Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Just wanted to share this:

There's a local group that I've been jockeying for a spot with, because they're really right up my alley. Sort of Led Zeppelin meets Skynnyrd kind of stuff.

Anyway, last night their regular bassist showed up with a supposedly late Sixties 4000 with a slender set neck, and he generously let me sit in for several numbers. It's a real war horse, in need of a neck adjustment, but still it was real fun to put it through its paces.

I did find myself missing that neck pickup, however. It's a real growler, but without that gut-punching thump I found my tone a bit on the thin side. Of course, if it was mine, I'd find a way to dial in some real lows with my rig. All in all, it was a real treat to rock this old rare bird.

Very cool!
Any pictures?

nice! i would wager since it has a set-neck,that its more of a '70's vintage,but with rickenbacker anomalies are to be expected!

mine is a a' 74,you have played it a bit,Kira,it has that nice slim 3 piece neck,and yeah i can get plenty of bass out of it just by adjusting the amp. what color was this one?

Sounds like it was a great time.
I thought that the set necks didn't show up until "72.

kiramdear wrote:
... supposedly late Sixties 4000 with a slender set neck.

Okay...the nit picker in me has to point out that 4000's would have been neck-through until 1972 or early '73. I've seen two or three neck-through skunk stripe 4000's. So my point is...if it is a set-neck, it isn't from the late 60's.

Great that you got to play a cool bass with a good band though!

Ha! Looks like we all think alike!

He claimed to have owned it since '71, but if his memory is like mine he could be off by a couple of years. It is in mapleglo, well loved in all the right places - a real player's instrument. I'll try to get pics next time I see it, if that happens.

kiramdear wrote:I'll try to get pics next time I see it, if that happens.

S/N, too!

I thought set-necks were from '73 onwards. I've seen a '72 through-neck. Maybe they were mid-late '72?

It won't be '60, but they are cool; mine was a '73 and was the most aggressive-sounding bass I've ever owned.

I'm interested in whether the lack of a neck pickup on the 4000 lets the strings ADSR profile change a bit... because as my luthier pointed out, the neck pickup is in a fairly flexible section of the scale length, and magnetic effects on the ADSR there will be enhanced. I had a Lollar "Broiler" in the neck position of a bass and its magnets were so strong that it actually caused the E string to buzz against the fingerboard, even though the neck and action were perfect. Lowering the pickup fixed this. But on my 4003 with Hi-Gains the pickup height doesn't seem to matter much, maybe because the ceramic magnet is weaker.

What a great story Kira. I am glad you had the opportunity to play some great tunes.

Glad you got a chance to play with some locals, Kira. You laid down some nice grooves at BARC, so we know you've got it goin' on.