Until you hand me those Jags so I can look them over myself, we'll just have to trust you on that one.
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*Official* MF MID Rickenbacker Sale thread
- Thread starter tk4207
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Until you hand me those Jags so I can look them over myself, we'll just have to trust you on that one.
edit: Coyote, just saw you sneak in a post before me.... yeah I get what you're sayin, and I'll admit that I may be missing something. If I have the exact same problem with the replacement (and its subsequently easily fixed by a real tech) then I'll have a "d'oh" moment and admit my ignorance on here happily... as at that point I'll have a perfect Ric, and nothing will get me downI got spooked by the guy who repeated his convo with MF customer service that there were only 12 or so left, so I jumped at the return... I'd be more concerned that they ran out, and offered me my money back in store credit. I doubt they'd swap a MID one on clearance for another color at $2k...
Hey, I appreciate your candor and fairness. At least you're willing to admit that the way a retailer stores a bass probably contributes to more problems than Ric's QC.
And sorry to sound so skeptical, but (1) 'tis the interwebz, (2) 'tis an incredible amount of Ric bashing and hatred goes on here, and perhaps most importantly, (3) I have seen many Rics that were "set up" totally wrong, and the player bashed Rickenbacker over it. A student just brought his new Fireglo 4003 over to a lesson, and he said he had a pro set it up. Well, the pro stopped well short of what I would call a good set up.
Having removed the truss rods and re-installed them just for the hell of it, and having succesfully set up many Ric 4003s, and being amazed at the consistent accuracy and flexibility these basses have afforded me, I always take it with a grain of salt when people report how they can't dial in their Ric.
People are speculating that these basses were stored in hot house conditions ('tis the interwebz, I guess that's a fair assumption) and I have seen these things come out of attics after twenty years and be set up to excellent playability.
Not saying any of this necessarily applies to you or anyone else in particular on this thread, that's for you guys to decide, but still I think my skepticism is both warranted and healthy in my experiences.
P.S. @ Toastfuzz--wishing you the best with your return, I hope you get a winner, and if you end up with a brand-new near-perfect FG or MG for >$1,200.00, I will hate you forever
This is starting to be discussed on the Ric forum.
Rickenbacker International Corporation - Forum • View topic - Big Ric Sale At MF.
Rickenbacker International Corporation - Forum • View topic - Big Ric Sale At MF.
Despite the QC complaints and rebuttals, flaws, damage, quirks, and other various comments.....I decided to go for one. With the return policy, I figured it was worth a shot......I would hate to miss out!
I've never played a Ric.....so we'll see how it goes.
It's radically different than anything else I've played so far.
I just hope I'm not getting any of your returns!!!
(anyone keeping track of their serial numbers, just in case?)
reminds me of a story......a guy on another forum said he ordered a brand new mixer from MF. When it arrived, the mixer had masking tape on the edge with "kick, snare, etc..." on it.
:freak:
I've never played a Ric.....so we'll see how it goes.
It's radically different than anything else I've played so far.
I just hope I'm not getting any of your returns!!!
(anyone keeping track of their serial numbers, just in case?)
reminds me of a story......a guy on another forum said he ordered a brand new mixer from MF. When it arrived, the mixer had masking tape on the edge with "kick, snare, etc..." on it.
:freak:
I can promise you that Mr. Hall himself is monitoring this thread........
I was wondering the same thing.
Maybe not directly, but the that's what I'm taking away from some of these posts.
There's a large volume of guitars being moved here. I'm pretty sure this doesn't happen that often?
You have to remember though, a lot of these people are throwing $1,300 out there on a whim and are expecting $2,200MSRP quality (probably cheaper than what they're use to). They have high expectations.
You have to remember though, a lot of these people are throwing $1,300 out there on a whim and are expecting $2,200MSRP quality (probably cheaper than what they're use to). They have high expectations.
I called MF again.
I said I am packing up the bass to send back and I just want to make sure there will be a replacement in this color available , she said let me look. Then said yeah there is about no way they would sell out in that time, sounds to me like there are alot left.
I am hoping they were moving the oldest ones first but I doubt that.
Lets just say this is my first rick and i love it , i love the feel and the tone of the bass, I wish the one i got was up to par with what I was looking for , but I have a feeling the next one will be even better.
With high action and a messed up nut it still played great and sounded great as well.
Oh and they upgraded the shipping to overnight on my next one
I said I am packing up the bass to send back and I just want to make sure there will be a replacement in this color available , she said let me look. Then said yeah there is about no way they would sell out in that time, sounds to me like there are alot left.
I am hoping they were moving the oldest ones first but I doubt that.
Lets just say this is my first rick and i love it , i love the feel and the tone of the bass, I wish the one i got was up to par with what I was looking for , but I have a feeling the next one will be even better.
With high action and a messed up nut it still played great and sounded great as well.
Oh and they upgraded the shipping to overnight on my next one
Ok, just unboxed it and played around for a few.
Set up:
Really good for my playing, a smidge forward bow and medium action. E string volume on the neck pup a tad low, easly adjustable. So far so good.
Fit and finish:
Slight yellowing on the binding compared the pickguard, just a couple of spots however, not the whole way around and it isn't noticeable unless inspected up close. There was a slight ding near the input jack, where the white binding meets the blue paint, imagine an imprint from the point of a toothpick. The blue finish is really nice in person, 'midnight' is the perfect way to describe it. The gloss finish isn't perfect, there is a tiny bit of swirling that all basses get around the 3-week or so mark after wiping it down after practice. Now full disclosure, the only basses I have bought 'new' were EBMM's and I have to say slo is light years ahead imo, and its not a NOS issue, as I have bought NOS EBMMs from MF in the past that have been flawless (too many acronyms, perhaps?)
Sound: it sounds like a ric, that's why I wanted it! Its a little noisy however, not so much more than my jazz with each pup soloed. It really is one on the more unique instruments of our time and am glad to own one.
Would I send it back due to some of the above issues, probably not, but I have 45 days to decide. More to come.
Set up:
Really good for my playing, a smidge forward bow and medium action. E string volume on the neck pup a tad low, easly adjustable. So far so good.
Fit and finish:
Slight yellowing on the binding compared the pickguard, just a couple of spots however, not the whole way around and it isn't noticeable unless inspected up close. There was a slight ding near the input jack, where the white binding meets the blue paint, imagine an imprint from the point of a toothpick. The blue finish is really nice in person, 'midnight' is the perfect way to describe it. The gloss finish isn't perfect, there is a tiny bit of swirling that all basses get around the 3-week or so mark after wiping it down after practice. Now full disclosure, the only basses I have bought 'new' were EBMM's and I have to say slo is light years ahead imo, and its not a NOS issue, as I have bought NOS EBMMs from MF in the past that have been flawless (too many acronyms, perhaps?)
Sound: it sounds like a ric, that's why I wanted it! Its a little noisy however, not so much more than my jazz with each pup soloed. It really is one on the more unique instruments of our time and am glad to own one.
Would I send it back due to some of the above issues, probably not, but I have 45 days to decide. More to come.
Well, mine's going back as well. Scratches on the head stock / back of neck, paint bubbling away at lower base of the bridge, glue or polisher not polished away at the neck heel and the same dead notes on the D-string around the 7th to 12th fret (you can feel the resonance in your hands even after a good setup). The one I got is a 2011.
Now I remember why I got rid of the 3 other 4003's I've owned.
Hopefully this one cured my GAS, I'm done w/ Rics
Now I remember why I got rid of the 3 other 4003's I've owned.
Hopefully this one cured my GAS, I'm done w/ Rics
So, I spent some time over the weekend fussing with this bass. It seems that I have the same neck issue previously posted. I adjusted the truss rod slowly over a two day period until the neck was close to dead flat. (capo first fret, hold down last fret, barely slip paper under 9th fret).
The action was still way too high as compared to my other bases. so I lower the bridge to a point where I feel the action is suitable. Lots of fret buzz, especially as I play closer to the nut. It seems as though the neck does need some relief in it to alleviate the buzz (which I believe is contrary to what Rickenbacker claims). When I raise the bridge to a point where the fret buzz is just about gone, my action is too high, especially the higher frets.
Also, other bassists have played my Fender Jazz and Precision Lyte and remarked that my action seems a little high, so its not like I am trying to achieve ludicrously low action here.......
I think for me, I could live with the slightly-yellowed binding, visible body-wing lines, and slight bridge tail-lift.....but not being able to set this bass up to my liking without possible luthier involvement, not so much.
This is also the first time I have ever purchased an instrument without laying my paws on it first. It's going pretty much as I expected......
The action was still way too high as compared to my other bases. so I lower the bridge to a point where I feel the action is suitable. Lots of fret buzz, especially as I play closer to the nut. It seems as though the neck does need some relief in it to alleviate the buzz (which I believe is contrary to what Rickenbacker claims). When I raise the bridge to a point where the fret buzz is just about gone, my action is too high, especially the higher frets.
Also, other bassists have played my Fender Jazz and Precision Lyte and remarked that my action seems a little high, so its not like I am trying to achieve ludicrously low action here.......
I think for me, I could live with the slightly-yellowed binding, visible body-wing lines, and slight bridge tail-lift.....but not being able to set this bass up to my liking without possible luthier involvement, not so much.
This is also the first time I have ever purchased an instrument without laying my paws on it first. It's going pretty much as I expected......
I called and the kid told me they only had 50 left.I called MF again.
I said I am packing up the bass to send back and I just want to make sure there will be a replacement in this color available , she said let me look. Then said yeah there is about no way they would sell out in that time, sounds to me like there are alot left.
I am hoping they were moving the oldest ones first but I doubt that.
Lets just say this is my first rick and i love it , i love the feel and the tone of the bass, I wish the one i got was up to par with what I was looking for , but I have a feeling the next one will be even better.
With high action and a messed up nut it still played great and sounded great as well.
Oh and they upgraded the shipping to overnight on my next one
Man, I must be the luckiest person to have gotten one of these, or else I'm not looking at the bass closely enough; I'm not having any of these problems.
To my admittedly unprofessional eye, it looks great, feels great, sounds great. The teeny tiny bit of yellowing on one part of the binding doesn't really bother me at all.
Looks like I may have dodged a bullet.
To my admittedly unprofessional eye, it looks great, feels great, sounds great. The teeny tiny bit of yellowing on one part of the binding doesn't really bother me at all.
Looks like I may have dodged a bullet.
I think it would be helpful if those with issues could post pics of said issues here. As a side note, I've found that tweaking the truss rods tunes out dead notes. The more tension on the rods the better, which is why I've been switching over to RotoSound Swing Bass strings again.
I'll get some pics up as soon as my wife leaves in 30 min. No use in lobbying to keep something that's going back.
I (and other techs) have tried this many times with all the Rics I've owned. Yes I could reduce, but never completely eliminate.
Of all the different basses I've owned (a lot) Rics are by the far the most fickle I've ever tried to set up. They are definitely not plug and play
Mine was miserable to set up . It's also by far the most stable bass I own . It does not require the tweaking my other basses do .
Not everyone is going to take to them , they're quite different than other instruments .
Not everyone is going to take to them , they're quite different than other instruments .
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