Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Paul:

This bass (http://cgi.ebay.com/RICKENBACKER-4001-B ... dZViewItem) was discussed last week in the Basses forum, but mostly as an object of ridicule (which someone, either the current owner or the previous one, richly deserves).

I'm guessing that $850 is too much, but I'm curious if, in your professional opinion, restoring this 4001 to something resembling its original condition is even possible. Obviously, I'd be looking at two pickups, plus rewiring the stereo jack (or, more precisely, hiring someone who knows more about this than I do, to install and re-wire). Is it even possible to fill in that hole where they put in the battery compartment?

I'm not Paul, but I know that the hole where the battery compartment is can definitely be filled, as can the (probable) route for that neck Jazz pickup.

This one would be a great candidate for a restoration if it stays cheap - not much work is required to bring it up to snuff.

John: Sorry, I shouldn't have just directed my question to Paul. I'm looking for all opinions. I appreciate your response.

I'm tempted (although I haven't had the "honey, I'm thinking of spending $ on this old guitar? What do you think?" conversation). My mom lives about 20 miles from this seller, and his wants local pick-up only, so that part we could handle.

Im' not Paul or John , but I concur that everything can be made right again. Obviously, you will need an opaque finish but we have seen much worse made whole again, witness Kenny's TG 4005.

Well, I am Paul, or Paul, or Paul, at least that's the consensus between my two brains...

Yep, it can be made right. Main issue will be that, after restoration, the filled-in area of the battery box will show "witness lines", as it will expand and contract at a different rate from the rest of the bass. These won't crack through the finish (unless the bass sees real climatic abuse), but will be noticeable on close examination, unless the bass is finished in an awful, intense color like bright red or yellow or police-car blue or trash truck orange, or a nice one like Sea Green...

The lines are minimal, but you CAN see them looking closely. So I'm just putting this out as a cautionary note.

As far as, "would it be worth it"? Financially, it would be 3-5 years before steadily-rising values would see you breaking even, even at $850.00 initial purchase price. You'll be into it for around $1800, minimum, unless it needs tuners, guard, refret, etc.

Thank you, John, Jeff, and Paul, for the advice. I'm going to keep watching it, and, who knows, we'll see if I talk my better half into it. Thanks also for the tip about radical climatic abuse: if I do buy this and restore it, I will definitely have to watch where I store it. Winters here can get awfully nasty (as in too cold to snow).

Thanks again!

You forgot the other two Pauls, Mark...

Thanks to your other personalities, Paul

Doesn't matter anymore anyway: he pulled it.

Its true market is to someone who will use it as is. Economically, at this time it doesn't make sense...in a decade, it will seem like a bargain.

Paul W, do you still get witness lines if the box is slightly-further routed in order to accept a mirror-image plug of maple with the grain oriented correctly, and then glued very well? Seems like if the wood plug had the same coefficient of thermal expansion as the rest of the body, and temp delta was minimized over the life of the guitar from now on, and the fit tolerances were virtually airtight, then any witness lines should become nonexistent, even if it was an opaque finish with high mirror-gloss.

Ah, yes. The difference between theory and practice.

Answer is, "Yes."

As a matter of fact, if you were to somehow able to cut a plug out of the very same wood and glue it back into place with a tight fit (basically impossible, because you will always lose 2X the saw blade thickness), you will still get witness lines.

I suppose because a big block of wood is going to expand differently from a small block. Theoretically, this doesn't make sense, but practically it does. Trust me.

There is a way to completely eliminate witness lines, but I developed it after the AZ 365OS was restored. I still don't trust my method to work over twenty years, because I have no way of predicting twenty years ahead...

jingle_jangle wrote:Ah, yes. The difference between theory and practice.

There is a way to completely eliminate witness lines, but I developed it after the AZ 365OS was restored. I still don't trust my method to work over twenty years, because I have no way of predicting twenty years ahead...

OK, I knew there must be a way. What is it?

I embed a microscopically-thin colorless reinforcing material in the second coat of conversion varnish. It is invisible.

But it's a lot of work to get it just right...