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1980 Rickenbacker 4003 in Maple Glo with Hard Case

The Legoheads

By The Legoheads,
in Basses For Sale

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1980 Rickenbacker 4003 Bass in Maple Glo with Original Hard Case

I picked this guitar up in Vegas quite recently to add to my Rickenbacker stable. It was really an impulse buy and as I already have a 4003, it's really a luxury I can't afford to keep. If you're checking out this auction then chances are you know what you're looking at and so I'll save you all the rhetoric and manufacturers specs and get down to what you need to know. The description below is honest and detailed so that there are no hidden surprises for the buyer.

This guitar is an original Rickenbacker 4003 built in November 1980 (serial TK 4501) and in good condition with no real issues. The neck is as straight as they come, action is perfect (for me) and fretwear is minimal compared to my much younger 2003 JetGlo model. However, you may have noticed the unusual mixture of black and chrome hardware. It would seem that someone, at some time in the guitar's history, has swapped out some of the original white and chrome items in favour of the rarer black hardware. I don't blame them; I used to own a Maple Glo 4003 with black HW and (in my humble opinion) they are better looking than their white/chrome HW counterparts.

Items changed include: the Rickenbacker truss rod cover (white to black), the keywinds (chrome to black non-Ric), the pickguard (white to black), the strap buttons (chrome to black) and the binding on the body (white to black). The job with the binding isn't the best and whoever removed the original white binding managed to leave a thin slither of white underneath the black. This may or may not have been the intention. Also, the replacement pickguard is from a 4001 and slightly smaller than the 4003 pickguard. Being an early 4003, this bass would have originally had a "split" pickguard. There is a spare black "split" 4003 pickguard in the case but it has a crack in it.

That's where the transformation ceased and the original chrome bridge and chrome pick-up surround are still in place. There is no problem with the guiar as it is and it looks and plays fine but if I were intending to keep it, I'd be tempted to complete the transformation from parts frequently available elsewhere on ebay and sell on the chrome items.

There are no dings of any note although there is a minimal amount of buckle rash on the rear of the body which is only noticeable if you hold the guitar at just the right angle in the light. The fretboard has a few small imperfections including 2 small patches where the varnish has been breached (around 1cm long each). The neck is smooth and straight.

The most important thing is that this guitar looks, feels and sounds like nothing else.

Looking for £950. Located in Carterton (15 miles west of Oxford).















Edited by The Legoheads
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