Restoring My Vintage 1972 Rickenbacker 4001 Bass
Part III - Update
Posted 8/21/2005
(Click the images below for a larger view.)
Just an update -
A lot has happened since my last update. I received all new parts for the bass a while ago. I bought new-style
Rickenbacker tuners to replace the original Grovers, but the new tuners don't work at all. They simply
don't fit on the bass. They stick over the end of the neck. My headstock wasn't cut for these keys. I'm going to have to
put the original tuners back on here. I took the original tuners and some other pieces to be re-chromed, but they said they
could not re-chrome the tuners without ruining the gears, so I have polished them up and plan to put them back on the bass.
I'm surprised how well they cleaned up. I'll have some pictures up soon.
Next problem - the new tailpiece didn't quite fit. It didn't quite cover the indentions in the finish left by the old tailpiece.
So, same as the tuners, I'll have to use the old tailpiece. The old tailpiece was in pretty bad shape, with chrome peeling off,
and even a little rust. I took it to the chrome shop along with the tuners. Fortunately, they were able to re-chrome the tailpiece
and it looks really good.
The chrome and shape of the re-chromed tailpiece show little
minor imperfections, easy to tell that it's not new. It's a piece of nicely-restored original equipment that will remain with the bass.
The old tailpiece (before re-chroming) can be seen in the pic below (new pics soon).
So, I got a new pick guard and all new electronics, and decided to wire it up myself. Of course, I did it wrong. It looked like such
a simple job, but I managed to mangle it somehow.
Today, I took the bass to a professional to finish the job (I'll reveal who I took it to later, and review them depending on how well
they do the job). They are going to straighten out my electronics and re-fret the neck. This means sanding the entire fret board down
to bare wood, replacing the frets, and refinishing the neck. The guy says that the stuff he uses to refinish the fret board takes
about three months to dry, so I won't be seeing my bass for three months. But he promises me the fret board will be
"like glass" when I get it back.
I can't describe how weird it feels walking into a store front, handing over you prized possession to some guy you don't know,
saying "see you in three months," and walking out with nothing but a claim-check ticket. I'll be sweating it for the next three
months.
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