59 4000

[Dave W]

With a $40K BIN. 

http://cgi.ebay.com/1959-Rickenbacker-4000-Bass-Ultra-Rare_W0QQitemZ300251467864

[Chris P.]

That's a lot of money, but also a very pretty bass! I love that gold over maple!!!!

[chromium]

mmmmmm- mahogany

[ilan]

And now This one with a $19K starting bid.

[Dave W]

That one looks impossibly nice from a distance. Of course it may look just as good up close. But if I were considering placing a bid on any bass at anywhere near this price, I'd want a much more detailed description and more/larger photos.

[ramone57]

that's stunning, but what's with the rails on either side of the bridge?  homespun cure for tail lift?

[ilan]

They are for sliding the bridge cover to engage/disengage the mute.

[ramone57]

ok cool, I've never seen them before.  is the other '59 missing them?

[Bass VI]

Every time I see one of these, I think I've got to do a project along these lines.

Ilan, are the specs (measurements) for these available anywhere? The body looks a little different than a 4XXX series. Any sites with lots of pics? I'm pretty Gibson oriented (despite the obvious Fender screen-name), but this particular model is really striking to me.

Oh, and Hello to everyone here at the Ric forum! 

S. ( Scott )

[ilan]

I have never seen exact specs of the first generation 4000. According to the Smith book, the first ('57) basses had mahogany necks (with the dual truss rods system) and maple body wings, then the factory switched to walnut necks, and in 1960 to maple. The necks were wider at first and were narrowed in 1959. In 1961 the body is thinner, lighter, and more contoured - like modern ones, with the elongated upper horn.

The sliding bridge cover with the mute underneath it was introduced in late '57. Fireglo was available since 1960.

A friend of mine who played an early 4000 said that the body was thick and heavy and string action was high. I have read that among the 1st generation 4000's that survived, neck issues are not uncommon.

[Dave W]

I don't think there were any exact specs for the earliest ones. They were all transitional models.  And the pics in both these auctions are as good or better than any others I've seen of the earliest ones.

[bobyoung]

Who is Brent Ware anyway? He's got the most stuff of anyone I've ever seen in my life. Check out the wall of Kustoms. His prices are astronomical though.  This bass didn't sell.

[eb2]

Now, if Rickenbacker really wanted to have fun with their reissue series, you couldn't beat one of these.  I passed on a natural one for $750 in the early 80s.

[Dave W]

Who is Brent Ware anyway? He's got the most stuff of anyone I've ever seen in my life. Check out the wall of Kustoms. His prices are astronomical though.  This bass didn't sell.

See his LinkedIn profile. And if you scroll down to the last 3 paragraphs of this article from 2001, you'll find out whose former home he bought.

In other words, a man with enough money to buy all those goodies.

[bobyoung]

Roy Orbison's house? I guess he's just selling a few of his toys.