Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

4001 and/or 4003....
Ruby or Fire Engine red,..and checker board binding.

What years of production have these features together ?
KSL in Nova Scotia, Canada

According to Paul Boyer's book, checkerboard binding ended long before the first Ruby or Red basses were made. Maybe there were some specials or limited editions, but good luck tracking one down! If you're really set on this combination, maybe you can find a 4001 with original checkerboard binding and get it refinished, or customize a 4003.

I'm partial to FireGlo myself but probably just because that's what I have.

Yeah, except for some special runs recently (exclusively for the Japanese and German markets) checkered binding was done with in 1973 (I think). Someone could probably be more precise - I might be overlooking something - but it's not been anything common for a loooooong time.

The recent runs might have had a red or ruby finish, but they also had mirrored pickguards. And were pricey.

Yeah, in general, the checker binding on bases went away in 1973 -- except for the 4002 model, the 4003 Shadow which was made for Guitar Center in 1986, and the 4004LK Lemmy. Now, recently, RIC has produced special-order runs of basses with checker binding for Japanese dealers and a Fire-engine red with checker binding for the German market.

Ruby was reintroduced in 2012 but is not accompanied by checker binding.

Digimart.net is a Japanese site somewhat like reverb.com and base.com.

There are two Ruby 4003 with checkerboard binding on the site at the moment - note, however, that these appear to have already been sold:

http://www.digimart.net/cat03/shop28/DS03141294/ - no price shown

and here:

http://www.digimart.net/cat03/shop28/DS02597633/ - JPY 283,500 = $2,338.47

As noted by bassduke49, these are a "Limited" run and have a mirror pick guard. If you don't mind (or are willing to change) the mirror pick guard, they are pretty!

I thought checked binding was a brief option in the early 1980s. I have certainly seen it on a few guitars in that era.

Both 4003 and 4001 basses were being made in 1980 to 1984ish. If the TRC has a model number on it it will likely be in this era as well.

Sharing the SN (and posting images of the bass) speeds up these kinds of questions.

I always start with those letters and numbers on the jackplate where the bass plugs in. You will learn a lot by searching similar instruments in the register here.

Burgundy (and Ruby) were both finishes in that era. Burgundy sometimes gets confused for Ruby. So it could even be an early 70s one.

Fire Alarm Red in 4003 basses (with Checkered binding) was a special order for the German RIC distributor in week 27 of 2014. If it is brand new if is likely to be one of the batch of 50 of these made then.
http://www.rickresource.com/register/vi ... lebrity%3D

Checker binding MAY have been an off-price-list option for those who might want to pay extra for it, but I was never able to determine if that option was available, or when, or for how much. Checker binding didn't go away all together on the guitar models, though. I believe the 660 always had it, and the 381.

bassduke49 wrote:I believe the 660 always had it, and the 381.

Correctamundo

bassduke49 wrote:Checker binding MAY have been an off-price-list option for those who might want to pay extra for it, but I was never able to determine if that option was available, or when, or for how much. Checker binding didn't go away all together on the guitar models, though. I believe the 660 always had it, and the 381.

The earliest example I can think of was Carla Olsen's (now stolen) Azureglo 620 from 1980.

She had it built for her and asked F.C. Hall for checkered binding. She told me on Facebook that Hall looked around the factory and managed to find some left over from the 1960s in storage. So hers became the first to have it again since the early 1970s.

Again the memory is hazy - but I seem to recall one 360WB circa 1982 on Ebay that had it as well about 5 years back... It was for but a single year in the early 1980s - (1981 or 1982?? from hazy memory)) on the price list as an available option.

It is not likely many were made that way -as it was an upcharge - but it is at least possible that a few basses were done as well.

I am keen to learn more about the bass that Stuart - the OP above - was asking about.

To the Original Post person........you are in Nova Scotia.

What a GREAT place on Earth!!!!!! My family used to have a house in Cheticamp, Cape Breton. Wow, what a beautiful place!!!!!!!
Been there about 5-6 times.......it's a whole other world


(Sorry for the hijack.)

Thanks for your comments about Nova Scotia,..I agree with you.

I am looking for Ruby or Burgundy, and was simply hoping for checkerboard. But alas, it appears this won't happen.

audiorep2 wrote:Thanks for your comments about Nova Scotia,..I agree with you.

I am looking for Ruby or Burgundy, and was simply hoping for checkerboard. But alas, it appears this won't happen.

Burgundy is possible. Pre-early 1973 4001 is what you want to get the CB. 4001 basses in Burgundy were made 1967 through 1984 though they are not as common as JG, MG and FG..

Sepp sold his 1968 example to Geddy Lee who used it on the last RUSH tour. There is a thread about that here (and the restoration) if you search.

Burgundy is possible. Pre-early 1973 4001 is what you want to get the CB. 4001 basses in Burgundy were made 1967 through 1984 though they are not as common as JG, MG and FG..

Here is a '71 21 fretter with Burgundy & Checker binding, that I had for a while.

I just happened to notice that over on another forum where people "talk" about "bass" there's a listing in the classifieds for a "Fire Alarm Red" 4003 with checkerboard binding (one of those specials). Pricey, but it looks really nice.

Well, I decided to buy just a mundane 2002 Fireglow from Sam Ash Music.