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Rickenbacker pricing

CGremlin

CGremlin

Nov 1, 2014
2,205
2,783
58
Palm Bay, FL
#1
So I'm looking through my latest Musician's Friend mini-catalog, and I saw something that really surprised me - they actually have pricing on Rickenbacker instruments instead of "Call for price". The 4003 was shown at $1724, $75 off of their normal $1799 price. The web site still shows "Email for price", however.

Has RIC has changed their MAP policy and is now allowing sellers to post prices?

Edit - They're showing pricing for the six-string instruments as well.
 
#2
In this day and age of Internet sales, not listing the price is a bad move. Only people really interested will bother to call or email. The reality is this: who is interested enough in a bass they have probably not played from an iconic but sometimes maligned brand to call about the price? They just turn the page or search for something else that they know is in their price range.
 
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#3
TMARK said:
In this day and age of Internet sales, not listing the price is a bad move.
Click to expand...

I agree for the most part, but RIC still sells everything they can make (and then some) and doesn't appear to want to expand, so I don't think it makes much difference to them. John Hall has always done and always will do whatever he wants. I just thought it was interesting to actually see a price.
 
#4
CGremlin said:
I agree for the most part, but RIC still sells everything they can make (and then some) and doesn't appear to want to expand, so I don't think it makes much difference to them. John Hall has always done and always will do whatever he wants. I just thought it was interesting to actually see a price.
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It might be the retailer pushed them on the pricing.
 
#5
The first rule of retail is to never put anything in the way of a customer handing you their money.

Q: What payment methods should you accept?

A: All of them.

Q: Should you make a potential customer contact you personally as a de facto condition of them buying something from you?

A: Not just no, but **** no!

Q: Should you be coy about giving out prices?

A: No. Giving prices up front weeds out unqualified buyers early so neither they nor you are wasting each other's time. Hiding your prices makes it look like you have something to hide. And forcing them to call to find out your product is more than they can afford is often perceived as arrogant and insulting behavior on your part.
 
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#6
CGremlin said:
So I'm looking through my latest Musician's Friend mini-catalog, and I saw something that really surprised me - they actually have pricing on Rickenbacker instruments instead of "Call for price". The 4003 was shown at $1724, $75 off of their normal $1799 price. The web site still shows "Email for price", however.

Has RIC has changed their MAP policy and is now allowing sellers to post prices?

Edit - They're showing pricing for the six-string instruments as well.
Click to expand...

Meh I can still buy NEW from Pick of the Ricks or Wildwood for $100.00 to $250.00 less and get better customer service
 
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#9
I was just reading the RIC forums, and John Hall had this to say in regards to European pricing in one thread:

"In any case, this would go completely against our company philosophy as we have always been very pro-consumer, for instance, absolutely refusing to establish a Minimum Advertised Price (MAP) policy in the US, when most other companies do this as a regular part of their business."

So there wasn't a MAP policy in place, which then raises the question of why some RIC dealers refuse to post pricing on their sites. Like a lot of you, I think it's a much better idea for the customer to be able to see prices up front - if you're trying to sell them for retail, you're wasting my time having me get in contact with you.
 
#10
Snakeman1066 said:
Meh I can still buy NEW from Pick of the Ricks or Wildwood for $100.00 to $250.00 less and get better customer service
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This + infinity.

Not only do those two vendors have great customer service, they actually unpack and inspect product before passing along QC issues to the consumer, which should be the baseline for any retailer (online or not).

Failure to do that is MF's fatal flaw IMO, and contributes greatly to negative PR with QC, tarnishing both the brand and the retailer. I visit the Wildwood shop fairly regularly, and those folks won't accept flawed instruments from the manufacturer, period. They ship them back to the manufacturer and the end user never sees them.

I would never buy a Ric from MF.
 
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#12
110s lover said:
Rickenbacker pricing is damn expensive, other than that...i see no issue!
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LOL! I'm the exact opposite. I have no issue with their prices or instruments. But I don't much care for the company, or how it behaves towards potential buyers. One of the reasons why, if I ever do finally buy a Ric, it will most definitely be a used one. My one contact with that company left a bad enough taste in my mouth that I don't want anything further to do with them.

You can only get away with being a total prick for so long before the tide turns. Bigger business players than Rickenbacker have paid dearly for showing a little too much "attitude" in the past. IMO it'll only be a matter of time before it catches up with them.
 
#16
electracoyote said:
I'm willing to bet it won't be in your lifetime.
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Considering how far along in my lifetime I am, you're probably right. :laugh:

There also will always be people who thrive on being treated disrespectfully. So as long as bass players are numbered among them, Rickenbacker will continue to treat people the way they do.

Some people see it as Rickenbacker being true to itself. I see it more as a complete lack of class. But that's me.

And who am I to interfere with their karma?:cool:
 
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#17
CGremlin said:
So I'm looking through my latest Musician's Friend mini-catalog, and I saw something that really surprised me - they actually have pricing on Rickenbacker instruments instead of "Call for price". The 4003 was shown at $1724, $75 off of their normal $1799 price. The web site still shows "Email for price", however.

Has RIC has changed their MAP policy and is now allowing sellers to post prices?

Edit - They're showing pricing for the six-string instruments as well.
Click to expand...
I think that might have been a MF thing...cuz L&M in Canada always shows Ric prices.
 
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#18
40Hz said:
Considering how far along in my lifetime I am, you're probably right. :laugh:

There also will always be people who thrive on being treated disrespectfully. So as long as bass players are numbered among them, Rickenbacker will continue to treat people the way they do.

Some people see it as Rickenbacker being true to itself. I see it more as a complete lack of class. But that's me.

And who am I to interfere with their karma?:cool:
Click to expand...

I'll give you an extra 50 years, and you still won't see the fall of Rickenbacker.

Every once in a while a product comes along that is so unique and iconic that the company can have a "take it or leave it" attitude and still thrive. Ric routinely has more demand than supply.

And then there is the outside possibility that the QC claims and CS beefs truly are in the small minority. ;)
 
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#19
electracoyote said:
I'll give you an extra 50 years, and you still won't see the fall of Rickenbacker.

Every once in a while, a product comes along that is so unique and iconic, that the company can take a "take it or leave it" attitude and still thrive. Ric routinely has more demand than supply.

And then there is the outside possibility that the QC claims and CS beefs truly are in the small minority. ;)
Click to expand...

The CS are true from my experience. As far as QC, I've seen a few fairly recent new Rics hanging on the used rack that had some pretty shoddy looking construction. Maybe they were the exception. But if Ric can do whatever it wants with impunity, why jeopardize that by releasing product with unacceptably sloppy fit and finish? The problems I saw weren't anything an owner could have done to them.

I thought they were much better built back in the 70s. A friend loaned me one his (he had three) that I played for a few years back then. So I have something to compare with what I saw that was selling for top dollar used.

For the record, I still think the discontinued 4005 was one of the most interesting and sweet sounding basses ever built. So I'm no Ric bass hater. I just don't like the company.
 

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