Vintage 1973 Rickenbacker 4001 Bass Guitar
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:26098644 | Size: Standard |
| MPN: 4001 | String Configuration: 4 String |
| Brand: Rickenbacker | Model: 4001 |
| Body Type: Solid | Type: Electric Bass |
| UPC: Does not apply |
this is a very rare 1973 Rickenbacker model 4001 4 string electric bass guitar with missing parts...READ WHOLE AD!!!
So, the guitar itself looks to be in really good condition considering its age..with some minor surface knicks on the a few corners only
there seems to be very minimal fret wear...don't really see any anywhere as if the bass wasn't played that much
Ok, here's the particulars:
Solid wood with darker wood striped inlay on neck and body2 pc design2 tunings... keys winders are missing, but internals are there but lose/not attached to guitar1 tuning key set ring(chrome is missing02 tuning key winders are missingupper pickup seems to be complete and untouchedlower pick up seems to be all there but will some wear and corrosion with outside chrome rim surroundingall knobs there and seems to work well, one knob is missing silver top with markings on itchrome bridge plate complete but not attached to guitarunderneath there is a thin metal bar where the bridge attaches, assuming its some sort of ground, but not sureneck is straight as far as I can tell without string tension no major gashes or dingsserial / cord plug in plate original with serial # 1185/MDOverall the bass is in pretty good condition and really not missing much...with a little TLC , this bass could be a great add to a great collection
does NOT come with case..although I try to ship them in some sort of case to keep them from being damaged...
I have many more pics, Email me and I can send more pics!!!
Specs:
This model 4001 bass was built in November 1973 according to the serial number (almost all Rickenbackers can be dated through serialization). It features Rickenbacker’s eye popping "cresting wave" body with a maple neck-through-body and maple body wings, cream body binding, a bound 20-fret rosewood fretboard with pearl triangle inlays, two-per-side tuners, two pickups, a white pickguard, four knobs (two volume, two tone), a three-way switch, and chrome hardware. Note, that the large chrome surround on the bridge pickup is missing its cover.
One look at a Rickenbacker really catches your eye, doesn’t it? However, not many people know much about Rickenbacker basses, despite how important they have been to the bass market. I’ll give a little Rickenbacker history, explain why their basses are important, and discuss the specs and value of your bass.
Adolf Rickenbacker, along with two other men, started a metal stamping shop in 1925 called the Rickenbacker Manufacturing Company. Adolf invested in the original National (Dobro) guitar company during the late 1920s and began supplying them with metal bodies for their Dobros. In the early 1930s, Rickenbacker and National employees George Beauchamp and Paul Barth formed a new company, called Ro-Pat-In, to begin developing Beauchamp’s electric guitar design—a design that National was not interested in. The first electrics by Ro-Pat-In were introduced in 1932 under the Electro String Instruments trademark, which later became the Electro String Instrument Corporation. By 1934, the brand name on the guitars changed to Rickenbacker.
In 1953, Rickenbacker sold his company to Francis C. Hall, who founded the Radio and Television Equipment Company that was the exclusive distributor for Fender in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Rickenbacker has been a family-run business ever since, as his son, John C. Hall, took control of Rickenbacker in 1984, and John’s son, Bill, works there as well. It is important to note that Hall worked very closely with Fender, as the two have been competitors ever since.
There is a lot of debate and general confusion over who introduced or created or invented the first electric guitar, but many consider Rickenbacker to be the first. George Gruhn is probably the most accurate when he describes Rickenbacker as the first guitar company to successfully market electric guitars. Regardless, they’ve been producing electric guitars since the beginning, and because of the high quality of their instruments, many players took notice. Rickenbacker had a long list of big names playing their instruments in the 1950s and ’60s, including Roger McGuinn, Pete Townshend, Glenn Frey, and of course, John Lennon and George Harrison of the Beatles. Tom Petty and the Bangles’ Susanna Hoffs are more recent artists who have had signature Rickenbacker models.
While Rickenbacker was experiencing signifi- cant success with their guitars, F.C. Hall knew they needed an electric bass in their line, too. In 1957, Rickenbacker introduced its first electric bass, which had many revolutionary new features. Most notably, its neck-through-body design used one long piece of wood that ran the entire length of the bass. Rickenbacker’s rival, Fender, only used bolt-on necks, which started the ongoing debate over which design is better. Rickenbacker's neck-through design really set the standard for many modern bass builders regarding tone and sustain, as the tuners, fretboard, pickups, and bridge are all mounted on the same piece of wood.
STOCK # 20Stk280.GELFF.OR
So, the guitar itself looks to be in really good condition considering its age..with some minor surface knicks on the a few corners only
there seems to be very minimal fret wear...don't really see any anywhere as if the bass wasn't played that much
Ok, here's the particulars:
Solid wood with darker wood striped inlay on neck and body2 pc design2 tunings... keys winders are missing, but internals are there but lose/not attached to guitar1 tuning key set ring(chrome is missing02 tuning key winders are missingupper pickup seems to be complete and untouchedlower pick up seems to be all there but will some wear and corrosion with outside chrome rim surroundingall knobs there and seems to work well, one knob is missing silver top with markings on itchrome bridge plate complete but not attached to guitarunderneath there is a thin metal bar where the bridge attaches, assuming its some sort of ground, but not sureneck is straight as far as I can tell without string tension no major gashes or dingsserial / cord plug in plate original with serial # 1185/MDOverall the bass is in pretty good condition and really not missing much...with a little TLC , this bass could be a great add to a great collection
does NOT come with case..although I try to ship them in some sort of case to keep them from being damaged...
I have many more pics, Email me and I can send more pics!!!
Specs:
This model 4001 bass was built in November 1973 according to the serial number (almost all Rickenbackers can be dated through serialization). It features Rickenbacker’s eye popping "cresting wave" body with a maple neck-through-body and maple body wings, cream body binding, a bound 20-fret rosewood fretboard with pearl triangle inlays, two-per-side tuners, two pickups, a white pickguard, four knobs (two volume, two tone), a three-way switch, and chrome hardware. Note, that the large chrome surround on the bridge pickup is missing its cover.
One look at a Rickenbacker really catches your eye, doesn’t it? However, not many people know much about Rickenbacker basses, despite how important they have been to the bass market. I’ll give a little Rickenbacker history, explain why their basses are important, and discuss the specs and value of your bass.
Adolf Rickenbacker, along with two other men, started a metal stamping shop in 1925 called the Rickenbacker Manufacturing Company. Adolf invested in the original National (Dobro) guitar company during the late 1920s and began supplying them with metal bodies for their Dobros. In the early 1930s, Rickenbacker and National employees George Beauchamp and Paul Barth formed a new company, called Ro-Pat-In, to begin developing Beauchamp’s electric guitar design—a design that National was not interested in. The first electrics by Ro-Pat-In were introduced in 1932 under the Electro String Instruments trademark, which later became the Electro String Instrument Corporation. By 1934, the brand name on the guitars changed to Rickenbacker.
In 1953, Rickenbacker sold his company to Francis C. Hall, who founded the Radio and Television Equipment Company that was the exclusive distributor for Fender in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Rickenbacker has been a family-run business ever since, as his son, John C. Hall, took control of Rickenbacker in 1984, and John’s son, Bill, works there as well. It is important to note that Hall worked very closely with Fender, as the two have been competitors ever since.
There is a lot of debate and general confusion over who introduced or created or invented the first electric guitar, but many consider Rickenbacker to be the first. George Gruhn is probably the most accurate when he describes Rickenbacker as the first guitar company to successfully market electric guitars. Regardless, they’ve been producing electric guitars since the beginning, and because of the high quality of their instruments, many players took notice. Rickenbacker had a long list of big names playing their instruments in the 1950s and ’60s, including Roger McGuinn, Pete Townshend, Glenn Frey, and of course, John Lennon and George Harrison of the Beatles. Tom Petty and the Bangles’ Susanna Hoffs are more recent artists who have had signature Rickenbacker models.
While Rickenbacker was experiencing signifi- cant success with their guitars, F.C. Hall knew they needed an electric bass in their line, too. In 1957, Rickenbacker introduced its first electric bass, which had many revolutionary new features. Most notably, its neck-through-body design used one long piece of wood that ran the entire length of the bass. Rickenbacker’s rival, Fender, only used bolt-on necks, which started the ongoing debate over which design is better. Rickenbacker's neck-through design really set the standard for many modern bass builders regarding tone and sustain, as the tuners, fretboard, pickups, and bridge are all mounted on the same piece of wood.
STOCK # 20Stk280.GELFF.OR
