Author Topic: My own personal take on the Rickenbacker 4001  (Read 183 times)

blazer

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My own personal take on the Rickenbacker 4001
« on: December 07, 2003, 06:24:19 PM »
Hi there, I'm new on the board and I wanted to show you what I made with my own hands.
 
Here's the story, I scarrow across the musicstores in my country looking for damaged guitars that I botch up and then sell on again, when I found this Damaged-beyond-repair Japanese made copy of a Rickenbacker 4001 bass. I layed down the requiered 50 bucks and the Plywood wonder was mine, I love enourmous Louisville slugger profile necks and this baby had the mother of them all. So I went out, made routing templates for a new body and went to work with the neck as basis for what I was planning.
 
I used five pieces of very tighly flamed maple and nice dark platanus contrasting stripes, but when the glue was hardening, I found out (too late) that the lower half of the body was not wide enough and so I had no other choice but to rout it out slightly off centre, the only mistake in this otherwise very well turned out bass. I used ABM and Grover hardware, switchcraft electronics and Kent Armstrong pickups and it has since become my main bass, everywhere I take it out People go Whoa, dude, where'd you get that awesome looking bass? and I can proudly state that I made it myself.  
 
And so I wanted to know what you think of my handywork.

dela217

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My own personal take on the Rickenbacker 4001
« Reply #1 on: December 07, 2003, 07:13:13 PM »
Blazer, Good job! How does it play/sound?  Does it still have the baseball bat neck, or did you whittle it down?  I think that if I were to try something like that, I would end up with firewood.
 
My very first bass with a Ric 4001.  I bought it around 1976 or so, brand new.  It was a mess.  For some reason, the neck went bad on it.  It got a bad curve and a twist in it.  No one could get it straight.  I sold it for next to nothing, and bought an Alembic.  I am glad I did.

palembic

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My own personal take on the Rickenbacker 4001
« Reply #2 on: December 08, 2003, 02:39:32 AM »
GREAT!!!
I know there are some other daredevils-woodcraftsman-bassplayers on this club. I love the bridge. What is it?
 
BTW hartly welcome from this side of the pond!
 
Paul the bad one

blazer

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My own personal take on the Rickenbacker 4001
« Reply #3 on: December 08, 2003, 03:49:41 AM »
The bridge is an ABM which are among the best in the world it's made out of solid brass. I also happen to own the real thing: a 1976 4001 and I favor this copy over that one. Because with the real one I can only use flatwound strings and the bodybinding digs into my skin painfully.
 
People who've played my bass are shocked when they feel the neck but I love the fat profile, it sound has terrific lows and deep mids on the highs it lacks a bit but I don't mind that, I have my real Rick for that

blazer

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My own personal take on the Rickenbacker 4001
« Reply #4 on: January 13, 2004, 11:22:37 AM »
Here's another Rick I modified, I bought it empty and put in a Musicman humbucker.