Rickenbacker, 4001, 1982 – Dave Meros

Tabs

Specifications
Builder: 
Rickenbaker
Model: 
4001
Year: 
1982
Color: 
White
The Story Behind

Not only guitars could be pieced together out of different brands and models, see the Chet Atkin's Peaver in our TYS Collection.

This also happens with bass guitars. Dave's main bass was for a long time what he terms his "Fendenbacker". It's a Rickenbacker 4001 bass that's been severely modified to serve a variety of purposes. "A buddy of mine found a really trashed Ric in a pawn shop, and I turned it into a project bass to try to make a 'one bass fits all' for myself" says Meros.

It has a set of Fender Jazz Bass pickups set in mid-'70s-era spacing (the bridge pickup moved closer to the bridge than in previous incarnations, giving the bass a "tighter" and more midrange tone) as well as the standard set of Rickenbacker pickups in the traditional Ric positions. This gives Meros four pickups total to choose from, with a switch that chooses between the two fairly different "basses", Rickenbacker or Jazz. All four can also be activated at the same time. A BadAss bridge, Hipshot Bass Xtender (otherwise known as a "Hipshot D-Tuner" or simply a "Hipshot" or "D-Tuner" among bassists) for its ability to downtune the low E-string of a bass typically to D at the flip of a lever) and a string mute that Meros can raise or lower with thumb screws (which were fabricated by Meros himself) were also added.

"I did the refinish on the front of the bass, made the pickguard and did a lot of the other little stuff myself, but I had John Carruthers (Venice, CA) do the stuff that really mattered, like route the body for the two extra pickups, cause you only get one chance to do that, and it has to be perfect. He's the man, totally. He also did a really versatile wiring thing for me and one of the most amazing fret jobs I've ever seen."

More recently, after the neck began delaminating from the body, it was completely rebuilt and beautifully refinished by Ed Roman Guitars, Las Vegas NV.

The bass was extensively used by Dave for recording and touring with Spock's Beard as well as on tour with Eric Burdon. It can be seen on Spock's Beard's DVD: Don't Try This at Home, 2002.

Furthermore here are some videos featuring the bass:

 

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