Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Is it just me, or does it seem that if you find a checker bass - nine out of ten times - it's a 73? Was there a spike in production then or are the 70-72 basses hoarded?

Or am I just suffering from selective memory?

No doubt. Production climbs steadily every year of the 70's, probably up until '77.

Maybe there's another factor here. Many pre-73 4001's with full width inlays, toaster and all the goodies are in the hands of collectors. Now the mid-73 Rics with checkerboard binding and smaller post-73 inlays surface, they can still be had for reasonable prices. A bit like '79 hardtail Strats in the vintage market: they were the least desirable among collectors but now there is some demand simply because they are the last of the wide headstock 70's Strats that are still affordable.

Absolutely. '69-'71's are almost no existent. '72's pop up here and there and then '73's are somewhat common, relatively speaking.
Though my '71 21 fretter has seen better days, I feel very fortunate to have one that is so rare.

Yup, the 70-71's are very scarce, basically the 60's stuff still hanging around in a flat time, and then the Squire factor kicks in, with production steadily rising. Slowly at first, with the early 72's, (you still don't see many of them) and then slightly more by mid to late 72, until production really gets under way in 73.

Once the post 73 features are in place the numbers really increase.

Is there any educated guesses on production numbers? I've heard that the Smith book is not very reliable (though to me it looks like a reasonable estimate). I'd never heard the flipside, that '77 was the high water mark for production. How many would that be?
I passed on a '74 two years ago and kick myself- it was a phenomenal instrument. One day I'll have a '73... one day.

chucksimms wrote:One day I'll have a '73... one day.

You could have had my FG July '73 4001 for a very good price a couple months ago. Toaster, CB. I gave it to a friend of mine.

jps wrote: I gave it to a friend of mine.

Damn! Pays to be a friend of JPS

Not too many '74s either.

johnallg wrote:Not too many '74s either.

Not may that have escaped the Geddy mods....

Well, looking at what's been compiled in the register of this forum, I'd say that whether the earlier 4001's are in the hands of collectors or not...It looks to me like a whole lot more were made in 1973 than in '69, '70, '71, and '72 combined. In fact, there are more 1973 4001's registered than any other year.

Here's how many 4001's are in the register for each year, from 1963 through 1984:

1963 - 1
1964 - 12
1965 - 1
1966 - 1
1967 - 5
1968 - 12
1969 - 9
1970 - 11
1971 - 13
1972 - 47
1973 - 164
1974 - 137
1975 - 122
1976 - 143
1977 - 119
1978 - 156
1979 - 112
1980 - 94
1981 - 56
1982 - 35
1983 - 9
1984 - 6

A good friend has a '72 (MG). He is not a member here nor is it registered.

add a +1 to the '72s - on my way to pick it up.

It's funny you mention '79 hardtail Strats. i have one of those too, to go along with my early '74 4001 with checkerboard/azureglo.

Bob

my jan. '70 was the 13th made for that month in mapleglo. i dubbed it "crawlspacebass" cause that's were it was found...under a house ! threw the case out as it was green with mould and the clear coat was eaten away by mildew but did not harm the wood. of course a 21 fretter.