Up for sale, a 1967 Rickenbacker 4005 bass in excellent condition and in perfect working order, complete with the original hardshell case. A rare vintage Ric bass with small production totals, the semi-hollow 4005 was only offered from 1965-71, with very few examples produced in Mapleglo.

Featuring a carved maple body and heavily figured bubble maple back framed by zipper binding, the 4005's body is essentially an elongated version of Ric's 300 series guitars, complete with a bound rosewood fingerboard with deluxe inlay. With a full 33 1/2" scale length, the 4005's natural acoustic properties combine the treble detail and note attack of maple with the sonic breadth and sweet sustain of the semi-hollow, set neck construction.

Strung with 60-115 tapewound strings, the neck pickup has a broad, pillowy thump and thud, with a vocal midrange quality. The bridge pickup’s tone cap filters it so there’s a nasally upper midrange, more present and treble-centric while still retaining enough body. The smaller 5th knob balances the attributes of the two pickups nicely, and the overarching sound of the bass is quite distinct, both from other instruments of the era and Ric basses too. Lightweight at 8lbs 2oz, this 4005 has been professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with easy-playing action and accurate intonation.

Neck Specs:

-Wood: Maple/Walnut
-Shape: Medium C, full shoulders, measuring .860” 1st fret, .890” 12th fret
-Fretboard: Rosewood, triangular inlay
-Frets: Medium, refret, pristine
-Scale Length: 33 1/2”
-Nut: 1 5/8”
-Tuners: Clover button

Body Specs:

-Wood: Maple
-Pickups: Toaster Top x2
-Harness: CTS pots date to late ‘66 and early ‘67
-Hardware: “R” tailpiece, four-saddle bridge
-Plastics: One-ply pickguard (one small filled hole), acrylic finger rest, reflector knobs
-Serialization: GE-prefix on mono output jack translates to May, 1967

Extremely original with its stock hardware and plastics, the electronics include the stock harness and bridge pickup, with a neck pickup that actually predates the bass, sourced from a Ric Capri and dating to '58. The bridge pickup retains its original windings, and the neck pickup (a rare, short-pole variant) has been professionally rewound to original spec.

The original Mapleglo gloss finish highlights the prominent bubble figuring extending liberally across the flat back. There are some small repaired splits in the neck binding, and one small new binding piece on the treble side at fret 6. Cosmetic wear is limited to various small nicks and scuffs, and modest buckle wear on the upper bout on the back. The original gloss has been retained on the fingerboard, yet extremely smooth and not “sticky” for players that prefer an unfinished fingerboard.

The original silver tolex hardshell case is included. The case retains its black leather ends, with the stock handle and functional latches.