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Rickenbacker 4001/3 bridge unit (not tailpiece) wanted
Posted: Wed May 27, 2026 12:19 pm
by henry5
Hi, does anyone have a used Ric 4001/3 bridge unit (preferably with saddles but ok without) going spare that they’d be interested in selling? I don’t need the tailpiece, just the bridge unit. It’s for an aluminium tailpiece routed for a later (wider) bridge unit. I’ve put this in ‘Rickenbackers wanted’, but I’m not sure many people visit there anymore. I hope it’s not a problem me posting it here too.
Thanks in advance.
Re: Rickenbacker 4001/3 bridge unit (not tailpiece) wanted
Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2026 1:35 pm
by rickenbrother
Any luck finding one?
Re: Rickenbacker 4001/3 bridge unit (not tailpiece) wanted
Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2026 2:42 pm
by henry5
Not so far…I might check Reverb. Amazing how new replacements seem to have disappeared. I know they’re no longer in production but there always seemed to be some available…until they weren’t.
Good luck, Shaun. I suspect you will find what you seek, sooner or later.
Re: Rickenbacker 4001/3 bridge unit (not tailpiece) wanted
Posted: Sat Jun 06, 2026 4:08 pm
by rickenbrother
henry5 wrote: Fri Jun 05, 2026 2:42 pm
I know they’re no longer in production but there always seemed to be some available…until they weren’t.
That's happened to me many times with all kinds of products that I know are available but as soon as I consider buying one, they're gone.
Good luck with your search.
Re: Rickenbacker 4001/3 bridge unit (not tailpiece) wanted
Posted: Sun Jun 07, 2026 7:40 am
by henry5
Thanks Joey. Makes me wish I’d stocked up on stuff along the way, just in case, but hindsight is a wonderful thing, right?
Re: Rickenbacker 4001/3 bridge unit (not tailpiece) wanted
Posted: Sun Jun 07, 2026 12:17 pm
by rickenbrother
Perhaps someone who has installed the new-style tailpiece on their Rick wouldn't mind selling the old bridge.
Re: Rickenbacker 4001/3 bridge unit (not tailpiece) wanted
Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2026 11:47 am
by Uffingdon
Not sure if this would be of interest to you but I came across this bridge unit on Project Guitar Parts in the UK who sell Hofner parts as well as vintage parts for many brands.
It looks like something that has been cobbled together but to me at least the bridge unit looks like a genuine RIC part of some age.
Re: Rickenbacker 4001/3 bridge unit (not tailpiece) wanted
Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2026 2:09 pm
by henry5
Thanks, I’ll have a look at that. I’ve never heard of them before.
Re: Rickenbacker 4001/3 bridge unit (not tailpiece) wanted
Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2026 2:27 pm
by henry5
After looking at one of mine, it looks like someone has had some big old strings on that! I’m wondering if the height adjustment screws will be the correct size too, or if they’ve been replaced…hmm. Might be worth a punt, possibly.
Re: Rickenbacker 4001/3 bridge unit (not tailpiece) wanted
Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2026 1:22 am
by Uffingdon
Looking again I wonder if the wooden bridge base has been shaped to fit in the route for where the tailpiece would have sat?
Re: Rickenbacker 4001/3 bridge unit (not tailpiece) wanted
Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2026 1:40 am
by jps
Uffingdon wrote: Tue Jun 09, 2026 1:22 am
Looking again I wonder if the wooden bridge base has been shaped to fit in the route for where the tailpiece would have sat?
If so it would have made the saddles sit rather high.
Re: Rickenbacker 4001/3 bridge unit (not tailpiece) wanted
Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2026 8:27 am
by Uffingdon
“If so it would have made the saddles sit rather high“
Agreed, maybe I should explain a bit of my thinking it’s just an idea though. Maybe the original tailpiece folded itself in half (it happens right) from string tension and the work around was to remove it and place the bridge unit/wooden base in the route of the body then simply use a stop tailpiece to anchor the strings to get by?
Back in the 70’s/80’s it was almost impossible to get parts for Rickenbacker’s (Wing Amplification Ltd) in the UK and I’m talking from personal experience.
Re: Rickenbacker 4001/3 bridge unit (not tailpiece) wanted
Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2026 9:53 am
by henry5
I contacted them but it had already gone.
Re: Rickenbacker 4001/3 bridge unit (not tailpiece) wanted
Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2026 11:26 am
by jps
Uffingdon wrote: Tue Jun 09, 2026 8:27 am
“If so it would have made the saddles sit rather high“
Agreed, maybe I should explain a bit of my thinking it’s just an idea though. Maybe the original tailpiece folded itself in half (it happens right) from string tension and the work around was to remove it and place the bridge unit/wooden base in the route of the body then simply use a stop tailpiece to anchor the strings to get by?
Back in the 70’s/80’s it was almost impossible to get parts for Rickenbacker’s (Wing Amplification Ltd) in the UK and I’m talking from personal experience.
Possibly. It is certainly a better solution than the large piece of wood that Jon Camp used that he replace his bridge with on his old white '74 4001. Fortunately, a subsequent owner corrected that silly idea.
Re: Rickenbacker 4001/3 bridge unit (not tailpiece) wanted
Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2026 11:54 am
by maxwell
I do not have a Ric bass, nor do I know anything about them. But when this thread first appeared I did a simple search and this was on top of the search results:
https://babiczguitarsusa.snappages.site ... ***-bridge
I mean, if a Genuine RIC bridge is unavailable and if the alternative is a copy of some sort, then maybe this could be considered. If it is totally inappropriate, re-read my opening statement.