Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

As I gear up to buy a fretless I am trying to get an idea of the price range for a 4001/3 and other Rick fretlesses.
You dont see that many for sale on the bay or here and it might be as easy to order a new one ..can you guys give me some idea of prices?

i'm not sure if they're actually "going" for it, but ebay sellers seem to have a pretty high price point for fretless Ric's,usually $2k and up....for that kind of price you could buy a 4001/3 and have it defretted,and still save some bucks.

I would expect to pay just slightly more than a comparable 4001 or 4003 unless it is a vintage or finish that is generally less sought-after, or there is something going on with the condition that drives people away (like a giant P Bass pickup rout). And in rare cases it will be a really good example of a fretless that is also a sought after vintage and that will drive the value up even more but I haven't seen many examples of that.

Example 1: I paid $1400 for my fretted 4003 but I had to pay almost full price to get my 4003FL around the same time, I believe it was just over $1800. This example may be a bit extreme because I bought my 4003FL after the hiatus announcement and dealers knew they could drive up the price.

Example 2: My 1976 4001FL was pretty banged up from the previous owner, so even though it was a great bass with WHT/BT features I still snagged it for just $800. And it's my favorite bass lately, but I'm not a collector either.

A beat up one would do for me!
Give you $850?
Still shows there are bargains out there.
Dont fancy de-fretting a 4003 really.(imagine the stick I would get for having a FL with lines!)
Just looked at an Epiphone EB3 not a bad substitute for a Guild JS2 (which is on the track I am using it for) and at £200 I could de-fret that with no worries.
Best FL I have seen so far was the jetglo 1972 over there in the States but way too pricey for my budget.
Theres no hurry so something might turn.