So what had happened was...Rickenbacker content

[FugaziBomb]

My 5th wedding anniversary was earlier this year. It's the wood anniversary for those keeping notes.

Anyways, my wife bought me a brand new Rickenbacker from MF. She didn't know which basses are good or bad, so she googled it and Ricks came up then she ordered one.

She wanted it to arrive on our day, but was told it is a special order, and due to the COVID-19 it wasn't going to arrive until December.

Well the bass obviously wasn't going to be ready in time to hit our anniversary, so my wife's plan was to tell me about it on our anniversary and then I'd wait for it to arrive.

So I told her, no that's ok I don't like the looks of Ricks and you can give me the money instead and I'll put it towards a nice rack EQ I have my eye on (I'm trying to get my freelance mixing and mastering gigs off the ground).

She was disappointed in that decision a little bit, but honestly I have all the basses I need and no GAS for basses right now. I'm a Leo guy anyway...p bass, j bass and musicman right now.

So am I nuts for turning down a brand new Rick?

Wow, dude... That was a really heartless thing to do. I mean, I don't know the dynamic of your relationship, but the fact taht she went out of her way to research high end bass guitars and choose one for you, only for you to reject. That is pretty cold.

 

[Chapster]

You all will be happy to know (or maybe don't care ) that I went ahead and told her I want the Rick. She smiled and said ok. I've never played one before in my 25 years on the bass, or even heard one live. I took a listen on YT and it is a sound I can use in my songs. The stereo output may come in handy for the studio too. Appreciate the replies from you guys.

See? By your own admission, you didn't even know what it sounds like. Believe me when I tell you, the Ric cuts thru the mix like nobody's business, and it plays sooo well with the right dirt (at least mine does). Ergonomically, definitely different from your standard Fender-like bass, especially with the neck, but it really doesn't take that long to get used to it.

Not all of them, if it's a 4003S, those do not have Rick-O-Sound.

^^^This. Definitely find out whether it's a 4003 or a 4003S. I got the 4003S because of the contoured body, and I don't need the stereo outputs since my rig splits the signal anyway, but YMMV.

 

[DiabolusInMusic]

This illustrates precisely why I tell family and friends DO NOT buy me musical instruments. PERIOD!!! There could be a world of difference between what I like and what they think I might like. Accessories like cords or straps are different, but even there I give very specific parameters (like pics or product numbers).

I am in the same camp - I have explicitly told people before not to buy gear. I don't want to end up with an instrument I won't use nor can I sell. Heck, I tell people not to buy me anything in general (unless I can eat it.)

I am actually kind of shocked at the response here. People are calling this gift super thoughtful but the wife just googled basses and ended on a Rick. The OP said himself that he is a Fender guy. The point of gift-giving is to leave everybody happy and, from the original post, the Rick didn't seem to do that. I think it takes a solid relationship to be open and honest about things, especially the difficult things (like a gift that will go unused and unappreciated). Suggesting the wife get something you will genuinely use and appreciate seems like the better resolution in my book. I don't know why people are suggesting an impending divorce here...

I find it almost comical that the same folks who insist you should never lie to your spouse about buying a bass (you shouldn't) are also the same people suggesting you should lie to her and pretend you love it, even if you don't. I get it, you should appreciate any gift your wife gives you but, as the OP and his makeup example prove, sometimes gifts are not the perfect match. Plus, it is a Rick - there is a possibility the OP hates playing the bass. Many people who want Ricks have learned this the hard way.

Anyway, since you are getting the Rick. I hope you enjoy it. I do think you should proudly display the bass whether you play it or not. Looking forward to the NBD.

 

[Koshchei]

My 5th wedding anniversary was earlier this year. It's the wood anniversary for those keeping notes.

Anyways, my wife bought me a brand new Rickenbacker from MF. She didn't know which basses are good or bad, so she googled it and Ricks came up then she ordered one.

She wanted it to arrive on our day, but was told it is a special order, and due to the COVID-19 it wasn't going to arrive until December.

Well the bass obviously wasn't going to be ready in time to hit our anniversary, so my wife's plan was to tell me about it on our anniversary and then I'd wait for it to arrive.

So I told her, no that's ok I don't like the looks of Ricks and you can give me the money instead and I'll put it towards a nice rack EQ I have my eye on (I'm trying to get my freelance mixing and mastering gigs off the ground).

She was disappointed in that decision a little bit, but honestly I have all the basses I need and no GAS for basses right now. I'm a Leo guy anyway...p bass, j bass and musicman right now.

So am I nuts for turning down a brand new Rick?

You're mad:
1) She went out of her way to get you something that appeals to your interests.
2) A Rickenbacker is a highly sought-after instrument.

edit: looks like you came to your senses. Buy her roses by way of apology for your initial lack of tact.

 

[Killing Floor]

While I'm not a therapist of any kind, it nonetheless distresses me that you are not GASsing for a bass. Somebody who cares wants to give you a nice bass. I can't think of a single good reason to not take that deal. Even if Rics aren't your favorite it sounds like you don't have one, which means you need one. And your loving wife understood this about you. Become the Ric player your wife needs you to be.

 

[ab2112]

I dunno man, a gift is a gift and I feel like it loses something special when you start trading things in, up, or down. Obviously I don't know the climate of your particular relationship or the norms of your gift giving

I think it's easy to be a gear guy and think "oh, this is X that could have gone to Y" but at the end of the day you got an awesome axe from someone you love, play the crap out of it and enjoy it. As other had mentioned, you could always try growing tired of it down the road when the anniversary and accompanying gift as less salient to her. Just my $.02

 

[dkelley]

My 5th wedding anniversary was earlier this year. It's the wood anniversary for those keeping notes.

Anyways, my wife bought me a brand new Rickenbacker from MF. She didn't know which basses are good or bad, so she googled it and Ricks came up then she ordered one.

She wanted it to arrive on our day, but was told it is a special order, and due to the COVID-19 it wasn't going to arrive until December.

Well the bass obviously wasn't going to be ready in time to hit our anniversary, so my wife's plan was to tell me about it on our anniversary and then I'd wait for it to arrive.

So I told her, no that's ok I don't like the looks of Ricks and you can give me the money instead and I'll put it towards a nice rack EQ I have my eye on (I'm trying to get my freelance mixing and mastering gigs off the ground).

She was disappointed in that decision a little bit, but honestly I have all the basses I need and no GAS for basses right now. I'm a Leo guy anyway...p bass, j bass and musicman right now.

So am I nuts for turning down a brand new Rick?

Dude. How are you actually married?

 

[Wilmingtonian]

More like Rickenbacker discontent

 

[Lowbrow]

No. You don't need a Rick.

 

[jd56hawk]

My 5th wedding anniversary was earlier this year. It's the wood anniversary for those keeping notes.

Anyways, my wife bought me a brand new Rickenbacker from MF. She didn't know which basses are good or bad, so she googled it and Ricks came up then she ordered one.

She wanted it to arrive on our day, but was told it is a special order, and due to the COVID-19 it wasn't going to arrive until December.

Well the bass obviously wasn't going to be ready in time to hit our anniversary, so my wife's plan was to tell me about it on our anniversary and then I'd wait for it to arrive.

So I told her, no that's ok I don't like the looks of Ricks and you can give me the money instead and I'll put it towards a nice rack EQ I have my eye on (I'm trying to get my freelance mixing and mastering gigs off the ground).

She was disappointed in that decision a little bit, but honestly I have all the basses I need and no GAS for basses right now. I'm a Leo guy anyway...p bass, j bass and musicman right now.

So am I nuts for turning down a brand new Rick?

Probably not, but I'd like to know what words were used that resulted in Rickenbacker popping up.
Other than that, if you're a Leo Fender guy you should definitely get an L2000.
I would have kept the Ric, though, even if the gift giver was a just a girlfriend.

 

[SteveC]

A long time ago, my wife bought me a Yamaha BB 4 string passive PJ type bass for my birthday. It was a nice bass. I played it at gigs. After a year or two, I sold it as I wa playing 5 strings. She was OK with it, and has only mentioned a few times that I sold the bass she gave me.

Two years ago a local store was closing out their basses. There wa a nice G&L Tribute JB-2. Amazing finish, almost a birdseye fingerboard. Nice "jazz" bass. She got it for me for Christmas. I'm guessing she got a hell of a deal. I have Roscoe's. The G&L doesn't get gigged much, but I did put HipShot Ultralite tuners on it to help with balance and just staying in tune better. I don't really use the "jazz" tone these days, but I will never sell this bass, and I try to find an occasion now and then to take it out and at least practice with it or even gig it if it's the right gig.

If your wife wants to buy you a bass, let her. And a Ric is a far cry from a G&L Tribute or a Squier or whatever else it could have been. Hell, you might even like it.

 

[Silky Johnson]

I have to agree with most here, I've never been married and am single, so the thought of my wife buying something that nice for me blows my mind, and I would have accepted even if a Rick isn't my current GAS.

 

[rjovin]

These types of threads make me want to not renew my supporting membership TBH. Also, shouldn’t this be tucked away in some other actual topic (miscellaneous? off topic?)

It's not Talkbass' fault some people are ingrates.

 

[Wood and Wire]

^^^This. Definitely find out whether it's a 4003 or a 4003S.

So if it's the "S", he should tell his wife he's changed his mind again, and she should just give him the money?

 

[Wood and Wire]

You all will be happy to know (or maybe don't care ) that I went ahead and told her I want the Rick. She smiled and said ok. I've never played one before in my 25 years on the bass, or even heard one live. I took a listen on YT and it is a sound I can use in my songs. The stereo output may come in handy for the studio too. Appreciate the replies from you guys.

I realise you've resolved this now (or your wife is playing an awesome long game, to exact her retribution), but look at it from this angle :

How would you have felt if, when you had proposed to her, she had said

"Cool, but I really don't like diamonds. Can I just have the money? I need a new laptop."



On the plus side, by your 5th anniversary, she'd probably want a new laptop, so at least you'd have that gift problem solved.

 

[bmusic]

Every reply here has merit. My wife and I are 20 years in, and gifts (and the feelings attached to the whole giving) just stopped being a big thing. Everybody’s different, but I, being no fam of EBMMs, would respond to a gift of one with “OMG COOL! THANK YOU!” Because—hello!—shiny new iconic bass.

I feel for your wife, too, because it must have totally sucked to have the delivery so delayed. And I imagine your reaction might have been different to open up the bass and be surprised rather than just being told about it. I mean, you see a brand new bass before you, and you’ve got to pick it up, right? Perchance to totally dig it?

Since this is a bass forum, allow me to say that, while I loved Rics from afar as a Macca fan, it took me three of them until I found one I like. (And I’m also a P-bass die-hard, like you.) I had a 4001C64 (weird headstock), a 4003 (never felt right—the binding, maybe?), and finally a 4003S that feels and sounds just right. Call me Goldilocks.

So maybe don’t think of it so much as a bass, but rather as a beautiful wood sculpture your wife got you to celebrate your 5th, in the shape of something you love. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll plug it in and love what it can do all on its own.

 

[JZQuantum]

This illustrates precisely why I tell family and friends DO NOT buy me musical instruments. PERIOD!!! There could be a world of difference between what I like and what they think I might like. Accessories like cords or straps are different, but even there I give very specific parameters (like pics or product numbers).

I totally agree. I tell everyone, even my mother in law that you can get me ANY hand percussion instrument you can think of and I'll love it and use it in a song. My mother in law has gifted me several percussion instruments that are pretty cool and some even authentically made by the country they are from.

 

[pedroims]

You were nuts for not accepting a gift from your wife, regardless of what it was.

 

[DrThumpenstein]

"Sweetheart, I was wrong. You were so thoughtful to come up with such a great idea for a gift! I was thinking rationally about current needs for my career, rather than thinking with my heart about the thought and love that went into your gift to me. My response to your gift was thoughtless, and I am so sorry I looked past your generosity and creativity."

Your wife is a keeper. The Rick might grow on you, and it might not, but the love and thoughtfulness that it represents should allow you to carve out a place in the stable.

 

[Recon1342]

Every reply here has merit. My wife and I are 20 years in, and gifts (and the feelings attached to the whole giving) just stopped being a big thing. Everybody’s different, but I, being no fam of EBMMs, would respond to a gift of one with “OMG COOL! THANK YOU!” Because—hello!—shiny new iconic bass.

I feel for your wife, too, because it must have totally sucked to have the delivery so delayed. And I imagine your reaction might have been different to open up the bass and be surprised rather than just being told about it. I mean, you see a brand new bass before you, and you’ve got to pick it up, right? Perchance to totally dig it?

Since this is a bass forum, allow me to say that, while I loved Rics from afar as a Macca fan, it took me three of them until I found one I like. (And I’m also a P-bass die-hard, like you.) I had a 4001C64 (weird headstock), a 4003 (never felt right—the binding, maybe?), and finally a 4003S that feels and sounds just right. Call me Goldilocks.

So maybe don’t think of it so much as a bass, but rather as a beautiful wood sculpture your wife got you to celebrate your 5th, in the shape of something you love. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll plug it in and love what it can do all on its own.

QFT...