Real or fake Rickenbacker 4001?

[Claudio Pallone]

Hi guys ,

Could you be able to help me understand if this is a real Rickenbacker 4001?

Serial number dates it to 1977 and to me it sounds incredibly good but there s just something about it that doesn't convice me 100%..I m not expert you gotta understand...

Is there a sign that would tell me 100000% that this is an original?

All the help s appreciated!thanks in advance guys !

Here s some photos

 

[JKos]

Can't see any pictures.

- John

 

[Claudio Pallone]

Can't see any pictures.

- John

The link doesn't work ?

 

[Claudio Pallone]

Can't see any pictures.

- John

 

[RyanOh]

Your Google Drive link says "No preview available" to the rest of us.






Can you upload a few pictures to this thread? Post Reply, "Upload a File"------->

 

[Claudio Pallone]

Hi guys ,

Could you be able to help me understand if this is a real Rickenbacker 4001?

Serial number dates it to 1977 and to me it sounds incredibly good but there s just something about it that doesn't convice me 100%..I m not expert you gotta understand...

Is there a sign that would tell me 100000% that this is an original? I m planning to sell and don't wanna scam anyone

All the help s appreciated!thanks in advance guys !

Here s some photos

Now?

 

[RyanOh]

Woohoo a real 4001! (I'm no expert, wait for others to confirm.)

Nice bass. As a teen, I got to borrow one for a couple weeks...wish I opted to buy it.

 

[Claudio Pallone]

Woohoo a real 4001! (I'm no expert, wait for others to confirm.)

Nice bass. As a teen, I got to borrow one for a couple weeks...wish I opted to buy it.

Ohhh i hope it is haha
It does sounds really darn good

 

[nerkoids]

That's a real Ric. That, or a Japanese lawsuit version, although not likely - the Japanese often went with Gotoh tuners, and those definitely look like Schallers.

 

[Claudio Pallone]

Alright , start feeling better ! I was worried because other models I have seen had some text on the jack plate

 

[OzzyGreg]

Looks like the real deal to me.

 

[Claudio Pallone]

Alright will do that!

 

[ELG60]

No expert, but it looks legit. It's probable that the jack-plate lettering was worn off/destroyed at some point in the intervening 42 some-odd years since manufacture. Polishing compound, perhaps.

 

[skygzr]

Didn't know Ric did skunk-stripe bodies in that era, but I'm no expert. Everything else looks authentic. If its a Fakenbacker, its a good one.

 

[Dirk Diggler]

Real deal no doubt, I had a '79 that looked just like it.
Definitely the '79 had the 3 piece neck (skunk stripe).

Enjoy it!
Dirk

 

[KeepItMoving]

If the seller will let you take the pickguard off, you can check the wiring channels in the body. Back in the day, Rickenbacker made the channels by drilling a series of shallow holes, one next to the other, rather than using a router. I was amazed to see that on my '74 4001; it looks like something a junior high school kid would do, but that's how they did it. A very well-respected luthier in my area told me that's how he checks the authenticity of old Ric basses. I'm not sure when they stopped doing it that way.

 

[MotorCityMinion]

Strap button hole on the lower horn and the modified nut would indicate that Sir Paul owned this once.

 

[callofcthulhu]

The lack of lettering on the jackplate is a concern, especially since the serial number looks so immaculate (i.e. not also subjected to the wear that may have erased the “standard” and “rick-o-sound” labels).

Not unheard of, but a concern.

Everything else looks pretty on the nose for late 70s.

 

[Pimpernel Smith]

Yes, it looks just like the one that I had from that era.

 

[Dabndug]

It's legit! The hardware is genuine and consistent with a late '70s 4001. The printing on the jack plate often wears off, so no worries there. The skunk stripe was around from '72 to the demise of the 4001 in the early-mid '80s. The inlays and colour of the fretboard are also indicative of this being genuine.