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Value of Rickenbacker 3001

S

s-curl

Mar 16, 2006
36
0
Los Angeles, CA
#1
A good friend of mine has a Rickenbacker 3001 from the late 70's (the only years they were produced). This is similar to the short scale 3000, but it's a full-33.5". It's super heavy and is one of the loudest basses I've ever heard. One passive pu that is way hotter than my US Deluxe Jazz w/ a brand new battery. I guess it's like a P-Bass comp.

The problem is he might be interested in selling it, and we can't find one for sale anywhere to judge the value against. There's posts on Harmony-Central by people who claim selling theirs was a big mistake and have been looking for a replacement.

It's in great condition. Minor play wear. Not a scratch that penetrates the finish. Off white, w/ a black pickguard & rosewood fretboard.

Anybody seen one in their local music store? There hasn't been one on ebay for the past couple months.
 
#3
Quite a few have popped up Ebay, especially recently. Here's the list:

Year Color DateSold Price
1976 Autumnglo 06/17/2004 $917.05
1977 Walnut 09/21/2004 $560.00
1976 Jetglo 11/01/2004 $963.00
1976 Autumnglo 11/12/2004 $785.00
1978 Walnut 12/15/2004 $701.50
1977 Fireglo 12/19/2004 $591.34
1977 Fireglo 02/05/2005 $1,032.00
1979 Autumnglo 02/13/2005 $760.00
1977 Autumnglo 02/16/2005 $850.00
1978 Autumnglo 02/19/2005 $820.00
1974 Mapleglo 03/06/2005 $800.00
1977 Mapleglo 03/06/2005 $460.00
Autumnglo 04/11/2005 $716.00
Autumnglo 05/31/2005 $500.00
Burgandy 08/28/2005 $800.00
1980 Autumnglo 08/29/2005 $860.00
1978 Autumnglo 09/09/2005 $1,025.00
1976 Autumnglo 10/16/2005 $1,290.00
Mapleglo 12/18/2005 $680.00
1976 Jetglo 01/19/2006 $760.00
1976 Jetglo 02/12/2006 $700.00
1976 Burgandy 02/12/2006 $1,425.99
 
#5
Nice record keeping BlueFlameRick!

Those used to be had on the cheap, due to the fact that it was an entry level bass for Rickenbacker: bolt on neck, no binding, single pickup, mono, etc. Also they're not as elegant as the more familiar 4000 series. I picked my 1978 3001 up back in 1994 for $350. Aside from the weight, I love that bass. It records great.
There's been a slight resurgence in popularity for those basses recently. Of course Mani plays one, & the bassist from the Arctic Monkeys played one on SNL about 2 weeks ago.
They were produced from 75-84 then gave way to the "modern" version which was the two pick-up 2000 series.

I'd say fair market value is about $750 max. But then again - it's worth as much as someone is willing to pay for it...
 

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