Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hey there bass experts. I picked up a Rick bass project. The treble side wing had been replaced but not finished being carved or routed.

The neck is nice and thin (possibly sanded). It came with the tuners (late 70's? reverse tuners), black ferrules, a seven hole tailpiece, and it has two skinny squared truss rod channels under the TRC, which has raised black letters on white (molded) with no model designation on it. It used to be jetglo, only some paint remains on the bass side side. What year/model is it?

More specifically:
How late did they use reverse tuners?
How early did they do the reverse truss rod channels?
How early & late did they have the "magic 7" tailpiece?

I know you'll want pictures, you bunch of preverts. I'll see if I can take some tonight after I make the converter comb video. Maybe I'll go home for lunch and do it too, I'm feelin' kinda squirrely today.

Thanks everybody!

Sounds like an early 80's 4003, Jason.

1980 was the first year for the 4003. Some of the early ones got the Klusons, some got the wavy Grovers. I think the first ones were made with Klusons.

If it has reversed rods, then it is 1986 or earlier.

Check the pots.

I'll guess it's a 1980.

Hmmm..."magic 7 tailpiece"...I like that!

And...Yes, I am a bass perv!

The seven screw tailpiece was something that came along in the late '80s, as I recall. Sure it's original to that bass? The rest of the "evidence" suggests early '80s.

My '84 has a 7 screw tailpiece.

Edit: Pics in the register show 7 screw as early as 1980...

bassduke49 wrote:The seven screw tailpiece was something that came along in the late '80s, as I recall. Sure it's original to that bass? The rest of the "evidence" suggests early '80s.

Negative, sir. I think you mean that it ended in the late 80's? 1988 was when it ended for 4 stringers with chrome hardware, I believe. 1980 is when it began. Here are some pics from our register of 1980 4003's with the "magic 7" tail:




http://rickresource.com/register/viewit ... lebrity%3D

http://rickresource.com/register/viewit ... lebrity%3D

http://rickresource.com/register/viewit ... lebrity%3D

http://rickresource.com/register/viewit ... lebrity%3D

http://rickresource.com/register/viewit ... lebrity%3D

http://rickresource.com/register/viewit ... lebrity%3D

The parts I listed are all it came with, so there are no elecs to inspect. Interesting info everybody, thanks! I'm in a meeeting for another 2 hours (thank goodness for my droid) so once I get outta here ill run home and bust out the cam.

Jeff is right. My '81 4003 had the 7 screw tailpiece. Even when RIC stopped putting them on the 4003, they went on most of the S/8 and S/5 models until their runs ended, which I think was sometime in '02.

Great! Thanks for the pertinent info. I though it was a late '80s thing, but stand corrected!

Feast:

Looks like someone was trying to turn it into a Mosrite. I think has the potential to be kinda cool, actually...Maybe you could mount a toaster on a slant!

It was definitely an early 4003. The photo of the back of the headstock looks like it's a 2 piece neck? Check the register for those.

rickaddict wrote:Looks like someone was trying to turn it into a Mosrite. I think has the potential to be kinda cool, actually...Maybe you could mount a toaster on a slant!

It was definitely an early 4003. The photo of the back of the headstock looks like it's a 2 piece neck? Check the register for those.

Yeah I was going to mention the two piece neck. That makes it an earlier 4003 (80-84ish??).