Rickenbacker 4003 Fireglo 1991
Rickenbacker 4003, Fireglo, made in USA 1991. We've had a fair few Ric basses through the shop, and it's always awesome to have them around while they last. This one arrived so comprehensively covered in dirt, grease and muck that we sent it straight to our excellent house tech for a proper deep clean. He scraped the filth off the whole thing, especially the fretboard, and also smoothed out the back of the neck which was a bit uneven from a combination of play wear, finish checking and stand burn. Now it's all playing smoothly, and oh boy, it's such a convincing bass in the hands. Lots of 4003 models we get through are generally fairly pristine: they look amazing, so maybe folks just hang them on the wall, who knows. This one has been played, and played, and played some more, and you can really feel and hear that when it's in your hands. It's well balanced feels smooth, the gloss of the finish is long gone but has given way to a slick real-roadworn feeling. It's extremely resonant, noticeably more so than any other Ric I remember playing. That translates to a certain fat, mellow quality to the tone. It's still got that grindy, snarly high end typical of a 4003, but it's also got... more. It's wide and warm and super musical, it sounds unreasonably good. The finish has faded plenty to match, so it's totally different from the standard gaudy cherry burst style offering and looks very streetsmart. If it sounds like I like this one: I do. You will too, I reckon.
Model: Rickenbacker 4003
Made: 1991, USA
Serial: J4 5413
Finish: Fireglo, gloss nitro
Body: maple
Neck: maple, rosewood fretboard, 33.25" scale, 10" radius, D shape
Weight: 4.025kg
Mods: none
Pickups: Rickenbacker Hi-Gain single coil x2
Accessories: non-original Fender tweed hard case
Cosmetic condition notes: finish is noticeably worn in patches from play. The headstock has small chips around the edges with a small piece of the truss rod cover missing. The back of the headstock has a noticeable chip at the top with scratches in the finish closer to the nut. The back of the neck has chips and plenty of patches where the finish has worn away. The neck feels good, with plenty of small bumps and dips in the finish to feel exactly where you are; more cracks in the finish closer to the heel. The fretboard has patches of worn away lacquer–visible under the right light with no noticeable impact on play-feel. The back has finish cracks and scuffs with some widespread light scratches, dimples and dings. There is a noticeable patch of finish worn away opposite the bridge and pickup. The sides have widespread dings, scratches and dimples with the roughest wear around the strap pin. Here, the finish is quite rough, seemingly melted away in the elbow area (pictured). No functional harm, however. The binding is quite discoloured with a few worn away patches–nothing rough on the hands, though. The front has widespread scuffs and scratches with a few patches of worn finish by the bridge and on the top horn. There's a ding above the pickups and a rust on the hardware. There's a three-prong crack in the guard from the bridge volume pot with the knob's label missing.
TL;DR – Cosmetically quite rough, but it adds to the vibe in a way.
Overall: good condition (6.5/10)
Playing condition notes: Action is low, neck is straight, intonation is good, truss rod works. All electronics tested and working properly. Wearing fresh 45/105 Moonshiners strings.
Fret life: 7/10, minor wear only