Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I've gou a black '79 4001which has always puzzled me a bit. It has a chrome scratchplate which I think someone has added at some point to replace the original as I understand Rickenbacker didn't make them. It also has a black truss rod cover with raised white lettering.

Does this mean the original scratchplate would've been black to match? I've never seen another fireglo with a black scratchplate, they always seem to have white ones?

Another pic

Maybe, maybe not. You'll never know for sure.

On that particular bass, both the TRC and pickguard are replacements. The white binding on the body is the giveaway.

An original 79 with black trc/pickguard would have looked like my former 79:

So white binding should mean white scratchplate and trc?

phlemmy wrote:On that particular bass, both the TRC and pickguard are replacements. The white binding on the body is the giveaway.

jaseandwave wrote:So white binding should mean white scratchplate and trc?

phlemmy wrote:On that particular bass, both the TRC and pickguard are replacements. The white binding on the body is the giveaway.

White binding on the body, yessir.

phlemmy wrote:

jaseandwave wrote:So white binding should mean white scratchplate and trc?

phlemmy wrote:On that particular bass, both the TRC and pickguard are replacements. The white binding on the body is the giveaway.

White binding on the body, yessir.

Not 100% of the time.

Please show me a factory JG with white binding on the body that didn't come with white plastic. To my knowledge it doesn't exist.

So, should the TRC be the flat type or the raised lettering type? I'd love to get it back to its original set up.

I don't know, I think that if you put a black pickguard on it it would look great! They don't do the black trim thing anymore. But the white binding helps set off the body and matches the lettering on the truss rod cover, so it wouldn't look strange.

The raised lettering came in early/mid-'70s I believe - I've got a '76 4001 with black trim and the raised lettering.

Pickguardian makes replacement guards.

The trc should be raised lettering.

Hmm... My now-gone, totally stock April 1974 4001 had a black pickguard & TRC and white binding on the body...

Actually, that bass is probably the first guitar I've ever seen with a metal pickguard where I actually liked the look of it.

rickcrazy wrote:Hmm... My now-gone, totally stock April 1974 4001 had a black pickguard & TRC and white binding on the body...

on a jetglo?