective layer. They would simply stop playing and become pricey Frisbees.

Paul, with your last explanation and the fact the bass has no strings on it, how does that affect the neck, ie, curve, warp, or twist?

No way to tell wthout having the instrument in hand, John. However, short of a very serious warp or bow, most can be dealt with in the restoration process.