A tale of a Rickenbacker 4001

Once upon a time, in a dank dark damp dingy dungeon in Chelsea in 1974, it all began so promisingly. A tender young Rickenbacker 4001 was waggled with abandon and encouraged to unburden itself of significant amounts of clankery. Which is just what young Rickenbackers respond to, they love it really, it's shows them that you love 'em. You can always bring flowers. Least said, soonest mended, as my old mum used to say.

Sorry, where was I.....

Well anyway. It's future looked assured until one fine day in 1978. Lo (it's what they say, sort of biblical, innit), it was deliberately and with malice aforethought purchased by (unquestionably fine) bassist Paul Gray and subject to incessant, ceaseless and incessant bouts of pernicious Hot Roddery...

Up to the point where (so Paul informed me recently), it fell to bits:

Viola. It turned into a banana, he says, and lumps fell off it. C'est la vie, matey. Cling clang clong, it went. But not any more. But that still doesn't stop Island Records from flogging CDs (remember them?) featuring it, does it? (Clue - no, it doesn't). Null points for the truly excruciating title: 'Island Records Post-Punk Box Set - Out Come the Freaks'. And then it says 'Explicit', whatever that means. Explicitly for Mole-lovers, perhaps. Who knows, or indeed cares. Not I.

But it doesn't matter, he got another one:

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