Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

The time has finally come, and I am now the proud owner of a Rickenbacker bass guitar!

This is my second bass guitar after my Yamaha which I have had for three years. I was in love with the 4003 before I had even heard it play, its appearance was just amazing to me, and up until only recently I played one for the first time and LOVED the sound. So I am quite lucky to have the best of both worlds!

I purchased my Rick through 'Pick of the Ricks', it it was sold as a 'near mint' condition guitar as it had an owner for a couple of months but was returned with only a minor ding near the input, so I saved a lot of money there, though delivery to Australia wasn’t so nice on the wallet.

I kept sane waiting for it to come all the way here to Australia by checking my FedEx online shipping account constantly, and tracking it from Bellmawr to Memphis to Honolulu until it finally came to Australia after a week unbearable excitement. Though soon everything went to hell… On the day it was supposed to be delivered, I got home from school early, and I spent three hours in my room in silence listening for any cars, and every time I heard one I went to look. It got to 5:30pm, and it was supposed to be delivered before 6:00pm, and so my dad rang up fedex to find out it had been scanned wrong and was still at the FedEx depot. So I got home yesterday expecting it to come again, and good old FedEx does its wonders and now labels my guitar as an 'escapee' saying that it got cleared before it was inspected by customs.

So today, I didn’t have my hopes up very high for it to come, but finally FedEx pulled through and delivered it!

Unbelievably by the time I got it , it had have taken twice as long to get the bass from the local FedEx facility compared to what it took to get from New Jersey to Melbourne!


And finally, to the actual bass. What can I say!? It sounds just amazing! But I bet you all already know how it sounds! I love the vintage tone feature and all the knobs for creating different sounds, just amazing. It looks so amazing! I have never actually seen a 4003 Jetglow before in real life! Photos don’t do it justice, the mirror finish is just amazing!

There was a lot of time and effort put into getting this guitar to me, and a few people to thank, especially to Darren Trott, who I can't thank enough for everything he has done to get me this Rick as well as letting me play his own Ricks while I was looking to buy my own. Secondly, to my father, who was just as eager for the guitar to arrive and helped in every way he could to get it here, as well as anyone else who helped in any way. And to Chris Clayton over at 'Pick of the Ricks' for selling me this beautiful instrument and being a great honest person in the deal and making buying from him a pleasure.

Hopefully now I will be able to contribute to this site more, and I can’t wait until the next Rick-fest so I can wear my new Rickenbacker shirt with my 4003 in my hands!

And now for the photos! I have learnt its tradition to show the unpacking of a new guitar on this forum, so here it goes! Enjoy the pictures!


(I think you all appreciate that photos really don't do a Rickenbacker justice)

Looks great....congrats!

Way to go, Frank!! Congratulations on your first Rick. Looks fantastic, mate! Looking forward to seeing it 'live'.

Sorry to hear about the Fedex complications. Worries me a bit..... I've got 2 guitars and an empty case being shipped from the US by them in the next few days.

Thanks Brian and Howard.

The delay was mainly attributable to quarantine wanting to inspect the guitar because it was used and made of wood. Thankfully no termites were found! FedEx were perhaps too optimistic about delivery times. Twice they said it was on the truck when it had not even been inspected, hence the escapee tag. I'm sure you'll be right.

Hey Frank,

Congratulations on becoming a fully-fledged member of the Rickenbacker Owners Club

I'm so glad that your bass has finally arrived in one piece. Despite all of our best attempts at getting a smooth entry through Fedex, Customs and the Quarantine inspection, it seems we faced a hurdle or two. You weren't the only one watching the Fedex shipping tracker! At least you know your bass doesn't have any wood worm inside it!

I've really enjoyed helping you out with this Frank. Seeing the way your Dad has been supporting you reminds me very much of the support my Dad gave me when I first started playing. I'll never forget my Dad surprising me with a '75 Fender Strat when I was aged 19. He had been saving it for my 21st birthday but decided I needed it earlier. He helped out on a number of occasions with guitars and bands etc. In fact, I think I still owe him $2500 for a '58 Strat which I bought and sold many years ago!

I support your comments about Chris Clayton. I've always had a great experience dealing with Chris whether it was in person or from 11,000 miles away. Pick Of The Ricks is a big supporter of this forum and I'm glad Chris could help us find your perfect bass.

I'm looking forward to catching up with you and checking out the new arrival. Well done!

PS So what colour and model are you after next?

Way to go, Frank. A true classic. Congratulations!

I got my first Rick almost 25 years ago:



Hope you get as much pleasure out of yours as I have out of mine!

welcome to the family!!!! jetglo is the way to go...although, I have a fondness for that white as well!!!

Congrats Frank! Looks great - my first was also a Jetglo 4003.

That's a sweet looking bass Frank...congrats!!!

Congrats Frank....

My you have MANY happy years together!

It looks like the boxes still say "Glass - Handle With Care". I thought I'd tossed mine from back in 1984, but I still have it in the basement.

Way to go, Frank!

Jeff, I'm not sure who you look like more in that pic, Bruce Foxton or Scott Baio.

Great looker, Frank. Made the trip over just fine. Now with the JG you'll need a supply of clean diapers and some Zymol to keep it shiney as new!

Congrats and enjoy it Frank! My first Rick was a new 1981 Jetglo 4001.

Dane, I was thinking Scott Baio also.