Skip to main content

Rickenbacker Archives

Rickenbacker Unveils 90th Anniversary 4005XC Bass Guitar
Basses

Rickenbacker Unveils 90th Anniversary 4005XC Bass Guitar

2021 marks the 90th anniversary of Rickenbacker Guitars, who have just revealed limited edition guitar and bass models to mark the occasion. While details are still slim, the bass model is called the 4005XC and has some serious retro appeal.

Rickenbacker Guitars Reveals the 4003AC Al Cisneros Signature Bass
Basses

Rickenbacker Guitars Reveals the 4003AC Al Cisneros Signature Bass

Al Cisneros has teamed up with Rickenbacker for a limited edition signature bass based on their flagship model. The 4003AC is outfitted with a few of the Sleep/Om bassist’s requests.

Rickenbacker Unveils the 2018 4003S/5 5-String Bass
Basses

Rickenbacker Unveils the 2018 4003S/5 5-String Bass

Rickenbacker announced the return of the 4003S/5 bass at the 2018 Winter NAMM Show. The five-string bass, which has not been offered for over a decade, has been updated with a slightly wider string spacing, a Schaller 3D-5 bridge, and a new single coil pickup design. The pickup was re-engineered with two blade magnets that angle further out towards the...

Hal Leonard Publishes Second Edition of The Rickenbacker Electric Bass Book
News

Hal Leonard Publishes Second Edition of The Rickenbacker Electric Bass Book

If you’re a fan of classic basses, you’ll want to check out the new edition of The Rickenbacker Electric Bass: 50 Years as Rock’s Bottom. Updating on the first edition released 2013, the new version adds 16 bonus pages with up-to-date information on the latest models plus more photos of artists and custom-built Rickenbacker basses. “With the introduction of the...

Bass of the Week: Modified Rickenbacker 4001 Piccolo Sitar Bass
Bass of the Week

Bass of the Week: Modified Rickenbacker 4001 Piccolo Sitar Bass

And now for something completely different. We recently featured a video by Indian music enthusiast and seven-string bassist Jason Everett. While a seven-string may be outlandish to some, he sent me some info on a special bass he modded to fill another role for his style. After being inspired by John McLaughlin’s guitar work with Shakti, Everett turned his Rickenbacker...

Rickenbacker Introduces 4003S and 4003SW Basses
Basses

Rickenbacker Introduces 4003S and 4003SW Basses

Rickenbacker launched a pair of new takes on their classic 4003 bass this year with the 4003S and 4003SW. The new models take the current 4003 and 4003W basses and give them a vintage aesthetic made popular by the ’60s 4001S bass.

Rickenbacker Announces 4003W Bass
Basses

Rickenbacker Announces 4003W Bass

Rickenbacker has introduced the W Series of guitars and basses for 2014. The lineup is a spin on their classic models, including the 4003 bass, but are made with walnut bodies. Though the company states that it’s careful not to change too much from the formulas they use to make instrument, they say the walnut adds strength and natural character....

Hal Leonard Publishes “The Rickenbacker Electric Bass: 50 Years as Rock’s Bottom”
News

Hal Leonard Publishes “The Rickenbacker Electric Bass: 50 Years as Rock’s Bottom”

Rickenbacker basses are getting a good detailing in the new book The Rickenbacker Electric Bass: 50 Years as Rock’s Bottom, a 144-page documentation of the company’s 4-string endeavors since the mid-1950s. It offers up info on the company’s nearly forty bass models, including the iconic 4001, with hundreds of color photos and descriptions to help identify each instrument. “I took...

Bass of the Week: Rickenbacker Limited Edition Lemmy Kilmister Signature 4004LK
Bass of the Week

Bass of the Week: Rickenbacker Limited Edition Lemmy Kilmister Signature 4004LK

Rickenbacker paid tribute to metal icon and Motorhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister with the introduction of the 4004LK, a signature bass limited to 60 pieces that was first spotted in 1995, though production started around 2000. The bass is half instrument, half art, as each piece’s walnut body features a hand-carved relief of oak leaves and white checked binding. Since they...

Old School: 1967 Rickenbacker 4005 FG
Old School

Old School: 1967 Rickenbacker 4005 FG

This week, Tom Harper shares the story behind his 1967 Rickenbacker 4005 FG, a bass he bought new in 1967, and one he describes as “a little worn, but still sweet!” The Rickenbacker 4005 was introduced in 1965, and featured a new-style, 360 body in a hollow-body bass. “FG” stands for “Fireglo”, a sunburst finish with a dark red color...