Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I've shown these to other forums without much success; please check the photos below.

Purchased from a friend about 10 years ago, the jack and pots date to Oct 73; it was painted (badly) with red spray paint, which I stripped...this is the result.
it has been smashed and glued, then presumably rebuilt with some 73 metalwork....but what date is the woodwork.
I met a collector who thought it was comparable to his 64, round drill routing, 3 hole bridge, no heel at headstock....
Any thoughts?
Thanks
R

Welcome Richard,

Please post a picture of the neck joint at the back. The heel changed shape in the mid '60's.

Here's the back view.

And, that's no October '73 era, either.

What's with the funky lower wing? Looks like someone ran it through a table saw and other weird things?

Yes; its been smashed. The crack runs the length of the body, and there's a small wedge of wood filling a gap by the neck.
Here's a pic of pot and pup.

Interesting one for sure, looks like it's had a rough life.

I'm no expert on the basses per se, but I believe the neck heel changed from square like that to round in mid-1964, along the same timeline as the guitar models. So it appears to be an early '64 body.

Nice score though! (Is it for sale? Had to ask...)

Not for sale; about to take it on tour; currently trying to sort out the intonation.

Not an expert, but that fingerboard looks like a replacement. The grain pattern doesn't look like bubinga which was typical at the time.

I agree; that looks more like EIR.

I'm no expert on the basses per se, but I believe the neck heel changed from square like that to round in mid-1964, along the same timeline as the guitar models. So it appears to be an early '64 body.

+1

Not an expert, but that fingerboard looks like a replacement. The grain pattern doesn't look like bubinga which was typical at the time.

At least they used the correct number of position markers.

It's cool that you're fixing it up!

The neck finish has been removed,which I prefer, but it is in pretty good condition for it's age, so possibly it has been replaced.

I'm having trouble intonating; I've filed away some of the saddle to get some extra backward movement, which has helped, but despite several attempts at setting the neck to dead straight (the rods and frets look fine) I cannot get the 19th fret on the G string to ring properly.

I'm waiting for a new set of TI flats to arrive before having another go; I broke an A string so currently have 3 TI flats and one Crome, which has messed with the relief.

BTW, what is EIR ?

bassduke49 wrote:Not an expert, but that fingerboard looks like a replacement. The grain pattern doesn't look like bubinga which was typical at the time.

First off, you literally "wrote the book" on this subject, so are you an expert or not?

Secondly, good eye on the grain pattern, but the inlays look a little large as well, compared to typical Rickenbacker dot inlays for the time. I wouldn't count out the grain pattern automatically (as Bubinga does vary), but a closer photo or two would tell us a lot.

As requested..

The center hole of the three where the tailpiece mounting screws are is centered between the other two like the holes are for the zinc tailpiece. The center hole in the bridge pocket in the old cast aluminum tailpieces was off center to the right. I'm wondering if this is a V63. Knowing which truss rod design is in his bass would help a lot.

corduroyboy wrote:...what is EIR ?

East Indian Rosewood.