Durham, NC, Vereinigte Staaten von Amerika
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1982 RICKENBACKER MODEL 4002 — MAPLEGLO — NEAR-MINT / ESSENTIALLY UNPLAYED From the Richard Davis Collection · International Guitar Museum · Durham, NC"These basses are as rare as hen's teeth, since so few were produced." — F.C. Hall, founder of RickenbackerFewer than 100 Rickenbacker Model 4002 basses are believed to have been built. Production ran 1975–1984, and a reissue is permanently impossible — the imported ebony the fingerboard requires is now on the endangered-species list, and Rickenbacker today builds only with sustainable woods. What exists is all that will ever exist. This is one of them — and in this condition, it may be one of a kind.It also comes with something no other 4002 on the market can offer: an original personal letter from F.C. Hall — the founder of Rickenbacker — dated March 18, 1983, addressed to a previous owner of this exact instrument, describing the Model 4002 in his own words. You are not just buying a rare bass. You are buying a documented one.WHY THE 4002 IS IN A CLASS BY ITSELF The 4002 was the most technically advanced and most expensive bass Rickenbacker ever produced — a deluxe evolution of the legendary 4001, built for professional studio and stage use at the highest level. It was never a "limited edition" by design; it simply didn't sell in numbers because of its premium price ($1,250 in 1977 — roughly $6,500 today), and production ended when the slow-moving models were discontinued. The result is a production run so small its own creator called it "as rare as hen's teeth."No celebrity association is needed to justify this instrument. The 4002 is the celebrity.IN F.C. HALL'S OWN WORDS (from the letter included with this bass):"The features of this instrument were very exclusive. Body made of Birdseye and Curly Maple finished in Mapleglo or Walnut. Deluxe block binding. Laminated custom pickguard. Laminated fully bound Maple neck and head. Imported Ebony fingerboard with pearl style inlays. 21 frets on a 33½-inch scale. Two super high gain humbucking pickups. Individual tone and volume controls for each pickup. Separate Rick-O-Sound stereo and mono output jack. Special low impedance output jack for direct connection with recording studio control board."CONDITION — EXTRAORDINARY Near-mint to essentially unplayed. No meaningful wear to finish, frets, or hardware. Most sellers would call this Mint or New Old Stock — we'll let the 24 photographs speak. For a 43-year-old bass of this rarity, the preservation is simply exceptional. We do not believe another 4002 in this condition exists in the current market — and we have looked.One honest exception: the first owner swapped the original Rickenbacker heptagonal knobs for an alternate style (installed now). Both sets of knobs are included in the sale.COMPLETE SPECIFICATIONS Body — Neck-through-body construction (strongest, most resonant configuration); select Birdseye & Curly Maple wings; checkered multi-ply block binding exclusive to the 4002; Mapleglo natural finish (one of only two finishes ever offered — Mapleglo and Walnut only; F.C. Hall confirmed no Fireglo 4002 was ever made); classic cresting-wave double cutaway. Neck — Solid flamed maple with contrasting walnut center stripe; cresting-wave headstock with contrasting walnut wings and black binding; dual independent truss rods; ~1⅝″ nut; fast thin-C profile. Fingerboard — Imported ebony (harder, faster, more sustaining than rosewood); pearl-style dot inlays (distinct from the triangle inlays of the 4001/4003); 21 frets; ~7.25″ vintage radius; black binding. Scale & weight — 33½″ long scale; ~44⅛″ overall; ~9 lbs. Pickups — Two custom passive humbuckers (fully passive, no preamp); side-by-side dual-coil design; both positioned close to the bridge at Jazz Bass locations for a brighter, more articulate voice than the 4001. The innovation — the bridge pickup is dual-winding: a high-impedance winding (~8k) for standard/Rick-O-Sound use, and a second low-impedance winding (~2.5–3k) feeding a balanced XLR output exclusively — the only production bass of its era with this capability. Output system — Three independent outputs, usable simultaneously: standard mono ¼″; Rick-O-Sound stereo ¼″ (splits neck/bridge to separate amps, effects, or recording channels); and low-impedance XLR balanced output direct to a console with no DI box. Four controls (separate volume + tone per pickup) plus selector, all pickguard-mounted. Hardware — Chrome 4-saddle bridge with string mute; 4-ply custom pickguard (black/white/black/white, unique to the 4002); chrome Schaller M-4 sealed tuners; original heptagonal knobs included; year/month of production encoded on the chrome output jack plate.WHAT'S INCLUDEDThe bass, exactly as describedOriginal Rickenbacker hardshell case with raised lettering — excellent conditionOriginal owner's manualOriginal Rickenbacker heptagonal knobs (plus the installed set)The F.C. Hall letter, March 18, 1983 — addressed to a previous owner of this instrumentCopies of supporting documentation establishing chain of ownershipCertificate of Authenticity from the Richard Davis CollectionTransferable IMIR title (International Musical Instrument Registry, Luxembourg) — clean, documented legal ownershipTHE MARKET IN 2026 — WHY THIS IS THE MOMENT In March 2026, Christie's sale of the Jim Irsay Collection realized $94.5 million — 136% above estimate — and set 28 world records. Jerry Garcia's guitar brought $11.56M; David Gilmour's Stratocaster, $14.55M. The event permanently repriced authenticated, documented vintage instruments as institutional-grade assets, and confirmed one truth: where supply is fixed and shrinking, condition and provenance are everything. This 4002 has both, in extraordinary measure. For context, played 4002s currently ask ~$20,000; this near-mint example carries an F.C. Hall letter and comes from a collection whose documentation places it in a tier of its own. No more will ever be made, and the surviving pool only shrinks. Scarcity of this kind has one historical direction.FOR THE PLAYER This is not just a bass — it's a routing system. Run a standard mono signal to one amp; split the pickups to two rigs via Rick-O-Sound stereo; or send the low-impedance bridge winding straight to the mixing desk while the rest feeds your stage rig — a capability essentially unheard of on any production bass in 1982. The Jazz-positioned passive humbuckers deliver a tonal range no other Rickenbacker offers, and the ebony board gives a speed and sustain rosewood cannot match. It plays as remarkably as it looks.ABOUT THE SELLER Offered by the International Guitar Museum, Durham, NC, on behalf of the Richard Davis Collection — a 26-year curated archive of 1,200+ vintage guitars and amplifiers, authenticated through the International Musical Instrument Registry in Luxembourg. Every instrument carries full documentation, a Certificate of Authenticity, and a transferable IMIR title.TERMS Free, fully insured shipping, signature required. Serious inquiries and offers welcome — reasonable offers are answered promptly, and I'm glad to arrange a live video walk-through of any detail before you buy. This is a once-in-a-market opportunity to own the finest documented 4002 available. Questions anytime.
Preis$29,950
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