Rickenbacker Whats the differnce?

[Geddyfleaharris]

I own no Rickenbackers. I have no plans to own a Rickenbacker, because, among other things, I feel the price point is set artificially high.

What turns me off is that without fail, every discussion about Rickenbackers turns into some testosterone fueled dicksize contest.

I don't see this sort of zealotry with any other manufacturer, any other instrument model or style.

You can go right now to TDPRI.com, formerly telecaster.com, and read positive, helpful threads about everything from Warmoth parts guitars to Japanese tele copies. Nobody cops an attitude and talks about fakes and copies, nobody opines about stealing Fender's livelihood.

And certainly, the Fender Corporation doesn't send out it's team of litigious ninja monkeys any time someone draws a picture of a tele on the back of a napkin.

I've played Ricks from the 70's, 80's and 90's at various places. I found them to be decent, reasonable basses, with uncomfortable necks, usually priced about 20% more than I'd pay, even on a splurge.

If I ask here "I'm thinking I need a bit more low mids from my P-Bass, do you think a set of Quarter Pounders would help?", I'll get reasonable responses.

If I ask the same about a 4003 on RickResource, I'll be branded a heretic and told that nothing short of the pickups that are carved out of John Hall's ass by a team of specially trained Gnomes will do.

From the rickenbacker.com forum in [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]



While I'm sure there are reasonable people over there, it's not worth it to filter the signal from the noise. There's nothing I've ever asked my P-Bass, my J-Bass, nor my Alembic Spoiler that they haven't been able to do. Pass.

We now return this horribly derailed thread to it's original poster.

- 1 I thought about going through and refuting most of your points but that would take too long. It is your opinion but mine happens to be the opposite. Although I cannot speak to other forums because TB is really the only forum I participate in on an active basis.

When people say they are expensive I cannot help but ask as in compared to what? To paraphrase George Costanza- it's only expensive if you think it is-I use Rics and that's all. They just work for me. So what would be the point of me buying another bass $400 to $500 cheaper that I don't like or want? I bought an EBMM Sterling in April 07 for $1500. i bought a Ric 4003 in June 07 for $1600. Both new. I know prices have risen but how is it that rarely do I see people saying that EBMMs are overpriced yet there are constantly posts saying that Rics are. I don't understand.

I also think that Ric users are protective of Rics and maybe slightly fanatical lol because they are an original American made bass that hasn't been copied to death. When you sit and watch a band you know that the guy playing the Ric is playing a Ric. When you see a guy playing a P-bass you know that it could be a P-bass made by countless different companies. Not a flame. Just reality.

My 2 cents. Hopefully not too much testosterone and I didn't even mention my dick size. No sense embarrassing myself.

 

[Vin_MM_Sabre_79]

I own no Rickenbackers. I have no plans to own a Rickenbacker, because, among other things, I feel the price point is set artificially high.

What turns me off is that without fail, every discussion about Rickenbackers turns into some testosterone fueled dicksize contest.

LOL. Ric players are well endowed- this is true.

I don't see this sort of zealotry with any other manufacturer, any other instrument model or style.

Rics are very lovable basses. Nothin wrong with enthusiasm.

You can go right now to TDPRI.com, formerly telecaster.com, and read positive, helpful threads about everything from Warmoth parts guitars to Japanese tele copies. Nobody cops an attitude and talks about fakes and copies, nobody opines about stealing Fender's livelihood.

And certainly, the Fender Corporation doesn't send out it's team of litigious ninja monkeys any time someone draws a picture of a tele on the back of a napkin.

I have no doubt that the Fender team wish they DID. Rickenbacker have been extremely successful in protecting their unique designs which has protected Rics reputation and value. Its also great for seconhand buyers bc you can be almost 100% sure all parts are genuine and not cheap knock offs.

I've played Ricks from the 70's, 80's and 90's at various places. I found them to be decent, reasonable basses, with uncomfortable necks, usually priced about 20% more than I'd pay, even on a splurge.

Good for you. I'd pay double what I paid for mine- And I'm not exaggerating here. In Australia you sometimes have to jump through large financial hoops to get something imported- particularly neck-thru basses which exceed shipping length limitations. I was extremely lucky to get a 4001 in my house for $1600

If I ask here "I'm thinking I need a bit more low mids from my P-Bass, do you think a set of Quarter Pounders would help?", I'll get reasonable responses.

If I ask the same about a 4003 on RickResource, I'll be branded a heretic and told that nothing short of the pickups that are carved out of John Hall's ass by a team of specially trained Gnomes will do.

There's a reason. If you want a P bass tone then buy a P bass. When you consider the reduction in value you're going to cop by modding a Ric then it would probably be cheaper to get yrself a HWY 1. Same goes for ANY bass. If I had a '74 Precision and suggested routing out a spot for an MM pickup because I like the sound of my mates OLP I'd be drawn and quatered - and for good reason. That'd be downright stoopid.

From the rickenbacker.com forum in [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]



While I'm sure there are reasonable people over there, it's not worth it to filter the signal from the noise. There's nothing I've ever asked my P-Bass, my J-Bass, nor my Alembic Spoiler that they haven't been able to do. Pass.

We now return this horribly derailed thread to it's original poster.

 

[lowendblues]

Ricks are great basses, but unique.

You can get alot of different tones out of a Rick, but they are not anything like a Fender or Sadowski, Lakland, ect.....

I look at my musical career like a mechanic.

"I work on alot of different things, and I need the right tool for the job!

It all comes down to tools for your toolbox as a musician.......theirs nothing quite like the right tool for the job.

 

[Incubus_SCIENCE]

I need to share this with you guys. I need to vent some energy.

I'm 18, and thought I would NEVER be able to afford one of these basses. I'm a huge prog rock fan, everything from Yes to Rush and such.

Recently, I somehow managed to find a "friend of a friend" who was selling an '05 4003 for $900.

At first, I was slightly skeptical. I played it, everything seemed alright, so I convinced my parents to let me lay down the money for it.

I just picked it up last night, and fell COMPLETELY in love. It is the most beautiful and growly bass I have ever played.

I can't imagine spending $2500 on one of them, unless you have the money. They are truly quality instruments, and you are partially buying "the name". But never rule out the possibility. Keep your eyes out and see what pops up. Who knows? Maybe you'll get lucky like me...

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[Rickengeezer]

I need to share this with you guys. I need to vent some energy.

I'm 18, and thought I would NEVER be able to afford one of these basses. I'm a huge prog rock fan, everything from Yes to Rush and such.

Congrats--she's a beauty, nothing beats a Fireglo. When I was 18 I wanted a Ric 4001 something awful, but it took me another 15 years to finally afford one. I've made up for it since (9 at last count). Enjoy it, and NEVER let it go, or you will regret it!

 

[mike_v_s]

When people say they are expensive I cannot help but ask as in compared to what?

Compared to other basses that people feel compare in quality and workmanship.

I bought an EBMM Sterling in April 07 for $1500. i bought a Ric 4003 in June 07 for $1600. Both new. I know prices have risen but how is it that rarely do I see people saying that EBMMs are overpriced yet there are constantly posts saying that Rics are. I don't understand.

I think you might have overpaid for the Sterling. You can grab one at Musicians Friend for $1300 and a Ric will run you about $1900 from the same site. Perhaps I didn't notice, but I don't recall people saying the basses were overpriced until the most recent increase was announced. FWIW, I'm one of them.

The bottom line is that (and I know you'll disagree) the general bassplaying community views the EBMM offerings as on par with Rickenbackers. In fact, once you scrape that $2000 mark, you're competeing with some nice customs, too. So, when there is a vast price difference between two basses considered to be near equal, people will call the more expensive one over priced.

I also think that Ric users are protective of Rics and maybe slightly fanatical lol because they are an original American made bass that hasn't been copied to death. When you sit and watch a band you know that the guy playing the Ric is playing a Ric. When you see a guy playing a P-bass you know that it could be a P-bass made by countless different companies. Not a flame. Just reality.

Maybe I'm alone on this, but I've never watched a guy or girl play and been confused about what they were playing, much less beemed with pride when I saw they were playing a Ric (when I owned one).

I understand they are the only bass that works for a lot of people. The quy you quoted was addressing the near-psychotic fanaticism you encounter when you have anything slightly negative to say. FWIW, I have absolutely nothing to say about the quality, just the price versus the competition. I'll disagree with the guy you quoted in that I think that Rickenbacker isn't the only one with a core group that gets defensive about the brand. There's one other here that comes to mind.

Lastly, I like the basses, think they are a quality instrument and would consider picking up another, but I simply will not pay the new price. FOR MY MONEY AND MY MONEY ALONE, there are offerings I'd rather take for $1900.

Mike

 

[Geddyfleaharris]

I think you might have overpaid for the Sterling.

I agree with that compared to what you pay in the States for them. Around here they seem to go for between $1400 - $1550. And there are 3 stores that sell them.

Maybe I'm alone on this, but I've never watched a guy or girl play and been confused about what they were playing, much less beemed with pride when I saw they were playing a Ric (when I owned one).

Well beemed with pride and confused might be overstatements lol But in my eyes and mine alone a Ric is a Ric and a P-bass is a SX to a Fender plus boutiques.

Lastly, I like the basses, think they are a quality instrument and would consider picking up another, but I simply will not pay the new price. FOR MY MONEY AND MY MONEY ALONE, there are offerings I'd rather take for $1900.

Mike

And from my side of things for my money I am still willing to pay that simply because overall Rics work for me. I bought my first Ric somewhere around 1982 so I have been a fan for years. The Sterling didn't work, the Geddy Lee Jazz didn't work plus various other basses. So for myself it is tough to put a dollar limit on what I would pay. Yes I agree Rics have some quirks but overall ....well...you know what I am going to say.

P.S. I am trying to overcome my one dimensional Ric affliction and I still keep trying other basses. Just no luck so far.

To Incubus Science - sweet bass and killer deal!

 

[mike_v_s]

P.S. I am trying to overcome my one dimensional Ric affliction and I still keep trying other basses. Just no luck so far.

When I owned mine it was all I would really look at. At one point, with a child on the way and the bass in need of work I couldn't do and could not afford to pay someone else to do (neck), I sold it for a good price. My wife bought me a "temporary replacement" in the form of a Tribute G&L L2000 and I have lost my singular affinity for the brand.

Now, the Tribby is not comparable in terms of quality with my old Ric (you'd need to look at the US line for that), but it didn't take long for me to warm up to the sound and it is the only bass I really play now. I've rotated out a StingRay 5, few P's and an L-1000 since then, but I keep going back to the Tribute. I'm afraid a Ric would probably have the same fate at this point, but I'm willing to try again if one comes up for the right price.

 

[Ric5]

I used to have so many Rics I had to stop and count when someone asked me how many I had ... but with the price increase it became profitable to sell them off.

Now I am down to 4 and not sure how many I will keep.

 

[RickenBoogie]

I had 5 of them, usually 2 at a time, and played them exclusively for many years. More recently, I traded off all but the ONE, and have grown fond of an Am Dlx P bass as well. Trying to spread out a little, but wouldn't play bass at all if I didn't have at least 1 Ric.

 

[Ric5]

For a long time this was my only bass ...

But it didn't get the job done playing modern Rock ...

So I started playing basses like this ...

I've bought and sold a lot of Rics in the last 8 years ...

 

[Ric5]

Now I play basses like these ...

 

[ampegfuzz]

Nice flame on that ric, ric5. killer t-bird too. I just read the new bass player and jmj put those 70's RI t-bird pups in his birds said they sounded kinda ric-ish with i nice woofy low.

 

[Chuck King]

A brand- or model-specific enthusiast board is not the place to go to look for even-handed, well-reasoned discussion of its subject instruments, and definitely not the place to talk about them if you don't like them. Nothing good can come out of that.

 

[mobis.fr]

A brand- or model-specific enthusiast board is not the place to go to look for even-handed, well-reasoned discussion of its subject instruments, and definitely not the place to talk about them if you don't like them. Nothing good can come out of that.

+1
try to post at the ebmm forum something critical about eb basses and they will rip you in two pieces.
once i postet something about some stingrays i played, which sounded not good to my ears. ^^ in the next post i was called a troll just for saying i wouldn't buy a stingray without testing first, because not all stingrays are perfect...


btw, i own a stingray and i love it... and i also own a rickenbacker and i love it too because it has a uniqe sound and feeling.

 

[GregShadoan]

Yes, without bashing on either the Factory Forum or the RRF, I was expelled for posting unacceptable information.

Hey Dale,
Sorry to hear that. That is a real tragedy for both of those forums. While I wasn't banned, I have chosen to not post at RRF any longer. I spent 8 years over there, and even though I was not a huge poster, it has recently IMO gotten out of hand. Ironic, as a recent post over there, which had it been heeded, may have made me make a different choice.
Debating The Issues, Not Character thread may be a way to try and salvage the forum, but IMO its too late. Also a certain person, was recently assigned to a moderator position, who I personally am not a fan of.
Good Luck RFF.

 

[elysrand]

That was a 4080 Bass that I built a new 6 and 12 string neck for and added these features: B/W checkered binding, CP Inlays, Frets, Amber Fireglo finish and Gold Guards. It belongs to Mr. Dave Pasco. The work was completed 2 years ago. At this time I am doing a Gensis MR Dbl. Neck replica for Dave. He sent me 2 instruments that are being grafted into 1. I have been doing this type of work since 1972.

As usual, that is amazing work!! It is great to hear from you again, Dale! I need to log in here more often, it seems, since today is the first time I have seen your posts

I just sent you a PM, since yahoo does not want to deliver any of the nine or ten emails that I have sent you - they all get kicked back - and I have received none from you. Did you know that if a member tries to send you email through TB, it comes up with a message that says you do not want anyone to send you email?

That is such a gorgeous 4080, Dale! I would like to send you photos of some RM1999 projects I found in Europe, if you are interested there are maybe twenty out of the batch that would benefit from the the touch of a wizard luthier like you...

Elys