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Rickenbacker 4003 from 1992, "good" year?

D

Duke21

Nov 14, 2010
4,468
60
Narvik, Norway
soundcloud.com
#1
Hello again Folks in TB,

I'm very tempted to buy a used Rickenbacker 4003, by its serial number it is manufactured in Aug. 92.
Do you Rickenbacker lovers know if 92 was a good year for the 4003 model? What should I look for? The bass seems to be in good conditions, thus neck is stable and didn't need any adjustment in the last 10 years. The frets are in good shape and so goes for the electronics.

So to summarize, the bass is in very good playing conditions. It do have some nicks and dents, small ones on the body, natural road worn. But neck is fine. The Rick is missing the original cover for the neck pup, no big deal for me. I've tried a Rick with it, but as a pick player, it is restricting me for my ideal hand position.
The price of the Rick is half of a new 4003.

Any thoughts?
 
#2
The big thing with Ricks is that the neck thickness keeps changing. Other than that they are pretty consistent. So if you like how it feels and everything works.... I'd say you're good to go. Just make sure it's not a Fakenbacker. Post a photo and people here can tell if it's fake in about 30 seconds.
 
#5
Looks like a real Rick to me; that's a fine looking bass Duke! And at half the price of new, it's a good deal too (if everything is in good working order). The Rickenbacker Resource website has a thread where many of us entered our neck measurements; you can see there what the trend was for a particular run of basses. Mine's an '85, and the neck is pretty slim but incredibly stable.
 
#6
Looks real to me. I had an 88 and the thickness of the neck was not a big deal, but it was the same thickness all the way up the and down the neck. So no taper. Now I have a 2009 and the neck is thinner with a nice taper and is just great. But, I wouldnt have called it thick or anything. If the price is good I would jump on that asap. Good thing about Rics is they hold their value. Heck, I made $500 selling my 88 and I only had it about a year or so.
 
#7
Duke21 said:
Hello again Folks in TB,

I'm very tempted to buy a used Rickenbacker 4003, by its serial number it is manufactured in Aug. 92.
Do you Rickenbacker lovers know if 92 was a good year for the 4003 model? What should I look for? The bass seems to be in good conditions, thus neck is stable and didn't need any adjustment in the last 10 years. The frets are in good shape and so goes for the electronics.

So to summarize, the bass is in very good playing conditions. It do have some nicks and dents, small ones on the body, natural road worn. But neck is fine. The Rick is missing the original cover for the neck pup, no big deal for me. I've tried a Rick with it, but as a pick player, it is restricting me for my ideal hand position.
The price of the Rick is half of a new 4003.

Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

It looks like you have a good deal there. Also you have the discontinued white with black trim. Also the only 4003 basses I don't like are the 1980-1985 ones. One thing to watch on that bass is sometimes the basses with the black trim the tailpiece will pull up more, but that can be fixed with the addition of 2 extra screws.
 
#11
From pictures it looks like the real deal. Here is a way to cover yourself to make sure. Contact the seller, tell him your interested IF he will offer a 100% money back guarantee if it turns out to not authentic. There are many, MANY fakenbackers out there, with at least as many unscrupulous dealers looking for a quick buck. Easy way to avoid the bad dealers is to hinge your deal on the guarantee. If he won't guarantee then the beat thing you can do is walk away. What would make me nervous is the cheap price.
 
#13
That photo is a genuine Rick. Not sure what you mean by "half of a new 4003," since you can get a new one for about $1,700 these days. If the selling price is indeed $850, the seller is either crazy or there's something rotten in the state of Denmark.
 
#16
I have owned many 4001's and 4003's from 1972 through to late 80's, in fact about 20 (!) They all have their own thing, some ring like a bell, some have a more middy, wooden tone. They are all very nice basses and although I favour the slim necks of the 1972 I am quite happy with the thicker ones from later on. They are very well made and servicable basses, watch out when you tweek the truss rods though.

I now have sold all my Ricks because I just use two Fender Jazz basses. For the type of stuff that I play now this is the bass for me, but for 30 years I was a Ric man through and through. Enjoy your new bass. FWIW it looks 100% the real deal to me as well.
 
#17
The guy which had the Rick for sale decided due to some reason to keep the Rick, damn, that was the closest I've ever been to owning a Rick, I could almost hear it through my rig.... :(
Most other used Rick sold here are just a tad cheaper than the new ones and most of them are jet glow. Well well, the hunt for a Rick will just go on.
Thanks guys for the help, you are just great ;)
 

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