Ebay - Rickenbacker 12

brian · Post by **brian** » Tue Dec 23, 2003 6:23 am

Does anyone have any idea/comment about the attached ebay auction. There doesn't seem to be any binding on the soundhole or neck. Did Rickenbacker make any 360 guitars that way ?

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2368087870&category=41439

Brian

360dave · Post by **360dave** » Tue Dec 23, 2003 6:53 am

Not too sure about the neck binding or that is does not have toaster pups, BUT, I would avoid it in any case due to the bridge being adjusted all the way down. Usually, this means that the guitar needs a neck reset.

jps · Post by **jps** » Tue Dec 23, 2003 2:47 pm

My '67 4005WB does not have binding around the sound hole.

kennyhowes · Post by **kennyhowes** » Tue Dec 23, 2003 10:04 pm

That's an odd one.

rob · Post by **rob** » Wed Dec 24, 2003 6:11 am

Ooooh. The winning bidder got a great deal for $1270!!!

Gotta love the checkerboard binding on the back.

paul_yan · Post by **paul_yan** » Wed Dec 24, 2003 6:41 am

Sweet 4005 WB, Jeffrey!

jps · Post by **jps** » Wed Dec 24, 2003 11:17 am

In all the years since I first got this bass I have never seen another one like it anywhere, in books, on the net, at gigs, anywhere! I have seen many 4005s but no other 4005WB. It kind of makes me wonder if any others were made?!

BTW Paul, I am waiting till after the Christmas shipping season to send you that print, Merry Christmas.

Kenny,

Which is the odd one? If it is my 4005WB, the original finish is present on the edges of the sound hole, so it doesn't appear that any binding was removed, so this must be how it came from Rickenbacker. Also, in the control cavity are the initials JH! Any idea who they belong to?

>:0)

paul_yan · Post by **paul_yan** » Wed Dec 24, 2003 6:22 pm

Jeffrey,
Rest assured that your 4005WB is totally original with the unbound soundhole. I think that was how they were built before the '70s

Let me try loading some scans from the June 2001 issue of the Japanese "Bass Magazine" which is a "Rickenenbacker Special" issue...

paul_yan · Post by **paul_yan** » Wed Dec 24, 2003 6:23 pm

Here's a 1967 4005 WB MG.

tblair · Post by **tblair** » Wed Dec 24, 2003 6:29 pm

Double-bound Rics generally didn't have bound sound holes.

paul_yan · Post by **paul_yan** » Wed Dec 24, 2003 6:31 pm

Closed up...

Check your mail, Jeffrey.
Big ones on the way.

jps · Post by **jps** » Thu Dec 25, 2003 4:44 am

Thanks Paul,

It sure looks nice in MG, showing off the stripe and headstock wings. This was my first Rickenbacker I ever owned. I had a '71 Jazz Bass that I paid $175.00 for and I swapped it to another bassist in '73 for the 4005WB, so in effect I paid $175.00 for it!

I was a little disappointed when I first saw it that it was not a 4001, as I was heavily into CS at the time, but I made the trade anyway. Boy am I glad I did these days.

Thanks for the pics, Paul.

mortivan · Post by **mortivan** » Fri Dec 26, 2003 11:31 am

Beauty!

Hey Paul, if you get a chance can you send the large scans to me too? My larger capacity mailbox is mortivanATwideopenwestDOTcom

Thanks!

paul_yan · Post by **paul_yan** » Fri Dec 26, 2003 12:57 pm

No problem at all, Jeff and John.

kennyhowes · Post by **kennyhowes** » Tue Jan 06, 2004 10:02 am

Jeff asked:

"In all the years since I first got this bass I have never seen another one like it anywhere, in books, on the net, at gigs, anywhere! I have seen many 4005s but no other 4005WB. It kind of makes me wonder if any others were made?!"

OH yeah. They're around. No idea how many.

"Which is the odd one? If it is my 4005WB, the original finish is present on the edges of the sound hole, so it doesn't appear that any binding was removed, so this must be how it came from Rickenbacker."

Could be. The 4005WB MG pictured in the color section of the Smith book has a bound soundhole, so who knows.

"Also, in the control cavity are the initials JH! Any idea who they belong to?"

Before you ask, probably not Mr. Hall. He ("the" JH) has told me that any internal writing on Rics was typically that of whoever was painting it that day, and that these hieroglyphics were not standardized in the least.