2005 Rickenbacker 4003 Electric Bass Blue Boy, Color of the Year w/ Case, 4001

Up for sale, a 2005 Rickenbacker 4003 in 100% original condition and in perfect working order with a custom color Blue Boy gloss finish and original hardshell case. The Blue Boy finish is one of Rickenbacker's rarer and more desirable custom colors from their Color Of The Year program, only available in a particularly short window from 2004-2005.Nothing beats the midrange character and tonal color of a Rickenbacker 4003, and this one has a wonderfully acoustically resonant body, weighing 9lbs 3oz. The growl and low end richness of this bass is fantastic, with the sustain that only comes from a neck through body design. One of the Tone controls also has a Push/Pull feature, adding a capacitor into the circuit for the slightly more sinewy sound of a '70s Rickenbacker 4001. Strung with fresh 45-100 roundwound strings, we've had this Rickenbacker professionally setup here at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar with comfortable action and accurate intonation.The neck has a round and substantial C-shaped profile carve with generous shoulder, measuring .920" deep at the 1st fret and .950" at the 12th. The bound, gloss-finished rosewood fretboard features pearl triangle inlay and flawless medium jumbo fretwire. The neck is straight, both truss rods are responsive, and the bass plays well in all registers up the 33 1/4" scale. The nut measures a full 1 11/16" in width, and the headstock features the "Rickenbacker" logo truss rod cover and clover button tuners.All of the electronics function flawlessly with untouched solder joints and CTS pots that date to the 19th week of '05. While Blue Boy was technically the Color of the Year for 2004, given Rickenbacker's substantial production lead times, this bass was crafted in '05, with the serial number on the stereo jack plate conclusively dating production to the 27th week of 2005. The chrome plating on the hardware shines like new, and the plastic parts are near mint.The Blue Boy gloss finish is framed by ambered binding, exhibiting very tight and prominent finish checking on top, and some areas of light greening in the clear coat, largely on the neck and headstock. The finish on the back of the bass presents as more of a semi-gloss, with some very faint finish scuffing and a few minor dings on the body as a whole. The neck profile is clean and smooth, similar to the back with a more semi-gloss/satin feel and only a couple very shallow marks on the profiler length.The original Rickenbacker molded hardshell case is included, along with the chrome-plated bridge pickup cover.