$340.50 Rickenfaker? (Made in China content)

[nukes_da_bass]

Search further OP;

Some dudes post horror stories of money paid and bass never received.
Regarding Greco and Ibanez et al, the "lawsuit" basses never said "gibson" or "Fender" on the headstocks in my recollection.

Free shipping too? That means its shipped freight-and since no one is paying for it, the manufacturer waits for a tiny corner of a Chinese merchant marine ship to open up and they throw it in the bilge somewhere and again...you MIGHT get your bass in 3 to 6 months if someone reads the shipping address- or it might end up in the Port of San Fransisco for years forgotten and such.

There is no such thing as a $340.00 Rickenbacker.

 

[BassPenguin22]

My friend has a fake "Gibson" flying v. It looks fairly similar to a Gibson from about 5m away, but it plays terribly. The neck is basically square shaped

 

[draftsmann]

OK, it's not a bass, but a couple of years ago I bought a fake Les Paul from Samin, one of the biggest producers of Chinese fake guitars.

Let me say now I didn't buy it because I'm cheap or to pass it off as the real thing on resale. I actually own two genuine Gibson guitars, and was curious to see how good the fakes are, having seen reviews of them on Youtube and in other places.

In short, general construction is OK, but even a cursory inspection reveals details that differ from the real thing - a scarfed neck/headstock joint, heavily stamped (fake) serial number, and somewhat poorly-finished frets that are nothing like the real thing.

Finish is poly, naturally, and not nitro - but actually looks ok, if a little shiny. I ended up "distressing" mine a little - the first and only time I've done any relic-ing on any instrument- and when knocked back with a fine plastic scourer and Micromesh the finish actually came out pretty good.

Worst of all on these guitars is the hardware, which is of pretty poor quality in my opinion. I went to town, and fitted:
real Klusons to replace the indifferent copies
a bone nut to replace the hollow(!) plastic nasty thing it came with
some lovely Duesenberg P90s to replace the weedy copies
genuine Gibson truss cover, jack plate and knobs
replacement wiring with proper CTS/Switchcraft bits
a nice aftermarket Schaller wraparound bridge/tailpiece.

Having done all that, the thing actually looks fantastic, and sounds very nice - but was badly in need of a setup. Eventually I resolved to have a decent refret done, stripped the replacement hardware off, and as I write it is still waiting for me to get around to taking it to my local luthier. When that is done, I'll have a very nice looking, sounding and playing guitar...

...which, taking into account purchase price, shipping, import taxes, replacement hardware and fettling will have cost me about as much as a used Les Paul Special or Studio.

And unlike a secondhand Special or Studio, it'll still be a fake, and will have bugger-all resale value.

The expression "polishing a turd" comes to mind. It was an interesting exercise - but not one I'd either repeat or recommend. If the real thing is out of reach, much better in my opinion to look for a decent quality "inspired by" Japanese axe from the 1970s or '80s.

Adrian

 

[Duke21]

Has anyone seen these? I know you get what you pay for, but can they really be all that bad?

Link Removed

Looks much like the Rockinbetter which I've seen in the UK. Must say these bass's were not bad and had quite the Rick tone and feel. As said, the real Rick was much better, but the Rockinbetter had some of the Rick vibe! I liked the tone of the Rockingbetter more then the ray34 next to it! But the Rockinbetter had some flaws regarding the finish and neck (one spot which was not in tune). I tried one of these new Rockinbetter in Denmrak street in London, and right after an old (1977) 4001 Rick in the next shop.
Good deal for this price, not a Rick, but just as good as some other bass's in this price range.

 

[Mr wiggl3s]

OP you probably want to do a search here on TB for Chinese made knock-offs and people's experiences with and opinions about them. Very interesting reading.

Those threads don't exist. A lot of rickenbacker lovers come in here and tell you a sappy story about the real, made in murkia rickenbackers and how we need to support them otherwise they'll get the aids and die. we end up never getting a chance to hear about the china-models.

 

[JMac- Wiskerface Designs]

Oh Me, oh My....... Not another Chickenbaker thread......

 

[draftsmann]

Looks much like the Rockingbetter which I've seen in the UK. Must say these bass's were not bad and had quite the Rick tone and feel. As said, the real Rick was much better, but the Rockingbetter had some of the Rick vibe! I liked the tone of the Rockingbetter more then the ray34 next to it! But the Rockingbetter had some flaws regarding the finish and neck (one spot which was not in tune). I tried one of these new Rockingbetter in Denmrak street in London, and right after an old (1977) 4001 Rick in the next shop.
Good deal for this price, not a Rick, but just as good as some other bass's in this price range.

A copy seen only in photos which resembles a different copy seen in the flesh...

Not wanting to be harsh bud, but that can say next to nothing about the overall quality of the bass in the pics, and nothng whatsoever about how it sounds.

"Cheap" does not exactly equal "good deal". If I pay 50 cents for a turd, I'm still down 50 cents.

 

[JMac- Wiskerface Designs]

"Cheap" does not exactly equal "good deal". If I pay 50 cents for a turd, I'm still down 50 cents.

What if You were to shellac the said turd and glue a dollar bill to it, would the 50 cent turd be worth a dollar at that point (being as said 50 cent turd holds no monetary value)?

IMO, it'd still be a turd, that happens to be tied to a dollar bill.

Sorry for the de-rail. I am intrigued by turd economics.

 

[RickenBoogie]

Those threads don't exist. A lot of rickenbacker lovers come in here and tell you a sappy story about the real, made in murkia rickenbackers and how we need to support them otherwise they'll get the aids and die. we end up never getting a chance to hear about the china-models.

For one, Rickenbacker copies are ILLEGAL in these here United States. just sayin'.

 

[draftsmann]

I am intrigued by turd economics.

You've set me thinking. There are several artists producing serious work using excreta as the medium - Marc Quinn, for one. So there are occasions when a turd can become fine art, and acquire a market value well above that expected.

I still think the luthiery efforts of some Chinaman in a sweatshop *probably* won't fall into that category, though.

 

[PazzoBasso]

I'd like to see/hold one in person (not a turd - unless it's a fancy store-bought turd)...

If it was really cheap (like $100), I'd get one for kicks... and one of these too:

Link Removed

 

[SanDiegoHarry]

Apparently they sound exactly like a real ric.

In other news, bears have been spotted using public lavatories...

Apparently, you can get anything you want for next to nothing.

True fact. It's all that 21st century technology and the internets.

 

[leonche64]

Dude, I am telling you right now. Don't do it. It is a scam. I live in China and we are up against this all the time. Look at the feedback. Exact same quotes, misspellings and all, 3 years apart. In China there are different types of factories that make instruments, and sometimes the lines get blurred. 1) Legit OEM factories that produce for big brands that you know. These guys often run multiple production lines that will brand different names on the headstock. Some for export, some for domestic sales. For example a certain factory in Qingdao that makes E******e, also makes some killer national brands. Same chick in a different dress. 2) Ripoff factories that try pass off crap as the real thing. They are just trying to get something in the box in order to ship. 3) "Tribute" makers. It is hard to translate a literal meaning from Chinese into English, but in short, these are built in small numbers for specific buyers, kind of like a custom shop order. The quality is outstanding. I believe when people rave about a great copy that they have, they have come across these.

 

[draftsmann]

If it was really cheap (like $100), I'd get one for kicks...

Plus shipping.
Plus taxes.
Plus replacing the crap hardware with proper stuff.
Plus setup - which may or may not include a refret.

The last two assuming the basic structure justifies doing anything other than binning it.

How many hundreds of $$?

Did you read my account earlier in the thread of buying a Samin Les Paul fake?

 

[JMac- Wiskerface Designs]

You've set me thinking. There are several artists producing serious work using excreta as the medium - Marc Quinn, for one. So there are occasions when a turd can become fine art, and acquire a market value well above that expected.

I still think the luthiery efforts of some Chinaman in a sweatshop *probably* won't fall into that category, though.

Wow, I guess when someone states that somthing is "The Sh*t" they could mean it literally. I guess some people would buy anything.
Enough toilet humor, let's talk serious about some chinese knock-off Chickenbakers.

 

[Korladis]

Search further OP;

Some dudes post horror stories of money paid and bass never received.
Regarding Greco and Ibanez et al, the "lawsuit" basses never said "gibson" or "Fender" on the headstocks in my recollection.

Free shipping too? That means its shipped freight-and since no one is paying for it, the manufacturer waits for a tiny corner of a Chinese merchant marine ship to open up and they throw it in the bilge somewhere and again...you MIGHT get your bass in 3 to 6 months if someone reads the shipping address- or it might end up in the Port of San Fransisco for years forgotten and such.

There is no such thing as a $340.00 Rickenbacker.

Actually, it would end up in the Port of Oakland, if disembarked in this area. Very little freight, comparatively, gets shipped through the Port of San Francisco.

 

[Rob Martinez]

Those threads don't exist. A lot of rickenbacker lovers come in here and tell you a sappy story about the real, made in murkia rickenbackers and how we need to support them otherwise they'll get the aids and die. we end up never getting a chance to hear about the china-models.

The buy one and give us a review. Put your money where your mouth is.

 

[12stringbassist]

I doubt it would sound too Ric-ish with that cheapo pickup cover.
That has a fair amount to do with the sound. No stereo option, but what the hell...
It would be interesting to hear one fired up, all the same.

I wonder what's on the TRC?

 

[PazzoBasso]

Plus shipping.
Plus taxes.
Plus replacing the crap hardware with proper stuff.
Plus setup - which may or may not include a refret.

The last two assuming the basic structure justifies doing anything other than binning it.

How many hundreds of $$?

Did you read my account earlier in the thread of buying a Samin Les Paul fake?

Shipping is advertised as FREE...

Taxes (where I live would be $13.00 - on a $100.00 purchase)

And thanks to NAFTA - most things Made is USA are exempt of duties... The "Stingray" clearly states on the back of the headstock "MADE IN SAN LUIS OBISPO CALIFORNIA, USA" - that's usually enough for customs agents...

I can't vouch for the hardware, but I don't think I'd be looking to replace anything - I have a real Ric, two real Rays & an OLP ray - so this would be "for kicks"

I've tossed more than $113.00 away on much more foolish ventures...

 

[smcd]

The buy one and give us a review. Put your money where your mouth is.

Are you the importer? Because I can't think of any other reason to give advice that bad.



You don't have to stick your hand into a hot oven to know it will get burned. Just consider where it's made, how much it costs, what it is, and use your common sense and DON'T buy one.