1960 Rickenbacker 4000 Bass (custom build No.2)
So in 2016, I visited a buddy of mine who lives down in Costa Mesa (L.A. Beach City suburb), a mid-life mod/ex-bass player, who also happens to build bass guitars for fun in his little detached garage. After seeing some of his ultra-fine work, I asked about a custom build--a remake of a 1960 Rickenbacker 4000 Bass. I’ve always loved the 4000’s vintage elements--the single pickup, the huge pickguard, and the uniquely beautiful lines--but knew I’d never have the wallet needed (10-12K) to pick up the real thing. He happily agreed. Indeed, he would make three, if he was going to make one, and I would have my pick.
Two years later, here’s the result… A stunningly beautiful, rock-solid, “custom build” 1960 Rickenbacker 4000 Bass in flame MapleGlo finish. Somehow, my buddy got his hands on a copy of the original factory blueprints for the 4000, and used them for the project, so this guitar is “spot on” in terms of its specs being just like a factory-produced model from 60 years ago. His finish, as you can see, is nothing short of extraordinary. It’s got all the same googahs as the original, including solid brass chrome barrel knobs, ashtray bridge cover, paddle tuning keys, single Horseshoe pickup, gold pickguard/TRC, clear-plexi tugbar, and a central truss rod. It’s finished off with a fresh set of Thomastic Infeld Flatwound strings, and a hard-to-find vintage re-issue silver case.
Now, fast forward another two years... A discriminating New York City buyer just (2/21) purchased Custom Build #1. Luckily, my L.A. builder had one more partially built '60 4000 of the batch of 3 left under his bed. We got it finished, and you're looking at No. 2. There aren't any more...
Just like its predecessor, this guitar is rock-solid, and plays like a dream. It’s not an original Ric, but it probably plays better than an original would, certainly at this point... I might be willing to let it go for $6000...
Two years later, here’s the result… A stunningly beautiful, rock-solid, “custom build” 1960 Rickenbacker 4000 Bass in flame MapleGlo finish. Somehow, my buddy got his hands on a copy of the original factory blueprints for the 4000, and used them for the project, so this guitar is “spot on” in terms of its specs being just like a factory-produced model from 60 years ago. His finish, as you can see, is nothing short of extraordinary. It’s got all the same googahs as the original, including solid brass chrome barrel knobs, ashtray bridge cover, paddle tuning keys, single Horseshoe pickup, gold pickguard/TRC, clear-plexi tugbar, and a central truss rod. It’s finished off with a fresh set of Thomastic Infeld Flatwound strings, and a hard-to-find vintage re-issue silver case.
Now, fast forward another two years... A discriminating New York City buyer just (2/21) purchased Custom Build #1. Luckily, my L.A. builder had one more partially built '60 4000 of the batch of 3 left under his bed. We got it finished, and you're looking at No. 2. There aren't any more...
Just like its predecessor, this guitar is rock-solid, and plays like a dream. It’s not an original Ric, but it probably plays better than an original would, certainly at this point... I might be willing to let it go for $6000...
