Calling Rickenbacker Buffs

[Bankai]

I've just come across a 1981 4001 that's for sale.

I've never much looked at them before but after playing this I really like it. I would just like some advice as to what kind of price is acceptable. As you can see from the picture below, it's had a bit of loving over the years. But the playing is fine and it works perfectly, so it's only aesthetic damage. It's from a store rather than private sale.








What would be a good price? It has it's case I believe.

[GT40Graham]

At a guess, somewhere between £1200 and £1400, possibly less. It has aftermarket straplocks on it so these might need replacing with the Schaller type that you can get to fit Rickenbackers without having to fill the threaded hole. It is a buyers market at the moment so I would do some serious haggling.

[noelk27]

The £1,600 GG are asking is well OTT.

[Mr. Foxen]

See if you can slide paper under the back of the bridge. If you can, use that to haggle.

[Bankai]

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='1347355' date='Aug 21 2011, 06:41 PM']See if you can slide paper under the back of the bridge. If you can, use that to haggle.[/quote]
Which part of the bridge do you refer to? And what difference does the gap make? It's not something I've heard of before!

[Bankai]

Uh gaod!

[GT40Graham]

[quote name='Bankai' post='1347398' date='Aug 21 2011, 07:15 PM']Uh gaod![/quote]

Rarely gets as bad as that one which is a very extreme case. Both mine have very slight lift and doesn't affect them in any way.

[4000]

If there are no issues other than a bit of player wear I'd say £1200-ish; maybe a little more at a push or a little less depending on condition. It depends how much you like it though as they can vary quite a bit and you may or may not find another that feels as nice to you (although the ones around that period seem reasonably consistent IMO). Over £1400 is I feel excessive, although they're always a lot more expensive in shops.

[12stringbassist]

In that condition, I wouldn't go over £850. There are clean examples around.
The thing with getting paper under the tailpiece is an issue called tail lift.

Edited August 21, 2011 by 12stringbassist

[GT40Graham]

[quote name='12stringbassist' post='1347672' date='Aug 22 2011, 12:09 AM']In that condition, I wouldn't go over £850. There are clean examples around.
The thing with getting paper under the tailpiece is an issue called tail lift.[/quote]

£850! I'll have 2 please

[Magnolia]

Very similar to my '82 4001 I bought last week. Few dings and scratches here and there. If it plays well, has a straight neck and sounds good then go for it. I wouldn't pay more than £1200 for it.

[Stag]

With the original OHSC id say about £1100-£1200 is a good / realistic price?

If buying from a dealer you'd normally be looking at £1600+ I would say.

[4000]

[quote name='12stringbassist' post='1347672' date='Aug 22 2011, 12:09 AM']In that condition, I wouldn't go over £850. There are clean examples around.[/quote]

Not too long ago I'd have said the same, but they seem to be going for more these days. Unlike the rarer ones, which seem to have come down....

[luckman67]

The Rickenbacker 4001/4003 basses seem to hold their resale value no matter what sort of condition.

[hairyhaw]

Yeah, 1100-1200 is about right for an '81 in this condition, even from a dealer. They're not quite as sought after as the 60's/early 70's ones (no horseshoe/toaster, different headstock/top horn shape) so don't hold value quite as well, but they're still cracking basses in their own right.

[Mr. Foxen]

[quote name='Johnston' post='1347377' date='Aug 21 2011, 06:59 PM']I think because it leads to

[/quote]



I have some pics of more modern ones you can slide paper under too, from when I was fitting those scratchplates I made.

[KevB]

And for those of you with a mind to adding other 'improvements' to a ric.....
[url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1977-RICKENBACKER-4001-FIREGLO-BASS-FREE-SHIPPING-/320748894633?pt=Guitar&hash=item4aae1fb9a9"]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1977-RICKENBACKE...=item4aae1fb9a9[/url]
Well, just don't do it. OK

[GT40Graham]

[quote name='KevB' post='1351360' date='Aug 25 2011, 02:39 PM']And for those of you with a mind to adding other 'improvements' to a ric.....
[url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1977-RICKENBACKER-4001-FIREGLO-BASS-FREE-SHIPPING-/320748894633?pt=Guitar&hash=item4aae1fb9a9"]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1977-RICKENBACKE...=item4aae1fb9a9[/url]
Well, just don't do it. OK [/quote]

Whoever did that wants flogging!

Regards,

[munkonthehill]

[quote name='KevB' post='1351360' date='Aug 25 2011, 02:39 PM']And for those of you with a mind to adding other 'improvements' to a ric.....
[url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1977-RICKENBACKER-4001-FIREGLO-BASS-FREE-SHIPPING-/320748894633?pt=Guitar&hash=item4aae1fb9a9"]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1977-RICKENBACKE...=item4aae1fb9a9[/url]
Well, just don't do it. OK [/quote]

What a diddy

[SS73]

Check for any fret wear on the A string, the 4003 was introduced with wider/chunky frets to account for the more common use of roundwounds, if a 4001 needs a refret it needs doing properly and that's expensive.

[jonsmith]

It would have to be a pretty thick piece of paper I could get under the bridge before I started to worry about tail lift. While there are some pretty shocking examples of tail lift around, a small gap isn't really cause for concern in my opinion. There are plenty of Ricks with a small gap that should give no problems. I've had this Rickenbacker (a 1976) since 2005 and the tailpiece hasn't moved at all in that time, but you could slide a piece of paper under the end of the tailpiece from the day I received it.