1981 Rickenbacker 4003 Jet Glo

Offered for sale;

Used 1981 Rickenbacker 4003 serial number UI 3295.

This bass is in good condition, neck and frets are fine. Cosmetically showing nicks and marks with some belt rash on the back. It has been professionally refretted.

Rickenbacker's hold a special "niche" for their looks, construction, and especially sound.

First introduced in the spring of 1957, and brought to the forefront by artists such as Paul McCartney, Chris Squire, and Geddy Lee, Rickenbacker 4000-series basses have forged a solid reputation for distinct tone and comfortable playability.

Rickenbacker was the first to feature neck-thru-body construction, making other manufacturer's aware of the sonic benefits of this design. Rick signature features also include a thin Maple body and thin fast Maple neck with dual truss rods, and a bound Rosewood fingerboard. Rickenbackers substantial bridge / tail piece with integral mute, add to the exceptional sonic capabilities.

The most prominent feature is the sound from their single coil bridge and neck pickups that each have their own separate tone and volume controls. Then there is the "Vintage Tone Circuit" and "Rick-O-Sound".

The Vintage Tone Circuit: Prior to 1984, a special capacitor was used in the bridge-pickup circuit to enhance the treble tone. While this capacitor helped to define Chris Squire's signature sound, it also lowered the output of the pickup system. Rickenbacker dropped the capacitor, exchanging treble for volume, in 2006, they revisited their design and a push/pull switch in the treble tone-knob was added. Pull out on the knob, and you've got that classic Roundabout sound. Push it back in, and the sound fattens up.

"Rick-O-Sound": Unique to Rickenbacker, two 1/4-inch output jacks are fitted. The standard output jack works like a regular bass output. The secondary (Rick-O-Sound) jack can be used with a stereo Y-cable to route individual pickup outputs to separate sources.

This is a particularly lively 4003. Big punch before you even plug it in.

“We carefully inspect every instrument when we buy it and bring it up to our standards before we offer it for sale. We also do a full set up before we ship.”

Hard-shell case included.

BASS GUITAR SPECS:

Year: 1981

Serial number: 3295

Body: Maple

Neck: Maple

Finish: Black

Fingerboard: Rosewood

Scale Length: 33.25”

Number of Frets: 20

Bridge: Rickenbacker

Tuners: Schaller open back

Pickups: Rickenbacker single coil

Controls: Dual volume & tone controls with 3-way toggle switch. Two outputs.

Width at Nut: 1 5/8”

Radius: 7.5

Weight: 9.6

*Please note: we do our best giving descriptions of used pieces. We have found it impossible to describe every mark on an instrument or amp that is not in the "mint" category. Also, what's important to you may not be important to someone else. For example, you may say, "I don't care what it looks like as long as it plays or sounds well." Another person may say, "Body cosmetics are very important to me so tell me about every scratch, nick and blemish." So, please ask the questions that are most important to you. If you ask they will be answered. They are free and there's no limit. Additional photos can also be made available.

This is a specific item that is also being offered for sale in our brick & mortar location. It is possible that it has just been sold. Please ask if it is still available before purchasing.

*It is our policy to require a signature on delivery of all musical instruments. Please let us know if you prefer no signature required when ordering or we will automatically require a signature.

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