Ibanez Rickenbacker 4001 Copy

This is an early 80s Rickenbacker 4001 copy made in Japan. It's a 4 string with 20 frets, with volume and tone controls for both pickups. I'm not sure what it's made of. Also, I'd like to point out that unlike the guy's bass from underneath this review, mine has a set neck, not a bolt-on, so by looking at it, you can't tell it's a copy, unless you look at the truss rod cover (when the guy at the store got it, it actually had a Rickenbacker truss rod cover, but he changed it). I got a gig bag for half price, too, and got my old hohner headless fixed free of charge. Yay. Otherwise, it's got all the features you need on a bass. Great.

My style is classic rock, and I love the twangy sound you get from Rickenbackers, which is why I got this one. I just recently switched to bass, and I'm poor, so I run it through a Fender Princeton 65 guitar amp, and you know what? The tone's still there, fat and juicy, and uhghg.. yeah... baby.. There's almost no hum, which is a nice change from my other bass, a hohner B2B headless. The sound is nice a bright, piano-like, the way a rick (or a copy) should be. There isn't that much variety, but I don't care, cause right now I'm in love with the twang. If I need a rounder tone, I'll use my hohner.

The guy at the store set it up for me, so the action is good. The body is a bit chipped in some places, but hey, it's 20 years old, what do you expect? The bridge pickup moves a little, and some moron decided to take the pickup cover off, which I really want. Otherwise it's nice and playable.

It's been standing for 20 years, I'm sure it'll be able to take another 20. The hardware's good. The finish, as I said, is a bit chipped, but that doesn't really matter to me. The strap buttons are solid, although I might wanna put in some strap locks in the future. It's dependable, and I'd gig without a backup. But now I do have a backup, the hohner. Hehehehe.

I doubt they'd care about it.

I just recently switched to bass a few months ago, and I also own a hohner headless. If it were stolen I'd go murder the person who stole it. If not, I'd commit suicide, cause I can't live without this bass. I love it for the twangy bright tone I get out of it. I wish it had a pickup cover, but it doesn't. It rocks.

Made sometime in the '70s, in Japan. Ibanez's version of "MapleGlo" finish(Butterscotchy looking Natural), with checkered binding. The same features as a '70s Rickenbacker 4001 - except it doesn't have the Stereo "Rick 'o Sound" jacks, just a regular standard output jack.
It came with a nice form fitting hard case. I don't know for shure what wood it's made of, but judging by the weight, and Acoustic resonense, I'd guess Alder, 3 piece, with a Maple veneer on the front and back. The neck appears to be the same type of wood as on a real rick, but unlike the original, it's bolted rather than glued on. The dimensions are exactly like the Rick, if it had a Rick truss rod cover, it would take an expert to tell the difference from the front.(Of course the bolt on neck plate would give it away from the rear.) It should be noted that the pickups on this one are EXACT Rick copies - I've seen catalog pictures of this model, but it shows it with generic chrome covered pickups, and a psuedo P Bass style cover on the neck pick up, but mine has the same design as the real Ricks.

I gotta hand it to Ibanez - not only did they make this Guitar look like a Rick - they REALLY did their homework on the electronics too.... A friend of mine has a real '76 Rick, and this Ibanez is essentially the same Guitar, the only differences are the bolt on neck, mono output, and the finish(His is FireGlo, with no checkers on the binding.)
I'm shure Rick Purists could give me lots of reasons why the bolt on neck should in theory make this thing sound like crap - but guess what? It DOESN'T! The sound of this Bass is Fantastic, I have it strung with light guage round wounds, and it has that same Beautiful Piano like sound that real Ricks are famous for. It's easy to get a growling Chris Squire type tone out of it, and if you roll back the treble a bit, it gets that Paul McCartney Sgt Pepper ultra deep sound, it's also superb for Funk/slap styles. I play it thru a Fender Bassman 25(A new one)and it sounds incredible, with the eq pots at 12:00, and the volume at 1 1/2, it literally shakes the walls with rich, sumptuous tone. I really love this thing, it's like a Grand Piano that's been "Guitarified".

This Bass is a relic from another century, it's beat up, and missing the top part of the neck pick up ashtray, as well as the truss rod cover, the Pickups are gritty with fosselized dust, and the remaining parts and screws are rusty.... But it plays like Buttah, and looks cool as Hell, with tons of Character - and it's built like a Tank, it feels like you could chop down a Redwood with it. And most importantly, it SOUNDS like a Vintage Guitar SHOULD, Tone Sweet Tone, and LOTS of it!

This Guitar has already been through just about everything that a Guitar can go thru - It's taken a 'lickin, and kept on 'tickin - I don't think there's anything I could do to it that would break it, it's a keeper.

*LOL* If I called Ibanez about this Bass, they'd probably hang up on me, I'm shure they'd prefer to forget about thier Lawsuit days!

I also own a Yamaha RBX 260 Fretless. I use the Yamaha as my "BASS" Bass, I have heavy guage flat wounds on it for that big Dog House Sound - and I use the fake Rick as a cross between a Baritone Guitar, and a Piano, I have light guage round wounds on it. Although I'm using it for a specialised purpose, I should point out that it would be great as "BASS" Bass as well - in fact if I could only own one Bass, it'd be this one. If it were stolen, the Thief would be in BIG trouble, because I would hunt him down and pummel his little Girly Man Buttox.
I wish it still had the truss rod cover, and the ashtray(there seems to be some sort of Law that says Pickup covers on Basses MUST be imediatly removed - I guess that's why Fender doesn't even bother putting them on the standard J, and P Basses anymore.... I think they are Cool though.) Overall, for less than half of what a real Rick of the Same vintage and condition would go for, I think I got a great deal, this Bass has a wonderful vintage tone, Beautiful playability, and without the truss rod cover, it's hard to tell it's a copy.