Good deal on a Blue Burst Rickenbacker?

[A-Step-Towards]

If i really wanted a ric in a cool color I would pick up a newer one from the past few years in a color less wanted like MID Blue , maybe a little banged up but one can easily be had for $1300, there was one for $1200 on here. Then get a pro refin on it, this was posted above but there estimate of a pro refin is low. A good refin on a Ric can easily be north of $700.

[Farfetched]

It's an ok price if a little high. Colours of the year due tend to be priced a little higher based on rarity. Personally I don't think the demand for some finishes really warrant the up charge. I personally wouldn't, but I could see it being in the low 2k range.

[willsellout]

Originally Posted by A-Step-Towards

If i really wanted a ric in a cool color I would pick up a newer one from the past few years in a color less wanted like MID Blue , maybe a little banged up but one can easily be had for $1300, there was one for $1200 on here. Then get a pro refin on it, this was posted above but there estimate of a pro refin is low. A good refin on a Ric can easily be north of $700.

Not according to Pat Wilkins. Although the Ric was more than a standard refin from Pat, it wasn't cost prohibitive. You'd definitely come out ahead if you hold to the 2500.00 price tag of the blue burst he's talking about. But then you will be out a bass for a couple months possibly.

[A-Step-Towards]

If he is willing to paint a ric for $400 I have a project for him, looks like I need to email some folks.

[PaulBoyer]

Blueburst was the color of the year for 2005, so you could order one (through a dealer) in that calendar year. However, RIC was way behind on production about that time (not so bad now), and it took years for them to fill the orders for Blueburst. Most 4003 were made in '05 to '07, while most 4004 were made in 2008.

[jbossolo]

I have a primo 4003 Blueburst. It is a fantastic color. Mine's #27 on the Ric register, the only one in Texas (according to the register). It was love/lust at first sight.

[electracoyote]

I, too, have had my eye on the 4003 in Blueburst for some time now. Gorgeous finish. I can not speak to other Ric models, but every time I check, $2500-$2700 seems to be about the average asking price for the 4003 in Blueburst, new or like-new.

Some day I'll have the balls to pull the trigger. Next to white, it's my favorite finish.

Good luck to the OP. If you snag one, please share pics.

EDIT: Just checked eBay, there is a fretless listed for $2899 and a fretted for $3895 or Best Offer. The prices on these sure aren't going down.

[fretno]

Paul is right , it took forever to get those BBr's . I waited almost 2 years while the dealer waited almost 4 years . IME all "color of the year" instruments run a little higher $ as they were all limited #'s . Funny thing about BBR is they all look a little different , slightly different burst and colors . I love everyone I see though .

[Ric5]

Originally Posted by Rockin Mike

I see those are 4004 Bluebursts going for around $2000. Do 4004s normally sell for less than 4003s?

Yes and No ... you can find used 4004s for $1000 to $4000.

What people don't know is that if you add stacked pots and Ric single coil pickups the 4004 will sound pretty much the same as a 4003/4001 bass.

I sold off most of my Rics and now I only have 2 4004 basses.

[Rockin Mike]

Originally Posted by electracoyote

EDIT: Just checked eBay, there is a fretless listed for $2899 and a fretted for $3895 or Best Offer. The prices on these sure aren't going down.

They ask a lot for them on ebay, but if you check completed listings they are actually selling for $2500 - $2700.

[electracoyote]

Originally Posted by Rockin Mike

They ask a lot for them on ebay, but if you check completed listings they are actually selling for $2500 - $2700.

Right, I checked the completed listings and it appears to be around $2700-$2800 most recently.

So, relatively speaking, $2400-$2500 for a like-new specimen might be considered a good deal for this particular finish at the moment?

Man, is that a finish to die for. If I had the jack sitting around and no other use for it, I would probably be making my move.

[willsellout]

Originally Posted by A-Step-Towards

If he is willing to paint a ric for $400 I have a project for him, looks like I need to email some folks.

yeah this was about 2 years ago when I called to speak to him about a Ric I wanted to get refinished. It never came to fruition.

[Buster Brown]

Originally Posted by PaulBoyer

Blueburst was the color of the year for 2005, so you could order one (through a dealer) in that calendar year. However, RIC was way behind on production about that time (not so bad now), and it took years for them to fill the orders for Blueburst. Most 4003 were made in '05 to '07, while most 4004 were made in 2008.

Oh, OK! I know that I "thought" they were "color of the year" but I didn't realize that it took them THAT long to fulfill orders

That does bring up an interesting question, however....bear with me it "might" make sense in a second or two....

If you or I had ordered one SPECIFICALLY for the purpose of having a big 'ol brand spanking new 2005 Color Of The Year Rickenbacker and then we had to wait for a year or two.....should not they STILL be 2005 models???

I realize that it is a ridiculous point, but theoretically, does it not make some semblance of sense??

[electracoyote]

Originally Posted by Buster Brown

I realize that it is a ridiculous point, but theoretically, does it not make some semblance of sense??

Paul can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the date stamp jack plate is one of the last steps of assembly and reflects the date the bass was completed (as opposed to the date the build was commissioned or actually began).

[Sartori]

Originally Posted by Ric5

Yes and No ... you can find used 4004s for $1000 to $4000.

What people don't know is that if you add stacked pots and Ric single coil pickups the 4004 will sound pretty much the same as a 4003/4001 bass.

I sold off most of my Rics and now I only have 2 4004 basses.

+1

I've thought about making my next Ric a 4004. Not like it's an immediate issue, though, as I don't have the money to be picking up basses right now.

[Buster Brown]

Originally Posted by electracoyote

Paul can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the date stamp jack plate is one of the last steps of assembly and reflects the date the bass was completed (as opposed to the date the build was commissioned or actually began).

No, no...I get that. I was just wondering (in my weird sort of way) why it wouldn't be proper for them (RIC) to sort of "back date" them? After all, the basses were commissioned in either 2004 or 2005 for that "Color of the year" yet they are actually getting a bass built later than '05.

Like I said, I realize it's a moot point and really isn't anything more than a curiosity....hell just the ravings of an old man who has been on the road too damn long and is anxiously counting down the days till I'm back home to Mamma!!!!

[PaulBoyer]

Originally Posted by electracoyote

Paul can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the date stamp jack plate is one of the last steps of assembly and reflects the date the bass was completed (as opposed to the date the build was commissioned or actually began).

If I'm not mistaken, the serial is assigned to the instrument at the beginning of construction, but construction takes only a week or so from beginning.

The point with the Color of the Year is that you (through a dealer) could "order" one during that calendar year. Obviously, if you ordered it in late December, you wouldn't get that calendar year on your date stamp. Orders for standard 4003 basses were usually filled fairly quickly, while the more unusual models (such as the 4004, or subvariants of the 4003) were done in batches that sometimes took quite a while to get to. For instance, I ordered my Blueburst 4004Cii in December of 2005 and received it in January of 2009. It had a November 2008 date code.

[electracoyote]

That clears it up. Regardless of when you ordered your Ric, it will have a date stamp that is more reflective of the completion date.

So, when you discuss COY and other limited runs, you have to clarify that it was a "limited run beginning on date xx/xx/xx and ending on date xx/xx/xx" to account for production delays.

[willsellout]

Yeah now I remember some of those special orders arriving years after their initial order date. There was quite the hubbub on that topic around here IIRC.

[Buster Brown]

Cool! Thanks for the replies!!