Lemmy’s earlier Rickenbacker

[Cosmo Valdemar]

On 30/09/2020 at 09:43, 4000 said:

From early interviews he definitely did use it. He described the T Bird pickup as sounding like, amongst other things, “a road drill”. I think he only started changing things round when he got the signature bass. By that point his hearing must have been completely shot; when I met him in 1980 and 81/82 he said he was deaf in 1 ear (I forget which one, it may have been the left). 
He also completely changed his amp settings later on too. Originally he had everything full on except the bass, which was full off, and the volume, IIRC. Later - again IIRC - he only had the middle on full. I’ll try and dig out some old interviews I have at some point. 

 

Another excellent tone description! That's a good point re: signature bass, the interview I'm thinking of would have been from the 90s.

I think by that time he was using the bridge pickup only - his sound on the later albums suggests so, it's a much harsher sound, not as rich as his early recordings.  At least not to my ears anyway. 

[NikNik]

You know what I would do? Stay away from Hi-Gains!

[4000]

6 hours ago, Spewy said:

So I suppose the million dollar question is what pickups do I put in🤔

Well he ended up with the Ric humbuckers, which he liked. He wasn’t a fan of the Ric single coils, or so he said (I think he referred to them as sounding like “tin whistles”) , but I’m not sure he actually changed the treble pickups. 

Or you could take the Bartolini route, or even the T Bird one; several people make copies of those these days. I always thought his first bass sounded best. 

[4000]

5 hours ago, Cosmo Valdemar said:

Another excellent tone description! That's a good point re: signature bass, the interview I'm thinking of would have been from the 90s.

I think by that time he was using the bridge pickup only - his sound on the later albums suggests so, it's a much harsher sound, not as rich as his early recordings.  At least not to my ears anyway. 

No, the sound is very different to my ears too. 

[Spewy]

So progress, I’ve had a long chat with a few people now, I may use a 4003 as a base, this is going to be a gigging instrument and I like the newer truss rod system. The cosmetics shouldn’t be an issue . Unless the right priced 4001 arrives. There’s so few 4000s about that I think it would be a shame to “wreck” one.

[NikNik]

Anyone seen this??

Lemmy's gear

[NikNik]

On 27/09/2020 at 18:36, Spewy said:

I’m just planning out a replica build of Lemmys early 4001 Rickenbacker. Has anyone done this before or know the spec , decent pictures etc,any advice would be gratefully received.

So, there's maybe some chance that this is another 4000 with a new 'board? Or the original 4000? See pic below from the link I posted earlier.

Mmm....it isn't. The BTLOTL bass has a skunk stripe.

 

Edited October 3, 2020 by NikNik

[4000]

1 hour ago, Spewy said:

So progress, I’ve had a long chat with a few people now, I may use a 4003 as a base, this is going to be a gigging instrument and I like the newer truss rod system. The cosmetics shouldn’t be an issue . Unless the right priced 4001 arrives. There’s so few 4000s about that I think it would be a shame to “wreck” one.

I wouldn’t advise trying it with a set neck 4000 anyway as you’ll compromise the neck joint, and the through-neck 4000s are rare as hen’s teeth. 

[4000]

35 minutes ago, NikNik said:

So, there's maybe some chance that this is another 4000 with a new 'board? Or the original 4000? See pic below from the link I posted earlier.

Mmm....it isn't. The BTLOTL bass has a skunk stripe.

 

The BTLOTL bass is also bound. 
It’s quite possible it’s a 4001 with a new board. It’s something I’ve toyed with many times over the years because I like maple boards (although it could also be a fake).

 
 

 

Edited October 3, 2020 by 4000

[4000]

I remember ordering a DiMarzio Model 1 (like the one he originally had in his white Ric) around maybe ‘82 to put in my first Ric, but unfortunately after I’d paid the deposit I couldn’t get the rest of the money together. It sat in the window of a local guitar shop for ages.

[NikNik]

3 minutes ago, 4000 said:

I remember ordering a DiMarzio Model 1 (like the one he originally had in his white Ric) around maybe ‘82 to put in my first Ric, but unfortunately after I’d paid the deposit I couldn’t get the rest of the money together. It sat in the window of a local guitar shop for ages.

I had an Ibby 2388BDX around that time and the single coil 'mudbucker' was as weak as sin and I, too, fancied the Model 1, the one with the coil split. I think it was about £79 back then and again I, too, couldn't afford it so I went with a Bill Lawrence dual rails 'bucker.

[Cosmo Valdemar]

7 hours ago, 4000 said:

I remember ordering a DiMarzio Model 1 (like the one he originally had in his white Ric) around maybe ‘82 to put in my first Ric, but unfortunately after I’d paid the deposit I couldn’t get the rest of the money together. It sat in the window of a local guitar shop for ages.

The guitar shop put a pickup in the window display?

[Jus Lukin]

-

Edited March 9, 2022 by Jus Lukin

[4000]

5 hours ago, Cosmo Valdemar said:

The guitar shop put a pickup in the window display?

Yep. At the bottom of the window they had pedals, pickups etc. Pretty normal in those days. 

[Spewy]

Any views on the strap?

[Spewy]

Well, it’s begun, I’ve picked up a 2020 4003 from the states at a decent price,(even with import duty). 
It’s going straight to Steve at Guitarlodge to have most of the clever work done ,new fretboard, headstock wings, skunk stripes etc.  I’ve sourced the graphics and am very much left to decide pickups, pick guards, truss rod cover, knobs etc. 
I guess the front strap ferrule was moved to the back?

I also could do with knowing what type of strap connection Lemmy used.

 

 

 

[Jus Lukin]

-

Edited March 8, 2022 by Jus Lukin

[Hellzero]

For the strap Lemmy was using for some time his own Richter Motörhead signature and their excellent Loxx strap locking system.

https://www.richterstraps.com/screen/page/motorhead/language/en

But way back in 1981, it was a stupid strap button as there was nothing else available.

[Spewy]

Cheers!

Has anyone got a picture or any idea where the extra holes were on the headstock?

[Stub Mandrel]

On 28/09/2020 at 20:35, 4000 said:

This is his original Ric.

 

 

Story is that the bass belonged to previous bass player (?Dave Anderson) who left it behind when he walked out.

[4000]

23 hours ago, Spewy said:

Well, it’s begun, I’ve picked up a 2020 4003 from the states at a decent price,(even with import duty). 
It’s going straight to Steve at Guitarlodge to have most of the clever work done ,new fretboard, headstock wings, skunk stripes etc.  I’ve sourced the graphics and am very much left to decide pickups, pick guards, truss rod cover, knobs etc. 
I guess the front strap ferrule was moved to the back?

I also could do with knowing what type of strap connection Lemmy used.

 

 

 

So it was you! I was looking at that!☹️
Ah well, you snooze, you lose.😁

To be honest I would’ve thought it would have been a much easier job converting a ‘70s 4001. Given you’re taking the fingerboard off, you could have changed the rods. 

Edited October 7, 2020 by 4000

[4000]

2 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

Story is that the bass belonged to previous bass player (?Dave Anderson) who left it behind when he walked out.

I’m not sure that’s true. Lem said he got the gig when the previous bassist didn’t turn up for a gig and his Rick was in the van so Lem used it, but Lem then proceeded to use his Hopf for quite a while (including the recording of Doremi) prior to him using the Rick shown above, so it’s not a given that it was the same Rick, although it’s possible. I guess we’ll probably never know for sure. 

[Spewy]

23 minutes ago, 4000 said:

So it was you! I was looking at that!☹️
Ah well, you snooze, you lose.😁

To be honest I would’ve thought it would have been a much easier job converting a ‘70s 4001. Given you’re taking the fingerboard off, you could have changed the rods. 

It was the price and the fact there shouldn’t be any hidden horrors which made my mind up, 🤣

[4000]

1 hour ago, Spewy said:

It was the price and the fact there shouldn’t be any hidden horrors which made my mind up, 🤣

Given the amount of work to be done I don’t think you should have worried too much about hidden horrors. You’d have been replacing most of the stuff that could have gone wrong anyway. You're replacing the fingerboard and frets and the rods are easily replaced, even without taking the board off.  

Are you faking the skunk stripe? 

[skankdelvar]

FWIW, the Born to Lose, etc lettering is probably Letraset.

Around 1981 I did a headstock up in Letraset with the word BASTARD on it in the same font and about the same type size.