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I want to test drive a Rickenbacker, but...

Craig T Vector

Craig T Vector

Sep 8, 2013
268
968
Liberty Hill, TX
#1
... I cannot find a dealer local to Austin.

Are they so in-demand that they cannot be kept on retail shelves? Is my best bet to order online? If so, any recommendations on where to shop? I feel strange buying something so personal without being able to put my grubby hands on it first.

I walked into Strait Music back in 1999 to purchase either a Ric or a Stingray. There were several Rics available, right there, sitting on the wall along with all the other basses. I walked out with the Music Man. Now I cannot find a Ric to play to save my life.

Is there a support group for bassists like me?
 
#6
I played my first one at bass emporium about a month before it closed. During the time I was raising funds to buy one I found out about Wildwood guitars. At that time they had a big selection and the best prices I could find plus they will set the bass up for you and they know what they're doing with Rick's. If you lived in Waco I'd let you come play mine.
 
#8
254 stringer said:
I played my first one at bass emporium about a month before it closed. During the time I was raising funds to buy one I found out about Wildwood guitars. At that time they had a big selection and the best prices I could find plus they will set the bass up for you and they know what they're doing with Rick's. If you lived in Waco I'd let you come play mine.
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Thanks for the heads up on Wildwood. I'm checking online prices and doing research. I don't get through Waco often but I appreciate the offer!

inate_hex said:
You need to play one before you buy one. I was Gassing for a Rickenbacker. That all ended when I played one in my local music store. I didn't like it one bit. Saved me a £1500.
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This is my primary concern. I played one years back when I was sitting the Ric side by side with the Stingray. I made the decision at the time to not go with the Ric, but I don't recall doing so because the Ric didn't do it for me. The Stingray was just more of what I was looking for at the time. I would really like to handle a Ric today before I pull the trigger, but if that's just the way it is today to have to go online, alas...
 
#9
inate_hex said:
You need to play one before you buy one. I was Gassing for a Rickenbacker. That all ended when I played one in my local music store. I didn't like it one bit. Saved me a £1500.
Click to expand...

Never really had much GAS for a Rick but when I saw a lefty in a shop, I had to try it. Found it uncomfortable to play because of all of the massive chrome hardware and the sound didn't do much for me either. It was unusual in that it was built with a right handed headstock and right handed inlays but not something I would spend the amount they wanted on.

I am happy with my fake rick with two MM humbuckers, 3 band EQ and three way coil taps; even if its not that comfortable either!
 
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#11
I wanted one for a long time but every time I had the chance to play one at GC I decided I didn't like it. I had a 4001 in the 70's and the 4003's I tried came up lacking. I still decided to purchase a 4003 from a TB member and it's a great bass once set up properly. They are never set up correctly at GC and need to be adjusted to suit your playing style and string choice can make a huge difference.
 
#12
Craig T Vector said:
Thanks for the heads up on Wildwood. I'm checking online prices and doing research. I don't get through Waco often but I appreciate the offer!



This is my primary concern. I played one years back when I was sitting the Ric side by side with the Stingray. I made the decision at the time to not go with the Ric, but I don't recall doing so because the Ric didn't do it for me. The Stingray was just more of what I was looking for at the time. I would really like to handle a Ric today before I pull the trigger, but if that's just the way it is today to have to go online, alas...
Click to expand...

Second recommendation for Wildwood. They'll send you a good one.
 
#13
I have had gas for a rick for years but I don't think I will ever be able to get one. In tasmania we have 3 music shops who have nothing but squiers and epiphones and every time I go to melbourne I go to every music shop in the cbd and have never found a rick to try out. I have never even seen one in the flesh in my life. :crying:
 
#14
bigmoosepi said:
I have had gas for a rick for years but I don't think I will ever be able to get one. In tasmania we have 3 music shops who have nothing but squiers and epiphones and every time I go to melbourne I go to every music shop in the cbd and have never found a rick to try out. I have never even seen one in the flesh in my life. :crying:
Click to expand...
Buy a used one and have it shipped.
 
#17
I played several of them over about three years before buying one. It took about a year and a half for one to show up for me to try in the first place. Keep in mind that they can be fairly different, so if you play one and really like it, you should probably buy that one. The Ric I bought has a very thin neck, and right after I bought it, I played another one with a very chunky neck. Given a do-over, I would have taken the chunky neck over the thin neck. The scale is a little shorter than a Fender, and you wouldn't think that less than an inch would matter, but it is noticeable, at least to my hands. There are some things that are just easier to do on a slightly shorter scale neck.

Another thing to think about is where you right forearm goes. A Ric is very comfortable if you rest your forearm on the curve of the lower bout. If you rest your forearm ON the lower bout, the edge of the body will feel sharp and painful in a way that nothing else does. I'm not sure why, since there are plenty of guitars that have binding and that should dig in to your forearm like that, but nothing digs in like a Ric if you put your forearm in the wrong place. My take is that playing with a pick right down by the bridge is one of those things that a Ric isn't good for.

The sound is what it is. I'm always amused by the snarling, aggressive sound that comes out of such a pretty instrument. It's a little like the sound of an angry tiger coming from a person who looks like (pick your idea of a beautiful, peaceful looking person).

Of course, if you buy one sight unseen and unplayed, the resale value they have means that the experiment will cost something but it won't cost you too much.
 

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