Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I have a beautiful 4003 MB and I love it. The other night I was looking at it from across the room and the reflection of house lights on the surface of the front of the bass caused me to see a flaw that I hadn't noticed ever. Upon closer inspection if you hold the bass just right you can see the outline of a scratchy circle a little larger than a quarter surrounding the upper left hand corner of the bridge. It will not rub out and appears to be several finish layers down. Now granted that I've been over this bass a hundred times and never noticed it until the light refracted off the surface of the bass at just the right angle, but now I know it's there. My delema is should I even bother to send it back to Ric and wait six months for another bass or should I just live with it because in the long run it will be cheaper and less hassle. How could the factory possibly even fix something like this without redoing the entire bass ('burst finish).

just live with it. nothing is perfect, i bet theres like 50 small flaws on your bass if you REALLY look

Most Rics have it ... we call it finish checking ... 3 out of 5 of my rics have it ... very hard to see ...

It will be your own little identifying mark. Just another sign that the bass is "hand made in America".

Cisco, how long have you had this bass ? Finish checking usually happens from exposure to cold, especially when you go to band rehersal, and you come inside from a cold winter day or night and soon take the bass out of it's case.
My '73 4001 has a bit of finish checking, but you don't see it unless you look close.

Don't worry in a few years you'll have a least one dent on the top of the headstock from hitting ceilings, and maybe if you're lucky a nice hi-hat dent, or even a mic stand scratch. (unless you are a lot more careful then me). (this is why I only use certain basses)

Rickenbrother - I had it for almost 2 months and it has not left the house. It's definitely not finish checking but it looks like something circular was set down on the bass during one of the finish coats and is under a few layers.
I'm real anal on how I care for whatever I own and instruments should look and play great. I could never get into paying extra $ for a new "relic" bass. It just tears me up inside that someone would take a beautiful instrument and intentionally beat the **** out of it.
Anyways I'm going to ignore this tiny defect and know that I will always be able to identify my bass in a police line up of multiple 4003 MBs! Thanks for all the help guys.

My Rickenbackers are 13 and 30 yrs old respectively. Between them i have.........

slightly yellowed white finish, Jetglo Finish with a green overcast, Vomit yellow coloured binding, Pitted - rusted chrome, wood chips, paint chips, scratches, Slight pickguard warpage, a missed mute pad, a lifting tailpiece, worn off jackplate labels, and yellowed inlays that are lifting slightly out of the fretboard.

and like 50 other little things, they still look sound and play amazing tho!

John-Know how you feel. These things aren't cheap and you'd expect a certain level of fit/finish.

Having said that, I got a CS that had finish checking near the tailpiece. I have seen other CS basses with this problem. So what do you do?

I said h_ll, bought it and said its a birthmark.

That's it!!!!! I'll think of it as a birth mark. I can accept that. Thanks Jared.

How do you have a new bass for two months and never take it to a gig..or even rehearsal?

You have 5 to choose from and you're scared to take the new baby for a ride because it might catch a disease. 8^)

Owen - I'm with you, I like Rics with character, cosmetics be d*mned! (But I'm glad that there are folks out there who keep theirs pristine, too.)

I just got my new 4004Cii yesterday and it goes to it's first rehearsal this Saturday; these were meant to be played, not coddled.

If you saw my camera, you'd wonder how I ever took that out of the house, yet it gets salt spay, dust, whatever comes it's way. It is an Ebony 45SU made with Ebony, Titanium and fine leather.

I picked up my brand new 4003jg (sept'87) on my way to a gig. We did a soundcheck and as I was taking the bass off, I rammed it into a water pipe right above my head. I only had the bass about one hour. It put a tiny ding on the end of the headstock down to the bare wood. I almost cried, but then I thought 'oh well, now it's been christened'. That is still the only noticable ding on it today. People find it hard to believe that the bass is 16 years old.