First introduced in 1965, the Rickenbacker 4005 was the company’s deluxe hollowbody bass offering, developed at the request of UK distributors during the height of the “beat group” era. Built on an elongated 360-style body with deluxe inlays and full-scale construction, it stood apart from the short-scale hollowbody basses of the time, offering the familiar Rickenbacker look and feel in a completely new format.
This 1968 Rickenbacker 4005 features the model’s slim neck profile, checkerboard binding, and dual “toaster” pickups wired through the classic five-knob control layout. The Autumnglo finish highlights the figuring of the maple body, with crushed pearl inlays completing the deluxe appointments. As per the Kelly Rickenbacker book, there was a set of instruments produced in 1968 by Rickenbacker that were finished in what was technically Autumnglo, however with a darker shaded edge, that have come to be known as Moonglo among collectors. This 1968 4005 certainly exhibits elements of this finish, with the prominently darker shaded edge on the rear of the body.
Despite its striking design and versatile tone, the 4005 was produced in small numbers and never achieved the popularity of the 4001. Today, original 1960s examples are highly sought after by collectors and players alike for their unique tone and rarity, with this being undoubtedly one of the finest examples on the market.
This guitar is in excellent condition, with hardly and play wear to speak of, and only the most minor of finish fadeout. The original pots date to the middle of 1966, and the pickups and wiring are original and intact. All hardware is original, and this guitar retains its original blue lined, silver hard case This guitar has been given a full service and appraisal by our luthiers at the Vintage Instrument Workshop, and includes a 2 year warranty and its original case.
