Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

1985 4003s with Rick O Sound
According to the history on this site, it should have only had mono.






And a pic of Macca playing his Rick on Abbey Road

S models typically do not have ROS but Rickenbacker did offer it as an option on some models. Further, it was possible for anyone to order custom instruments up into the 90's. I suspect there are a lot of one-offs and other unusual builds out there just waiting to be discovered.

Gary: Thanks for documenting this exception to the rule.

I saw a very nice 84 4003S with ROS a couple of years back...

I remember seeing another S bass with ROS. Might have been an S/5.

Does this one happen to have a YI serial number? Still looking for the birth month Rick...

I thought the 4003S didn't have binding. This one looks to have binding.

When it's got binding and ROS, how do you know whether it's a 4003 or a 4003S?

Lovely shot of Paul and George. Now my desktop.

Tarrbot wrote:I thought the 4003S didn't have binding. This one looks to have binding.

When it's got binding and ROS, how do you know whether it's a 4003 or a 4003S?

No binding on this one (close up photo of the jackplate shows this clearly, though you may have been mistaking the pickguard's edge for binding). A 4001s or 4003s would have dot inlays and no binding.

Very true.

I missed looking at the inlays. And I have a 4003S/5.

Some days I think I'm blind.

So.... My 1981 4003 should not have the Ric O Sound (which it does)?

Now more puzzled.

A 4003 should have Ric-O-Sound. A 4003s, the one with no binding and dot fret markers instead of triangle did not come standard with Ric-O-Sound. Ric-O-Sound could, for some period of time anyway, be ordered as an option on the 4003s.

if only it was black.

It's a faker. I'll take that counterfeit piece of rubbish off your hands for $200 as a show of goodwill.

I have a 1982 Mapleglo 4003S with Ric-o-sound (ebay purchase). My original 1982 Jetglo 4001S is only mono.

I'm wondering if some of the 4003S's with split pickguards initially came with both sets of wiring.