Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hello Fellow Rickenbackerians,
I recently bought a very nice '72 4000 via RRF,and have to say it is a lovely bass overall.
It has the 3-piece neck through construction,and was not factory routed for a neck pickup,so it also has a great,solid straight neck with no angle issues.
I am giving some consideration to the idea of changing that....i really like the idea of adding a neck toaster to this bass.
Some of the things i wonder about are:
Is there a more learned way of creating the necessary cavity (and wiring channel) for the pickup that won't negatively affect the join area?
I would more than likely want the 1/2" spacing,but am open to the idea of the 1" if it would be better for the neck.
Is this just a bad idea to do this to a relatively pristine and rare instrument,or does it just convert it to another semi rare instrument? (NT 4001S). Resale value is fairly important here.
The bass also has the original era frets,which i've always thought were a bit on the wimpy side. I like the fretwire size that comes on the 4004 models,and when i had my (necessary) refret done to my '74,i went with a slightly heavier fretwire,which has resulted in that bass being a real player.
I never for a moment considered adding a neck pickup to my set neck 4000,but with this one,i am entertaing the idea.
Thoughts?

woodyng wrote:...a very nice '72 4000... has a great,solid straight neck with no angle issues. I am giving some consideration to the idea of changing that....

woodyng wrote:Resale value is fairly important here.
Thoughts?

Do nothing.

PM your way Woody...

jps wrote:

woodyng wrote:...a very nice '72 4000... has a great,solid straight neck with no angle issues. I am giving some consideration to the idea of changing that....

Well i don't want to bend the neck,Jeff!

jps wrote:

woodyng wrote:Resale value is fairly important here.
Thoughts?

Do nothing.

And your reasons for your statement.....?
I tend to think a 2-pickup Rick is the more desired version among most Buyers....

woodyng wrote:Is this just a bad idea to do this to a relatively pristine and rare instrument...?

woodyng wrote:And your reasons for your statement.....?
I tend to think a 2-pickup Rick is the more desired version among most Buyers....

See bolded part above.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You will ruin one of the most collectible basses ever made.

Pics?

Pics are on the RRF register,LD 389.
I am pretty sure it is a refin,if that matters in this discussion.
When i say it is pristine,i don't necessarily mean original.
I do have the original pickguard,higain pickup,and wiring harness from it,but none of it is in the bass at the moment,having been replaced with a clear,back painted Pickguardian pg,a Rick HB1 pickup,and the appropriate 500 k pots and .22 orange cap. All of which i would have to switch back out again if i were to carry through the conversion to a 4001s. (Actually i guess i would need another new pickguard,new 2 pickup wiring harness,and of course an appropriate toaster pickup).
So,for me that would also necessitate a least several 700-800 mile roundtrips to either the Bay Area or Portland....it's a big investment in time,as well as money.....

iiipopes wrote:NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You will ruin one of the most collectible basses ever made.

I like your enthusiasm,Young Man!

Oh brother Woody . . . hope that I can find the cash to buy it back from you !

Well,guys,don't get too excited about this...(too late? ).
It's just me having my usual "what if" ideas......
I do like the bass as it currently is,but just mulling over the idea of what would it take to find a similar vintage NT 4001S?
And how much might that cost,if you could find a good example?

Given the points i made in my last post,it's a long shot at this point,unless i were to think about selling others in my little group to finance it,and that idea is pretty hard to make happen,too.

Hmm, I'm torn on this one. Yes, the 4000 is iconic and pretty damn rare. The neck pup does really do a lot to increase the versatility of the 4001. Damn, glad I'm not making this call.

If it helps, whatever method you use to add a neck pup will carve into a pretty rare instrument. Whatever mods you make will be permanent. Also, I doubt you will be able to locate the properly dated pots in order to "do this conversion 100% right" and potentially make your investment more valuable.

Honestly, while I'd be tempted, I doubt I'd do what you are thinking. I just landed a very nice Burgundyglo early 1973 4001 with all the nice features. It was not overly expensive but it took me a while to find what i was looking for. The color and condition had to be right. If I were you, I'd hold off and find a nice un-screwed with 4001 with the features you are looking for. In the end, resale, which always has to factor into the decision, will be better than a modded piece.

Oh wait, nevermind. I see you are looking for an "S" bass in the early configuration. Hmm, that is a game changer. Perhaps a 4003 "S" and mod it?? How about a v63??

Sepp

Dont do it!!!!!!!!!