Ricky Redemption: Confessions of a Erstwhile 4001 Vandal
Posted: Fri Jan 09, 2009 12:55 am
Once upon a time, long before the internet had made its way up to the great plains states, I was an ignorant college student. I found a 4001 in one of my favorite Sioux Falls pawn shops, and talked the guy down to $250. It was a '77 or '78, if I recall correctly, and other than the BadAss II hanging off the bottom, was all original in OHSC and played beautifully. Being an ignorant college student, however, I was really appalled by the finish. There was some buckle rash, and a few side chips, both of which I could have easily lived with, but the color; dear lord, the color. When I got it apart, I discovered that it had once been White, but after 9-10 years of weekly or (I'm guessing) nightly bar gigs, it was the color of a used Marlboro filter. Not quite yellow enough to be a nice banana or lemon, not white enough to be faux-cream, not amber enough to be...attractive. If you've ever seen a cue ball that's spent several years in a smoky bar, you'll know the color I'm talking about; it gives a whole new meaning to "tobacco burst". The Nicotineglo finish was ugly, so it had to come off. This was my rationale, and off I went to Ideal Hardware on 41st.
I spent much of the next week, including two days of skipping most of my classes, stripping all the finish off of the bass and replacing it with a finish I liked better. Luckily, I discovered that the black stripe around the face was not paint, moments before the chemical stripper I was using would have destroyed it all. I did end up sanding off some bubbled bits of binding down by the binding's end near the bottom strap button (my older self cringes here). Once I got the bass to bare wood, I stained it (cringe again) with a light coat of mahogany-colored stain, then sealed it with three or four coats of brushed-on poly. I thought it looked great at the time, black trim and binding against a glossy dark wood that still showed its nice grain, but it was my first real guitar project and I'm fairly certain the quality of work was pretty poor.
I played it for about six months, then got cash-strapped and was forced to sell it to some other kid for $400. He thought it was the greatest thing ever, but he was still in high school, so what did he know?
I missed it terribly as soon as it was gone, and have always wondered what happened to it.
Anyway, if anyone reading this owns a bass matching the above description, I apologize for my youthful indiscretion. Hopefully you can refin it back to White, or Blue or Jetglo (pseudo-Shadow could be fun, right?) and still have a decent-looking Ricky to play. Sorry about the body binding on the bottom especially.
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Fast forward to around the turn of the century; I was working at a university in Indiana, doing some computer repair and consulting on the side, and a college student who needed a number of replacement PC parts and several hours of my time offered to pay me with a guitar instead of cash. He had this really cool bass he got from his brother, it needed some work, but it was "really, really cool". Really. He was broke and desperate for a working computer, so I took pity on him. He brings the thing over and it's a 4001. A mangled, frankensteined, maimed and butchered 4001, but definitely a 4001. My first reaction was a barely restrained urge to hunt this kid's brother down, grab him by the shoulders and shake him until his teeth rattled, all the while shouting "Why? Why? WHY?" Then I remembered my 19-year old self, proudly brushing the third coat of hardware-store poly on my project Rick in the utility closet of my dorm, and forgave the stupid kid. Mostly.
Ready? Take a deep breath, and head to the Register to check out the images I recently uploaded of my adopted victim, a 1973 Burgundy 4001 serial #MJ5278. Go ahead, I'll wait.
It's okay, I've shed a few tears myself. I don't think any less of you, really.
Now, it's possible that I've simply developed a soft spot in my heart (or head, whichever you prefer) for old things of high quality that have been ill-used, or it may be that I'm hoping for some atonement with the guitar gods for my previous sin. Either way, I've decided it's high time I brought this 4001 back to life, and so I've joined the forum in search of advice. I'll post my thoughts, plans, and (eventually) progress in this thread.
Next post: The Good, The Bad, and The %#$!ing Unthinkable
I spent much of the next week, including two days of skipping most of my classes, stripping all the finish off of the bass and replacing it with a finish I liked better. Luckily, I discovered that the black stripe around the face was not paint, moments before the chemical stripper I was using would have destroyed it all. I did end up sanding off some bubbled bits of binding down by the binding's end near the bottom strap button (my older self cringes here). Once I got the bass to bare wood, I stained it (cringe again) with a light coat of mahogany-colored stain, then sealed it with three or four coats of brushed-on poly. I thought it looked great at the time, black trim and binding against a glossy dark wood that still showed its nice grain, but it was my first real guitar project and I'm fairly certain the quality of work was pretty poor.
I played it for about six months, then got cash-strapped and was forced to sell it to some other kid for $400. He thought it was the greatest thing ever, but he was still in high school, so what did he know?
I missed it terribly as soon as it was gone, and have always wondered what happened to it.Anyway, if anyone reading this owns a bass matching the above description, I apologize for my youthful indiscretion. Hopefully you can refin it back to White, or Blue or Jetglo (pseudo-Shadow could be fun, right?) and still have a decent-looking Ricky to play. Sorry about the body binding on the bottom especially.
==============
Fast forward to around the turn of the century; I was working at a university in Indiana, doing some computer repair and consulting on the side, and a college student who needed a number of replacement PC parts and several hours of my time offered to pay me with a guitar instead of cash. He had this really cool bass he got from his brother, it needed some work, but it was "really, really cool". Really. He was broke and desperate for a working computer, so I took pity on him. He brings the thing over and it's a 4001. A mangled, frankensteined, maimed and butchered 4001, but definitely a 4001. My first reaction was a barely restrained urge to hunt this kid's brother down, grab him by the shoulders and shake him until his teeth rattled, all the while shouting "Why? Why? WHY?" Then I remembered my 19-year old self, proudly brushing the third coat of hardware-store poly on my project Rick in the utility closet of my dorm, and forgave the stupid kid. Mostly.
Ready? Take a deep breath, and head to the Register to check out the images I recently uploaded of my adopted victim, a 1973 Burgundy 4001 serial #MJ5278. Go ahead, I'll wait.
It's okay, I've shed a few tears myself. I don't think any less of you, really.
Now, it's possible that I've simply developed a soft spot in my heart (or head, whichever you prefer) for old things of high quality that have been ill-used, or it may be that I'm hoping for some atonement with the guitar gods for my previous sin. Either way, I've decided it's high time I brought this 4001 back to life, and so I've joined the forum in search of advice. I'll post my thoughts, plans, and (eventually) progress in this thread.
Next post: The Good, The Bad, and The %#$!ing Unthinkable
i didn't keep it for long,as i was playing in a blues type band at the time,and none of my bandmates liked the sound i was getting (probably as much my inexperience as the sound of the bass!) 
here's the only picture i have of it....
Still sounds amazing though