c.1978 Rickenbacker 4001 Electric Bass

Can't argue with a Ricki! This fella was made in 1978 and seems to be quite original (save the painted pickguard). The body contour, as expected, fits like a glove and the neck pickup's thump thump is just what the Dr. ordered. Add to that a double truss rod system for stability and a fast, slick (stable) through-body neck and you've got a good gigging workhorse... which this has been for its owner since it was bought new.

My work on it was simply a fret level/dress and setup. It's had the frets done several times and this may be the last time it gets the original frets leveled down before they need to be replaced... which will be time-consuming when it has to happen due to the thickly-finished fretboard and scalloped edge binding.

For bass players I think there's always something a bit seductive about old Rickis. Maybe it's that they always look like you should be dancing around with them and playing hard.

The huge, solid adjustable tail/bridge sure adds some flavor. Note the adjustable foam muting apparatus. I also had to slot the Allen-adjustable screws for the saddle height adjusters as they were simply stripped out. No sense going to the hardware store to replace them, yet...!