Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

mulling about purchasing this 4001.

1- would the Scratch X + Zymol treatment get most of the scratches out?

2- what would be the best way of getting that wood blocking out to replace the tailpiece w/ a Ric issue?

IMG]http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f156/Brycycle/ric2.jpg[/IMG]

[img]http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f156/Brycycle/ric1.jpg[/img]

Bryce, those scratches have a LOT of character. And Scratch-X and Zymol will make it shinier, but the scratches will remain.

So, give it a good cleanup and leave it.

The wood block...how 'bout a BLOWTORCH?

Kidding aside, I'd get a chisel--very sharp--and a hammer, and drive the chisel at an easy angle into the CENTER of the block to chip up part of the block. Once the bottom of the pocket is exposed, keep at it with the chisel until the wood is cleared. OR, you can try a router but anchor the bass well and only take a light cut at a time. My guess is that there's varnish under the wood piece, and that it'll pop out easily.

Unless the previous "craftsman" used epoxy or something...

thanks Paul -

in your expertise, what would a 4001 in this condition be worth?

I suggest that you post that request in the Appraisals or Bass areas. There are real bass valuation experts there. I'm a relative newcomer to the ins and outs of bass valuation!

Let's hope they did not do something insane like use Krazy Glue or another brand of cyanoacrylate either to put that block in! You'll likely break the finish layer out and break out into the underlying grain of the virgin factory wood before you get it cleanly broken out if they did.

I dug out a very similar woodblock from mine last month using a sharp thin chisel. I had the bass sitting on a blanket over a hard surface and I braced the neck with extra padding, and I tapped the chisel with a small hammer. The filler wood was very soft, and hopefully the dope who filled that chasm had the same foresight. Once I got to the bottom, it all lifted out very easily, and the conversion varnish held true. After cleaning it out with a little light rubbing with Windex and #2000 wet/dry sandpaper, it looked like it did in 1972.

You learn some neat tricks from Jingle Jangle!

How does my high gain perform, Lyle?

Hotter than a crematorium, Sergio, but now I cannot get my toaster to work. Always somethin'!

Bryce, I have the same depth of scratches. Like yours, they are more like indentations. But the S-X/Z treatment makes it look fine anyway, like a fine old map preserved under glass...

Looks like your toaster pickup played with fire and got burned...

the bass arrived today. the front is in much better condition that i imagined (see pics in bass forum), the back worse. but - i love the deep tones of the finish so will definitely be cleaning it up and holding on to it. another installment of scholarship money spent on Rickenbackers...

Congratulations, Bryce! May you both enjoy the bottom end for years to come.