My New Rickenbacker 4003 Bass

My son Stogie Jr. delivered my new red Rickenbacker 4003 yesterday afternoon, and a gorgeous work of art it truly is.  Paul McCartney has two of these and lots of professional musicians use the Rickenbacker.  I have time off from work so plan to spend a lot of time practicing.

This bass left the factory only a month ago.  It's brand new.  Stogie Jr. bought it on E-Bay at a nice discount.  These babies aren't cheap.  The neck has these mother-of-pearl inlays (see the triangular shapes) that really help navigate the neck.  Thanks son!

Here's a video of Paul McCartney playing his blonde ("Mapleglo") finished Rickenbacker.  His is a 4001 model, identical except for the pearl inlays on the neck (mine is better!).

My New Rickenbacker Bass Guitar

Paul McCartney's Left Handed Rickenbacker Bass

My oldest son, Stogie Jr, claims he has bought me a present:  a brand new, Rickenbacker bass guitar in "Fire-Glo" finish (a beautiful, cherry red color).  I love Rickenbackers, as my father (who was in the music business) sold them for years, and in fact sold two to the Creedence Clearwater Revival (back when they were still calling themselves "the Golliwogs.")  One of those was a Rickenbacker bass like the one I am going to get, also in Fire-Glo.  I even helped my brother "Bro" adjust the neck on that bass while Stu Cook, the new bass owner, and Tom Fogerty (John's younger brother) stood by watching.

Paul McCartney owns the same bass, which he sometimes plays instead of his familiar Hofner bass.  Paul was given his left-handed version by the head of Rickenbacker when the Beatles first came to New York in 1964.

With these bad economic times, I had given up hope of ever owning one myself, but my son wants to do something for his old man before the latter croaks, so he bought a brand new Rickenbacker 4003 bass off of E-Bay that he plans to give to me.  That is, unless he falls in love with it himself and decides to keep it, at which point I will take him out of the will (just kidding).

If you so desire, you can see a demonstration of the options of the Rickenbacker 4003 here.