Oh,but there were,Paul
I've seen Greco/Matsu dot neck,no binding 4000/4001S copies in both neck through and set neck versions.
Rare,for sure.
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I've seen Greco/Matsu dot neck,no binding 4000/4001S copies in both neck through and set neck versions.
Rare,for sure.
Most of us seem to agree that this poor thing started out as a Rickenbacker 4000. Then it fell on hard times indeed.
ROFLHeh, it even has a little tail lift. It's legit
!
Just because it's been modified questionably doesn't mean it's fake.
Or...considering its journey so far, you can call Pickguardian, have a new pickguard made in either the 1/2 inch (4001) or 1 inch (4003) position, keep the added wiring, install your choice of a toaster or high-gain in the neck position, and rock on.
Oh,but there were,Paul
I've seen Greco/Matsu dot neck,no binding 4000/4001S copies in both neck through and set neck versions.
Rare,for sure.
Thanks, Woody! One thing's for sure: I am NOT an expert on the fakers!
I believe that is a real Rickenbacker 4000, not a 4001s or 4003s. The top right and bottom left knob are consistent with the layout of a 4000. A previous owner has added the P pickups at the end of the neck (possibly causing structural damage) and added an additional pair of knobs and switch.
The tuners look a lot like 'wavy' Grovers, again an original Rickenbacker part that I've never seen copied on 'fakers.
For reference, the bass probably started out a lot like this:
That would be my guess too.
If you do end up buying it, first order of business should be infilling the P bass pup route with solid maple. That one was probably routed right into the set neck tenon at pretty much the worst possible location. Not a particularly hard fix, but necessary. If you do put in a neck pup, do the 1" position, not 1/2". That was always a bad idea structurally, which is why Ric doesn't do it anymore.
You might get lucky and find that the P pickup is worth more than the bass. Back in those days people were bringing their vintage fenders in to my shop to have Dimarzio and EMG pickups put in and they never wanted their old pickups back. This may be one of those discards. I certainly used a lot of those vintage discards when someone needed a spare pickup for a bass that couldn't afford something new - this was years before the value skyrocketed - so there are a lot of really cheesy basses out there somewhere that have valuable vintage Fender pickups.
the pickup in my 4004 is in that position & I've got 0.05" - 0.11" strings on it (tuned to E standard)
Someday, it'll be back, better than ever... and here I thought 4001 started it all off... silly me. Take it easy, 217!
the pickup in my 4004 is in that position & I've got 0.05" - 0.11" strings on it (tuned to E standard)
Never seen you look better, KBD...
