Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Here is mint early 1973 Fireglo RIC 4001 Bass. It is 100% factory original in 9.8 condition. There are virtually NO dings or marks anywhere! The fingerboard is a deep brownish – orange Brazilian rosewood fingerboard which really compliments the inlays...
This one has one less cool feature (no clear thumb-rest), but still retains:
Crushed Pearl inlays
Checkerboard Binding
Toaster neck pickup

Also really nice. So what's the deal?

He must have a VAULT as well!

Beautiful!

They just keep coming!

Any more Mac?

ajish4 wrote:He must have a VAULT as well!

...or forgotten room, time machine, or re-fin shop? I hope the basses are more real than the name "Mac Len"? Are our cranks being yanked here?

Another beauty.

The man knows condition.

Hey guys,

Thanks for the nice comments. And no, your cranks are NOT being yanked… That’s funny!

These are just a few of the cool guitars that I have been able to keep throughout the years. Regrettably, I have sold way too many others... Oh well, live and learn.

Question: Does anybody else (besides myself) think that these early 70’s RIC Basses are WAY undervalued?

They are coming into their own as time goes on. I'd say they'll keep going up and up, and as with most instruments they have taken a steeper rise in recent times.

They are certainly beautiful basses - the best examples I've ever seen. Paul Boyer would certainly love to talk to you about them. He is writing a book about Rickenbacker basses and is always on the lookout for fine examples.

Welcome to the community. Pardon the name comment but real names are appreicated (required?) here.

Question: Does anybody else (besides myself) think that these early 70’s RIC Basses are WAY undervalued?

Mac,

They are riding in the slipstream of the 60's stuff, and finally it seems the market has caught up with them. Very quickly I might add!

Examples like yours would always command top $$$, but we'll probably look back in 3-5 years and scratch our heads again I'd imagine.

I don’t mean they will slowly increase over time, I mean they so UNDERVALUED right now. They have become so scarce that each should be worth much more than any “price guide” estimation says they are.

I was recently offered $7,500 for each of these early 70’s basses but turned it down (and this was from a dealer who was then going to add his mark-up to each). For a moment I thought WOW, $15K, but then I quickly thought that once they were gone, they could never be replaced.

They have become irreplaceable!

Remarkable. How did you keep them that nice all those years? Where they just never played?

Condition is everything, and most you see aren't as nice as these two you've posted pics of....probably less than 1/2 of one percent.

IMHO, having owned two of these myself, I think most you see come up for sale are priced accordingly. Mint examples are in a different catagory and should command a premium.

For all of this to work of course, the buyer and the seller have to share like-minded philosophy..

Top Gun wrote:I don’t mean they will slowly increase over time, I mean they so UNDERVALUED right now. They have become so scarce that each should be worth much more than any “price guide” estimation says they are.

I was recently offered $7,500 for each of these early 70’s basses but turned it down (and this was from a dealer who was then going to add his mark-up to each). For a moment I thought WOW, $15K, but then I quickly thought that once they were gone, they could never be replaced.

They have become irreplaceable!

Joining this forum and your message is a clever way to increase the value of your collection. Some members will surely appreciate your point of view . Are you pofessional in stock business (just curious)?

Top Gun wrote:Here is mint early 1973 Fireglo RIC 4001 Bass. It is 100% factory original in 9.8 condition. There are virtually NO dings or marks anywhere! The fingerboard is a deep brownish – orange Brazilian rosewood fingerboard which really compliments the inlays...
This one has one less cool feature (no clear thumb-rest), but still retains:
Crushed Pearl inlays
Checkerboard Binding
Toaster neck pickup

Just what I'm looking for