1973 Rickenbacker 4001

Price reduction! VG++, Fireglo. Early ’73, last year for toaster pickups. This one is all stock except for the pickup cover (that you would ask us to take off anyway). Nice color, lacquer finish, Fireglo sunburst. Straight neck, original tuners. The finish shows checking and has some buckle and play wear, but yellowed binding and inlays add the “glo” to “Fireglo”. Nice weight at 9.75 pounds. An interesting detail about the history of Rickenbacker basses – this is not only the last year for the toaster-top pickup but also the last year that the pickup sits so close to the neck. If you look you will see these are only a half-inch away from the end of the finger board. After this year all Ricky 4000-series basses had the neck pickup a full 1″ away. These are “neck thru body” instruments so it’s not because of the neck joint. Tonally this makes a difference. Done about the time Paul McCartney started Wings and began using his Rickenbacker almost exclusively, giving his “Beatle Bass” a rest. Comes in new reissue case.