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*Official* MF MID Rickenbacker Sale thread

How Satisfied Are You With Your New Rick?

  • Very Satisfied

    Votes: 47 45.6%
  • Satisfied

    Votes: 18 17.5%
  • Neutral

    Votes: 19 18.4%
  • Unsatisfied

    Votes: 7 6.8%
  • Very Unsatisified

    Votes: 12 11.7%

  • Total voters
    103
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Here's mine. Just arrived by UPS 2nd day air. Flawless. Manufactured in March 2010. Medium-low action (the way I like it); no truss rod adjustment necessary.

Was a half step out of tune.

Sounds amazing through my G-K MB115. Sounds just like a Ric!
Glorious.

I've wanted one of these since seeing the "Exit Stage Left" video when I was a kid, and the desire was reinforced after seeing Motorhead in 1986.

Couldn't have afforded it had it not been for this sale.

LOVE IT.


This thing will only allow me to post one photo, so here it is.

Isthe binding yellow?


I am sending mine back if its not pure white.
 
Got mine today. UPS delivered it at 1:00 which is WAY earlier than they normally arrive. I just happened to be home for lunch when it was delivered.

I've never owned, nor hardly even played, a Ric, so here are my first observations/impressions.

March 2010 build date.

It was a full step out of tune, and the action was good. When tuned up to standard, the action is a little high for my taste. Gonna adjust the truss rod later and it should be fine. May even lower the bridge a bit. It seems a little high. No complaints there. Those things are to be expected. Might want to file the nut a touch also.

Fit and finish. Seems good to me.

Sounds...like a Ric.

Overall, I'm pleased with the bass.

"Issues":

- I played it for a while this afternoon, and this thing just seems "small" compared to my other basses. Not complaining, it just seems "little". Anyone else feel this?

- Going to change the strap buttons to match all my other basses so that I can still use just one strap.

- Is there a way to remove that stupid cover over the bridge pickup? It's RIGHT where I want to play. That's gotta go.

- It smells kinda funny.

Overall I'm very pleased. Great bass for a great price. Thanks to the OP for tipping us off on such a great deal.

Stacey
 
- Is there a way to remove that stupid cover over the bridge pickup? It's RIGHT where I want to play. That's gotta go.

Yes. In fact, many people choose to. There are videos and tutorials online that show you how. It's very easy. You might also want to consider a bezel (or a similar mod) to cover up the hole within the pickup casing after removal. Here's a picture of the Treble Bezel offered from Pick of the Ricks:
4003-standard-installed__66361_zoom.jpg


Pickguardian also offers a similar mod:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Edit - Here's a video showing how to remove it:
 
Jerry's from Europe... ATM, brand new MID is 2299€ (~3200USD) here in Europe... It's more than 1oo% :)

Oh. Ok. However, they can't buy them here just like he did?

You are probably right, miholc :) Rics are rare and not that common in Norway, and it's price is about 150% of what I paid for my MF Ric.

Assuming everything goes how it should with shipping and the bass is in good condition, it's a huge profit guaranteed if I sell it. Most likely it'll stay in my stables.
 
Mine came today, and it's pretty sweet. The action is a bit off, I have to spend some more time adjusting it... The binding on mine is pretty yellowed, but it doesn't bother me as it sounds awesome and plays great so far.

Pics to come soon
 
So my 2010 midnight blue Rickenbacker 4003 bass arrived today. The cardboard shipping box showed no signs of damage.....off to a good start. The Ric hardshell case was in close to perfect condition. Open up the case, everything looks as it should.....a bass and a bag of goodies.

Upon further inspection, the binding is a bit more "yellowish" than the pickguard, does not really bother me. The other thing I noticed was that the body and headstock joints have slightly telegraphed through the finish, is this common? The neck has a slight amount of relief and the action was definitely high for my liking, but overall I am pleased.

So, my main rig not being at my home, I plug into my Crate B-20 practice setup....sounds great! At this point I am willing to overlook some of the "issues" this bass has because the tone is killer! Everything I love about the "Ric" tone and more.

I will post again after having some more time with the bass.

And my apologies for the crappy phone pic..........
 

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If it's been sitting in a warehouse long enough for the binding to yellow you can expect the truss rods to require a slight tweak . ( the binding is going to get darker ... I don't understand the return the bass if the binding is yellow mindset )

The adjustments should be minimal . I've found my old Ric to be the most stable bass that I own .

I like them with flat wound strings too .
 
The other thing I noticed was that the body and headstock joints have slightly telegraphed through the finish, is this common?

I notice this on mine too, and I wasn't sure if this was normal for a midnight blue or jetglo. I can see through the finish that the neck is made of two pieces and that there are headstock and body "wings" attached.

I'd really like to see pictures of some of the basses from this sale with white binding.
 
Mine is now a 2-hour drive from my house...and I will be away from home tomorrow. Guess I will ask my neighbors to be on the lookout for it.

PMagers, that sucks, man, hope it all works out for you in the end.

Thanks Spectrum. I think I'll take the refund from MF and stick with my old 4001 for now. I'll need to figure out bypassing that .0047 capacitor.
 
Noticed this over on the Rick Resource forum today:


Re: Obscene Musicians Friend Sale
by (johnhall) » Fri Aug 05, 2011 1:39 pm

I'm hearing that many of these have relatively old production dates and show some signs of wear, suggesting these are returns form MF's customers. But I guess the very low price is the tradeoff.

(johnhall)
RIC

Posts: 2842
Joined: Tue Sep 26, 2000 12:17 pm

Now I don't know if he has some sort of "inside knowledge" about this, but if, in fact, they are selling returns as new, that might explain the condition of some of these instruments, cases, etc etc....
 
Noticed this over on the Rick Resource forum today:


Re: Obscene Musicians Friend Sale
by (johnhall) » Fri Aug 05, 2011 1:39 pm

I'm hearing that many of these have relatively old production dates and show some signs of wear, suggesting these are returns form MF's customers. But I guess the very low price is the tradeoff.

(johnhall)
RIC

Posts: 2842
Joined: Tue Sep 26, 2000 12:17 pm

Now I don't know if he has some sort of "inside knowledge" about this, but if, in fact, they are selling returns as new, that might explain the condition of some of these instruments, cases, etc etc....

Sounds like an internet rumor. We've done plenty of baseless speculation here on TB, you know it's going on all over the net. One guy posts his pet theory about the sale, a few guys assume its true, next thing you know it spreads as if it's a fact.
 
Sounds like an internet rumor. We've done plenty of baseless speculation here on TB, you know it's going on all over the net. One guy posts his pet theory about the sale, a few guys assume its true, next thing you know it spreads as if it's a fact.

Internet rumor? Are you kidding me??

Invalid Link Removed

That's John Hall - President and CEO of Rickenbacker. His words - not mine.
 
Well, mine might be going back for another reason. I've only played it for a short while, but the fret work seems disappointing. I haven't even adjusted the neck and bridge yet (letting it acclimatize) and I have unacceptable levels of string/fret buzz. I am comparing this to my PLEK'd 55-01. Some would say that's an unfair comparison. Others would say that a bass that is normally $2,000 should compare quite favorably to a PLEK'd 55-01.
You're complaining of string/fret buzz on a bass that hasn't been set up and has been sitting in a warehouse for a year? Just trying to understand.....
 
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