Rickenbacker 4001
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The Rickenbacker 4001 is an
electric bass The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and s ...
that was manufactured by
Rickenbacker Rickenbacker International Corporation is a string instrument manufacturer based in Santa Ana, California. The company is credited as the first known maker of electric guitars – a steel guitar in 1932 – and today produces a range ...
as a two- pickup "deluxe" version of their first production bass, the single-pickup model 4000. This design, created by Roger Rossmeisl, was manufactured between 1961 and 1981, when it was replaced by an updated version dubbed the Rickenbacker 4003. Variant models of the 4001 include the 4001S, 4001LH, 1999 (European model), 4001V63 (reissue), 4001CS (a limited edition series based on
Chris Squire Christopher Russell Edward Squire (4March 1948 – 27June 2015) was an English musician, singer and songwriter best known as the bassist and backing vocalist of the progressive rock band Yes. He was the longest-serving original member, having r ...
's 1965 British model RM1999) and the 4001C64 and 4001C64S: the C Series is a recreation of Paul McCartney's left-handed 4001S with a reversed
headstock A headstock or peghead is part of a guitar or similar stringed instruments such as a lute, mandolin, banjo, ukulele and others of the lute lineage. The main function of a headstock is to house the pegs or mechanism that holds the strings at th ...
. There are also Al Cisneros (4003 AC) and
Lemmy Kilmister Ian Fraser Kilmister (24 December 1945 – 28 December 2015), better known as Lemmy Kilmister or simply Lemmy, was an English musician. He was the founder, lead singer, bassist and primary songwriter of the rock band Motörhead, of which he wa ...
(4004 LK) signature versions of the instrument.


Construction

The 4001 model features a neck-through construction, a full-wood body,
fretboard The fingerboard (also known as a fretboard on fretted instruments) is an important component of most stringed instruments. It is a thin, long strip of material, usually wood, that is laminated to the front of the neck of an instrument. The str ...
with metal strings (originally flat-wound, though many players replaced them with round-wounds), twin truss rods, triangle inlays, two pickups, two volume and two tone dials, selector switch, and wiring for Rick-O-Sound (standard after 1971). Rickenbacker also produced six-string and 12 string guitars and a short-scale bass, the 3000 model. The bridge system is a relatively unusual design, both in aesthetics and in function, featuring removable saddles, as well as a compartment designed to hold a foam mute. The 4001S (and 1999) model varies in its use of dot inlays, and unbound neck construction. The Rickenbacker 4003, which replaced the 4001, differs in the truss rod design and introduces a fret wire that better withstands the wear from round-wound strings (fast fret wear was a common complaint for many years, and Rickenbacker strived to address the issue). The pickups are also higher in output, and the bridge pickup, a so-called "horseshoe" pickup, was entirely remodelled, featuring a more conventional design, although the "horseshoe", albeit removable is still part of the construction, for aesthetic purposes. More recent 4003 models also feature a push-pull switch on one of the tone knobs, which diminishes the output of the pickups, to more closely resemble the original 4001 tone. Other features remained similar to its forebear. Rickenbacker has in recent years also produced a five-string model, featuring a more conventional bridge system, smaller Schaller machine heads and distinctive, asymmetrical pickups. It retains the Rickenbacker's signature 33" scale length, an unusual design for a five-string instrument. Between the years 1993 and 2018 Rickenbacker also manufactured a streamlined model, named the 4004, that used the 4001's trademark shape but featured smaller pickups, a simplified control layout, a more conventional bridge system and eschewed the use of aesthetic details such as binding or a pickguard.


Notable players

* Al Cisneros of
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and OM * Andy Warren * Audun Laading of
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* Becky Baldwin of Fury, touring bassist for
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* Ben Wahamki of The Lumineers * Bob Hardy of
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Bruce Foxton Bruce Douglas Foxton (born 1 September 1955) is an English singer, songwriter and musician. Foxton's music career spans more than 40 years. He came to prominence in the late 1970s as bassist and backing vocalist of mod revival band the Jam. ...
of
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*
Buddy Zabala Hector Avanceña Zabala (born November 13, 1971), popularly known as Buddy Zabala, is a Filipino musician and producer. He is currently the bassist of Filipino pop band Moonstar88 and indie band Cambio, and widely known as the bassist and bac ...
of the Pinoy band
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* Charles Michael Parks Jr. of All Them Witches *
Chris Squire Christopher Russell Edward Squire (4March 1948 – 27June 2015) was an English musician, singer and songwriter best known as the bassist and backing vocalist of the progressive rock band Yes. He was the longest-serving original member, having r ...
of
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* Chris Taylor of
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of
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*
Chuck Panozzo Charles Salvatore Panozzo (born September 20, 1948) is an American musician best known as a co-founder of the rock band Styx. He is currently a part-time bass player in the band, sharing bass duties with Ricky Phillips. Panozzo suffers from HIV ...
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*
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of Pilot and
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* Don Schiff *
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*
Dušan Kojić Dušan "Koja" Kojić ( sr-Cyrl, Душан Којић Која; born 14 June 1961) is a Serbian rock bassist, singer, and songwriter. He is the frontman of the Serbian Alternative rock band Disciplin A Kitschme (formerly known as Disciplina Kičm ...
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and
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*
Fabio Pignatelli Fabio Pignatelli is an Italian musician. He is the bass guitar player for the Italian progressive rock band Goblin. Goblin provided soundtracks for several horror films, most famously Dario Argento's ''Suspiria'' (1977) and George A. Romero's ' ...
of
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* Fred Turner of Bachman-Turner Overdrive *
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of Rush *
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, and
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*
Göran Lagerberg Göran Bertil Lagerberg (; born 20 September 1947) is a Swedish musician and singer-songwriter, best known as the bass guitarist and co-lead vocalist in Swedish rock band Tages and later progressive rock act Kebnekajse. In the 1990s, he was a ...
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and Kebnekajse *
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, fictional character from the anime series ''
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'' * Heidi Rodewald of
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and
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*
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of
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* Jack Lawrence of
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* Jesse F. Keeler of
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and MSTRKRFT * Jim Smith of
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*
Joey DeMaio Joey DeMaio (born March 6, 1954) is an American musician who is the bass player and main songwriter for the heavy metal band Manowar which he founded in 1980. He is also the founder and CEO of Magic Circle Music. Biography He is a childhoo ...
of
Manowar Manowar is an American heavy metal band from Auburn, New York. Formed in 1980, the group is known for lyrics based on fantasy (particularly sword and sorcery) and mythology (particularly Norse mythology and Greco-Roman mythology), as well as ...
* John Bentley of Squeeze *
John Deacon John Richard Deacon (born 19 August 1951) is an English retired musician, best known for being the bass guitarist for the rock band Queen. He wrote several songs for the group, including Top 10 hits " You're My Best Friend", " Another One Bit ...
of
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*
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* Jon Camp of
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*
Josephine Wiggs Miranda Cordelia Susan Josephine Wiggs (born 26 February 1963) is an English multi-instrumentalist rock musician, best known for her work as bassist in the alternative rock bands The Breeders and The Perfect Disaster. She has also formed mult ...
of
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*
Julie Doiron Julie Doiron (born June 28, 1972) is a Canadian singer-songwriter of Acadian heritage. She has been the bass guitarist and co-vocalist for the Canadian indie rock band Eric's Trip since its formation in 1990. She has released ten solo albums, beg ...
of
Eric's Trip Eric's Trip is a Canadian indie rock band from Moncton, New Brunswick. Eric's Trip achieved prominence as the first Canadian band to be signed to Seattle's flagship grunge label Sub Pop in the early 1990s. The band had a minor hit in alternative ...
*
Kira Roessler Kira Roessler (born June 12, 1961) is an American musician and two-time Emmy Award-winning dialogue editor. She is best known as the bassist for the influential hardcore punk band Black Flag from 1983 to 1985. Since the mid-1980s, she has been ...
of Black Flag *
Lemmy Kilmister Ian Fraser Kilmister (24 December 1945 – 28 December 2015), better known as Lemmy Kilmister or simply Lemmy, was an English musician. He was the founder, lead singer, bassist and primary songwriter of the rock band Motörhead, of which he wa ...
of
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*
Lou Barlow Louis Knox Barlow (born July 17, 1966) is an American alternative rock musician and songwriter. A founding member of the groups Dinosaur Jr., Sebadoh and The Folk Implosion, Barlow is credited with helping to pioneer the lo-fi style of rock mus ...
of
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* Mario Mutis of
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*
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of Sparks and
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*
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* Matt Gatera of The Seagulls *
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of the
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*
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* Mike Rutherford of Genesis (band), Genesis * Paul D'Amour of Tool (band), Tool * Paul Gray (English musician), Paul Gray of The Damned (band), The Damned, Eddie & The Hot Rods and UFO (band), UFO * Peter Cetera of Chicago (band), Chicago * Paul McCartney of Paul McCartney and Wings, Wings and The Beatles * Paul Simonon of The Clash * Paul Wilson (musician), Paul Wilson of Snow Patrol * Pete Trewavas of Marillion * Pete Quaife of The Kinks * Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy * Prakash John * Prescott Niles of the Knack * Randy Meisner of Eagles (band), Eagles and Poco * Rick James * Roger Glover of
Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock music, but their musical style has changed over the course of its existence. Originally formed as ...
, Rainbow (rock band), Rainbow and Episode Six * Roger Waters of Pink Floyd * List of Scott Pilgrim characters#Scott Pilgrim, Scott Pilgrim, fictional character from the ''Scott Pilgrim'' series * Scott Reeder (bassist), Scott Reeder of Kyuss * Simon Gallup of The Cure * Simon Johns of Stereolab * Stu Cook of Creedence Clearwater Revival, with a 4001 featured prominently on the ''Bayou Country (album), Bayou Country'' album's cover photograph * Timothy B. Schmit of Eagles (band), Eagles and Poco * Tommy Stinson of The Replacements (band), The Replacements and formerly Guns ‘N Roses * Tracy Pew of The Birthday Party (band), The Birthday Party


References


External links

{{Commons category, Rickenbacker 4001
Rickenbacker International Corporation
Bass guitars Rickenbacker guitars, 4001 1961 musical instruments The Beatles' musical instruments