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OMG Rickenbacker

#81
I’ve never understood certain components of the 4001/4003. Once they got rid of the functioning horseshoe pickup and replaced it with a ‘regular’ pickup, all the metal in the center of the instrument became superfluous. It’s like a gouge out of the wood, that they cover up with a railroad track. And that enormous gouge kinda obviates any of the advantages of the neck-thru construction. Speaking of covering, the instrument is made of beautiful maple - yet it’s almost entirely covered in that plastic monstrosity of a pickguard.

Which brings us to the subject of this thread. Whoever did this has carved away most of the remaining wood, leaving only the pickguard, the center railroad track, and an upper horn so a strap can be attached.

I would not pay $200 for that junk.
 
#84
Stewie.JPG
 
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#87
coyote1 said:
I’ve never understood certain components of the 4001/4003. Once they got rid of the functioning horseshoe pickup and replaced it with a ‘regular’ pickup, all the metal in the center of the instrument became superfluous. It’s like a gouge out of the wood, that they cover up with a railroad track. And that enormous gouge kinda obviates any of the advantages of the neck-thru construction. Speaking of covering, the instrument is made of beautiful maple - yet it’s almost entirely covered in that plastic monstrosity of a pickguard.

Which brings us to the subject of this thread. Whoever did this has carved away most of the remaining wood, leaving only the pickguard, the center railroad track, and an upper horn so a strap can be attached.

I would not pay $200 for that junk.
Click to expand...
The bridge pickup cover was clearly intended to mimic the look of the original Horseshoe pup. According to Ric, it serves some shielding function, but since it makes zero difference to the hum on or off....that dog don't hunt. It's a chromed plastic gewgaw, but some people like it as a hand rest. it serves the same function as the Ashtray covers on 7enders, which is to say, purely ornamental. Remember what hood ornaments looked like when this bass first came on the scene in the late 50's-early 60's. You can get a Treble Bezel to infill that gap now if, like ,most players, you immediately take it off. I have one of these on my Ric clone build:
The Original Treble Bezels By TubeAmpology
 

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