Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

There's a '65 4001 for sale on eBay. The seller will only ship to Europe, but I may help anyone if needed.

Specialists and collectors, it's up to you now. Have a look and tell us what you think of this bass :
http://cgi.ebay.fr/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2367861420&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:FR:1

Cheers,
JL

Here's a pic. I actually don't know if this bass is true vintage, all original, etc.



Cheers,
JL

Neck pickup is in wrong place

This isn't a 65 4001 at all.

It looks like a 4003-S, fairly recent....

Knobs are wrong too for a 4001S of that supposed vintage, so is the treble pickup, can't tell if it's a horseshoe or not but the surround is wrong if it is a horseshoe. It is also hard to tell if the bridge is correct for it's supposed vintage. Can we get a better photo of it?

I had noticed the knobs, but I am not such an expert and did not notice the place of the neck pickup, neither the surround of the horseshoe.

I asked the seller a few questions and some more pics, I'll be back when I get them.

Cheers,
JL

Pickguards wrong, the headpiece is a real study, looks like a Montezuma brown Chris Squire..???....Neck pickup looks like a modern Hi-gain. And it might just be me, but the overall body shape looks to chunky to be vintage. I'd run.

There is something wrong with the headstock ... also there is a dot on the 19th fret a '65 rose morris would not have a dot there ... the pickguard is a post '75 and the knobs are wrong ... the fireglo finish looks modern .. a little too dark ... the a string tuner would be in a slightly different location on a '65 ... the bridge and tuners look modern ... it looks like a high gain in the neck position ... the horseshoe looks like my '68 horseshoe .. in fact that is the only part that looks right to me ...

look at a real 60's headstock ... notice the difference ... the tuners are duller, the a string hole is a little farther up, the finish is different ... real headwings ...

Odd, 2 bizarre alleged "1960s" Rick basses on eBay in the space of a week. Both have loads of incorrect features, but both also have questions need answering, this one has walnut wings and a 1970s pickup placement, how is this possible unless the body has been routed to accept the lower down pickup? I'm also awaiting some answers from the seller, but think this might just be a modded 4001v63 or possibly 4003s, cant explain the combination of wings, extra fingerboard dot and post-75 guard.

Both of these 1960's alleged RICs are from European sellers. Shame for us, but though I'd like to see this as a sign of a new rise of reputation for Rickenbacker here. I wish it would be.

Cheers,
JL

I don't know about Europe but people here don't know much about Ric's, it would be easy to rip people here off, they get ripped off already with the prices they have to pay for brand new ones. Anything from the States here is almost double the price that they sell in the US., lots of Squires and Yamahas here. people here look at my Rics like they are seeing the holy Grail. they think late 70's Fenders are vintage pieces, haha! Vintage pieces of junk maybe.

Lately i have been seeing a lot of Rickenbacker Guitars around here in London.

There seem to be a lot of those 80's blue/red with black trim's around (hardly a coincidence that people want to sell them eh) but the basses are still hard to find. I can expect to pay about $2300 for a well worn late 70's 4001.

News from the seller. S/N : E18540

Ahem...

According to the Rickenbacker Serial Number Decoder, that is May of 1988. OOPS!

so it IS NOT a 1965 4001 ... it IS a 1988 4003s ... I kind of thought it was a 1986-1993 era 4003s ...