Well, OP's chances of finding an used leftie rick for a good and reasonable price where he lives are much, much, much, much higher than find a Rick like that here in Brazil...
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buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
Without getting into the ethical issue, the quality is all over the place, it will only look something like a Ric - it won't play like one.
If you want a Ric, save up.
If you want a Ric, save up.
This is the second time I have heard of Greco, in as many days.
Watched a guy playing a cover of Highway Star on YT, with a Greco...
... sounded pretty close to me, and it's super close in looks.
Not hard to find a lefty. Dave's Guitar Shop has three of 'em right now. Then, you don't have to change anything, it will hold it's value.
Why not build one yourself? A neck through is the easiest type of build and you can fit it with Ric parts. If you want a single truss rod or a maple board, no problem. It won't cost that much, and you can choose any finish you like. Just don't try to pass it off as the real McCoy. (Or McCartney.) <Get it? Lefty Ric...McCartney? Never mind.
How about the Jackson concert series X bass. It looks as close as they could legally get to a real Rickenbacker and it’s probably a pretty good bass.
Smooth_bass88
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If it didn't look EXACTLY like a Rickenbacker, maybe. But it's literally a straight-up copy. The least they could do is make it look slightly different than the real deal. Why not just save your money for a year or two and buy a real Ric? Or finance it and put a large amount down on it so your payment isn't through the roof.
JeezyMcNuggles
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Go for it. It's your money. Do what you want with it.
JeezyMcNuggles
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Avoid disappointment and future regret.
My biggest concern would not be the electronics, but the build quality in general. We've seen horror stories of frets that deteriorate within a few weeks of playtime and I wouldn't be surprised if woods used were just about anything that was available, which could get you into really soft, unstable territory. Your $800 project could fall apart in little time.
I would agree with others saying to just be patient for a lefty MIJ lawsuit Rick to come around.
I would agree with others saying to just be patient for a lefty MIJ lawsuit Rick to come around.
Now I am dead set against any copy, but, those damned things LOOK pretty good. I'd hang it on the wall on my room. Wonder how it plays, sounds. Come on it $365.00, how good can it be. Nah maybe if it mistakenly
appeared on my doorstep I'd play it but other then that nah. Who knows what you are going to actually get. I mean those could be real Rics in the photos. Nah i'd pass. Maybe look at the Jackson copy that GC is selling. Not sure if its available in a lefty version.
appeared on my doorstep I'd play it but other then that nah. Who knows what you are going to actually get. I mean those could be real Rics in the photos. Nah i'd pass. Maybe look at the Jackson copy that GC is selling. Not sure if its available in a lefty version.
Oh well, my expectations weren’t very high but it’s got to be better than an ali express counterfeit .
JeezyMcNuggles
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Yeah. They are.
What I meant was, I'd take a gio 200 over one of those, anyday. Tone, playability, and looks.
About 10 years ago I bought an Ali Express double-neck 12-string guitar/4-string bass Rickenbacker copy. It's a copy of a model that Ric hasn't produced for decades, so I don't feel as guilty as I would otherwise.
I expected something pretty junky for $450, but it's well made and sounds convincingly Ric-like to me. Necks are straight and feel good, hardware seems to be of decent or better quality. The 12-string controls even include the mystery balance knob, correctly wired.
If only it didn't weigh nearly as much as any three of my other basses.
I expected something pretty junky for $450, but it's well made and sounds convincingly Ric-like to me. Necks are straight and feel good, hardware seems to be of decent or better quality. The 12-string controls even include the mystery balance knob, correctly wired.
If only it didn't weigh nearly as much as any three of my other basses.
Well, i'll tell you what - i've been playing rics almost exclusively for a good while now. I have nothing against fakers. They're more of a "funky novelty" than any threat to the original. Frankly they're very different instruments but that's not the point of this thread is it haha.
What i will say is that a ric sounds like a ric unplugged. The hardware plays a very small role. I know because i've played many a real ric that has been 100% gutted and had all of its parts replaced by badass, schaller, hipshot, home brew brass, seymour duncan etc. but have still had the sound and feel of all original ones. A fake ric from modern sources does not sound like a real ric at any point, plugged in unplugged or plugged in and heavily processed.
Another point worth making is that those chinese copies very often are 22 fret 34" scale have their pickups placed differently along the string's speaking length (more bridge-shifted) and have very wide string spacing at the bridge compared to the real deal. This means 1: the sound is different (but that's expected) and 2: real ric stuff won't be a good fit. the modern ric bridges have adjustable string spacing but i am not sure whether they can be spread out enough to match the stock bridges of the fakers. Not to say they won't but it is not something i can say for sure will work. You'll definitely want to check that out first. Also, the pole pieces of modern rickenbacker pickups are still spaced to match the 4001 basses of yesteryear, which had quite narrow string spacing. The strings don't align perfectly to the centre of the pole pieces on modern 4003 basses, but the difference is not enough to have any considerable effect. Fakers, on the other hand, might give you some trouble since their strings will most definitely be spread further apart than the pickup poles, especially considering the relative difference in pickup position being more bridgeward than the originals. Thankfully, the poles are height adjustable, so you could probably get things even(ish) but if you're the type to be bothered by that, it's just something to bear in mind.
All this to say, i'm not saying don't do it, but i am saying that i don't foresee ric stuff living on a very different instrument "improving" the instrument or bringing it closer to the real thing. Being honest, it will probably be on par with what lives on the copies to begin with seeing as these parts were not at all made for those instruments. If you keep an eye out for an old matsumoku copy i think you'll be much happier. And, if you're in the mood for modding, putting real ric stuff into one of those would likely work much better, seeing as they were far closer copies. Either that or wait till you can afford a real one, which i presume is what you are actually looking for. They are not as unattainable as some seem to make them. They used to often come up for far less than reverb prices, but this is a bad time to buy rickenbacker instruments. Asking prices are through the roof right now but nothing seems to be moving, so i'm confident they'll go down. Only a couple years ago you could get a late-era 4001 for the same price as a 4003 and that price was usually at or often under $2000 cad. Just keep your eyes open. Best of luck on whatever you decide!
What i will say is that a ric sounds like a ric unplugged. The hardware plays a very small role. I know because i've played many a real ric that has been 100% gutted and had all of its parts replaced by badass, schaller, hipshot, home brew brass, seymour duncan etc. but have still had the sound and feel of all original ones. A fake ric from modern sources does not sound like a real ric at any point, plugged in unplugged or plugged in and heavily processed.
Another point worth making is that those chinese copies very often are 22 fret 34" scale have their pickups placed differently along the string's speaking length (more bridge-shifted) and have very wide string spacing at the bridge compared to the real deal. This means 1: the sound is different (but that's expected) and 2: real ric stuff won't be a good fit. the modern ric bridges have adjustable string spacing but i am not sure whether they can be spread out enough to match the stock bridges of the fakers. Not to say they won't but it is not something i can say for sure will work. You'll definitely want to check that out first. Also, the pole pieces of modern rickenbacker pickups are still spaced to match the 4001 basses of yesteryear, which had quite narrow string spacing. The strings don't align perfectly to the centre of the pole pieces on modern 4003 basses, but the difference is not enough to have any considerable effect. Fakers, on the other hand, might give you some trouble since their strings will most definitely be spread further apart than the pickup poles, especially considering the relative difference in pickup position being more bridgeward than the originals. Thankfully, the poles are height adjustable, so you could probably get things even(ish) but if you're the type to be bothered by that, it's just something to bear in mind.
All this to say, i'm not saying don't do it, but i am saying that i don't foresee ric stuff living on a very different instrument "improving" the instrument or bringing it closer to the real thing. Being honest, it will probably be on par with what lives on the copies to begin with seeing as these parts were not at all made for those instruments. If you keep an eye out for an old matsumoku copy i think you'll be much happier. And, if you're in the mood for modding, putting real ric stuff into one of those would likely work much better, seeing as they were far closer copies. Either that or wait till you can afford a real one, which i presume is what you are actually looking for. They are not as unattainable as some seem to make them. They used to often come up for far less than reverb prices, but this is a bad time to buy rickenbacker instruments. Asking prices are through the roof right now but nothing seems to be moving, so i'm confident they'll go down. Only a couple years ago you could get a late-era 4001 for the same price as a 4003 and that price was usually at or often under $2000 cad. Just keep your eyes open. Best of luck on whatever you decide!
Why a RIC? Because of the looks?
If it's just the looks, go for it.
But if it's the sound, I'd say no-go for the fake RIC.
There are tons of new basses around $800 you can get that will get you so close only the people on TB will be able to tell the difference.
Please don't. Not only will you get an inferior bass with no quality control and no warranty if something is wrong, but you will forever kick yourself for not saving up your money in the first place to get a real 4003.
Here’s some old man advice: Take a second job for the holidays. 24 hours a week at 10 bucks an hour for 8-10 weeks puts around $2000 in your cookie jar after taxes. Add the $800 you budgeted for the knockoff and upgrades and you can buy the real deal. It’ll be like putting the money in the bank (or stock market) and you’ll have a great story about how you got it.
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