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Rickenbacker Rant

Right_Butterscotch64

Right_Butterscotch64

Oct 18, 2012
1,763
442
#1
So I bought a brand new 4003 a bout 4-5 months ago, it had been my dream bass for years. It has fought me every step of the way.

It was trouble setting it up due to the fact that Rickenbacker feels we aren't competent enough to set up our own basses by not including a truss rod tool. Took me 4 days to find a nut driver that would fit. The nut had to be filed, it was cut poorly.

The bridge saddles were rocking back and forth, but a slight intonation screw tweak fixed that.

Then there was the switch. Immediately out of the box the switch was defective, sent it back and got it replaced.

Now we come to today, I plug in and start playing and my neck pickup cuts out! I put the switch in the middle position and whenever I touch it, crackles and pops all around.

I really wish I could turn back the clock and not buy this bass, but sadly it doesn't work that way. I have had 200$ basses that worked better than this 4003. It is really quite disappointing and frustrating.

Rant over.
 
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#3
That's a real shame mate!!! I have 2 and they are amazing. Not perfect...but no bass is. It took me a while to really settle in with my first one. I could suggest a complete wiring overhaul? Aceonbass on this forum can help you out with that.

I also had to file the nut on my 2013 rick but it's now at set up just right for how I like it.
If you give it a bit of time, you won't regret it.
 
#4
My rick's action is terribly high currently and like you since I cant find a socket that fits I literally dont play my rickenbacker. I polished it up , put it in the case and put it deep in my closet with 6 other hardcases and basses in front of it. I guess I will adjust it when I find the tool but I went to 4 hardware stores and got tired of looking and no I wont buy one from Rick, its like $13 to ship it 25 miles to me plus $23 so almost $40 for a dumb wrench that should come with it.

RIC QC can be a joke, it took me 3 new ones from MF before I found a keeper, one was horrible, one was ok for a $700 korean made bass not a rickenbacker and my last one was a good bass. The 2nd one I tried to keep but Rickenbacker wouldn't fix its issues, tail lift, imperfections in the nut and finish flaws, the guy hung up on me when I called and was rather nice, he said unless I send in warranty information then he cant help me and hung up. So back it went. Its kind of a shame they cant step into the 21st century. If there is such a high demand they cant build fretless and lefty basses then expand you're damn factory.

They are cool but I only own my mapleglow because MF sold it to me for $1,080 new.
 
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#5
I bought the same tool Rick sells for $19 from Amazon ... paid $10 or $11 ....

When I got it it didn't fit ... this happens often from my web research. Some folks remove some wood behind the truss rod nuts... I filed down the head of my nut driver ... What was really strange is it's an Xcelite (brand)... I had borrowed one from a friend (same Xcelite brand, just a shorter tool) and though it was tight I could get it on the truss rods ... My friends nut driver had thinner walls than the one I got from Amazon. ??? I was pretty pissed, but after researching I found it is common (doesn't make it right) and that the workaround was pretty easy (shave wood or shave tool).

I still don't have my neck as straight as it should be (per Joey's website), and my bass side truss rod feels pretty tight and I'm a little leery to go anymore with it...

At the end of the day though my Rick plays better than any other bass I've ever owned so far (inbound Valenti not counted yet) .. and the sound, oh man the SOUND! Makes me smile every time!!!

I want to find a Rick expert local to me and get an opinion ... I will need some fret work to got any lower though so I'm leaving it alone and playing the snot out of it for now.

Hope you get yours sorted ... QC at many U.S. companies these days is disappointing ...
 
#6
Well I guess thats another reason not to order one, I dont have power tools so I may have to even alter the tool I buy? no thanks. I guess my rick will sit idle until I run into a tool that fits. Whenever RIC want to hire me for a customer service position I am all ears, drop me a line John Hall.
 
#7
I have two Rickenbackers and they've been fantastic instruments for a very long time. In my experience, you need to spend the time to get your instrument dialed in and if you that you'll have an instrument that you'll love. Any instrument made by man can have issues, but get everything right and tight and it'll be all good
 
#9
My Ric was made of rusty wood. The truss rods were broken plastic. It turns out the Rickenbacker was responsible for the death of JFK and it was the reason why the Mars rover crashed. In fact it is Rickenbacker's fault that Pluto got demoted from being a planet. Several people on this forum have gotten a foot fungus from playing their Rics barefoot.

My advice is sell the bass to me for cheap as quick as you can....
 
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#10
It's too bad Rickenbacker doesn't address what appears to be a systemic and consistent QC issue with their gear.

Part of me wants a 4003 but these threads make me reluctant to try to acquire one. New price seems high considering the potential hassle, and used seems to be a gamble since there are so many QC problems.

Not trying to bash, but there are a LOT of threads like this. A single employee dedicated to social media could assuage a lot of concerns just by posting here.
 
#12
It is common for Rics to just fall apart for no reason ... here is photographic evidence ...

brokenric.jpg


broken.jpg
 
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#13
Buy from a reputable dealer and most of these issues don't make it to the customer ... I wouldn't want to order one online .... although most online vendors have excellent return policies. I got mine locally from Wildwood.

LOL @ Ric5! Good stuff.
 
#18
A-Step-Towards said:
My rick's action is terribly high currently and like you since I cant find a socket that fits I literally dont play my rickenbacker. I polished it up , put it in the case and put it deep in my closet with 6 other hardcases and basses in front of it. .
Click to expand...
I've been trying to get behind buying a 4003 for about a year now, approaching it with my usual cautious analysis and study (never mind price-grubbing). I've come to the conclusion that Rickenbackers have to involve more creative general hassle per ounce than any other brand, which is saying a great deal. There's nothing about the whole experience that's easy, normal or straightforward. The whole process becomes some kind of a hellish quest. You just can't get everything lined up to make it happen smoothly.

RICs lack of QC is nothing unique, unfortunately (though their various weird policies certainly are). Every company that's in the business of selling iconic brands at high prices basically hoses you on QC. Gibson is notorious -- decade after decade -- as but one example. RIC seems to be trying their best to equal them. Then there's Gretsch.

Closet instrument? I got [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] a few years ago (note $3300 MSRP) from MF. It was so screwed up it was literally unplayable thanks to a defective Bigsby that pulled about 10° off center so hard it pushed the unpinned bridge about 5/8" out of alignment...plus had cockeyed pickup mounting and the usual nonsense you wouldn't tolerate on a $200 import. Naturally, the included QC checklist said everything was perfect. :rollno:

I couldn't get an exchange from MF as I got the last one and I couldn't get it repaired under warranty because they said it must have been damaged (it wasn't), so it went in the closet for years. For the past three days, I've had it on the bench trying to get it un****ed, figuring I'd like to play it someday before I die, y'know?

The point is that when you run into this crap (and you will), you need to scream your head off and not be intimidated by the fanboys and shills who want to stay in denial about the way these companies treat buyers.
 
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