I happened to walk into the 12th Fret guitar shop yesterday while I was killing some time before a pickup gig in the the east end of Toronto and was shocked to find a beat down, messed up, rode hard, put away wet, Jetglo, lefty '79 Ric 4001 hanging on the wall, but hidden in a corner. Talking to a buddy who works there, I learned it had been there since December 2013 on consignment! I've been in there a dozen times since then and somehow never saw it. I played it for quite a bit and found the neck was one of the more comfortable Ric necks I've ever laid my hands on and was virtually dead straight. HOWEVER, this bass was definitely owned by an old school punk rocker. Lot's of paint missing, - including on almost half the back - bridge lifting, electronics rattling and semi functional, pickguard cracked into several pieces, tuners sticking and - most importantly - needs new frets. The asking price was $1650 CAD and suffice it to say, I didn't deem it worth that at all. I hung it back up on the wall and headed to my gig. Thinking to myself that I would have to post it in the "Southpaw Spotted" section of the forum for others to see.
This morning I was telling my wife about it over coffee and she asked why I didn't make a low ball offer. I did a double take and asked her if she was serious. It seemed she was. She even suggested that we head over there again today to check it out again. I'm not sure what had come over her. Not only was she suggesting I possibly buy yet another bass but she was offering to go with me across town in heavy snow to investigate further. Not one to look gift horse in the mouth, I headed outside to shovel the car out.
I played it for about another half hour and did a quick rundown of what I would have t do to get it back into "player" shape. Talked to my buddy again and said if he guy would come down to $1000 CAD - and not a penny more - I would take it. Thinking of course that the guy wasn't too serious about selling it and would likely turn it down. I overheard the shop manager talking to the bass's owner on the phone and telling him, "Look dude, it's been here for over a year and this is the first offer you've even got. The guy who wants it knows his shit and it's going to be a project to get it into good shape again. I suggest you take the bird in the hand." Well, that worked. The guy accepted the offer. Now I had to buy it. I had to pay the Ontario sales tax which made the bass a grand total of $1130 CAD. (That's almost exactly $900 USD for you American fellas, or €790 for my European pals.)
Given that the "vintage/collectible" ship has sailed on this particular bass, I think the plan is going to be. New Ric pre-wired wiring harness and output jacks. Probably Joe Barden Ric replacement pickups and a treble bezel. Hipshot Ric replacement bridge and tuners. New pickguard. (Also see if Ric will sell/swap me for a proper lefty neck plate.) And, of course, new frets. If I'm really lucky, it will become a real player bass that will be worth about what I've put into it. Still, I think I got what I paid for. I know it ain't pretty but I likes me some good relic'ing and this bass got it the real way.
By the way...... It turns out my wife wanted some new boots from a boutique not far from the 12th Fret......
Definitely a belt buckle or some sort of leather jacket buckle involved...
