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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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#341
There seems to be so much left to the subjective when talking about a good versus bad setup, or high versus low action. Highly impractical and impossible, but it would be interesting if the ability existed to have enough of these same people here in the same room to swap basses and compare.

Would what I think is a perfect setup for me absolutely stink for someone else? And Vice versa? I certainly do not doubt the experiences of those having a time getting these basses (or Rics in general) whipped into shape for their liking. I would just find it interesting to swap basses and see exactly what makes one person happy and another not. Or why I can get my Ric dead flat and low as possible yet another bass will not cooperate.

Just thinking out loud. And, of course, leaving out the cosmetic issues people are running into with some of these basses.
 
#342
The scratches turned out to be left over polishing compound, rubbed it off looks good now.

Attached is the pic of the paint damage around the bridge. Could this the product of poor storage conditions? If so, how?

The box looked factory sealed, staples never opened. Shipped to MF from Ric March 2011 based on a sticker on the box. The strings are dead as well, can't figure that out either.
 

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#343
Electracoyote,

Do you have any contributions to make in this thread or are you here to make yourself feel superior to strangers on the Internet? Did you buy one of these MID basses as part of the MF sale? If not, perhaps one of TB's many other discussion topics would be more appropriate for your input.
 
#344
Mine should be here tomorrow, but I don't know how much time I'll have to play with it. I may have to skip the recommended 48 hour wait period :)

I think there are a couple of things going on here; one is the potential QC issue at Rickenbacker and the other is the downside of dealing with Musiciansfriend. A lot of the comments seem less a QC issue and more the downside of buying an instrument that has never been removed from its original shipping box. A local retailer would have been able to check the instrument to ensure it is in new condition before selling it, but MF sends it on unopened. They compensate for that with a very good return policy.

I was under the impression that the binding material was supposed to be resistant to yellowing, so there must be some other factor increasing the yellowing rate. Maybe there is something in the case? You would figure that, since all their basses use the same binding material, that the yellowing would be seen on other colors.

Rickenbacker does setup their instruments to leave adjustment capability. The nut slots may be left a little high for some, but that gives room to file down to taste or to leave as is for people who like a higher action. If the neck can't be adjusted, that is an issue that the factory would handle under warranty. You do have to pay shipping back to the factory, but their customer service, at least in my experience, is really good.

In the end, despite the instrument being on sale, the current market is around $2000 for it, so we do expect a lot. Whether the market price is high or not depends on your opinion, but we shouldn't be expected to do more than a normal setup to get the bass to our liking.
 
#347
QweziRider said:
There seems to be so much left to the subjective when talking about a good versus bad setup, or high versus low action. Highly impractical and impossible, but it would be interesting if the ability existed to have enough of these same people here in the same room to swap basses and compare.

Would what I think is a perfect setup for me absolutely stink for someone else? And Vice versa? I certainly do not doubt the experiences of those having a time getting these basses (or Rics in general) whipped into shape for their liking. I would just find it interesting to swap basses and see exactly what makes one person happy and another not. Or why I can get my Ric dead flat and low as possible yet another bass will not cooperate.

Just thinking out loud. And, of course, leaving out the cosmetic issues people are running into with some of these basses.
Click to expand...

+1, my thoughts exactly.

No offense to anyone on this thread, but I have to take set-up issues with more than a little skepticism. I couldn't possibly accept those accounts as a legitimate QC issue without knowing alot more about the bass and the person setting it up, or, preferably, holding it in my own hands to see what's up.
 
#348
bthrem,

When I received my 4004 a few years ago, I didn't like the strings. They were floppy and didn't produce a good sound. I finally replaced them (shows how lazy I really am!) a couple of weeks ago with Fender strings and the bass sound is now much better. I wouldn't be surprised if I have to do the same thing with my bass coming tomorrow, but that isn't such a bad thing.
 
#349
kevinmoore73 said:
Mine had this too, but I didn't mention it before. Mine also had tail lift, and I didn't mention that either.
Click to expand...

Those are legitimate QC issues, as is bthrems paint.

Note to censors: Nice try. I'll post to this thread if I like without breaking any TB rules. You don't like it, you can find another thread.

I'm making pertinent observations and looking for real signs of legitimate QC issues and making a distinction between those and buyer's remorse, pilot error, etc., which we also have on this thread. I fail to see the harm.

And for those with real QC issues, I'll second the call for pictures, please. Thank you to bthrem for posting his.
 
#350
NukeBass said:
bthrem,

When I received my 4004 a few years ago, I didn't like the strings. They were floppy and didn't produce a good sound. I finally replaced them (shows how lazy I really am!) a couple of weeks ago with Fender strings and the bass sound is now much better. I wouldn't be surprised if I have to do the same thing with my bass coming tomorrow, but that isn't such a bad thing.
Click to expand...

I tried many different strings on my previous Rics, I know the can sound better than what's on the new one I just got. Having "dead" strings just makes me wonder how "new" this bass is. Like I said, I'm stumped as the darn thing looks factory sealed.
 
#351
electracoyote said:
Those are legitimate QC issues, as is bthrems paint.

Note to censors: Nice try. I'll post to this thread if I like without breaking any TB rules. You don't like it, you can find another thread.

I'm making pertinent observations and looking for real signs of legitimate QC issues and making a distinction between those and buyer's remorse, pilot error, etc., which we also have on this thread. I fail to see the harm.

And for those with real QC issues, I'll second the call for pictures, please. Thank you to bthrem for posting his.
Click to expand...

Yep, post them pictures, boys. EC won't buy it unless he sees it for himself........

:rollno:
 
#352
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Well mine arrived a little while ago. Needed some neck adjustment, but after a quick 1/8 turn, it's very nearly flat. I'll give it another day then try a tiny bit more.

The binding around the body is quite yellowed (very evenly I might add) but the neck binding is still comparatively white. I expect that will even out in time. Even if it doesn't, it's not the kind of thing anyone else will notice. I like that cream color more than stark white...I almost wish it had a cream pickguard to match. I can just BARELY make out the neck lines on the back in the paint, but it has to be in just the right light. Oh, the bass tone/treble tone knobs were switched around. Devastating, I know, but I managed to fix it. :D

So yeah, it would seem I got one of the (many) good ones. It plays really nicely already, and sounds unlike any other bass. I've wanted one of these for a long time, I can't wait to try it out with one of my bands! The tone knobs seem to have a lot more even travel than my P-bass, there's a lot of sonic options here! The signal sounds awesome through my pedals, rigs, etc. Very pleased so far.
 
#353
paganjack said:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Well mine arrived a little while ago. Needed some neck adjustment, but after a quick 1/8 turn, it's very nearly flat. I'll give it another day then try a tiny bit more.

The binding around the body is quite yellowed (very evenly I might add) but the neck binding is still comparatively white. I expect that will even out in time. Even if it doesn't, it's not the kind of thing anyone else will notice. I like that cream color more than stark white...I almost wish it had a cream pickguard to match. I can just BARELY make out the neck lines on the back in the paint, but it has to be in just the right light. Oh, the bass tone/treble tone knobs were switched around. Devastating, I know, but I managed to fix it. :D

So yeah, it would seem I got one of the (many) good ones. It plays really nicely already, and sounds unlike any other bass. I've wanted one of these for a long time, I can't wait to try it out with one of my bands! The tone knobs seem to have a lot more even travel than my P-bass, there's a lot of sonic options here! The signal sounds awesome through my pedals, rigs, etc. Very pleased so far.
Click to expand...

Congrats! Nice to see someone else as happy with theirs as I am with mine!
 
#354
After having mine for a few days, I'm still happy as a pig in slop. Oddly enough, I've even taken to using the bridge pup cover as a thumb rest. I was certain at first that I was going to have to remove it, but now, it seems very comfortable for me to play with in place. This is a good thing, because I happen to really like the looks of it, too!
 
#355
GeezerDeacon69 said:
Congrats! Nice to see someone else as happy with theirs as I am with mine!
Click to expand...

bthrem said:
I tried many different strings on my previous Rics, I know the can sound better than what's on the new one I just got. Having "dead" strings just makes me wonder how "new" this bass is. Like I said, I'm stumped as the darn thing looks factory sealed.
Click to expand...
Factory strings go dead all the time. It's called oxidation.
 
#358
SubSectorSucker said:
After having mine for a few days, I'm still happy as a pig in slop. Oddly enough, I've even taken to using the bridge pup cover as a thumb rest. I was certain at first that I was going to have to remove it, but now, it seems very comfortable for me to play with in place. This is a good thing, because I happen to really like the looks of it, too!
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm diggin' the pup cover; was POSITIVE I'd want to take it off, but It's real comfy the way it is.
 
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