Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

This might be a stupid question, but I'm trying to get a Rickie Bass and I'm wondering if there is a specific difference between the models 4001V64 and the modern 4001C64/S (I heard the S model has a zero fret). This is my first post. Thanks

Welcome, Dave.

The principal "vintage" models that Rickenbacker has produced since 1984 are the 4001V63 which was superseded by the 4001C64 and C64S in 2002. The main physical difference is the "upside down" headstock of the C64/C64S series. Without mentioning Beatles and Paul McCartney, RIC produced the C64 series to emulate PM's original 4001S bass that was issued to him in 1964. At that time (and into the 1980s) lefty basses were built with stock necks with standard headstock wings. While the body wings were flipped around on lefties, the headstock wings were not, so they looked "upside down" to right-handers. So for righties, the headstock wings of the C64 were flipped to look like a mirror image of PM's famous Rick. Follow?

The C64S is a bit different than the C64 as it emulates the rough sanding job that PM did on his bass that knocked down the sharp points of the body wings' cresting waves. The C64S also has slightly different hardware, following the parts that were replaced on PM's bass during a famous service call.

The V63 models have the "rightside up" headstock and reissue "vintage" pickups, no binding, dot position markers, and other features similar to the 4001S from the early/mid 1960s. The V63 was the vintage base made from 1984 to 2002.

Thank you very much for the information! I currently own a Rickenbacker 360V64 and I'm hoping once I reach the minimum posts on here I can trade it for either one of those models. I only play bass professionally now, so I want to play a bass of the same quality!