Rickenbacker stigma

[254 stringer]

I had a toaster that I sent over to my buddy Bob because he has screwdrivers and stuff. Well come to find out he doesn't know what he's doing and he broke the damn thing. I sent it back into the company for repairs and the bastards had the nerve to send me a brand-new toaster. It really pissed me off because the old one had a chrome lever and this one is black.

 

[JMacBass65]

Wow - a fees of these "customer service" stories sound really amazing. That's the problem when you are the only game in town. Yes there are other basses out there, but a Rick is a Rick, period. You simply cannot get one from anyone other than them, and they are clearly at capacity, don't want to grow as a company, so it is what it is. Kinda like the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld. You put up with him because he was the best, period. [Sidebar: I am not saying Rick is the best - I would choose my Fenders in a Desert Island situation.]

If you want a Rick, there is not substitute. If you want a Jazz or a P, you can go Fender, but there are a ton of others to choose from. Lakeland and Sadowski come to mind straight away, and of course there are plenty of others. Hell, if you want a Music Man, you can do a Music Man, but if you are looking for that vibe, you could also go G&L.

I am just thankful that I have never dealt with the Rick CS department. I have had two repairs done - re-glued the fretboard (my 4003 was abused before I bought it) by a local luthier. When one of the wings came off the headstock, the result of sending it airborne in a fit of rage, I glued that back on myself. It's held for nearly 20 years.

 

[Kmonk]

I've played 2. One in a music store and one that belongs to a friend of mine. I wasn't impressed with either. I didn't care for the tone and found them uncomfortable. Of course, I'm sure that can be said about every instrument depending on each individual's likes or dislikes. If you like it, buy it.

 

[254 stringer]

Wow - a fees of these "customer service" stories sound really amazing. That's the problem when you are the only game in town. Yes there are other basses out there, but a Rick is a Rick, period. You simply cannot get one from anyone other than them, and they are clearly at capacity, don't want to grow as a company, so it is what it is. Kinda like the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld. You put up with him because he was the best, period. [Sidebar: I am not saying Rick is the best - I would choose my Fenders in a Desert Island situation.]

If you want a Rick, there is not substitute. If you want a Jazz or a P, you can go Fender, but there are a ton of others to choose from. Lakeland and Sadowski come to mind straight away, and of course there are plenty of others. Hell, if you want a Music Man, you can do a Music Man, but if you are looking for that vibe, you could also go G&L.

I am just thankful that I have never dealt with the Rick CS department. I have had two repairs done - re-glued the fretboard (my 4003 was abused before I bought it) by a local luthier. When one of the wings came off the headstock, the result of sending it airborne in a fit of rage, I glued that back on myself. It's held for nearly 20 years.

Exactly, repairs done by a local luthier. I would never send anything back to the factory for major repairs I would find someone who actually works on broken things to fix it. Unless you're Tom Petty or something (and you're having your Rick that is seen on stage every other night fixed up) than its more cost effective for them to send you a new instrument than to waste time fixing one that was broken and not their fault.

 

[One Drop]

Cool ... G & L great bass ................. that dosent play like a toy

I bet you're fun at parties.

 

[smperry]

Did a little cleanup. It's fine to express negative opinions about instruments (on the basis of playability, tone, qc, etc.) , but putting down TB members is not, nor is saying generic statements that lack substance and just serve to incite arguments. Thanks

 

[telecopy]

I play a Midnight blue Rickenbacker in my dreams. The only thing stopping me from pulling the trigger on one are the horror stories I hear about them all of the time. Are they really that much of a pain?

I had a 4001 way back. I was young and clueless about setup and maintenence. But it was my bass and I adored it.
Now, my question to everyone. We always talk about 4001 and 4003 basses, but never the 4004..
Can someone compare and contrast the 4003 and the 4004? I like the look of a black Laredo (4004L)

 

[Titania]

I had a 4001 way back. I was young and clueless about setup and maintenence. But it was my bass and I adored it.
Now, my question to everyone. We always talk about 4001 and 4003 basses, but never the 4004..
Can someone compare and contrast the 4003 and the 4004? I like the look of a black Laredo (4004L)

People don't talk much about the 4004, despite the fact that it fixes the gripes people have about the 4003/4001. I think that's mostly due to the fact that they're rare as hens' teeth, so few have ever tried one out. I have a 2012 4003 and a 2013 4004. The 4004 is a bit less bright than my 4003 and less sustain-y. I chalk that up to the wood differences. Otherwise, they're pretty similar. Current production units have the same neck profile. My 4004 is much lighter than my 4003. Of course, the 4004 is easier to intonate.

 

[telecopy]

People don't talk much about the 4004, despite the fact that it fixes the gripes people have about the 4003/4001. I think that's mostly due to the fact that they're rare as hens' teeth, so few have ever tried one out. I have a 2012 4003 and a 2013 4004. The 4004 is a bit less bright than my 4003 and less sustain-y. I chalk that up to the wood differences. Otherwise, they're pretty similar. Current production units have the same neck profile. My 4004 is much lighter than my 4003. Of course, the 4004 is easier to intonate.

I remember seeing a really great looking ruby red 4004L online once. Willcutt Guitars or Pick of the Rics, can't remember which. I almost went for it.

 

[Titania]

I remember seeing a really great looking ruby red 4004L online once. Willcutt Guitars or Pick of the Rics, can't remember which. I almost went for it.

I bought mine from POTR, site unseen, and wasn't disappointed. The guys there were super helpful when I called to talk about the bass, too. I have mine strung with Roto 77s, which gives it a very different sound than my 4003, which is strung with stock rounds.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

Well let me tell you my dealings with Rickenbacker as a company over the years , I had a 4001 i bought in 73 that a repair guy cracked the neck on Sent it to Rickenbacker for a rebuild and what i got back was no checkerboard binding , toaster pick ups gone and a pencil neck with small triangle inlay markers , when I called them on it there response was . well thats how were doing it now , In the 90's I was in a music store in Berkely California where I found a 4005 that had been stolen from me in New york in 1978...it had very bad damage to the neck at the headstock was all epoxied together a real mess , I called Rick and the response i got from some guy named Jeff was "well i don't know if there's anyone here that could repair and you know YOUR'E ONLY ONE CUSTOMER AND WE DEAL WITH HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE A DAY ".....i found that INCREDULOUS ............................SO YES I am not a RICKENBACKER FAN as a company they SUCK

I've never had any contact with Rick Customer Service, but have read enough bad reviews to figure where there is smoke there's probably fire. I have been personally flamed by John Hall over on the RRF forum (i dared to suggest they upgrade the old bridge design with more easily adjustable bridge saddles and beef up the castings to eliminate tail lift, which is apparently verboten on RRF), so he at least is a bit of an ass. I think the attitude of company leaders may trickle down to employees, as it does in many companies. I suppose when you have a product that sells so well you have a years-long backlog, customer service could seem like a low priority. Apple had a similar attitude back when iPhones were the hottest selling phone. Rick has the luxury of making an extremely desirable product right now, that may not always be the case. They would be well served to treat their customers well to maintain their enviable brand loyalty in the inevitable ups and downs of the business cycle. Anybody had recent positive experiences with Rick Customer Service? I'd be happy to hear they have cleaned up their act in that department. As for the "toy bass" comment, I can't agree. The occasional lemon aside, Rick makes a very nice instrument, wish I still had one.

 

[One Drop]

I'm not a massive fan of them, mostly due to preferring the tones of Ps and Js and being used to the ergonomics of Fender style basses, but my '78 Autumnglo 4001 has not needed a truss rod adjustment since I bought it new in '79. It has lived in many different countries, and in the extremely variable temperatures and humidity levels you find at 1500m, where it has lived for the last 15 years. It practically plays itself and has a few of the only truly unique and identifiable voices in bassdom. If that's a toy then so be it.

 

[bassman28]

Well let me tell you my dealings with Rickenbacker as a company over the years , I had a 4001 i bought in 73 that a repair guy cracked the neck on Sent it to Rickenbacker for a rebuild and what i got back was no checkerboard binding , toaster pick ups gone and a pencil neck with small triangle inlay markers , when I called them on it there response was . well thats how were doing it now , In the 90's I was in a music store in Berkely California where I found a 4005 that had been stolen from me in New york in 1978...it had very bad damage to the neck at the headstock was all epoxied together a real mess , I called Rick and the response i got from some guy named Jeff was "well i don't know if there's anyone here that could repair and you know YOUR'E ONLY ONE CUSTOMER AND WE DEAL WITH HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE A DAY ".....i found that INCREDULOUS ............................SO YES I am not a RICKENBACKER FAN as a company they SUCK

My Ric dealings were similar.I had a 74 and about a year after I got it the old back of the bridge problem started to happen.You know how the backs used to lift off the body.I called then and they said they make quality gear and it was my misuse and heavy strings (40-95s) caused it and was not their responsibility and very rude about it.Well hundreds of other complaints from other Ric players over the years kept coming in and it could never be a failure in their product.How ironic years later they slip in the screws in the rear of the tailpiece and never admit their bad design.Never will I own another.

 

[Coolhandjjl]

Here we go.........

 

[kcole4001]

I wouldn't expect a cpompany to repair damage which wasn't covered under warranty (faulty third party repairs, abuse, etc), and even the thought of shipping a bass to California for warranty work is obviously not feasible for the majority of people due to the long distances involved, so the effectiveness of the warranty is rather limited to begin with.
I'm sure they are well aware of this at RIC and factor that into their planning.

I do think their in house CS should be better, but really the CS of the dealer is much more important, since it's them that should be contacted first.
When you have an issue with your vehicle, you don't call Ford or GM head offices, you contact the dealer where you bought it, and expect satisfaction from them, and that is who should make the problem right.
It doesn't give anyone the right to be rude, naturally, that's uncalled for, and that goes for both parties.

I live in another country on the opposite coast, I'm not shipping an instrument to California for any but the most dire reasons, and that's factored into my mental formula for buying the thing in the first place.
Sure, it's nice to have a warranty if something catastrophic happens, but for small things it's just more cost-effective to do the job myself or get it done locally.

You wouldn't ship your car to Detroit (or Mexico, or whatever) when the steering rack fails.

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Regarding the bridge, there were a few years a while back when it seemed that an improved replacement was imminent, but JH seemed to get a little sour over the constant reminders and apparently decided to put the new bridge on the back-burner.
We haven't heard anything about it since.
Suggestions were made to license Hipshot to make thiers as an officially sanctioned replacement, even have it issued as the OE unit, but that was not at all popular.
They seem a little touchy about several subjects, sometimes to their own detriment.

I expect more from someone who has to represent their company to the world.
Some exchanges were actually within the rather cloistered confines of the RRF forum, and so were dealing mainly with what many of you term 'fanboys', yet the tone was certainly not what youo'd call
overly friendly, at times downright hostile.

At any rate, I can't apologize for someone else's choices, and I'm not interested in staying at the man's house, I just want to play instruments made by his company.
JH's actions are his own, as are mine.
We all live with the consequences of our decisions, one way or another.

 

[Korladis]

People don't talk much about the 4004, despite the fact that it fixes the gripes people have about the 4003/4001. I think that's mostly due to the fact that they're rare as hens' teeth, so few have ever tried one out. I have a 2012 4003 and a 2013 4004. The 4004 is a bit less bright than my 4003 and less sustain-y. I chalk that up to the wood differences. Otherwise, they're pretty similar. Current production units have the same neck profile. My 4004 is much lighter than my 4003. Of course, the 4004 is easier to intonate.

Yeah, pretty much. Almost every single complaint people have about Rickenbackers is solved in the 4004.

"The bridge is weird and a pain in the ass!"

The 4004 has a different, more easily adjusted bridge.

"The binding cuts into my forearm!"

The 4004 has no binding, instead having a contoured body. Never mind the fact that if the binding is "cutting into" your forearm, maybe you're putting too much pressure on your forearm when you play.

"The pickup cover gets in the way!"

The 4004 has no pickup cover.

"Rickenbackers are noisy because of that single-coil hum!"

The 4004 has humbuckers.

"That huge pickguard is ugly!"

The 4004 has no pickguard.

"The tone is too trebly!"

The 4004 is usually described as having a fuller, deeper tone than the 4003 and 4001.


It seems like Rickenbacker basically made a bass whose intention was to address all the complaints about their earlier basses... and, ironically, it doesn't sell as well.

 

[Coolhandjjl]

Many companies have authorized warranty repair centers dotted through their territory. And many companies offer service work on products beyond warranty expiration dates, at their shop rates. Ric does neither of these.

 

[Coolhandjjl]

Yeah, pretty much. Almost every single complaint people have about Rickenbackers is solved in the 4004.

"The bridge is weird and a pain in the ass!"

The 4004 has a different, more easily adjusted bridge.

"The binding cuts into my forearm!"

The 4004 has no binding, instead having a contoured body. Never mind the fact that if the binding is "cutting into" your forearm, maybe you're putting too much pressure on your forearm when you play.

"The pickup cover gets in the way!"

The 4004 has no pickup cover.

"Rickenbackers are noisy because of that single-coil hum!"

The 4004 has humbuckers.

"That huge pickguard is ugly!"

The 4004 has no pickguard.

"The tone is too trebly!"

The 4004 is usually described as having a fuller, deeper tone than the 4003 and 4001.


It seems like Rickenbacker basically made a bass whose intention was to address all the complaints about their earlier basses... and, ironically, it doesn't sell as well.

But they look weird, someone here used the term 'hairless cat' to describe them. And their humbucker pups are too cloudy for most peoples tastes. They cost more too.

 

[Jeff Scott]

And their humbucker pups are too cloudy for most peoples tastes.

When I got my Cii back in '04 I felt the HB-1s were darker sounding, but the fact is they just need to be EQ'd differently. Another factor perhaps is the sandwich construction of the Cii body vs. the L body as when I tried a Laredo for the first time it sounded nothing like the Cii I had. The two Laredos I currently own are both quite aggressive and very much a Rick bass in tone, if perhaps a bit fuller, thicker, deeper in tone which has been a real advantage for me, tonally. Our last gig I played the Snowglo and the guitarist was all thumbs up and excited with how it sounded (I hope my playing had something to do with that ).

 

[Liam Wald]

It's actually pretty ugly under there. Looks like something was started at the factory.It looks like the start of a big cavity that never got finished. More of an outline cut into the wood.

View attachment 469433

OMG! Any company that has the attitude, "Who cares if it looks like crap no one will ever see it, just cover it with the pick guard", is totally lame in my opinion. In my book attention to detail means a lot. I am sorry but looking at that picture I would say this is like "K-Mart" product quality. Maybe I am being a little hard on K-Mart.