Ric5
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- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
- 30,452
- Disclosures
- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
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Rickenbacker 4000 Worth
- Thread starter tkcthulu
- Start date
That is a really nice one,refin or not,i suspect its original because it seems to have ambered the way old ric finishes do. To me,it easily looks worth the $ on the condition alone. You will be missing the boominess of the 2nd pickup at first,but setting up your amp controls will more than make up for it-these basses have a really marvelous tone from the 1 pickup. I would ask seller to confirm that there is no neck pickup routing under the pickguard,too.
godofthunder59
Life is short, buy the bass.
- Feb 19, 2006
- 9,060
- 38,446
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- Endorsing Cataldo Basses, Whirlwind products, Thunderbucker pickups
$1,500 for a 70's 4000 is a very good deal. The best Ric I ever owned was a late 70's 4000.
Apparently some were actually routed for the neck pickup at the factory.
Mine wasn't, but I've seen pics of a few that were over at the RRF.
Even so, if it were a converted 4001s (which I'm not sure they even offered in 1974) it is probably worth the price, as long as the neck and rods are good.
Even a good refinish would be worth it.
The 4000 brings back great memories. that was my first good bass. When I bought it I couldn't afford a case and carried it home on my bicycle. that bass had a great sound i remember the pickup had a metal back instead of plastic that the 4001 I purchased later on. I think that's a fair price if it's in good condition because they certainly won't ever make them again.
Yes,John Hall has been posted that on one of the forums,no more one-pickup basses will be made.....so the value on the vintage budget models will continue to go up! Yay! 
My first Rick was a 4000, I now own a 4003 and have played 4001's but never owned them.
From a playability point of view, I like the 4000 / 4001 better because the neck is a bit lighter...they beefed it up in the 4003 because it had problems in the earlier models. Mind you, the 4003 still feels like home compared to a Fender to me.
Sound-wise, I think of the 4000 as a Rickenbacker P-bass. Not that it sounds like a P. It's got that Rick growl, but is a very solid full sound. As others have said, you can get the same sound out of the bridge pickup of a 4003 (just make sure the capacitor is switched out if it's fitted). However I tend not to because the tonal variation between just the bridge pickup and just the neck pickup is too great for my taste, and the EQ necessary to make the bridge pickup sound right doesn't work for the neck pickup. Obviously I could solve that by switching EQ settings, but I just use both pickups for most work and go to the neck pickup alone when I want a thicker sound.
Cosmetically I actually prefer the Rick without binding and with dot inlays instead of the triangular ones, and I think it feels slightly better without binding as well. If I were buying my dream Rick it would be the two pickup model without binding (4001CS). But I got a good deal on the one I own now, it's a nice instrument, and I'm happy. I can't see why I would pay extra for a 4000 over a 4001CS.
From a playability point of view, I like the 4000 / 4001 better because the neck is a bit lighter...they beefed it up in the 4003 because it had problems in the earlier models. Mind you, the 4003 still feels like home compared to a Fender to me.
Sound-wise, I think of the 4000 as a Rickenbacker P-bass. Not that it sounds like a P. It's got that Rick growl, but is a very solid full sound. As others have said, you can get the same sound out of the bridge pickup of a 4003 (just make sure the capacitor is switched out if it's fitted). However I tend not to because the tonal variation between just the bridge pickup and just the neck pickup is too great for my taste, and the EQ necessary to make the bridge pickup sound right doesn't work for the neck pickup. Obviously I could solve that by switching EQ settings, but I just use both pickups for most work and go to the neck pickup alone when I want a thicker sound.
Cosmetically I actually prefer the Rick without binding and with dot inlays instead of the triangular ones, and I think it feels slightly better without binding as well. If I were buying my dream Rick it would be the two pickup model without binding (4001CS). But I got a good deal on the one I own now, it's a nice instrument, and I'm happy. I can't see why I would pay extra for a 4000 over a 4001CS.
My ideal bass would be a Rick 4000 JG but with no pickguard, just solid black, and a bolt on thumbrest. Neckthrough.
Is it possible?
Is it possible?
I would snap it up at that price, it's a collectible and that was around the last year they made them, just make sure you have someone who knows them check it out first. Don't butcher it by putting another pickup in it.
I had a 72 4001FL with an aluminum plate instead of plastic, the pickup also had adjustable screws for each string instead of the buttons. I think 72 was the last year those pickups came with the basses.
For some reason that link doesn't work for me.
Last edited:
The pole piece screws on the 1972 bridge pickup are not meant to be adjustable. Yes, you can turn them... but the pickup is built with a little bit of vinyl electrical tape around the pole pieces, and the coil wound over that. Turn the screws, and you risk ripping the tape and breaking the coil.
I know, because I made the mistake (in the days before being able to consult TB on topics like this).
This thread is over 5 years old.
Haha! That could explain it. A blast from the past, a moldy oldie from the groovy graveyard! I shoulda been a DJ in the 60's.
