# Rickenbacker 4001

The Rickenbacker 4001 is an electric bass that was manufactured by Rickenbacker 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'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. There are also Al Cisneros (4003 AC) and Lemmy Kilmister (4004 LK) signature versions of the instrument.

## Construction

The 4001 model features a neck-through construction, a full-wood body, fretboard with metal strings (originally flat-wound, though many players replaced them with round-wounds), twin truss rods, triangle inlays, two single coil pickups, two volume and two tone dials, selector switch, and wiring for Rick-O-Sound (standard after 1971). Models that feature Rick-O-Sound have the capability to "split" the instrument's dual pickup signals between two separate amplifiers.
Unlike most two-pickup electric basses, the 4001's pickups are of two different designs. The 4001 has a small neck pickup, colloquially referred to as a "toaster pickup" due to the distinctive metal covers found on 1960s models. The bridge pickup is larger in size and mounted on a metal plate. Earlier models are referred to as "horseshoe pickups", as the bridge pickup is enclosed between two metal-covered horseshoe magnets. Later 4001 models as well as the modern 4003 redesign replaced the toaster and horseshoe pickups with so-called Hi-Gain pickups. The Hi-Gain bridge pickup is of a more conventional design than the horseshoe pickup. The bridge pickup also features a removable metal bridge cover designed to emulate the look of the original horseshoe magnets.
Rickenbacker also produced six-string and 12 string guitars and a short-scale bass, the 3000 model. The 4001's bridge is of a fairly unusual design, both in aesthetics and in function, featuring removable saddles as well as a built-in adjustible foam mute.
The 4001S, 4003S and 1999 models have been produced as cheaper, streamlined versions which feature unbound, contoured bodies, unbound fretboards with simpler dot inlays as well as a conventional mono output jack instead of the dual Rick-O-Sound system..
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 bridge pickup to more closely resemble the original 4001 tone. Other features remained similar to its forebear.
Rickenbacker has also produced five-string 4003 basses. Earlier examples were generally faithful to the original model in terms of parts and electronics, whereas newer models feature a more conventional bridge, smaller Schaller machine heads and distinctive triangular pickups. Both versions retain 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. In the early 2020s, the 4003 model was given a slight overhaul with a more conventional single truss rod-system as well as a redesigned bridge with individually adjustable saddles.

## Notable players

* Barry Adamson of Magazine (also in Buzzcocks, Visage and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds)
* Becky Baldwin of Mercyful Fate
* Lou Barlow of Dinosaur Jr.
* John Bentley of Squeeze
* Cliff Burton of Metallica
* Geezer Butler of Black Sabbath
* Jon Camp of Renaissance
* Peter Cetera of Chicago
* Al Cisneros of Sleep and OM
* Stu Cook of Creedence Clearwater Revival and Creedence Clearwater Revisited, with a 4001 featured prominently on the Bayou Country album cover photograph
* Paul D'Amour of Tool
* John Deacon of Queen
* Joey DeMaio of Manowar
* Julie Doiron of Eric's Trip
* John Entwistle of The Who
* Bruce Foxton of The Jam
* Simon Gallup of The Cure
* Matt Gatera of The Seagulls
* Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees
* Roger Glover of Deep Purple, Rainbow and Episode Six
* Martin Gordon of Sparks and Radio Stars
* Graham Gouldman of 10cc
* Paul Gray of The Damned, Eddie & The Hot Rods and UFO
* Bob Hardy of Franz Ferdinand
* Haruko Haruhara, fictional character from the anime series FLCL
* Glenn Hughes of Deep Purple, Trapeze, and Black Country Communion
* Rick James
* Tony James of Generation X
* Inge Johansson of Against Me!
* Simon Johns of Stereolab
* Jesse F. Keeler of Death From Above 1979 and MSTRKRFT
* Lemmy Kilmister of Motörhead
* Dušan Kojić of Šarlo akrobata and Disciplina kičme
* Göran Lagerberg of Tages and Kebnekajse
* Audun Laading of Her's
* Jack Lawrence of The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather
* Geddy Lee of Rush
* George Lynch of Extreme Danger
* Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy
* Dan Maines of Clutch
* Glen Matlock of Sex Pistols
* Paul McCartney of The Beatles and Wings
* Randy Meisner of Eagles and Poco
* Mike Mills of R.E.M.
* Mario Mutis of Los Jaivas
* Prescott Niles of the Knack
* Chuck Panozzo of Styx
* Charles Michael Parks Jr. of All Them Witches
* David Paton of Pilot and The Alan Parsons Project
* Tracy Pew of The Birthday Party
* Fabio Pignatelli of Goblin
* Scott Pilgrim, fictional character from the Scott Pilgrim series, of Sex Bob-Omb
* Prakash John
* Pete Quaife of The Kinks
* Scott Reeder of Kyuss
* Heidi Rodewald of Wednesday Week and Passing Strange
* Kira Roessler of Black Flag
* Mike Rutherford of Genesis
* Don Schiff
* Timothy B. Schmit of Eagles and Poco
* Paul Simonon of The Clash
* Jim Smith of Cardiacs
* Chris Squire of Yes
* Tommy Stinson of The Replacements (and formerly Guns ‘N Roses)
* Chris Taylor of Grizzly Bear
* Dougie Thomson of Supertramp
* Pete Trewavas of Marillion
* Fred Turner of Bachman-Turner Overdrive
* Martin Turner of Wishbone Ash
* Ben Wahamki of The Lumineers
* Andy Warren
* Roger Waters of Pink Floyd
* Josephine Wiggs of The Breeders
* Gérard Mondon of Johnny Hallyday
* Paul Wilson of Snow Patrol
* Chris Wolstenholme of Muse
* Buddy Zabala of the Pinoy band Eraserheads