Boy...this thread almost makes me want to write a parody of Black Flag's "TV Party". It shall be called "Defect Party"....and all of you are invited! 
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LATEST MF MID BLUE RIC SALE
- Thread starter martinmcfly
- Start date
Just to let you guys know , i ended up paying 1104$ for a really nice RIC with original case and a vintage case , i love it and I am breaking it in with alot of play........
I am on order with a price locked in at 1169$ for another RIC in MIB, i literally just got off the phone about it , they are getting a shipment of them in july and a shipment in january 2013.
I am going to keep calling in every few months and see if i can get a color swap eventually I am in no hurry as my current one is doing main bass duties fine and i dont have cash for one anyways.
QUESTION, does RIC reply to emails? Mine is a 3/2011 production and the bridge has pitting I was hoping for a new bridge from them to replace this as its obvious defect on there part.
I am on order with a price locked in at 1169$ for another RIC in MIB, i literally just got off the phone about it , they are getting a shipment of them in july and a shipment in january 2013.
I am going to keep calling in every few months and see if i can get a color swap eventually I am in no hurry as my current one is doing main bass duties fine and i dont have cash for one anyways.
QUESTION, does RIC reply to emails? Mine is a 3/2011 production and the bridge has pitting I was hoping for a new bridge from them to replace this as its obvious defect on there part.
I guess i am calling i emailed 3 times over a few months and nothing , i am not worried as i have tel march before its warranty expires.
I finally got to play one of these and it had some QC issues that I have never seen on any other Ric (I own four and I've played upwards of two dozen not counting this guy). Don't get me wrong, it was definitely a good bass that sounded very nice, fretwork seemed great, etc. But it had some easy-to-spot QC issues, some of which I have never seen on any other Ric.
1) The nut was too wide for the the fingerboard. What the heck?? That was sure strange. It was a skinny neck, probably 1 & 5/8''.
2) There were weird paint touch-ups at the nut and end of the fingerboard that I wasn't totally sure about, but I've never seen anything like them on a Ric before.
3) The saddles were the old style that sit too high off of the bridge, these were phased out recently in favor of much better saddles. So for this to be on a 2011 was weird.
Anyways, while this was definitely a killer bass in a lot of ways (I A/Bed it against some really high end basses in the store and still came out preferring it for tone), these issues stuck out to me and seemed very strange, as I own three modern Rics and the only issue I'd seen before was the high saddles, which I replaced with better saddles eventually with help from RIC's customer service department. I don't want to say this was a factory second or B stock but maybe it was rushed out of the factory faster than usual or something. Anyway, weird. The bass was the store owner's instrument that he had out for people to try, which I thought was really thoughtful of him. Aside from the wacky QC things I mentioned it sounded amazing.
1) The nut was too wide for the the fingerboard. What the heck?? That was sure strange. It was a skinny neck, probably 1 & 5/8''.
2) There were weird paint touch-ups at the nut and end of the fingerboard that I wasn't totally sure about, but I've never seen anything like them on a Ric before.
3) The saddles were the old style that sit too high off of the bridge, these were phased out recently in favor of much better saddles. So for this to be on a 2011 was weird.
Anyways, while this was definitely a killer bass in a lot of ways (I A/Bed it against some really high end basses in the store and still came out preferring it for tone), these issues stuck out to me and seemed very strange, as I own three modern Rics and the only issue I'd seen before was the high saddles, which I replaced with better saddles eventually with help from RIC's customer service department. I don't want to say this was a factory second or B stock but maybe it was rushed out of the factory faster than usual or something. Anyway, weird. The bass was the store owner's instrument that he had out for people to try, which I thought was really thoughtful of him. Aside from the wacky QC things I mentioned it sounded amazing.
just got the email that MF shipped my bass. was supposed to be 2012 deliver but??? hopefully it is not one of the returned basses. stand by...
Eagerly waiting. My projected ship date is Jan 2013. Would love to get it a lot sooner.
I really doubt that at this point you'd be getting one of the returned basses. Surely those are all long gone.
I really doubt that at this point you'd be getting one of the returned basses. Surely those are all long gone.
I got the notice, too. It's supposed to come tomorrow. I'm excited, but also wary after the results of the initial batch from the sale. Cautiously optimistic...
here is my review from the ric page copied over....
My MF MId ric showed up today. I just got home some too late to really try it out. But i did take it out of thebox and check it out. first impression
1 I don't hate the blue. actually much nicer than i thought it would be. nice metallic blue that you would see on a muscle car. I would guess not very close to the original shade of midnight blue in the 60's
2. looks like it is not a return. can't fine any evidence of prior fingers...
3. Ric did a half assed job of buffing it out... some polishing compound still on it mostly on the back.
4 - typical bridge not flush but very tiny space.
5 Finish - can't find any drips etc but some orange peel on the side of the neck by the markers over the binding.
6 Vey nice fretboard. not as nice as the one above but much nicer than my burg glow
7. I couldn't compare it to my other rics right now but on the vintage setting this one IIRC is much thinner than the others bridge pup solo'd. Pushed in - nicest sounding ric i have owned. so far i really like the new pups and love the new sound. actually has a nice finger sound. I will have to do this upgrade on the burg glow
8 Setup was great. really low action and frets not sharp at all. gig ready
My MF MId ric showed up today. I just got home some too late to really try it out. But i did take it out of thebox and check it out. first impression
1 I don't hate the blue. actually much nicer than i thought it would be. nice metallic blue that you would see on a muscle car. I would guess not very close to the original shade of midnight blue in the 60's
2. looks like it is not a return. can't fine any evidence of prior fingers...
3. Ric did a half assed job of buffing it out... some polishing compound still on it mostly on the back.
4 - typical bridge not flush but very tiny space.
5 Finish - can't find any drips etc but some orange peel on the side of the neck by the markers over the binding.
6 Vey nice fretboard. not as nice as the one above but much nicer than my burg glow
7. I couldn't compare it to my other rics right now but on the vintage setting this one IIRC is much thinner than the others bridge pup solo'd. Pushed in - nicest sounding ric i have owned. so far i really like the new pups and love the new sound. actually has a nice finger sound. I will have to do this upgrade on the burg glow
8 Setup was great. really low action and frets not sharp at all. gig ready
Cool! Mine came Wednesday, but I've been way too busy to give it a good going over. Really digging the tone and feel so far. I'm taking it to my friend and ace luthier at Lakland tomorrow so he can give it a pro inspection and maybe tweak the setup.
On page 8 of the original thread pmathers showed us his trashed Mid Blue which I assume was sent back
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f8/*o...r-sale-thread-795462/index8.html#post11291958
If I am not mistaken it is now for sale on ebay
Rickenbacker 4003 Midnight Blue Bass Guitar | eBay
The damages on the bass and case all look identical.
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f8/*o...r-sale-thread-795462/index8.html#post11291958
If I am not mistaken it is now for sale on ebay
Rickenbacker 4003 Midnight Blue Bass Guitar | eBay
The damages on the bass and case all look identical.
I'd just like to thank you silly silly anal retentive perfectionists that are sending your 4003's back to MF.. your 99.9% perfect Rics turning up as 'used' level 1 stocks mean us foreigners can have them shipped to us..
$1400 for a level 1 'defect' ric, shipped free to Australia..
Thankyou! I'm still looking for a defect.. anywhere.. maybe that pinprick of 'pitting' on the bridge is it..
$1400 for a level 1 'defect' ric, shipped free to Australia..
Thankyou! I'm still looking for a defect.. anywhere.. maybe that pinprick of 'pitting' on the bridge is it..
Ric5
Inactive
- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
- 30,452
- Disclosures
- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
Your perfect bass is someone elses defect bass that should have never made it through QC.
There are some people out there that simply hate Rickenbackers. There is no Rickenbacker bass good enough to them. They will find fault even if it is not really there.
There also is a flip side to this bad penny. There are Rickenbacker defenders who think that John Hall walks on water and are Rickenbackers are gifts from heaven to us mortals.
To me both of those points of view are simply nuts.
still liking the mid blue mf ric. here are some pics with his older sister.
backside photos really show the body changes.
NEED to do the bridge pup mod on the older bass. What a difference between the 2
backside photos really show the body changes.
NEED to do the bridge pup mod on the older bass. What a difference between the 2
I honestly don't see much of that, at least around here. I sometimes get accused of that "fanboy" nonsense from the haters, but I'm simply poking holes in their myths. Maybe it's more prevalent on other forums?
Anyone else still waiting? Estimating now Jan 2013. I'm worried since the end of the world is in Dec 2012.
Do what I did. Call MF every few weeks asking if they'll sub another color (if you want another color that is). Finally they offered me a MapleGlo for $1200. I was happier than a pig in S--t!. MG is really what I wanted anyway! It's freaking beautiful and sounds and plays just as good.
