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Rickenbacker crooked pick ups

#81
BIGEJ2 said:
If the OP's RIC was a signature model, this site would blow up!

Always loved the way RIC's look and they sound great. I had four, 3 4003's and a 4004L, all had issues. On one 4003, the trussrod ends were actually sunk into the neck so you couldn't get the wrench in to turn it. The other two had paint issues bubbling around the bridge and body edges. The 4004L was a LE Snowglo model. Very awesome bass but the paint was literally flaking off of it. I contacted RIC first, who said to send it back to them at my cost. They would look at it and determine if the paint was any fault of mine, repaint it if warranted and then send it back to me at my cost. Luckily, the dealer took it back no questions asked. I would still love to own a RIC but buying one scares the crap out of me. Even if they are okay upon initial inspection, the warranty and customer service is awful if you encounter a problem later on.
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Any warranty where you have to ship the item back on your dime is not at all convenient, unless you have a dealer you can work with locally.
This applies to anything.
It essentially takes the warranty issue out of the selling equation if it requires too many hoops to be jumped through.

Buying from one of the big dealers (not GC or MF) who inspect and set up the bass before it's shipped to you takes care of any buyer's anxiety.
 
#82
more Rickenbacker QC problems ...

Here these cheap basses can't stand up to a simple stage smashing

brokenric.jpg



This one here can't even take being run over by a car ...

broken.jpg


And look at the terrible routing on this one ...

b-ric03.jpg


And talk about finish quality ... this one here looks like it was painted by a drunk with a rattle can ...

flat%20black.jpg
 
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#87
I've owned 5 Rick basses throughout the years and, with the exception of a 4004 that had severe neck issues out of the box, all have been fairly solid players. I love the feel and tone of their basses. Nothing sounds like a Rick and I'll always love playing them. I mention this so I'm not accused of trolling or being a "Rickenbasher."

I recently demoed a 4003S at a local store. It sounded great. It had a nice, beefy neck. But it also had bubbling chrome on the tailpiece, a gap between the pickguard and the body, a nut that was cut uncomfortably high and some type of compound on the frets that wasn't removed before leaving the factory. Minor flaws? Maybe, but it's a matter of what you can accept with a brand new instrument.

I think the reason that people get up in arms about RIC's build or assembly quality is because JH frequently states that he won't compromise quality for quantity by opening factories in Asia (or elsewhere) and mass producing their instruments. So if we take JH at his word, the natural expectation is that their instruments are made from quality materials and there is a high level of craftsmanship applied during assembly. They shouldn't have inexplicable flaws like crooked bridges, crooked or misaligned pickups, wobbly saddles, etc. Someone's not checking some of these instruments when they leave the factory or, worse, they are and letting it slide.

I was ready to jump on that S model yesterday, but those flaws killed the deal for me.
 
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#88
If you want to see a truly butchered 4001 restored to its former glory, check out the Rickresource Forum thread "And another 1968 4001 resurrection". Somebody went postal on this bass, and the repairs are ingenious.
Invalid Link Removed
 
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#90
OK. for what it's worth; my 2 cents worth:
- Yes, I agree; Rickenbacker does not always position the bridge pickup exactly perpendicular to the strings. Should they? Yes, they should; or at least try harder than they do. However, since it doesn't effect the pickup's performance, and it's supposed to be under the cover anyhow...RIC's response is "so what?" If it was so misaligned that it did effect the performance, they might be willing to fix it. But, with RIC, you never know.. Anyhow, they don't see a problem, so don't hold your breath waiting for them to change any time soon.
-Yes, as others have pointed out, it's pretty easy to loosen the screws and give the pickup a tweek on it's mounting plate. There's usually a little room for adjustment. I did it on my '73 4001, just 'cause I could. It lives under the cover, anyway, but I was messing with everything on the bass at the time, so.. If it's really bad, it's not much work to drill one or two new holes in the mounting plate and fix it. There are pictures and threads about this on other Rick forum sites. Should you have to do this? No, of course you shouldn't; but if that's the only thing "wrong" with it, then Drill On... Seems a small price to pay if the bass is "Killer" otherwise.
-Yes, the bridge p/u cover bothers a lot of people; that's why they remove it. These basses were designed half a century ago, to be played differently, from how and what people play today. Obviously, it doesn't mean you can't play them today; I'm just sayin'. The 4004's are intended for people who think the 4003's are a lame anachronism; maybe lots of folks would be much happier with one of those. My 4001 and 4003 both have the covers on, and I play them the way that it forces me to. I don't mind; I have.. several.. other basses I can use if I want to play over the bridge pickup. And, for what it's worth; a couple of years ago, in a post elsewhere, John Hall did say that the bridge p/u cover did provide some shielding for the pickup, due to the stuff it was plated with. True? Maybe yes, maybe no...:)
 
#91
I've tried and tried and tried to play mine with the pickup cover, and it ends up coming off yet again.

In my opinion it looks better on, but I just miss that sweet spot too much.

More so because of the tension of the strings at the pluck point than tonal difference.
Depending on the passage in the song, they are either too tight behind the cover or too loose ahead of it.

I never noticed any difference in shielding, but I'll give it the benefit of the doubt.
Maybe so, but not noticeable.
 
#95
Marko5657 said:
I’m not whining, my $300 Squier VM from Indonesia has none of those issues. Zero.


At what price do you think one should come to expect quality craftsmanship?
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I'm gonna go out on a limb and say 'You Got Lucky.' Because that's all it is. OTOH my expensive Fender USA bass had really awful fretwork issues that should have held it back a grade, but it got by. Oops. 'Not Lucky.' But Ric says things that make me queasy, like "The nut is deliberately cut that way to allow the customer to adjust it to his liking." : D
And can someone explain the purpose of the giant metal pickup cover?!?
 
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#96
It's obvious that this thread has taken off, so it tells me that there is a lot of passion on this topic no matter what side you're on.
My intention of posting this thread was not to slag Rickenbacker, I've got a 1973, 4001 and a 2005, 4003 and I love them both very much, not an issue on either. My point of this thread was to see how many people have this problem,
and apparently it is a lot. One person replied that I should pick out another one....well I did and guess what...on that one the pick up was again crooked! I've always been of the mindset, that if you make something "iconic" you should take the time to make sure it's ready to ship out of your plant and represent your company. One person replied that it's a mass produced product you should expect flaws. That's the same arrogance and answer is to why General Motors almost went out of business, while they were covering up flaws, off shore manufacturer's were "LISTENING" to customers complaints and concerns and fixing them. My purpose and hope of this thread was to show Rickenbacker that there is a concern out there and to fix it.
 
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#100
awilkie84 said:
My 2 cents on this. If Rickenbacker can't be bothered to ensure their pickups are straight, what else are they skimping on when it comes to QC?
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Exactly! This, to me, is what everyone seems to be missing. Yes the pickup being slightly misaligned doesn't really matter but neither does the radio not fitting quite right in your NEW car but it certainly doesn't bode well for the overall quality and I wouldn't buy that car. Also RIC's general middle finger to customers as a policy would keep me from EVER buying a new RIC, which makes me so sad because I love Ricks. And all RIC fans and players should be furious that the most modern iteration of the company is tarnishing what should be the great RIC name! The general attitude of "quite whining and take it" is so odd to me. THAT attitude seems anti-RIC to me. Those that seems to have no wish to hold it to a higher standard. These are great instruments but the company that makes them treats them like they are a POS. The general "what do you expect?" attitude does more to deface Rickenbacker than anyone complaining on a forum could. Anyway, My $0.2
 
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