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NBD! (Rockinbetter content)
- Thread starter ferdinandstrat
- Start date
I went over a few of those Aliexpress Fakenbackers and noticed a few other things:
A. This bass has a mono output, Aliexpress basses have stereo
B. This bass has an inlay on the 21 fret, the Ali Express ones dont
C. The pickups like the bridge, are identical, even the whole bridge PU assembly is identical.
D. The neck heel is completely different, these look like neckthroughs, but I am not sure about it, the Aliexpress ones have a construction very similar to PRS guitars.
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If the back face of the neck heel is flush with the back face of body, it's neck-through, if not it's set neck. It makes no difference to tone, but the neck through is traditional Ric construction except for some 4000 series basses. How's the fretwork? The Chinese clones are all over the place quality-wise, as so many different factories use the same CNC patterns and hardware. The import re-sellers seem to demand better quality than if you buy them direct through Aliexpress. That one had a deeper "waist" cut than most, still looks cool.
Not to mention some of them look a bit "off", like they melted a bit, you know. Mine looks spot on! I bet if I changed a few details and gave it to another bassist he would think it's an actual Rick!
The neck heel is flush with the body, so by your words, it's a neck through.
Nah. Just play it for what it is; a Rockinbetter. You're not going to fool anyone who knows Ricks that it's an actual Rick. Just enjoy it. It's a great looking copy. Again, congrats on your new bass!
I was talking a general bassist, not a Rick enthusiast. Of course a Rick enthusiast will spot a fake.
Play it for what it is? Dude, I bought it for what it is! Now I dont want a REAL Rickenbacker..............as much.........
And thank you kindly sir, one way or another I hope to own a real Rick, not in the near future, but sometime.
There are a couple of these in a guitar shop where I live and they are going for £450, and they are not worth it the body/ shape look is the only Ric-ish thing about them. I owned a real Ric for 16 years & when I saw these I was going to buy one there and then till I played & looked it over. For me there were to many things wrong with them to pay that sort of money. If I could have found the Shaftsbury version then I would buy that.
If I could find ANY lawsuit copy I would've bought it, but I stick by my guns. I love this guitar, it just needs a little work.
And honestly, even with the demos I posted this thing doesnt sound like a Rick? Not even a little?
It's not an attack on your bass & as I miss my Ric when I went to the guitar shop, and he said he had some Ric copies I was excited up until I played it looked it over. Which is a shame when the copies from the 70's & 80's were so much better.
No doubt about that, but they are really hard to find, not to mention that when you do find them they cost almost as much as the real thing.
I understand you are not attacking my bass, nothing matches a real Rick. But this is the Red Label to Rick's Blue, it may not be as good, but it is nice and affordable, But most importantly, it is MINE.
It just amazes me that you can have a real nice P or J copy from the likes of SX (Deacon in the UK), & yet there are not that many Ric copies available even a bolt on model. And I doubt any threat by Mr.JH is the reason behind it.
I blundered into that shop in Chester last week! Didn't play any, I might go back and have a chat with them...
Looks pretty decent and sounds nice, I think it sounds like a Jazz bass not a Rickenbacker but it sounds good regardless.
Get used to that. The first comment people make when they've seen mine is "wow, nice Rickenbacker", 99% of them are shocked when they're told that it's not a Ric, but all of them are keen to have a shot of it.
Yes, someone who's owned & played Ric's will notice a difference (I did initially), but those differences are close enough to be negligible, and at the end of the day, it's a damn good bass in it's own right.
I agree that IMO, RIC should investigate working with a high quality, Asian manufacturer, to produce versions of their guitars at a lower price point than the MIA guitars (a prime example would be the PRS SE line). They could control quality AND protect their trademarks, as well as meeting supply for the demand of their instruments that is obviously there. I would buy an official Ric licensed guitar.
RIC aren't helping themselves by the limited production numbers.
There's a reason pride is a sin
Also, next paycheck I will buy a set of real Rick pickups.
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Buy a Rockinbetter instead.
Also, I finally got the Retrovibe HyGane bridge PU.
Also, I finally got the Retrovibe HyGane bridge PU.
