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Rickenbacker Forums->General Forum->not a clue !
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not a clue ! |
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jonnpip
Grouper
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Posted: 11/6/2009 6:15:00 AM
Not being a rico player untill just recently but allways used a musicman5,i was given a rickenbacker 4001,....it looks very very old and has sterio inputs, few scuffs here and there but sounds pretty good,...the ex owner was allso given it and has no idea its age,....the only digits i can make out on the input plate is a 6 & a 2 number.
can someone tell me what else to look for to give me some idea of its age please. thanks jon (uk)
Posts: 5 Location: northamtonshire Registered: 11/6/2009 6:08:00 AM
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cjj
Shark
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Posted: 11/6/2009 7:18:00 AM
Welcome to the forum!
To find the age, you need the serial number, at least the first two characters. On older instruments, these are 2 letters on one end of the jack plate, later ones these are two numbers being the last 2 digits of the year. The other end of the jack plate has the rest of the serial number.
Once you have the number (or at least the first two characters) you can use the serial number decoder on this site under the "Service" tab.
Posts: 662 Location: N. Montana, next door to the middle of nowhere... Registered: 1/16/2008 1:58:00 PM
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jingle_jangle
Shark
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Posted: 11/6/2009 9:06:00 PM
Post a link to some decent pics, and we can winkle out an approximate age!
Posts: 1148 Location: SF CA Registered: 8/8/2005
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BlueAngel
Shark
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Posted: 11/7/2009 3:47:00 AM
Lucky man getting given a 4001!
The serial number on the jack plate should give it exactly - the two-digit number comes first and is a letter followed by a number (not two letters, if the second one is a 0, which may confuse things!), then the four-digit number. Use the Serial Number Decoder link in Service, above.
If for some reason that doesn't work, have a look at the control pots. If they are original, they will have manufacturer date codes starting with 137 (for CTS, the company that made them) followed by four digits which are the year and the week of manufacture (eg 1377325 would be the 25th week of 1973). The instrument was made some time after this, usually between one week and about three months later.
If that still doesn't work (if the pots have been changed, or if you're unlucky and the codes on all of them are obscured by solder, which can happen!) then it should be possible to identify an approximate period from the general appearance of the bass, as jingle_jangle said.
Welcome to the forum!
Posts: 2338 Location: Scotland Registered: 11/17/2005
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jonnpip
Grouper
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Posted: 11/7/2009 8:33:00 AM
quote: Post a link to some decent pics, and we can winkle out an approximate age!
give me a email addy and ill send pictures,..dont know how to do it on here
Posts: 5 Location: northamtonshire Registered: 11/6/2009 6:08:00 AM
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jonnpip
Grouper
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Posted: 11/7/2009 8:35:00 AM
quote:Welcome to the forum!
To find the age, you need the serial number, at least the first two characters. On older instruments, these are 2 letters on one end of the jack plate, later ones these are two numbers being the last 2 digits of the year. The other end of the jack plate has the rest of the serial number.
Once you have the number (or at least the first two characters) you can use the serial number decoder on this site under the "Service" tab.
looks like it has 62 numbers stamped at end of plate,...so i presume thats 1962 year........
Posts: 5 Location: northamtonshire Registered: 11/6/2009 6:08:00 AM
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BlueAngel
Shark
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Posted: 11/7/2009 10:38:00 AM
quote:looks like it has 62 numbers stamped at end of plate,...so i presume thats 1962 year........ No. It would have to be a B (at the beginning) for 1962.
What's the full number on the plate?
Posts: 2338 Location: Scotland Registered: 11/17/2005
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flyingeagle
Shark
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Posted: 11/7/2009 11:51:00 AM
Howdy and Welcome,
On the jack plate there should be 2 letters(1961 - 1986), A letter and number (1987 - 1996), a number and letter
(1997-1999) and either 3 or 4 numbers. Starting in 1999, there are 2 numbers, the year of manufacture and 5 numbers. The first 2 numbers corrispond to the week of manufacture. I hope that this helps.
Steve
Posts: 797 Location: The Independent Republic Of Florida Registered: 8/19/2005
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jonnpip
Grouper
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Posted: 11/8/2009 1:41:00 AM
quote:quote:looks like it has 62 numbers stamped at end of plate,...so i presume thats 1962 year........ No. It would have to be a B (at the beginning) for 1962.
What's the full number on the plate?
its so coroaded round the two jack inputs you just carnt make out anymore numbers or letters,...so really dont know what to do to be honest,...it was found in a loft in germany by a english truck driver whilst helping his freind sort his old house out there,then the german chap gave it to him. someone on one of my question /reply article has said about a number on the pots,but theres nothing there.im guessing its had new ones in that case.
so what year did the twin inputs come into being ?
Posts: 5 Location: northamtonshire Registered: 11/6/2009 6:08:00 AM
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BlueAngel
Shark
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Posted: 11/8/2009 3:00:00 AM
Long enough ago that it won't narrow down the age of the bass to any useful degree.
If it's really corroded, try polishing the metal - the number is stamped in and it should show up if you remove some of the rust.
Here are some other things to check:
1. What are the pickups like? Do they both have 'stud' polepieces or does the neck one look like a small toaster? Does the bridge one have a cover over the top of the strings, and if so does the cover have a gap in it?
2. Is the neck pickup 1/2" or 1" from the end of the neck?
3. Do the fingerboard inlays go right across the fingerboard, or stop about 1/4" from each side?
4. Is the logo on the truss rod cover in raised letters on a flat piece of white (or black) plastic, or painted on the back of a piece of transparent perspex? Does it say 'Made In USA' or 'Model 4001' across the end?
5. Is the binding around the body a single white (or black) strip, or does it have a checkerboard line inside?
6. Can you see large gears on the back of the machineheads, or are they enclosed boxes?
7. Do the knobs have metal tops with writing on (possibly worn off) or plain black plastic with a white line?
There's probably more, but those will help narrow it down a lot!
Posts: 2338 Location: Scotland Registered: 11/17/2005
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Zurdo
Shark
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Posted: 11/8/2009 6:59:00 AM
to remove the rust from the chromed input plate, use a small Brass brush. The rust will be removed by the brush leaving a clean surface from which you can read the serial number.
do not use any other method of removing rust because then you might grind down the surface taking with it any stampings.
Zurdo
Posts: 396 Location: Florida Registered: 6/4/2009 2:15:00 PM
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