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SUPER CHEAP Chinese Rickenbacker... Worth Buying?

#181
Baker69 said:
Yes they are a bit pricey for what they are, but they do seem to be reasonably well made.

What puzzles me is why Tokai don't list these on their web site??? Are they afraid of the Rik Police???!!! :ninja:

Also, the name Tokai doesn't appear anywhere on the bass, so it's as though they are 'distancing' themselves from it. I think they are made in Indonesia and not Japan. :(
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Yes your right the newer 22 fret Rockinbetter's are made in Indonesia, the older 20 fret Rockinbetter and the rebranded Reblerockers for Australia were made in a Tokai factory in China and if you look at the Tokai Australian factory tour film on the Australian site you see a guy playing a Rockenbetter lead guitar at the end of the film. Tokai do not make a lead in that 330 Rik style! but Tokai say they know nothing about Rockinbetter but have one being played in there promo film????

been playing my Rockinbetter 4003 for 7 months now, I'm very happy with how it plays, sounds and feels. and was well worth the £400 paid for it new!
 
#182
3 years ago I bought a Rickenbacker 4003 black pearl bass. I had custom active EMG's and a custom black pick guard with all black hardware. The store I brought it too never knew it was a replica, made in China!!

After doing some filing of the second fret, I got the action to a very low angle. I love this bass so much that I recently ordered another.

It's worth it to buy one and replace the electronics with high end gear.

MichaelStDavid
2pq456c.jpg
 
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#187
I've been buying Chinese guitars for quite a few years now. A couple I play, the rest are on hanger in my studio, looking nice. I've never sold one because while I am happy owning them, I can't sell them as genuine - because that is legally and morally wrong. Using them myself is a personal choice I can live with. I'd rather scratch and ding a copy than a genuine brand when I'm playing live.

I have only got one that I don't like, and all the negatives detailed in this and other topics have not happened to me.

I detailed in another topic yesterday
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f8/am-i-out-line-jerk-1012043/index2.html#post14813830
how the Chinese system works - not a mega factory system at all.

All the guitars I actually play have been set up by my local expert, and re-strung with decent strings. He filled a couple of frets, but apart from that no major work needed.
I've currently got these guitars
Les Paul - beautiful with Tree of Life inlay on neck
Les Paul - nice inlay on neck (and my favourite of the three to play)
Les Paul - Peter Frampton signature - the worst of the three, playable but not as nice.
Strat - a red one with maple neck. Sounds and plays nice.
Tele - story below, but now a great sounding and easy to play guitar
335 - the only one I don't like, poor machine heads and just looks old, with yellowing binding.

In the other topic I linked to, I explained the people in these assembly rooms really don't know much about what they're doing. When the tele arrived, the neck wasn't attached. Examination showed the 4 neck screws were just stupidly short! Whoever put it together simply used four screws that only went into the neck about 5mm! I replaced them with the correct length ones, and added for security one extra one, and it's fixed. The seller returned £50 of the price on seeing the photo I took as I said I could fix it.

The Chinese culture makes these guitars ok to sell, because customers worldwide wish to buy them, and they do not see what they are doing as wrong. Lots of people disagree, but I suspect far more buy these instruments for their own use. If you are considering buying a budget guitar, there is a lot of what we call in the UK, snob value. A young friend of mine has a Fender Squier that plays very nicely, but now he's earning money, he's bought a real Strat because people who don't know, look at a guitar and make a judgement.

I understand real brand owners feeling cross about the counterfeits, and when I see idiots selling them on ebay as only slightly used genuines, I'm pretty annoyed too.

Here's a question. On youtube there are some great videos about people customising guitars - fitting a Fender branded genuine neck (I saw one yesterday using the Jeff Beck neck) to a body claimed to be better than Fender's. The one I watched had a solid top and everything was fitted from the rear so no scratchplate.
link here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmNerhTLaro
So if this was labelled as Fender with no Fender parts, it would be counterfeit - so the addition of one genuine Fender item changes it to a Fender custom? They won't do it of course, but would a Chinese factory selling with a Fender neck be selling counterfeits or customs? Fender sell parts, so is there some kind of official percentage where the status of an instrument changes.

I couldn't afford to buy lots of genuine guitars, but I can buy lots of Chinese ones.

As for the pictures - I buy from the ones who say this is the one you get, and have taken dreadful photos leaning up against walls etc.

I've just ordered a 5 str Jazz Bass, which looks great in the pics, but doesn't seem to have an exact real Fender equivalent. It seems to have features from a number of different versions. Looks nice, though!
 
#188
Here's the thing - Squires are made in Asia(Korea?) and you get one for $299-ish. The Chinese Jazz & P basses run $360-410. So is the Chinese one better, are the Chinese trying to get more despite cutting out the middle man, is Fender really just a wholesaler of Chinese and other Asian made instruments?

I ordered a Rickenfaker from DH gate, supposed to be here in next couple days. It is my understanding that it has a set neck with a more traditional neck profile and taper. If I only get a nice neck and body out of the deal it will have been a steal compared to getting those two items from Warmouth. John Hall has nobody but himself to blame - for years people have asked for a 5 string Ric and one with a more traditional neck profile. I like the Ric look but find many of my instruments get similar/same or better tone. BTW:I have owned two real 4003s, couldn't get used to the neck, am getting ready to sell a minty 2011 4003 in black w/white binding "Jetgloss".
 
#189
edpal said:
Here's the thing - Squires are made in Asia(Korea?) and you get one for $299-ish. The Chinese Jazz & P basses run $360-410. So is the Chinese one better, are the Chinese trying to get more despite cutting out the middle man, is Fender really just a wholesaler of Chinese and other Asian made instruments?

I ordered a Rickenfaker from DH gate, supposed to be here in next couple days. It is my understanding that it has a set neck with a more traditional neck profile and taper. If I only get a nice neck and body out of the deal it will have been a steal compared to getting those two items from Warmouth. John Hall has nobody but himself to blame - for years people have asked for a 5 string Ric and one with a more traditional neck profile. I like the Ric look but find many of my instruments get similar/same or better tone. BTW:I have owned two real 4003s, couldn't get used to the neck, am getting ready to sell a minty 2011 4003 in black w/white binding "Jetgloss".
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Did you ever receive your chickenbaker? How was it?
 
#191
The one sight I found you can also buy real Japanese Fender RI Basses at 700 bucks withy free shipping and no tax I found a really nice knock off precision for 205 bucks you can get hot rod precisions 59 RI Music Mans Lemmy 4004 Copy they sound and look really nice for the money. I paid 2,000 bucks for a brand new Rickenbacker in 2009 and it was crap. I had to return it get my money back
 
#194
paulears said:
If you are considering buying a budget guitar, there is a lot of what we call in the UK, snob value. A young friend of mine has a Fender Squier that plays very nicely, but now he's earning money, he's bought a real Strat because people who don't know, look at a guitar and make a judgement.
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And rightfully so. Your friend bought a better version of the same instrument with better components than the beginner-intermediate grade Squier. Squier advertises itself as the place to start, and then someday you'll get a 'real Fender'.Or as they put it on their website- "Squier is the launching pad for beginners, pointing intermediate and advancing guitarists toward their ultimate goal-owning a Fender!" Everyone who puts in a lot of time on their instrument should buy the best one they can afford- life's too short for beginner grade or fake stuff.
 
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#198
jdthebassman said:
I would not buy any bass made in china
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Rickenfakers may not be worth a damn (obviously no factory cooperation on their design or QC) but many Chinese made instruments are quite good. My Chinese Epi T-bird is a capable substitute for my MIA Gibson T-bird, and my Chinese made Hofner CT guitar and bass are good instruments also. CNC machines don't care where they're located so it all comes down to fine finishing and assembly. And you can get a gem...or a dud...from any factory.
 
#199
So basically, getting a Rickenfaker is just because of pursuing the "look" of a Rickenbacker, hmm?

I bet that I could spend the same price of a Rickenfaker on a used "lower grade" bass not pretending to be something else...and sound better.

EDIT: Forgot to finish my thoughts. In answer to the OP's title thread question...my answer would be No.
 

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