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Rickenbacker Bass Cold Case
Posted: Sat Oct 20, 2007 9:59 am
by admin
The following question was submitted to the RRF mailbox along with accompanying comments and photos by Tim Pritchard.
Hi, I was given a Rickenbacker bass many many years ago that had been bastardised. The only thing worth saving was the neck which I have just rediscovered. I am now trying to identify it. I'm hoping that you can help. I have read your page but was unable to match all the details.
The neck has 20 frets and dot markers. It has what I believe to be wenge(sp) for the fingerboard it is very dark chocolate brown and very hard ( I worked for many years in an exotic timber yard before going on to make guitars for a living). The fingerboard was originally bound.
The neck is a three piece construction with a walnut centre and has a double truss rod. It was set into the body. The body was solid maple.
I have enclosed 2 pics that may help.
Many thanks, Tim
Re: Rickenbacker Bass Cold Case
Posted: Sat Oct 20, 2007 10:00 am
by admin
One additional photo.
Re: Rickenbacker Bass Cold Case
Posted: Sat Oct 20, 2007 11:01 am
by gray
Neck from a seventies-era 4000?
Re: Rickenbacker Bass Cold Case
Posted: Sat Oct 20, 2007 12:06 pm
by rickenbrother
An "S" neck that was originally bound?
Re: Rickenbacker Bass Cold Case
Posted: Sat Oct 20, 2007 12:15 pm
by kernkamp
It looks a lot like the neck of my 74 4000 althought the wood on tha neck is MUCH darker. Mine looks like rosewood and the grain looks different. But the thickness of the fretboard itself and how it's rounded off at the end looks a LOT like my set-neck 4000.
Mine also has 20 frets.
Re: Rickenbacker Bass Cold Case
Posted: Sat Oct 20, 2007 10:03 pm
by admin
I suppose it is possible that some 4001S models may have been customized with binding, however, Joey's point is well taken.
I am reminded of some 4001S and 4001FL basses that were crafted by Rickenbacker in the late 1970s and early 1980s with a set neck that resembles the neck submitted by Tim.
Examples of these basses can be seen at
http://www.rickresource.com/rrp/setneckbasses.html
Re: Rickenbacker Bass Cold Case
Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2007 12:26 am
by badeggs
What's been sprayed in the truss rod cavity?
Re: Rickenbacker Bass Cold Case
Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2007 6:59 am
by 86kubicki
It may be the old finish if the neck has been stripped. Jetglo or Azureglo most likely.
Re: Rickenbacker Bass Cold Case
Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2007 2:56 am
by aceonbass
I don't think this neck is from any Rickenbacker bass. The truss rod cavity isn't shaped right, the truss rod thrust plate below the nuts is not shaped right and does not appear to be aluminum either. I've also never seen a 4001S with a bound fingerboard and RIC fingerboards are not that dark. The tuner holes are also WAY too big and the truss rodd routes at the end of the neck are uneven and not long enough. The red finish on th eend of the neck indicates that the neck was shot before being attatched to the bass, which is NOT the way RIC did it either.
Re: Rickenbacker Bass Cold Case
Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2007 5:17 am
by 86kubicki
It could be from a faker Dane, but did any come with dot inlays rather than the more common triangular inlays?
Re: Rickenbacker Bass Cold Case
Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2007 8:08 am
by solidspendthrift
Thankyou everyone
I have been looking and it is great to see the response
I have some more info.....
When I got the bass it had an original Rickenbacker truss cover white with black Rickenbacker logo. The tuner holes had been drilled out to accommodate Schaller tuners. The bass had been resprayed black to cover the bastardisations as seen in pics. Note the duel output holes, one has been filled.
Also I scratched through the black lacquer in the truss rod cavity and it was black through to the maple / walnut??
There appeared to be 2 separate layers of black. The red marks on the heal of the neck look like smudged red marker not lacquer.
Here are some more pics
Many thanks for your knowledge
Timmo
Re: Rickenbacker Bass Cold Case
Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2007 9:17 am
by jps
The body does not look genuine, the edge radii are way too rounded, and the two output jack holes look too far apart.
Re: Rickenbacker Bass Cold Case
Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2007 1:17 pm
by johnallg
The wood also does not look like how RIC maple looks.
Re: Rickenbacker Bass Cold Case
Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2007 3:49 pm
by rickenbrother
An S bass with a bound fingerboard and two output jack holes. I agree with Jeff about the body shape. Some of the later 4003S basses were a little rounder. Is that body wood maple?
Re: Rickenbacker Bass Cold Case
Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2007 3:54 pm
by teeder
Could it have been a fretless that had the body binding removed and edge radiused?