4001 CS re-finish

[seyesbass]

Hi guys,
This is going to grate with some of you I am afraid.

I have just bought a second 4001CS from fellow forumite Graham Griffiths (8 miles high).
The guitar is complete and original however the finish leaves something to be desired.This isnt Grahams doing by the way as he bought it in its present condition.Here are the issues that the guitar has.
There are several dings and dents here and there and the cream finish (being prone to discolouration) has a lot of very visible blemishes.
The clearcoat has cracked near the neck heel/body joint.
The nut has been cut a bit too low but its useable for now.When I changed the strings it fell off! I have re-attatched it temporarily.
The bridge tailpiece doesnt fit flush at one corner by the E string damper screw and its because of a slight dip in the body wing.
None of this has any real bearing on the fact that its a great bass and its got a slimmer slightly different neck profile than my other CS.
Its got a real growl too.
Because the body will need sanding straight under the bridge and the nut needs changing I will be having an ebony nut as per 60s RMs and the whole bass will be re-finished in white.Its going to have a new non CS pickguard with holes drilled for a thumb rest.
In effect this bass is going to become a white Maurice Gibb RM replica which is something I have wanted for a long time.
I always wanted a white Rick and since the departure of my old RM in 1980 there hasnt been another to replace it until now.
Theres no way I would re-finish an RM and by the same rule I wouldnt re-finish a mint or good finish CS but this baby deserves a re-fin and its got the makings of a great bass.
I will post some pictures of the bass in a few days.

[cheyenne]

I say go for it Pete!

It sounds like it needs a little TLC. Refin it and play the hell out of it like it was intended to be played. Make Chris proud!

[doctorwho]

It's your bass and you can do whatever you want to it. I'd document the mods and keep any original parts.

[wints]

Go for it Pete...

Here's another reference...

[bottom4]

Sounds like a plan, Pete! You gonna leave the wings exposed?

[johnallg]

I agree, Pete. BTW, it is a much better re-treatment of a CS than the gray and black one that was on the 'bay a year or more ago. I wish I'd known you needed a new nut. I could have got this also.

http://www.rickenbacker.com/cart.asp?vi ... cellaneous

[aceonbass]

Pete, you could also take this opportunity to make it a CORRECT 4001CS with the proper shaped pickguard that was altered by CS himself. Is it an early or late bass with or without the correct bridge surround and headstock shape?

[johnallg]

Dane, the whole intent of acquiring this bass was to recreate an RM copy of the white Gibb bass.

[aceonbass]

Ya, I know, but Pete's in a Yes tribute band and it would be cool to see a 4001CS that was correct in all the details.

[just_bassics]

Hi Pete! You know my thoughts, go for it! And post lots of pics. Wait, maybe we'll just stop over and see next year! I still need to send you some video clips of our mini-confluence. Just need to convert them to PAL.

[teeder]

I say go for it Pete!

It sounds like it needs a little TLC. Refin it and play the hell out of it like it was intended to be played. Make Chris proud!

+1!!!
I vote for exposed peghead wings.

[phlemmy]

wait, let's back up here to the most important thing mentioned in the original post. graham sells guitars?

anyhoo, i say refin it to black.

[leftyguitars]

wait, let's back up here to the most important thing mentioned in the original post. graham sells guitars?

[gareth]

So I'm at the studio yesterday and on a break, and I'm chatting with the guy that's doing some repairs to a monitor there. Up walks the owner's son and wants to borrow the soldering iron that he's using to fix somehting on his bass. He wanders off to get it and comes back with....

The most trashed CS I've ever seen. In fact, it's one of the most trashed RICs I've ever seen, period.

Horseshoe is gone completely ("didn't like it, threw it away"), and a copy fender jazz pickup is screwed directly into the wood there. The top wing is cracked half the length of the body ("I threw the bass at someone a few years back"). The signature pickguard is in three or four pieces, with a lot missing. All the knobs are missing. The neck is seriously bowed. The finish is destroyed. There are fist sized holes down to the wood, and the rest is cracked and checked. What finish isn't, is covered with stickers. Of course, he lost the certificate right away.

It did have new strings on though, with the bare ends waving around like feelers.

It's not like he got it like that either. He's it's original owner.

I offered to buy it off him right then and there but he didn't bite. I'm going to work on him though. I might just offer to buy him a new 4003 and swap right out. Someone needs to stage an intervention for that poor thing. He's asked me to try to set it up for him, so I'll take some pictures next time I'm there.

[seyesbass]

Well,
Thanks for the messages guys!
First off the reason I dont want to go the whole hog and re-create a CS with all the pickguard damage etc. is because the fretboard is virtually identical to Wints RM in hue and the finish has so many blemishes it would need completely re painting to get rid of them anyway.The matching headstock wings are also a lot lighter when compared with my other CS.
The fretboard/headstock wings on my original CS are the same deep purple colour as Chris Squires bass and if I was going to make a true replica it would be that one that would make the best platform.(I would need an original vintage bridge/tailpiece and an original set of shoes for it but Its not about to happen though!)
The headstock is as an RM would be and the HS surround is now period accurate too since I had a spare from the late 80s V63 series.
The bass is nice and light in weight and the neck is a bit slimmer than my other CS and as I said its already a good bass thats going to become a great bass.
I dont want the headstock wings exposed because its too much like the CS version and this type of headstock looks fantastic all in white when onstage.
The serial number is I 4 etc. so its an early version of the CS.
I spoke to Bob Barry just before I bought the bass and he has pencilled me in for the summer to get the re-spray done and he will be making an ebony nut for her too.
Pictures will follow shortly.