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Rickenbacker crooked pick ups
- Thread starter bassline52
- Start date
That's not my logic, I love Rics. Nice Strawman attempt there.
I don't like the Quality Control coming out of Ric though. Since John Hall took over, it's been a sad stretch for my favorite bass guitar. Selling on legacy rather than quality.
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Crooked pickup / surround?, seriously? Any of you guys own a screwdriver?
Ric5
Inactive
- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
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- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
Yikes, look at THIS ONE! Poor finish, archaic design, crooked pickup. Bet nobody buys these:
Someone starts a thread, the haters will hate and the apologists will do their thing.
Funny, but I hardly ever see the apologists chiming in on threads talking about RIC's customer service or their attitude towards the customers. They usually just try to deflect the obvious issues that have no bearing on the point of the thread.
Fishheadjoe
Funny, but I hardly ever see the apologists chiming in on threads talking about RIC's customer service or their attitude towards the customers. They usually just try to deflect the obvious issues that have no bearing on the point of the thread.
Fishheadjoe
You mean like the photo just above your post? Correct.
Yikes, look at THIS ONE! Poor finish, archaic design, crooked pickup. Bet nobody buys these:
I'm guessing you never won on the Debate Team.
Ric5
Inactive
- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
- 30,452
- Disclosures
- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
Yikes, look at THIS ONE! Poor finish, archaic design, crooked pickup. Bet nobody buys these:
Somehow the more beat up a Fender is the better, but if a Rickenbacker looked like that then there would be multiple long threads about how cheap the finish is.
OP's title was about a crooked pickup and it being perceived as a "flaw." One man's flaw is another man's character. Everybody gets to choose.
When you put the word "Crooked" next to the word pickup, it's a flaw. If it wasn't, the word crooked would be replaced by a word of your choosing.
Just because they are all crooked, doesn't make it right. I makes it persistently incorrect and raises a few questions, like;
-why is the person at the factory being allowed to continue to do this?
-what else is "crooked" and how did it get out of the factory like that
-what is RIC dong to make their customers happy when this or any other "crooked" item is found
I could go on, but the apologists will just pretend that all is well in RIC land... posting pics like the one above does not serve your point well at all.
Fishheadjoe
Just because they are all crooked, doesn't make it right. I makes it persistently incorrect and raises a few questions, like;
-why is the person at the factory being allowed to continue to do this?
-what else is "crooked" and how did it get out of the factory like that
-what is RIC dong to make their customers happy when this or any other "crooked" item is found
I could go on, but the apologists will just pretend that all is well in RIC land... posting pics like the one above does not serve your point well at all.
Fishheadjoe
Hey, when you think about it, the way pickups are installed in many guitars and basses is lame, dangling on 2 or 3 screws. The only thing that guarantees this doesn't happen is if the pickup fits snugly in the rout or at least the surround/bezel. Other than that, don' t expect miracles from such a seat of the pants setup. Note the Ric neck pickup doesn't have these issues, for the reason I described.
A Fat Strat will have two perfectly aligned single coils, which have snug covers in a snug rout,, and a maybe or maybe not aligned humbucker dangling on screws. just the nature of a pickup dangling in mid air even with some spring tension.
A Fat Strat will have two perfectly aligned single coils, which have snug covers in a snug rout,, and a maybe or maybe not aligned humbucker dangling on screws. just the nature of a pickup dangling in mid air even with some spring tension.
Ric5
Inactive
- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
- 30,452
- Disclosures
- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
And look: They put the headstock on backwards then had to make an upside down truss-rod cover for it! Ha Ha Ha!
omg ... SEND THAT PIECE OF FIREWOOD BACK TO THE FACTORY
It's a guitar from 1964-1965, what do you expect. A Rickenbacker from Invalid Link Removed would have worn by now as well.
And we both know what would happen if that bass or any bass got sent back to the factory. The end result would be the owner of the bass being out shipping costs and the bass itself could end up worse, much worse than when it originally left the factory.
It seems that we can't agree what is acceptable and what is not; but I do think we can agree that the company needs to do a better job at all levels if they want to change the market perception of who and what they are.
Fishheadjoe
If I hadn't seen the close-up, and only saw the other two pictures, I wouldn't have been able to tell you what's "wrong" with that bass. In my tiny subjective world, if you can't see or readily notice an aesthetic issue from five feet away, it's not an issue. But I understand other people having different standards.
I guess, based on the close-up, and in a technical sense, it is crooked. Everyone is entitled to total satisfaction with their new bass, and the only way to get it sometimes is to only buy what you can hold in your hands and inspect, inspect it closely, and if it's flawed, don't buy it.
I have many basses with slightly crooked pickups (this is hardly a "Rickenbacker problem" and anyone suggesting otherwise is a troll, plain and simple), and I have many basses (including Rics) with perfectly aligned pickups. So it's possible to get a Ric with better alignment if it's important to you; you just have to hold out for it.
I agree with comments about playability and tone trumping the five-feet flaw rule. A bass that consistently sets up well, plays well, and sounds great is a jewel in the rough IME, even with a slightly crooked pickup.
YMMV
I guess, based on the close-up, and in a technical sense, it is crooked. Everyone is entitled to total satisfaction with their new bass, and the only way to get it sometimes is to only buy what you can hold in your hands and inspect, inspect it closely, and if it's flawed, don't buy it.
I have many basses with slightly crooked pickups (this is hardly a "Rickenbacker problem" and anyone suggesting otherwise is a troll, plain and simple), and I have many basses (including Rics) with perfectly aligned pickups. So it's possible to get a Ric with better alignment if it's important to you; you just have to hold out for it.
I agree with comments about playability and tone trumping the five-feet flaw rule. A bass that consistently sets up well, plays well, and sounds great is a jewel in the rough IME, even with a slightly crooked pickup.
YMMV
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The need something like a story pole (jig) to consistantly place the pickup in the center of the route.
