Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Well, Figured I take some pics today. Here is my 4001, that I call a 68...only because thats my birth year, and there is no serial number to go by. I rescued this from a thrift store 8 years ago, it was stripped, and spray painted black. The folks at THE BASS PLACE in Tempe AZ told me I should make it into a clock (my guess they wanted to offer me $20.00 for it). The I took it to BECKS guitars in TEMPE http://www.richbeckguitars.com/ , and they told me it would be a couple weeks to put it together (a cabinet finisher friend of mine stripped it a lacquered it for me for free), It ended up taking 3 months, and when I got it back, they had drilled the headstock for these swanky new tuner pegs. I didn't even notice until years later when I found a TRC, and it didn't fit. .
So here it is, nothing is original, the bridge is the allparts bridge...blah blah blah.
It sounds nice....

the debounded body with the bound neck is an interesting look-that is a really nicely ambered finish - nice one,mr g. also,i like the funtionality of the big tuning posts....

Great job on that rescue! saved a nice old Ric looks good in MG Its a 4001S MG no binding or Ric-o-sound.

Really nice looking

Congrats

Play it well! Would be even sweeter with a toaster.

Nice restore. Sounds like it would have been a nice project for a do-it-yourself guy, too.

anyone wanna take a stab at what year it is?

well,full width inlays pretty much means pre 73.(?).....and walnut stripes on the headstock would be another clue for some....that's about as far as i know....

Looks like a 70. It's not a 68 or 69, the PG is the wrong shape. Maybe 71.

The pickguard isn't original, the only original stuff here is wood and frets.

The earlier PG's came closer to the bridge pup. I don't see any patched holes by the pup ring. If there is, it could be a 68, or 69. I think the ring shape switched in late 68 or 69.

s4001 wrote:The earlier PG's came closer to the bridge pup. I don't see any patched holes by the pup ring. If there is, it could be a 68, or 69. I think the ring shape switched in late 68 or 69.

If you look at photo one you can see a plug between the PG and p-up ring.

I'd say late 1968- early 1969. Peghead is the longer variety, fretboard radius also looks late 60s to me.

Sorry, there it is.

leftybass wrote:I'd say late 1968- early 1969. Peghead is the longer variety, fretboard radius also looks late 60s to me.

Yup, I'm with John here. The neck profile looks similar to my Dec 68. You could take a look at the original tuner holes. If they are similar to the Schallers, then they probably would have Klusons, and it's probably a 68. If they are rectangular, then the bass had Grovers, and it would probably be a 69...

That birdseye neck is unusual, and really nice, and I bet it feels just killer to play...

Yes, the neck is a dream. Wicked thin. but if you can see, the action is for slide bass..after about the 5th-6th fret, is gets clumsy and slow.