Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I just ran across this old picture (1980) of my old 1973 checkerboard jetglo that I had when I was 20. Visible in this picture is the wavy grovers, full width inlays, and toaster. Not visible is the binding and the badass bridge. I was a Geddy fan and fully sympathized with how frustrating the factory bridge was. When the neck started twisting (roto's) I sold it for $400. Nobody back then knew about the cap or how to adjust the neck. I would like to get another checkered jetglo but at todays prices I might just have to be happy with my April 1973 burgandy (eggplantglo)

Mark: Except for the fact that I have black hair and you were a heck of a lot better lookin' than I was and the year was 1973, That could be me in the picture above. Same bass, to the letter. I also sold mine for about $400 in 1975. Hey -- you didn't buy that bass in Pittsburgh, used, did you? I miss mine too.

No-I grew up in Va. Beach and also had a late sixties jazz and SVT. I remember people saying "they don't make those checkerboards any more that's going to be worth alot someday", I guess it didn't matter at the time. I don't have the jazz either.

Van Halen!

Yup- used to get the Roth/Allman comparison thing all the time. Funny thing was my hair is brown but because I was working construction outside all year round my hair turned blonde. Growing up in the 70's was great, the music, the concerts, the AIDs free hunting grounds.

Mark, don't forget the 70's brought us the "Disco Duck". Yep, not all peaches and cream those days.

Other than the duck, disco was much better than much of what I hear now. Donna Summers and the Bee Gees alone made it all worth while.

Disco had some interesting bass lines. Some of thoses thumb-funk octave lines are fun to play and tap a toe to.

Mark, did you purchase your BG 4001 from Mike Parks at the Music Connection last year?

Mike had one come in last summer thats serial number was 12 digits higher than my 73 BG 4001.

I wondered where that bass went.

The Early 70's were great, it started to go downhill somewhere around 1975 although there was a lot of interesting underground stuff and some aboveground like Elvis Costello etc. It would have been a good time for music except for disco although I do agree there were some good rhythm sections playing disco, too bad the rest of disco sucked though. Now where the heck is my T-shirt?

Many forget that the '70s brought us the best stuff from the Who, Led Zeppelin, Steely Dan, Yes, ELP, Allman Brothers, Doobie Brothers, Van Halen, early Rush, Pink Floyd, Bowie, T-Rex, James Gang, Deep Purple . . . and on and on. The "disco" stuff was really late '70s into the early '80s and paralleled some of the best rock ever.

Jon- I got the BG s/n MD135X from an ebay buy it now for around $1700, the seller went by slypig1953, this was around Feb. 04. There was some discussion on the forum at the time about lurkers driving up prices, I hit the buy it now because I never win. Just recently there was a Feb. 73 jetglo auction that finished around $1900 with reserve not met, it did have some nasty buckle rash though.

If it makes you feel any better, I paid $3700 last year for a near-mint May '73 4001 with all the goodies. I won't let go of it (and probably wouldn't find anyone else dumb enough to pay that price, either).