Rickenbacker relic advice

[msb]

Beauty !

I've touched up the ding with some redish nail polish . It's almost an invisible fix . You would never know it was dinged . There's also some wear on the top binding where my arm has rubbed but I'm not going to touch that . It's a thirty year old bass .

I will be out to make a racket with her tonight ...

( the relic job on my Pbass took about thirty-five years , it looks like it went through the Crimean War , and it still plays like a dream )

 

[iamthebassman]

Ahh..much ado about nothing, in 4 pages.

 

[msb]

I would still love to see pictures of Rics that might show a little wear and tear that people somehow manage to continue playing on ...

 

[kcole4001]

Here's a little wear and tear I can claim as my very own:
My only good bass for several years, my main bass until about 2002
1976 4000:
on the upper body bout my arm rubbed through the finish to bare wood. Finish damage generally bugs me on my basses, but this one is earned the hard way, a badge of a great bass,
on the lower horn point I accidently chipped the finish off with the end of a fret file (and felt physically ill when it happened),
enamel on the pickup bobbin is all worn off on the top from anchoring my thumb there for years,
not to mention the dings and chips on the headstock which any instrument is liable to get when gigged regularly

No significant rash on the back, just 'worm tracks' from jeans rivets, but not through the clearcoat

Edit: all my basses have the clear rubbed off the treble side of the fingerboard from my wedding ring, even my 2010 4003.

 

[Jay2U]

Here's one fine modded Rick!

 

[msb]

I think that's exactly how it looked when it left the factory . That's a Lemmy .

 

[godofthunder59]

Here's a little wear and tear I can claim as my very own:
My only good bass for several years, my main bass until about 2002
1976 4000:
on the upper body bout my arm rubbed through the finish to bare wood. Finish damage generally bugs me on my basses, but this one is earned the hard way, a badge of a great bass,
on the lower horn point I accidently chipped the finish off with the end of a fret file (and felt physically ill when it happened),
enamel on the pickup bobbin is all worn off on the top from anchoring my thumb there for years,
not to mention the dings and chips on the headstock which any instrument is liable to get when gigged regularly

No significant rash on the back, just 'worm tracks' from jeans rivets, but not through the clearcoat

Edit: all my basses have the clear rubbed off the treble side of the fingerboard from my wedding ring, even my 2010 4003.

That is a beautiful 4000! I miss mine best Ric I EVER owned.

 

[joeyl]

wait wait, you banged headstocks with the guitar player because you were both distracted by a girl, that's the musical equivalent of crossing swords, man. You have to get rid of the Rick now....

 

[cropshy]

It's not a Rickenbacker bass, but it's close enough to show how Rics can wear. For a 38 year old guitar it's in pretty good condition and while it has dings, scratches, and buckle rash, it doesn't look "reliced". I've never gigged it, but I have dropped it and banged it against things in the past 20 years or so that I've owned it.

 

[Jeff Scott]

Here's one fine modded Rick!

Yeah, what is modded on it? I do know of an LK that has been modded, though.

 

[Jay2U]

I think that's exactly how it looked when it left the factory . That's a Lemmy .

I never realized that these Rick's are made this way. I always thought it was a one off.

 

[msb]

They made 60 .

 

[incubus2432]

I do know of an LK that has been modded, though.

You should since you did the work!

Mine does have some wear but nothing that really shows up in pics. The binding isn't as sharp as it once was along with some of the carved edges rounding a bit in heavy contact areas. That and the gold hardware shows heavy use. No biggie......I got it cheap and it's made to be played.

 

[Floyd Eye]

My advice is not to purposefully relic it or ANY bass, but definitely not an expensive one.

 

[Ric5]

Here is my road worn Rickenbacker ...

A 1993 4004 Laredo modified and well broken in. I used a sharpie to hide the bare maple in a couple of places. You can see the scratch in the body in the photo, and there is some finish checking that doesn't show up in photos.

 

[Dethrats]

'73 reliced the old fasion way

i LOVE that color

and to the OP, dont be a derp here..... think about it:scowl:

 

[Korladis]

Here's one fine modded Rick!

Looks stock to me.

 

[kcole4001]

That is a beautiful 4000! I miss mine best Ric I EVER owned.

Thanks, it is a really great bass. Aggressive, sustain for days, and plays beautifully.
And I so love those 1970s FireGlo finishes.

 

[kcole4001]

It's not a Rickenbacker bass, but it's close enough to show how Rics can wear. For a 38 year old guitar it's in pretty good condition and while it has dings, scratches, and buckle rash, it doesn't look "reliced". I've never gigged it, but I have dropped it and banged it against things in the past 20 years or so that I've owned it.

Looks almost identical to the wear on mine.
Nice 480!
Truly underrated guitars.

 

[Engine207]

A '76 Ric 4001 I sold last year was naturally relic'd...

The whole album is at 76 Ric 4001 pictures by Engine207 - Photobucket