Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hi, i just bought a supposedly 75er 4001... sadly without a jack-plate.
My friend Bert tells me it should be a 73er because of the checker.
Can somebody help me out?
It says 4001 and then a Q in the control room + some little scribbles.

Thanks a lot for any info!

Remko, Amsterdam

You should post all the "shops" of what you want(ed) to make of it Remco. They are quite interesting.

Welcome, Renko!

It is a '73 and used to look like this (except for the replaced tuners and horseshoe pickup), going by the original finish still in the cavities.
It also looks like the neck pickup cavity has been routed out a bit, too.

yup, it looks like a mid '73 because of the checkered binding and smaller neck inlays.

Congratulations, it's a pretty cool place to start

Thanks, that's great info -)

I don't want to build her back into org.. to expensive for me and it will never be the same she used to be,
so i photoshoped u few id's.
I want to rebuild her in a bare ratRick, with only the necessities to give her the sound i like most.
Not sure if filling-up the hole from the bridge pu will be posible in a nice way..

the one i like most:


ode to the mother-Rick:


just a crazzy one:

I take it the last one is a joke?

Filling in the bridge will be very obvious and noticeable, the only way you could get away with it is to paint the guitar a flat (opaque) color.

the last one looks way cool but the hands on your watch might pull downward ! (that is if you even wear a watch on your right arm or even wear on in the first place !) i'm sure a rotary switch would take care of all those switchcraft toggles !

the first idea was like the one i had back in the late '70's but in a fretless so as just to emulate an upright sound which i feel the 4000 series naturally has with a higain or toaster. was to be with or without pickguard depending on if i wanted to mount the pickup top side like some rick guitars do and if, back then, i could have special ordered something like that from RICKENBACKER inc.

cool ideas you got there. wish i had the gray matter to do photoshop like jeff and mario, but i can barely type (as "blue man" knows) and i have a lightbulb shaped callus on my index finger from responding to this forum !

I feel the last one may not live up to it's full potential, as is! You do have room for one more toaster, so why ruin what could be a great instrument by leaving so much space?

I do like the concept of the first one with just a neck toaster, very jazz box like.

Like i wrote above the last pic..... "just a crazzy one:"

Welkom to the forums, Remko. Joined in 2008 and just posted now? Must be a record

I'm just a bit confused here... a pick-up selector switch and one PU in the first picture?
Or am I missing something only bass players know?

did you forget..."the cap" ! or howzabout a coil tap...or,or maybe a stacked coil...or, or a kill switch or, or...

Uhm, yes

A killer switch it will be ; )

Some extra holes:



Digging for more room..

looks like a badger was trying to find a home in the pickup well or maybe a place to hide a jelly roll. rear headstock pic... let's see ...how many different machine head types will fit on a rick ?

Thought it was an old gunnslinger bass, hit with a shotgunn..