As I have promised my wife we'd do a kitchen remodel, I need to free up some cash.
I totally love this Rickenfaker! It is one of my "go-to" basses and doesn't take a backseat to my Laklands or my Reverend.
It is a maple-glo 1976 Univox that is a super-faithful 4001 reproduction with stereo outputs, dual truss-rods, neck-thru, etc. I believe the body is maple and it weighs about 8.25lbs. She also comes with the original case. Nut is about 1.7" width but the neck profile is thin. As a "jazz-neck-only" kind of guy, this additional width really hasn't been a problem.
Of course, I couldn't leave well-enough alone and did the following mods:
1) Duncan replacement pickups (prior owner did the swap, actually) - still have the originals but don't see the need to put them back in (the original neck pickup needs to put back together as I took off the toaster cover to adapt it to the Duncan neck pickup and subsequently removed it from the Duncan as it interfered with the signal, but all the parts should still be around)
2) Hipshot replacement bridge (original is included but the Hipshot is far superior)
3) Rickenbacker wiring harness including the push-pull "vintage / modern" tone-pot (original is included)
4) jazz knobs (originals are included but 1 is cracked)
5) black pickguard (didn't like the white) and mirror Pickguardian bridge pickup cover/guard. (Original white pickguard and black Duncan pickup surround are included)
6) Wilkinson tuners (the original Grover waffle/box copies had some slop and are long gone)
7) "Rickenfaker" vinyl decal for the plastic headstock nameplate
This is an amazing bass that plays fantastically (lowest action of all my basses) and sounds huge, huge, huge! It looks great on stage and I've received many compliments about its tone.
Being that it is a 34-year-old bass, it does sport player wear (worming from belt buckles on the back, the binding has yellowed and some assorted minor dings and scrapes - nothing horribly ugly)
The biggest quirk is that the neck doesn't like strings that are more than 100's - I tend to stick to 95's to be safe (D'Addario EXL 220's or TI Jazz Rounds). Anything with higher tension and the truss-rods don't have the strength to counter the pull. And yes, I know how to adjust these.
Based on how amazing this bass sounds and plays and the work that has been done on it, I am asking what I believe to be an appropriate price (and less than what I have put into her):
$825 shipped in the continental US via paypal (e-check preferred). I can't go any lower than this as I'm already taking a huge hit on her - If I can't get this, I'll just continue to enjoy her.
I know some folks will state that you can buy a real Ric for that price - I agree that if you can find a Ric of this vintage that plays and sounds as well for a comparable price, you absolutely should snap it up - I know that I would. The only one that I played that I liked as much or more was a 1977 autumn-glo that was $2000.
The ONLY trades I would consider are:
1) Lakland Decade;
2) Burns / Baldwin Vista-Sonic hollowbody bass
3) vintage hollowbody (Fender Coronado, Guild Starfire, Ovation Typhoon, etc)
Any trade would have to be 9lbs and under.
Please feel free to shoot me any questions.
thanks!
Stephen
