Rickenbacker Rant

[FaithNoMan]

Damn, Jeff! I have to adjust my trussrods maybe once a year and I live in Florida, with its’ crazy humid weather.

I must have the best Ric in the world.

Oh and I bought the tool on Amazon for 11 bucks and it fit fine.

 

[bassie12]

A friend, who works for my local RIC dealer says Rickenbacker are something like three years back ordered and it's gone to their heads. Apparently they won't even address dealers' concerns at NAMM shows. My friend used a particularly foul word to describe them, and he's a huge fan & collector of the instruments. Just not the company.

 

[Mikaelbass]

The whole "fanboy" thing on TB is just stupid....how many times in a rick thread do you get someone saying "oh ricks with there this and that...im used to my fenders...I'll stick to my fenders". People complain about Rickenbacker as a company, but I can respect them not expanding like some people think they should. If there is a wait on instruments, people still buy them, they aren't going to change what they do cus there is huge demand. So if you want it, wait. If you want the tools to adjust a truss-rod system quite different from most, seek them out, and find the knowledge too.
People cranked their 4001 necks to breaking point and complained, so take away the tools and the idiots cant have a go. Most rick's are set and forget, so take it to a tech who knows his stuff, have him do a proper job, take it home and enjoy the instrument! probably cost as much as the tool itself.

There is a bit of rock n roll "This is how we do it, and we don't give a F**K" which I can appreciate in a consumer world where everyone is so placid and expects instant gratification.

I love the basses, and guitars.
Dont give a toot about the company.


Just a note....my musicman limited edition stingray 5 didnt COME with its limited edition case...that was an extra 300. (I didn't pay it of course, the ol haggle and haggle and bloody haggle got it included).

 

[Tim1]

I too had to file the nut on my new Ric, but then this is something I normally do to any new guitar or bass. It seems that manufacturers set the nut to an "average" height then expect the owner to fine tune to suit. Mind you, the Ric was far higher than any other bass I have purchased. Re the truss rod tool, I ordered the Ric one and like every one else it wouldn't fit, then I found out that the little right angle truss rod adjuster form StewMac worked fine, although it wouldn't slip right down onto the nut it was enough to turn it easily. A friend of mine found a simple solution - he simply filed down the sides on an open ended spanner which works fine also.
The neck in my 4003 seems amazingly stable and I don't think I will be adjusting the rod very often.
Despite all the above mine is an amazing bass and I was happy to do a little tweaking to get it to the point where it suits me perfectly.

 

[webmonster]

Seems crazy that any retailer would sell a brand new 'premium' instrument without checking it over properly first.
I've bought two Rics, both 2nd hand, one from a music shop, one from an online auction site. Both have been good to me, especially the 4001 - my main gigging bass. I've only ever adjusted the neck once.

They're not really available new where I live (NZ); the new ones look very much to be the retail cost in USA+airfare for someone to collect it...

 

[Greg Jones]

The main problem with Wildwood (and PotR) is that they never seem to have any, nor do they have any idea when they will. For $400 they'll reserve one for you. Someday.

I check with them by email frequently.

Back in 2012 when I got mine I must have lucked out ... they had my Midnight Blue in stock and had the best price.

 

[254 stringer]

The main problem with Wildwood (and PotR) is that they never seem to have any, nor do they have any idea when they will. For $400 they'll reserve one for you. Someday.

I check with them by email frequently.

I think that is because of this forum. When I found out about wildwood they had something like 12 4003s in stock and they disappeared in a month or so. Ever since then I have only seen 1 or 2 in stock at a time. They do have 3 4004s right now though if anyone is looking.

 

[FunkHead]

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.

No special tool, It's just a simple basic 1/4" socket. I have like 5 in my tool box if you'd like one. @ Mikaelbass, I agree with you 100%. As for the Nut, It's a little high and takes about 5 minutes for me to file it AFTER my action is set perfectly. Just a tiny bit of filing. It goes very very quickly and you have to be careful not to remove too much.
FWIW, Most Violins were never very playable UNTIL after they had a setup by a very Competent person. My grandfather was that person. He worked in NYC and set up 1000's of Violins for Philharmonics, Colleges and the Private sector as well.
It's the same with Ric's. They are not Cookie cutter instrument designed to be mediocre out of the box. They are designed to be setup individually for each player. One at a time.
I applaud RIC for not conforming to the cookie cutter mentality.
I am blessed to be able to do a perfect set-up and get full enjoyment from my basses.
If someone cant even find a 1/4" socket and adjust a truss rod the I suggest go to school and learn how to Set up A professional Quality instrument. Rics are not toys for little boys!

 

[bassdude51]

It is common for Rics to just fall apart for no reason ... here is photographic evidence ...

WOW! Looks like Pete Townshend did a "Pete Townshend" to these Ric bass!

Commenting on this thread, my son sunk a bunch a money on a brand new 12 string Ric guitar. The neck started shifting at the joint and changed the action making it higher. This happened about a year after he bought it. (He even used the recommended strings.) There might be an issue with Ric's guitars and bass construction quality.

Seems like over the years on Talk Bass, I've seen that folks are either Ric lovers or dis-likers. No middle ground.

 

[twocargar]

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.

Can you take it to an authorized Ric dealer (GC, maybe) and have them fix/swap out the switch? I can't imagine your frustration, but the switch should be covered by your warranty, no?

I didn't see anyone else suggest this, so if someone did I apologize. Darn new TB format!

 

[hdracer]

No special tool, It's just a simple basic 1/4" socket. I have like 5 in my tool box if you'd like one.

+1
Anyone ever heard of a "ignition wrench set?

These work great.

 

[fretno]

enter the need for a Good and reputable Ric dealer . They work those bugs out beforehand and stand behind it when needed . There are a handful of great Ric dealers . Now as a Ric owner I've seen many stories just like this and may other issues they need to deal with . Fix it Ric !

 

[N.F.A.]

If pick of the ricks or North coast music is still around that's who I'd deal with. Over the years I bought several ric basses and guitars from them. They set them up to perfection. Miss my rics. Might get one again one day.

 

[Dreamsinger]

I've never seen a Rick of any model that wasn't total POS as delivered from the factory. There is a cure though; Mark Arnquist of Arnquist Musical Design can turn your piece of crap into a worthy instrument. He's done work for Tom Petty and Roger McGuinn. I use him often especially for things that need a little more "outside-the-box" thinking.

 

[kcole4001]

Seems crazy that any retailer would sell a brand new 'premium' instrument without checking it over properly first.
...........

The big box stores almost never check the item before shipping.
I bought my 4003 from MF and the factory shipping box was never opened.

I think that is because of this forum. When I found out about wildwood they had something like 12 4003s in stock and they disappeared in a month or so. Ever since then I have only seen 1 or 2 in stock at a time. They do have 3 4004s right now though if anyone is looking.

PotR and Wildwood do much of their business because of word of mouth, which has largely spread from the RickResource forum, to a lesser extent from the RIC site forum, and here as well.

The reason they have little stock at any given time is because they are the top dealers with regards to service and price.
People who can go to them first, if they can't find what they're after, then the search broadens.
GC and MF should be the last resort for the finish/model you're after.
Or just wait until PotR has stock.

BTW, likely the scratchy switch just needs a little cleaning of the contacts.
You shouldn't have to do it to a new bass, but that's probably the issue.

 

[tbz]

The main problem with Wildwood (and PotR) is that they never seem to have any, nor do they have any idea when they will. For $400 they'll reserve one for you. Someday.

I check with them by email frequently.

That was my concern as well, they always have some 4004s in stock, but good luck finding a 4003 on their site.

Your other post essentially mirrors my sentiments; it shouldn't be that much work to obtain a quality, working instrument at that price point.

 

[woodyng]

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....

Yep,and my Laredo done et mah baby,too!

 

[Gaolee]

I have a Ric, and I like it, but it's not a love it or hate it thing. That makes me a freak. It had a couple issues when I got it, but it was also about 15 years old when I got it. No Ric hate, but no Ric unconditional love here, either. It's a perfectly good instrument for what it does, and I like it for that reason. It gets played, but not abused or babied. The neck seems plenty stable, but after 15 years, most necks seem plenty stable. I expect a guitar neck to dance around for a few years and require a lot of adjustment, but after ten years, it should mostly just sit still. That's been how nearly every instrument I own has acted, and the ones I buy used, most of them, require one good setup as long as I keep the same kind of strings on them. I don't have overly sensitive hands that require a perfect setup, so take what I say with that in mind.

 

[David Jayne]

No special tool, It's just a simple basic 1/4" socket.

Not 'special' per se but apparently it needs to be a six-point in order to have a thin enough wall to fit. Most people don't know how to shop for things like this--it's not something you'll find at home depot.
They really should include the tool.
This will probably work fine:

Link Removed

 

[Shovel]

Geez, and I wanted a fireglo 4003 up until now. Ah well, guess I'll just lust after a gretsch electromatic *sees post on gretsch QC issues*