Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Kind of stinks. I have no idea of the serial number.

All I can tell you is I purchased it in June of 1979 .It was probably ordered a couple of months earlier(so it might have been a 78), and delivered to King James Music in Brooklyn.

Jetglo,it had a Badass II bridge installed by Ken Smith and a brass nut. There are definitely some identifiable marking which if I saw, I would recognize.

I traded it in during the mid 80s at Norms Music in Brooklyn for a 75 P Bass (that receipt I actually have).

Nothing else to go on . Any Ric detectives with ideas let me know.

Have you checked with Geddy, yet?

No but, this is all his fault. If it wasn't for him I would not have bought this bass, and made those mods

If this was really Geddy's fault, when you traded the 4001 away in the mid '80s you would have bought a Wal or Steinberger.

Put a filter on ebay so they will contact you when new basses come up matching your target year. Be sure to check Gbase, at least weekly. Check craigslist nationwide with sites like Crazedlist. Reach out to dealers that have large used stock or that visit guitar shows regularly. Put a $300 cash bounty on it with those details, old west style. That may be enough for stick in someones memory to look for a brass nut or badass bridge on a '79 Jetglo. Put up a bulletin on a few other forums, maybe TGP, OSG, BGC and MLP.

Do you have any old photos of it?

My profile pic is that bass. Unfortunately I don't think I have any pics with the mods done.

Not quite sure I'd offer a bounty for it but, I'm curious to what became of it.

I haven't heard of someone offering a bounty before, but it's an idea that occurred to me. Maybe a lower amount. It's a long shot because chances are, the bass is owned by someone who really enjoys it. But anything is possible, and they say everything is for sale at the right price.

You have to find the SN somewhere... Without it - making sure it was yours is darn near impossible...

Did you send the warranty card to RIC in 79?? Is the store still in business? Can you find the sales receipt somehow?

Your bass was likely from late 78
http://www.rickresource.com/register/in ... 78&order=5
or very early 79
http://www.rickresource.com/register/in ... 79&order=5

Start looking at the pictures... See if you recall any identifying features... cracks bumps, scrapes

Set up an ebay search for "Rickenbacker" and "1979 or 1978"

Here's one to look at..

http://www.ebay.com/itm/vintage-1979-Ri ... 41629ca38d


In the end you may have to just settle for one of similar vintage...

Well the store still seems to there...

KING JAMES MUSIC 2352 Flatbush Ave Brooklyn, NY 11234-5095 Phone: 718-377-8532

How long ago since they were a RIC dealership? They are not on the current list.

Hope you find it....
I found mine but Wints is never going to let that baby go!

Maybe RIC would have a record of the serial, like Brian suggested. I think it's more likely they would have the shipping papers than the music store would.

Ontario_RIC_fan wrote:You have to find the SN somewhere... Without it - making sure it was yours is darn near impossible...

Did you send the warranty card to RIC in 79?? Is the store still in business? Can you find the sales receipt somehow?

Your bass was likely from late 78
http://www.rickresource.com/register/in ... 78&order=5
or very early 79
http://www.rickresource.com/register/in ... 79&order=5

Start looking at the pictures... See if you recall any identifying features... cracks bumps, scrapes

Set up an ebay search for "Rickenbacker" and "1979 or 1978"

Here's one to look at..

http://www.ebay.com/itm/vintage-1979-Ri ... 41629ca38d


In the end you may have to just settle for one of similar vintage...

I never sent in the warranty card, unfortunately I was a misguided youth at that point.

Interesting when I look at the 78s and 79s in the register, I don't see one with a badass bridge or brass nut. So many people that had Rics did that in those days made those two mods.Just guessing and adding to the frustration, whoever got it, probably made more mods (and probably paid around $250 for the bass from Norm's Music)

Serial number or not, unless the bass was refinished, I could definitely identify it.

So Brian, you're saying I could possibly contact Ric to help me find the serial number? King James does not exist. Ken, the owner sold it years ago. Last time I was on that part of Flatbush Ave there was a store called Kings Music there but, even that was years ago.The attached receipt is from when I traded it in

Ontario_RIC_fan wrote:You have to find the SN somewhere... Without it - making sure it was yours is darn near impossible...

Did you send the warranty card to RIC in 79?? Is the store still in business? Can you find the sales receipt somehow?

Your bass was likely from late 78
http://www.rickresource.com/register/in ... 78&order=5
or very early 79
http://www.rickresource.com/register/in ... 79&order=5

Start looking at the pictures... See if you recall any identifying features... cracks bumps, scrapes

Set up an ebay search for "Rickenbacker" and "1979 or 1978"

Here's one to look at..

http://www.ebay.com/itm/vintage-1979-Ri ... 41629ca38d


In the end you may have to just settle for one of similar vintage...

...this eBay item is from 1974, quite surely!

heinpete wrote:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/vintage-1979-Ri ... 41629ca38d


...this eBay item is from 1974, quite surely!

Really? What gives it away as not being from 1979?

If you had filled in the Warranty Card - it would have been an easier thing to know the SN - because your name would have been on file... Without that it gets much harder.

In the Archive at RIC would be the sales receipts - likely still in paper form. Assuming that King James Music was a RIC dealer - (and that the bass wasn't just a newish trade in from a customer) - Rickenbacker would know what instruments they shipped to the store in 1978/79...

Other bad news is that JG 4001s were their most popular model at the time.. I would not be surprised if 3 to 8 of them might have been shipped out in a calender year to a mid sized music retailer... But you might be able to narrow it down to a few possible SNs.

I would try the music store owner first - his name came up when i googled the store.

It is a long shot - but if you are serious about it....

You could also contact Norm's Music to see if they noted the SN down when they sold the bass in 1984.. A long shot but worth a try...

Sadly no mention of the SN on your exchange receipt...