1973 Rickenbacker 4000 Bass-Fireglo
A rare Rickenbacker 4000 bass. In excellent condtion with the original hardshell case.
Rickenbacker 4000 features
33½in scale, 20 frets, rosewood fingerboard with dot markers
Maple solid body with through-neck. Neck woods varied over the year, mahogany, maple and walnut, sometimes laminated, sometimes not
Maplego, Fireglo, or colour finishes
No binding
One pickup, one volume and one tone control
Nickel, chrome or black plated hardware
A fretless version 4000FL was also available
Rickenbacker 4000 timeline
1957 Launched at a price of $279.50. Gold scratchplate. Mahogany one-piece neck. Horseshoe single coil pickup
1958 Gold or white scratchplate
1963 White scratchplate only
1964 Pickup design changed
19XX Black scratchplate optional
1984 Discontinued
The Rickenbacker 4000 was one of the earliest electric bass guitars being launched in 1957, just six years after the first modern bass the Fender Precision. The instrument was designed by Roger Rossmeisl and was unique in many ways. The 'cresting wave' shape became an instantly recognisable Rickenbacker signature, still in use today, but more importantly this was the first bass to feature a through neck design; the neck is not separate from the body, rather it goes 'through' the body, with the upper and lower wings glued to the central piece. This construction method allows greater sustain than the bolt-on (Fender) or glued joint (Gibson)