1899.99 for the 4003SW
1699.99 for the 4003S
2099.99 for the 4004 Loredo
2299.99 for the 4004 cii Cheyenne
All at Guitar center when they email you the price. I don't know where that 2615 came from.
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1699.99 for the 4003S
2099.99 for the 4004 Loredo
2299.99 for the 4004 cii Cheyenne
All at Guitar center when they email you the price. I don't know where that 2615 came from.
I wasn't intending a direct comparison.
My point was to show how a warranty issue can be an opportunity for the manufacturer to impress the customer, depending on how they handle it.
OP here... This thread has gone around a bit... Anyway - so far this episode hadn't at all diminished my desire for a Ric. In fact getting my hands on the one I had and playing it probably intensified it if anything. If the next one I get shipped has some serious flaw, maybe I'll change my tune - I don't know. In any case, I wasn't really trying to make a "rip on Rickenbacker" statement. It was a little broader than that, I think - more that the US stringed instrument business doesn't seem to have come to grips with the "costs of poor quality" lessons that much of the rest of US manufacturing industry has had to in order to survive. Certainly the auto industry figured this out. Harley-Davidson had to figure it out. They never would have made it through the 80's if they didn't.
I noted earlier that 3 of the 4 new US basses I've purchased in the last few years had some issue out of the box that needed to be dealt with immediately to be usable. Once I've gotten by the issues, I've moved on to bonding with and enjoying the instruments (well, not quite there with the Ric yet but expect to be eventually). So yeah, as guitar consumers - we allow this sloppy corporate behavior to persist. Guitars/basses are not appliances to most of us, they're much more personal/emotional - so we evidently have different expectations or tolerances for them. If it was a non-functioning toaster or vacuum cleaner out of the box, nobody would think about trying to repair it themselves. But if we really want a Ric (or Gibson, or...), seems like we'll pretty much deal with what we must to get there.
My original point and frustration is just that it's so unnecessary.
I noted earlier that 3 of the 4 new US basses I've purchased in the last few years had some issue out of the box that needed to be dealt with immediately to be usable. Once I've gotten by the issues, I've moved on to bonding with and enjoying the instruments (well, not quite there with the Ric yet but expect to be eventually). So yeah, as guitar consumers - we allow this sloppy corporate behavior to persist. Guitars/basses are not appliances to most of us, they're much more personal/emotional - so we evidently have different expectations or tolerances for them. If it was a non-functioning toaster or vacuum cleaner out of the box, nobody would think about trying to repair it themselves. But if we really want a Ric (or Gibson, or...), seems like we'll pretty much deal with what we must to get there.
My original point and frustration is just that it's so unnecessary.
Never cared for Rics. Without Geddy and Chris Squier- I honestly think they'd be out of business COMPLETELY.
I have only read the first 4 pages or so
As far as new Rics go, most or all of the threads I have seen regarding quality issues are from purchases at MF.
I have not seen one thread regarding an issue on a new Ric from Wildwood or POTR. Is that because they sort out the bad ones and only send out the good ones? If that is the case, why so? Should they not be checked out thoroughly being sent out, regardless of the dealer it will be sent to?
IMO, I would never purchase a RIc online from MF. Yeah you may save a few bucks but it's a crapshoot as to what you get
As far as new Rics go, most or all of the threads I have seen regarding quality issues are from purchases at MF.
I have not seen one thread regarding an issue on a new Ric from Wildwood or POTR. Is that because they sort out the bad ones and only send out the good ones? If that is the case, why so? Should they not be checked out thoroughly being sent out, regardless of the dealer it will be sent to?
IMO, I would never purchase a RIc online from MF. Yeah you may save a few bucks but it's a crapshoot as to what you get
For what its worth, mine is 100% perfect. Bought it off the wall at GC.
Everyone saying if you really like it you'll fix it, I've got a car you can buy, 93 Cherokee with 300,000 miles. It kinda works, but you're gonna have to work on it/pay for some parts before you can use it.
But after you sit in it, the mojo will make you buy it, even with all its defects. Oh, its 8000 dollars American, but that shouldn't matter, right?
But after you sit in it, the mojo will make you buy it, even with all its defects. Oh, its 8000 dollars American, but that shouldn't matter, right?
If the problem is caused by unintended component contact due to the close confines of the control cavity, it is more of a design flaw than it is a QC problem. If the simple fixes are: 1.) maneuvering the offending piece into the correct position, or 2.) enlarging the cavity, I'd go with the first option. Maybe Rickenbacker will become aware of this problem and enlarge the cavity on future instruments. Five minutes with a screwdriver isn't exactly a hardship, and it gives you insight into what makes your bass tick (or clank, in the case of a Rick). If the problem continues (like before or during gigs), that's trouble, and then you may consider what instrument alternatives there are to Rickenbackers. Unlike Fenders, Rics don't have thousands of clones to choose from. Hope this helps.
I'm not sure what universe some people are living in, but many of the new products I buy, especially in the past 30 years, have issues right out of the box. I spent 16 grand on a Honda Civic 13 years ago, and I can't count the number of times I've had to bring it back to the dealer for them to address for some kind of recall. There's one that I was just recently informed about - 13 years after I bought the car, something about an air bag, that they keep leaving phone mail messages on my voice mail about. It never ends.
Don't get me started on my iPhone. Pretty much every week, the darn thing wants to download some kind of update to address some kind of "issue", which if I don't address according to the notice, it will cause a permanent wedgie, legally change my name to Reggie, tell me knock knock jokes when I'm trying to sleep, and make me physically attracted to sheep. The horror.
I've owned many, many musical instruments in the close to 60 years I've been on this rock, and most of them are fine right out of the box. A few have had issues. I'll try to fix it myself, typically with positive results. Again, in the close to 60 years here, I've learned to do things right myself the first time, and then I'll never have to deal with it again. Send it back, in my mind, will expose the unit to further issues by the idiots who ship it, unpack it, allegedly fix it, pack it, and re-ship it back to me? No thanks. I'll do it myself so I know it gets done right.
This is the world in which we live. Many people have become jaded, and just don't care. Like my Dad always told me, if you want it done right, do it yourself. Which is one reason I started acquiring the skills to build my own instruments.
All that said, I have owned 5 Rickenbacker basses in my life, 3 I bought new. All flawless. I'm sorry that the op, and a number of other people, have had issues.
I wish I could say the same about the Fender Precision I bought a few years back. I've been putting off removing the neck so I can fix the fret sprout that developed, rendering the bass unplayable. But you know, I have a couple of RICs that work great, and a few other instruments I built that I can use in the mean time. And the bottom line, this is how the world works. Not every experience is going to be perfect. Stuff happens. Make the best of it. Or go back in time to the 50's, when people actually cared about the work and products they produced.
Newflash, RIC isn't the only company that has less than perfect QC. In fact, they are in good and numerous company, like pretty much every domestic and foreign automobile company, every computer and software company, most music companies, and pretty much every service industry in the world.
Ok, rant over.
Don't get me started on my iPhone. Pretty much every week, the darn thing wants to download some kind of update to address some kind of "issue", which if I don't address according to the notice, it will cause a permanent wedgie, legally change my name to Reggie, tell me knock knock jokes when I'm trying to sleep, and make me physically attracted to sheep. The horror.
I've owned many, many musical instruments in the close to 60 years I've been on this rock, and most of them are fine right out of the box. A few have had issues. I'll try to fix it myself, typically with positive results. Again, in the close to 60 years here, I've learned to do things right myself the first time, and then I'll never have to deal with it again. Send it back, in my mind, will expose the unit to further issues by the idiots who ship it, unpack it, allegedly fix it, pack it, and re-ship it back to me? No thanks. I'll do it myself so I know it gets done right.
This is the world in which we live. Many people have become jaded, and just don't care. Like my Dad always told me, if you want it done right, do it yourself. Which is one reason I started acquiring the skills to build my own instruments.
All that said, I have owned 5 Rickenbacker basses in my life, 3 I bought new. All flawless. I'm sorry that the op, and a number of other people, have had issues.
I wish I could say the same about the Fender Precision I bought a few years back. I've been putting off removing the neck so I can fix the fret sprout that developed, rendering the bass unplayable. But you know, I have a couple of RICs that work great, and a few other instruments I built that I can use in the mean time. And the bottom line, this is how the world works. Not every experience is going to be perfect. Stuff happens. Make the best of it. Or go back in time to the 50's, when people actually cared about the work and products they produced.
Newflash, RIC isn't the only company that has less than perfect QC. In fact, they are in good and numerous company, like pretty much every domestic and foreign automobile company, every computer and software company, most music companies, and pretty much every service industry in the world.
Ok, rant over.
If fret sprout is the only thing you can fault fender for ...MYTH BUSTED!
Everyone saying if you really like it you'll fix it, I've got a car you can buy, 93 Cherokee with 300,000 miles. It kinda works, but you're gonna have to work on it/pay for some parts before you can use it.
But after you sit in it, the mojo will make you buy it, even with all its defects. Oh, its 8000 dollars American, but that shouldn't matter, right?
Yeah, no. Did the OP buy a 23-year-old RIC that "kinda works"? No, he bought one brand new. Did he pay $8000.00 USD for it? Nope.
Your analogy is useless.
Are basses as technologically complicated as cars and iPhones? Do basses have sensors and computers in them? Do basses see the same usage and wear as a car does?
Basses, by and large, are very simple objects. And as someone noted upthread, their basic technology is from the 1950s or earlier. Most likely the OP's issue was either a faulty switch or the wire issue others have mentioned. If it's the former, what can you do? Guitar and bass manufacturers get switches in by the thousands; odds are one is going to be bad.
If it's the latter, then is it really a "design flaw"? Maybe, maybe not. Others have said they have no issues at all with their RICs. If it's an issue that occurs during shipping, how do you explain the fact that RICs ride around in the holds of tour busses, road cases and aircraft? Seems if it were a true design flaw, RIC would be flooded with complaints about this. Either way, the OP shouldn't have to fix a brand-new item. If he bought a used one, then yeah.
OP: I agree with you about the return. New items should work out of the box. I hope the replacement is flawless.
Disclaimer: I don't own a RIC and have no desire to.
Oh, and to address the return policy of MF, I've bought many high-dollar items from them. The only issue I ever had was on a Fender Blues Deluxe Reissue tube amp. After a few months, it sould sometimes power on and sometimes not (most likely a bad transformer). I called MF and explained this, asking where the local Fender authorized warranty repair facility was because the amp was way past the 45 day return period). Instead, MF sent me a pre-paid UPS label and replaced the amp no questions asked. Can't get much fairer than that.
Yes, perhaps even more so. We're talking about a precision of fit that comes down to micrometer tolerances. Have you ever installed frets on a fretboard? If so, you know what I'm talking about.
It's not always about the technological complexity of a specific product. Sometimes it just comes down to the accuracy of production and tolerances, which can sometimes be more difficult than having a machine place and solder components on a circuit board.
I could go on and on, but for the sake of brevity, I used but one example.
And talk about $2,000.00 instruments, in the old days, Rics were $400, and for good reason, as they were far above the $250.00 Precisions of the day. And that was in the days when $150.00 was a pretty big chunk of change. These days, Rics can be had for about $1500.00 (I paid $1400.00 for my Jetglo from MF in 2014), and I see Precisions every day in excess of $2,000.00. While I play a Precision also, and likely have done so as much as Rics in my life, to me, they're more a slab of wood with a neck bolted on, compare to the more finely crafted neck-thru Ric, IMHO.
To each his own, but you aren't hurting anyone but yourself by not buying a bass you would love to have. I've had a bunch of Rics and never had an issue with any of them, but I bought them all used except one. Also, IMHO the complaints are skewed by the fact that people are much more likely to get on the Internet and complain about a product than talk about how they liked it. Every Ric thread it's the SAME people complaining, often multiple times within a thread. It makes it seem like there are many more complaints.
Based on my (admittedly limited) experience, RIC's QA is really no worse overall than their competition. The real problem is that, for reasons that defy my understanding, the kinds of people who frequent forums such as this one are a lot more hypersensitive to production issues from RIC because they expect Ricks to be magical.
For example, I frequently see people get bent out of shape because sometimes the strings aren't 100% directly over the pole pieces on a Rick. You know what? I just checked, and the strings aren't 100% directly over the pole peices on *any* guitar that I own, including my Fender Jazz (which, by the way, was *not* that much cheaper than my Rick.)
You know what else? I just noticed that my Fender Jazz and my Rick 4003 have identical tail lift (which is to say, almost none, but enough to notice if you look for it). Crazy world, this is.
In short, people need to relax.
For example, I frequently see people get bent out of shape because sometimes the strings aren't 100% directly over the pole pieces on a Rick. You know what? I just checked, and the strings aren't 100% directly over the pole peices on *any* guitar that I own, including my Fender Jazz (which, by the way, was *not* that much cheaper than my Rick.)
You know what else? I just noticed that my Fender Jazz and my Rick 4003 have identical tail lift (which is to say, almost none, but enough to notice if you look for it). Crazy world, this is.
In short, people need to relax.
Its not about the quality but their warranty , I dont support it so I dont buy his basses, it does not hurt at all, I can wait till the next owner take over and see if she/he comes with a better policy
