Confused

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Ivan3000
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Confused

Post by Ivan3000 »

Can someone explain why the 4001C64S dosn't have a vintage style tailpeice, Paul didn't get that replaced did he?
Image

Maybe it did get replaced. Could I get Mr. Hall to shed some light on this one.
Image
Ivan3000
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Re: Confused

Post by Ivan3000 »

Heres a pic of the earlier years (too large to post).
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Gc_-2Yg_U0s/T ... /bass3.jpg
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jps
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Re: Confused

Post by jps »

IvanMunoz wrote:Can someone explain why the 4001C64S dosn't have a vintage style tailpeice, Paul didn't get that replaced did he?
Why, yes he did, in fact! :!:
Ivan3000
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Re: Confused

Post by Ivan3000 »

That was quick, I didn't know that. Where did you find the picture, Jeff. This is an excellent picture, it really shows the raw-ness of the bass.
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bosco64
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Re: Confused

Post by bosco64 »

IvanMunoz wrote:That was quick, I didn't know that. Where did you find the picture, Jeff. This is an excellent picture, it really shows the raw-ness of the bass.
It's from Andy Babiuk's fantastic book Beatles Gear. Makes a wonderful Christmas present! Available at Amazon right now! :mrgreen:
"Keep smiling, keep your mouth shut, and nobody gets hurt!" :mrgreen:
Don't bust Mike's chops...
'05 4003 BBR; '99 4001V63 FG; '96 4003S Trans Blue (custom refin from Paul W.)
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jps
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Re: Confused

Post by jps »

I have seen that photo in other books too, so it must be a stock photo. :mrgreen:

Here is the other end of it, Ivan.
Ivan3000
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Re: Confused

Post by Ivan3000 »

The C64 doesn't have the Made in the USA thing on the bottom of the TRC.
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bosco64
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Re: Confused

Post by bosco64 »

jps wrote:I have seen that photo in other books too, so it must be a stock photo. :mrgreen:.
Very true, Jeff... :D
"Keep smiling, keep your mouth shut, and nobody gets hurt!" :mrgreen:
Don't bust Mike's chops...
'05 4003 BBR; '99 4001V63 FG; '96 4003S Trans Blue (custom refin from Paul W.)
Ivan3000
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Re: Confused

Post by Ivan3000 »

I need this book!
Did Paul switch the high gain back to a horseshoe?
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ken_j
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Re: Confused

Post by ken_j »

IvanMunoz wrote:I need this book!
Did Paul switch the high gain back to a horseshoe?
Yes. I believe it is a re-issue as used in a V63. It still retains the later surround from when the high gain was installed.
Ivan, read this: http://www.thecanteen.com/arnquist.html
"The best things in life aren't things."
Ivan3000
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Re: Confused

Post by Ivan3000 »

I've read this before, its pretty awsome!
Heres the article:

"It needed some help."
Mark Arnquist worked at the Rickenbacker factory "from July 1972 to October 1976. I was the lead man in charge of the area from when the instruments came into the finishing building until [owner] F.C. Hall picked them up in a van in the afternoon. I worked on most of the instruments to be repaired in that time frame, and if there was a need for structural or any fret work, I got the job.

"The P.M. bass came back to the factory prior to the 'Wings over America tour.' It needed some help. The original cast bridge was cracked, and the saddle assembly rattled and was sagging. The horseshoe magnets were dead. The coil was fine, but the cobalt magnets -- stone dead. The frets needed some serious dressing and a new nut. (He has played around with a zero fret extension over the years, and the bass originally had a stock nut) . . . The finish was nothing at all. It had the patina of dirty wood and sweat. It didn't stink of armpits, but it was not sealed, and we actually discussed sealing for him. We decided not to, as we were already doing work that was not asked for."

And then there was the do-it-yourself sanding job . . .

"The whole bass was not stripped by a professional at all. There were plenty of hack marks and sandpaper gouges . . . The horns just appeared to have been scraped and sanded too much. The front and the back were fairly well done but all of the edges and contours were done amateurishly . . . The bass was definitely his; the original Fire-glo was still in the routes, and under the pickguard there was still some finish."

The Rickenbacker doctors operate

"The team that worked on it was four guys: Arlo (given name Howard, I cannot rememmber his last name) in the electronics area; Joel Heline in check out; Gene Garbis in woodshop/fretting, and myself at the assembly bench and at the buffing area. We had a gathering of minds, and after sending the cobalt magnets out for charging we got the bad news that they would not hold a charge. Bill Myers (plant manager) gathered us and we discussed our options.

"We opted for a custom coil/pickup for 'The Man.' The idea was to overwind a stock coil for a 4001. This is what he got. The tailpiece was replaced with a new casted piece and saddle assembly. The saddles were cut/spaced using calipers, not the normal eyeball method, and the saddles were buffed to a high sheen. The fret work was done by Gene, and then I got the bass after it came back into the finishing building. I leveled and buffed them, then assembled it. Joel was the next to get it, and he made a bone nut for it. There were some blanks left over in Bill's desk, and one of them was used. Then it was filed and restrung with the strings that it came in with . . . [McCartney] only sent it in to get the horseshoe pickup fixed. We took it upon ourselves to do all this work.

"This group was really into this job. Lots of love and care went into what we did. After a few of the staff looked at it, Jim Ruthledge (the only lefty bassist in the factory) played it. He loved what we had done. And off it went."
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jps
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Re: Confused

Post by jps »

How I Did It!.jpg
:mrgreen:
RobRick
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Re: Confused

Post by RobRick »

What I always find interesting about the McCartney Rick story is that he was on a MAJOR tour of the USA, playing that bass, and it needed that much work? Seems the whole tour he played it jacked up, then got it "upgraded" for the last shows of the tour in LA. Why not take care of all that before the tour even started? Fascinating.
Ivan3000
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Re: Confused

Post by Ivan3000 »

Rob, Good Point! :mrgreen:
teeder
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Re: Confused

Post by teeder »

"The P.M. bass came back to the factory prior to the 'Wings over America tour.'
The idea was to overwind a stock coil for a 4001.
I wonder why they decided to "Overwind" a coil. That wouldn't be close to what the HS was. I wish they stated whether or not they left the cap in.

Pretty interesting!
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