Well, as the seller states, it is "the first bass model that Rickenbacker made," - but this is hardly the first bass made. Rickenbacker started making basses in the late 1950s, and by 1973 (when this particular bass was made), there were thousands of Rick basses out there. Even this vintage of 4000 wasn't much like the first ones made. Other than being in great shape for a survivor, this particular bass isn't worth the kind of money they are asking. In my opinion, it's worth between $1,000 and $1,500 (US).