No thats not true..
John hall will call you out for lying and accuse you of making things up..
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Rickenbacker finish issue (Resolved by RIC)
- Thread starter Wolfenstein666
- Start date
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- rick
No thats not true..
John hall will call you out for lying and accuse you of making things up..
I had that problem with the 4001 Guitar Center Special which I briefly owned. It like one of the hazards of the UV finish. I use UV-curing adhesive where I work, and it tends to cure into a consistency which always tends to peel when disturbed, rather than chip.
To reiterate what I said earlier, I don't want this to turn into a Ric hate thread. I understood the risks of buying one when I did and I can accept that. But hate threads go no where and are all around bad mojo. Thanks.
Your thread is titled "well.....this is bad."
I'm not a hater per se but how would you go about recommending to someone else to buy a Ric?
Yours is almost brand spanking new.
Sell me
I'm not a hater per se but how would you go about recommending to someone else to buy a Ric?
Yours is almost brand spanking new.
Sell me
If you purchased new, return it to the store where you purchased. The last story I heard about: same issue, same color-RIC will ask you what type of strings you use - may be heavier gauge than they recommend. Good luck
PS: I own 2 ricks: '82 4001S and a 2015 4003S, I love 'em. no issues
PS: I own 2 ricks: '82 4001S and a 2015 4003S, I love 'em. no issues
Your thread is titled "well.....this is bad."
I'm not a hater per se but how would you go about recommending to someone else to buy a Ric?
Yours is almost brand spanking new.
Sell me
I'm not trying to sell anyone a Ric, and I've said nothing but great things about them in the past and those all still hold true. This is a problem that I, one individual with one bass, am having a problem with.
And, this just happened, and I have not a chance to talk to Ric yet. I simply came here for advice as I have done in the past. So it's still to early to tell.
It still has the factory strings on it. This bass has been babied, and the Ric factory recommendations have been followed to a T. So at least I have that going for me.
@Wolfenstein666
I hope you "got" that my post was meant to bring a bit of humor to the situation, not to propagate Ric hate.
I hope you "got" that my post was meant to bring a bit of humor to the situation, not to propagate Ric hate.
I did, that post was just to keep the spotlight on the issue.
Your post actually elicited a chuckle, as did the Ric customer service one. I'm just trying to keep it positive.
Thread title updated to better address the issue.
John Hall need not bother, you get plenty of that right here on TB!
I'm not a hater per se but how would you go about recommending to someone else to buy a Ric?
Yours is almost brand spanking new.
Sell me
I'll bite: Because even with finish issues, my Ric is the coolest, best-sounding bass I've ever played. And mine has the same issues. Just try not to pay full price.
John Hall need not bother, you get plenty of that right here on TB!
I'll bite: Because even with finish issues, my Ric is the coolest, best-sounding bass I've ever played. And mine has the same issues. Just try not to pay full price.
How did you deal with the finish problem?
Actually there is. But it's not something I'd tell an amateur to do, it's difficult, it's not perfect (although can be made that way by a pro) and it'll void the warranty, I expect. Plus Rickenbacker should make good on this, or their warranty isn't worth anything. And that's something I'd consider before buying a Ric.
Wicking a droplet of retarder or, for nitro, lacquer thinner under the bubble - you can use a small bore hypodermic if needed, ask your diabetic friends - and the stuff will soak into the wood and melt the finish back on top of it. You'd then wait a few weeks, sand w/super-fine and hand buff out.
But this is a one year old bass, tops. They should fix it. Finish issues are a really bad thing, have come close to putting one maker out of business that I know of, and are usually the result of something that went bad at the finish maker rather than the builder. But guess who's on the hook? Not the lacquer factory. And a strip and refinish is ungodly expensive and a Ric is going to be harder than most - finished fingerboard, binding (stripper melts binding) neck thru. Everything I would not want to deal with as a finish guy.
Good luck.
And this, sir, is why I love TB. A genuine thank you for the advice and good words. Hopefully Ric will make good on this, if not I will consider this as a possible option.
Seriously. Thank you.
The Ric finish warranty starts on date of manufacture, not date of sale, so it may have expired before you even bought it depending on when it was built. I've seen this in person on a brand new Ric 4003 in GC, so they are coming out of the factory that way, draw your own conclusions on QC. On the one I saw, it looked like they tightened the bridge down too hard, probably with an electric or compressed air screw gun, and the rough edges on the bridge casting bit through the clearcoat, which starts to flake off. Its worth a shot calling Ric, but to say their current track record for resolving finish issues is "less than stellar" would be an understatement. If you are still within the finish warranty, id be a relentless pain in the ass for Ric CS until I got it resolved free of charge. That sucks, and I wish you all the best with it.
Edit :
Arbiters idea is interesting, does that work with UV catalyzed finish Ric uses? They stopped using traditional solvent based clearcoat a few years ago to satisfy the new California VOC regs. They zap the finish for about five minutes with UV light, which causes it to harden up almost immediately, but maybe not hard enough before they fly out the door.
Edit :
Arbiters idea is interesting, does that work with UV catalyzed finish Ric uses? They stopped using traditional solvent based clearcoat a few years ago to satisfy the new California VOC regs. They zap the finish for about five minutes with UV light, which causes it to harden up almost immediately, but maybe not hard enough before they fly out the door.
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As I recall some of these problems sprung up because of burs or rough edges on the bottom of the bridge, digging into the finish. One option I would explore, depending on what Ric plans to do for you, is pull the bridge off and inspect the contact surface. Some buffing and polishing of the rough edges might stop further bubbling.
I'm still within the actual manufacturing date by almost 4 months. Per the serial number it was made in July of 15, so on that front I know I'm in the clear. I really don't like being a relentless pain in the ass, but I'd say at this point the occasion calls for it.
Even if Rickenbacker does not help you out, and they may, don't let this get to you too much.
Most every bass that actually gets taken out of its case and gets played will develop dents, dings, scratches and other assorted "flair." Consider it character or mojo, not a big honking blemish that grabs and holds your eyes every time you play it.
I'll bet nobody else not actually holding and examining it will ever see the flaw. (Not to downplay your concerns, just putting a bit of perspective on it.)
If it functions properly and still sounds great, just make it yours and move on.
That being said, I hope Rickenbacker stands behind their product.
Most every bass that actually gets taken out of its case and gets played will develop dents, dings, scratches and other assorted "flair." Consider it character or mojo, not a big honking blemish that grabs and holds your eyes every time you play it.
I'll bet nobody else not actually holding and examining it will ever see the flaw. (Not to downplay your concerns, just putting a bit of perspective on it.)
If it functions properly and still sounds great, just make it yours and move on.
That being said, I hope Rickenbacker stands behind their product.
Well put. I'm really not trying to sweat it too hard as I have a fairly optimistic (read: stupid) mind that they will help, as it is less than a year.
Other than that, if they don't help I'm just concerned with stopping the spread of it. The bubble is what it is, I just don't want it to get huge. The guitar is still functional, this is like a giant....I don't know. Insert cosmetic defect here ______
By putting enough dings and scratches in the bass to quit worrying about it?
I wish I had an answer. To be honest my bass had some weird flaws in it to begin with which is why I think it was on sale. If I had to buy another I'd want to see it in person first or buy through PotR or something like that.
Ric5
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- Jan 29, 2008
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You have the highly sought after road worn version 4003 bass
