Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

When did Rickenbacker change over from the aluminum mounting plate to the plastic one? My July '73 4001 has the Alcoa plate but the March '73 MG 4001 with the back pad that used to be in Akron has the plastic plate! Was this too, a transitional thing?

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Jeff, my May 73 has a metal one...

I think it was the late 70's John would know for sure

I find it odd that my March 4001 has plastic and the later July 4001 is aluminum, but the plastic mount certainly does look original to the bass.

My August 73 has an aluminum plate as well.

My August '73 also has the aluminum plate.

My Dec 72 is aluminum also, must have been a transitional thing like everything else was back then at Ric, you can't really pick out exact cut off dates for anything really, just periods. They changed a lot from 1972 to 1975 gradually.
Look at Grover keys, they stopped for the most part sometime in 73 but they appeared again during the early 80's.

Okay, so who has the earliest example of the black plastic mounting plate? Mine is March '73.

My 2 cents: I don't think it is original to your 4001, Jeffrey. I'm guessing the black plastic base plate was introduced in late 1973, right after what many call "the desirable features" were discontinued. Again, I'm only guessing.

Is your pickup in your March '73 a screw top or button top Jeffrey?

March 73 should have an aluminum plate, all my 73's up to June have aluminum.

Mines a button top. I will open it up tonight and get a better assessment.

my 73 had the plastic plate ... it was oct or nov ...

A button-top treble high-gain pickup on an early 1973 4001 bass? Not original to that bass, and that's the double truth, Ruth.