Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Wednesday….

Here are the odd features on my new 1979 4001FL

E and G tunas factory installed upside down.

I guess aesthetically it makes sense.

Seller says there are no other holes to indicate they were ever installed correctly.

Serial number plate was silk screened upside down and only the year indicator is present.

This one was not in the registry, what do y’all think of the anomalous nature of this beast?

Do you have more pictures?

teeder wrote: Tue Feb 20, 2024 9:19 am Do you have more pictures?

I do but they are too large to upload, once the register is approved there are a bunch there!

shes' in transit a couple states away.... but still says delivery tomorrow....

WillyWonka wrote: Tue Feb 20, 2024 2:25 pm

teeder wrote: Tue Feb 20, 2024 9:19 am Do you have more pictures?

I do but they are too large to upload, once the register is approved there are a bunch there!

shes' in transit a couple states away.... but still says delivery tomorrow....

You don't have a means of resizing the files?

jps wrote: Tue Feb 20, 2024 2:31 pm

WillyWonka wrote: Tue Feb 20, 2024 2:25 pm

teeder wrote: Tue Feb 20, 2024 9:19 am Do you have more pictures?

I do but they are too large to upload, once the register is approved there are a bunch there!

shes' in transit a couple states away.... but still says delivery tomorrow....

You don't have a means of resizing the files?

It's just a huge pain, feels like dial up all over again...

WillyWonka wrote: Tue Feb 20, 2024 7:16 pmIt's just a huge pain, feels like dial up all over again...

Thanks for your dial-up service!

Very nice figuring on that bass.

jps wrote: Tue Feb 20, 2024 8:28 pm

WillyWonka wrote: Tue Feb 20, 2024 7:16 pmIt's just a huge pain, feels like dial up all over again...

Thanks for your dial-up service!

Very nice figuring on that bass.

I'm not much of a fan of "pretty" wood usually, but I think I can make an exception for this one.

"preparing for delivery" uhhgggg I think I'm taking half a day off today, and it probably won't be delivered until 9pm.....

has a new set of D'addario flats on it, I'll give it a cursory trial with those, but I'll most likely go with my usual nickle rounds very quickly.

I have thought of trying tapewounds like Chris Brubeck, but I dunno..... maybe....

Do you know what gauge Chromes are on it? I always read about their being on the heavy side, but I use a very light set that feels really nice (40-55-75-95). They have been on a few Ricks of mine over the years.

jps wrote: Wed Feb 21, 2024 12:16 pm Do you know what gauge Chromes are on it? I always read about their being on the heavy side, but I use a very light set that feels really nice (40-55-75-95). They have been on a few Ricks of mine over the years.

I do not know much about chromes, my usual flats are Pyramid gold and they are I believe 105-45.

My usual rounds are nickle SIT or EB 95-40 IIRC

Chrome flats are/were 100-80-65-45.

As usual I just couldn’t do flats on a fretless.

EB extra slinky 95-70-60-40 rule the roost.

The bass-akwards tunas are messing with my head, gut I do believe they are reverse tuners to begin with.

And one of the tunas is bad but functional for now. So I’ll have to secure a replacement.

One of the truss rods is bent and something goofy with the end but relief is good with the strings that are on it.

There are dots on the binding where every fret would be and that’s a bit unnerving but I have a sticker trick I’ll use to reduce confusion.

The bridge wasn’t intonated at all so I fixed that.

I think it’s been handled and stored more than played but I’ll fix that too.

I was afraid to ask the seller the weight because I did not want an answer I didn’t like, since FL’s don’t grow on trees… I would just live with whatever I got…


8.9lbs! Dodged a bullet there!

And of course I plugged it in and was like ****! The neck pickup doesn’t work!


Hate the ric-o-jack…. I think I’ll duct tape over that sumbich…

fracking hell this sounds glorious!

I can't make out the date codes on the potentiometers ... do they match up with the putative date code on the jack plate?

FWIW, I had a similarly anomalous mid-to-late-70s bass, a 4001 in Walnut. The jackplate had only a date code, no number:
IIRC, the jack plate date code did not match up with the date codes on the potentiometers on mine. I felt that the replacement jack plate on mine was indicative of something "not quite right" about it, so I got a Harbor Freight lettering set and stamped XXXX where the number would have been to deflect future misinterpretations.

doctorwho wrote: Thu Feb 22, 2024 2:20 am I can't make out the date codes on the potentiometers ... do they match up with the putative date code on the jack plate?

FWIW, I had a similarly anomalous mid-to-late-70s bass, a 4001 in Walnut. The jackplate had only a date code, no number:

P8240032.JPG

IIRC, the jack plate date code did not match up with the date codes on the potentiometers on mine. I felt that the replacement jack plate on mine was indicative of something "not quite right" about it, so I got a Harbor Freight lettering set and stamped XXXX where the number would have been to deflect future misinterpretations.

Ohh yeah I didn’t bother to look at the date codes, I’ll do that tomorrow. I don’t think I have owned anything before where the year was uncertain so I’m not used to doing that.

It has the silver/grey and black tolex case.

I’m not well versed on when those were used.

jps wrote: Wed Feb 21, 2024 12:16 pm Do you know what gauge Chromes are on it? I always read about their being on the heavy side, but I use a very light set that feels really nice (40-55-75-95). They have been on a few Ricks of mine over the years.

I have Chromes on my V63, which sounds great!

teeder wrote: Thu Feb 22, 2024 9:39 am

jps wrote: Wed Feb 21, 2024 12:16 pm Do you know what gauge Chromes are on it? I always read about their being on the heavy side, but I use a very light set that feels really nice (40-55-75-95). They have been on a few Ricks of mine over the years.

I have Chromes on my V63, which sounds great!

I put the chromes in the case with my 95 4003, but I doubt I'll ever use them as I already have optima flats on it.

flats on fretted, rounds on fretless and never the twain shall meet