• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Rickenbacker Neck disaster

#121
There's duds of everything ever made. It happens.

I saw german cars mentioned. I loved my 1995 Jetta. Until the paint started falling off. Clearcoat was not applied properly at the factory and after 2 new england winters, the clearcoat started peeling off the hood, and I washed it often to knock off the salt. Quality defects happen to every builder of everything out there. With my co-workers, it's been lots of new mercedes and bmw in the shop for little issues too right off the showroom floor. Nothing major, little things like rattles and interior trim issues. Doesn't mean it's junk. Doesn't mean bmw or mercedes don't care about their customers. Doesn't mean they don't care about their reputation. Things beyond a maker's control happen.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jeff Scott and GBassNorth
#124
With 5 CNC routers running full time, RIC's been catching up on what used to be a 440 day backlog. In fact, by lunchtime they've exceeded their best days production totals from the 80's. They do well over 10,000 units a year. While John Hall doesn't reveal production totals, having visited the factory myself, I can tell you they easily exceed 100 units a day. And that's just a rounded down number based on what I saw.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: GBassNorth
#125
Aceonbass said:
With 5 CNC routers running full time, RIC's been catching up on what used to be a 440 day backlog. In fact, by lunchtime they've exceeded their best days production totals from the 80's. They do well over 10,000 units a year. While John Hall doesn't reveal production totals, having visited the factory myself, I can tell you they easily exceed 100 units a day. And that's just a rounded down number bases on what I saw.
Click to expand...
Yeah, but they can only ship about 50 units a day, the other 50 failed QC. :whistle:
...just joking, just joking... put the rocks down.
 
  • Like
Reactions: blindrabbit
#126
Aceonbass said:
With 5 CNC routers running full time, RIC's been catching up on what used to be a 440 day backlog. In fact, by lunchtime they've exceeded their best days production totals from the 80's. They do well over 10,000 units a year. While John Hall doesn't reveal production totals, having visited the factory myself, I can tell you they easily exceed 100 units a day. And that's just a rounded down number based on what I saw.
Click to expand...

That's not so bad, then.
 
#128
All griping and kidding aside, when Ric gets it right, there simply is no finer looking bass IMHO. Some people think I'm a Ric hater because I'm aggravated by the flaws, nothing could be farther from the truth. My first bass was a 79' Jetglo 4001, bought brand new in 1979 for $400 including OHSC. I frigging LOVED that bass, and stupidly sold it three years in for reasons I can no longer comprehend. I miss that bass so much, I'm building my own re-creation of my old 4001, though Lord knows I can't really afford it. Knowing Ric is capable of producing such unique sounding and gorgeous looking instruments on their best day makes their QC and CS problems doubly frustrating, like watching a friend act self-destructively out of pride. Maybe it's a temporary (10 years or so?) symptom of demand exceeding supply, maybe it's generational crankiness on John Hall's part. As far as I know, he intends to pass the business on to his son, and he may have an entirely different attitude towards CS. In a market awash with lower-priced, extremely well made alternatives, and increasingly well made Chinese counterfeits, I don't think any guitar maker can afford to be cavalier about CS.
 
  • Like
Reactions: blindrabbit
#129
So a lot of people here mentioned, that nowadays the quality of Rickenbacker is compared to the past not so solid for what reasons soever.
In which decade then did Rickenbacker build the best products? Is a 4003 from lets say 1988 better in quality and sound than a brand new one?
Those of you, who own (or owned) a bunch of ricks in their arsenal, know probably the answer...
 
#130
When I bought my 79' Jetglo, Rics were not exactly common, but you could walk into any decent sized guitar store and they had one, or could get one easily enough. Mine was flawless finish-wise, and that seemed common at the time. I have only recently started to see Rics hanging on the wall in GC, for years they were virtually all pre-sold before they ever got to a store. I take that as an indication that they have finally worked through the worst of the backlog, at least for the standard models. Now there are people waiting months for the 4003W walnut basses, and we are back to waiting lists for the new 4003s series. When you are that far backlogged, something has to give, in this case I think it was QC, at least in the finishes. I haven't heard about any recurring structural problems, particularly as the CNC machining makes all the necks and bodies identical. If you haven't seen this, interesting Rickenbacker factory tour showing their manufacturing process, including the UV activated finish booth.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Aceonbass, GBassNorth and blindrabbit
#131
This is heresy among some, but I would expect the highest quality Rics to be the newest ones. CNC makes for high levels of consistency. I saw a couple 4003Ws the other day at Bass NW, and they were very well made. Every recent Ric I have picked up somewhere or another has felt and looked well made. Over time, who knows, but first impressions have been all good. My older one has its little quirks, but nothing bad. There are going to be problems from just about any factory.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rickenbottom and Aceonbass
#132
I'm working on a new finish currently on a 21 year old German Warwick. I am using pretty high quality color and it says to put on your first coat, let it dry 4 hrs, then a second coat. Then you must let it air-dry 72 hrs between each additional coat. If you are producing 500 basses a week you just can't take that much time.
 
#133
Blankandson said:
I'm working on a new finish currently on a 21 year old German Warwick. I am using pretty high quality color and it says to put on your first coat, let it dry 4 hrs, then a second coat. Then you must let it air-dry 72 hrs between each additional coat. If you are producing 500 basses a week you just can't take that much time.
Click to expand...

In theory you can, in a production line, but it would use up a fair bit of storage space letting everything dry. I am not sure how much and whether the appropriate metric is football fields or fractions of the size of Belgium :)
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back