The Rickenbacker Club Part Eight

[Bongolation]

I don't come here to bitch. I come here to help others who have concerns and or issues with their Rickenbackers.

Yes, if you don't do that, then what's the point?

If a thread has a lot of gripes about product defects, put the blame squarely where it belongs -- on the manufacturer, not the victims.

I see a lot of junk from "quality" brands that never should have shipped, and when I do, I say something about it, and if the fanboys don't like it, I could not possibly care less. Every manufacturer is constantly pushing the envelope of what they can get away with. It's a formal part of the corporate business model. You have to push back.

Yup, agreed, "Club" threads should be more positive and brand supportive but there is no regulation in the stickies that say it "shall" be this way. Maybe there should be!

That would constitute nothing but a circle-jerk and unpaid shilling.

 

[Kopfjaeger]

I've learned a lot more from this thread than I have from most of the other "club" nonsense, and I've been seeing gripes about Rickenbacker QC from shocked buyers on TB for a long time. It's not just this this thread.

Same here. Between a couple members we've been able to isolate the precise production run of defective 2011 Jetglo 4003's to a specific time frame. Nowhere else has this occurred. I'll tell you one thing, sticking your head in the sand did not get this done. That's huge especially since the other more RIC friendly sites got nowhere close to our info.

There does come a time where a topic drones on like beating a dead horse. That's where topics go sideways and you start loosing members. That's when the moderator steps in and gets things back on track.

You know, it's nice to be part of a "club" to "Oh and Ah" over each others basses but it's also good to know your not alone when you have an issue borne or caused by the manufacturer and no one admits to knowing what the heck your talking about.

A the end of the day, what's more important??

Sepp

 

[hosebass]

Yes. Post a pic & request a number.

I already have. Twice. But I am politely and respectfully requesting a number.

 

[DaveSill]

You know, it's nice to be part of a "club" to "Oh and Ah" over each others basses but it's also good to know your not alone when you have an issue borne or caused by the manufacturer and no one admits to knowing what the heck your talking about.

Agreed. But the recent round of finish discussions has proceeded well past the stage of gathering useful information into repetitious bashing.

 

[DaveSill]

I already have. Twice. But I am politely and respectfully requesting a number.

Sorry, if I could give you a number, I would. I'd suggest reposting your photo/number request, because it's probably buried in the landslide of recent messages.

 

[Kingbreaker]

There's a fine balance between helpful discussions and suggestions and critiques (about QC, for instance) and axe-grinding. The former is always good to hear. The latter gets old quickly.

 

[Bongolation]

You know, it's nice to be part of a "club" to "Oh and Ah" over each others basses but it's also good to know your not alone when you have an issue borne or caused by the manufacturer and no one admits to knowing what the heck your talking about.

A the end of the day, what's more important??

The essential problem here is that buyers (and especially fanboys) are unaware that they are always and irrevocably in an adversarial relationship with the manufacturers.

While they're ignorant of it, no manufacturer is -- it's a central point of business practice and has been at least since its finer points were formalized by the Harvard School of Business in the '50s and eventually triumphed over competing and less predatory models (such as Deming's).

Good business very temporarily occurs at that point of equilibrium between the conflicting interests of the buyer and builder, but one will always be jockeying for advantage over the other. The most cost-effective way the manufacturer does this is through advertising and marketing of the imaginary and intangibles such as brand equity, while cutting costs by producing a degraded product.

Fanboys are the bitches of the manufacturers in this squalid arrangement, traitors to their own interests -- and mine.

This is why we don't get along.

What I want is for iconic instruments to be produced to current standards that are worthy of their history. Considering their prices, this does not seem to be much to ask.

 

[Ric5]

Fanboys are imbeciles, enda story.

Suspension of analysis, intellect and critical faculties is never healthy, especially when you're dropping real money on something.

I've learned a lot more from this thread than I have from most of the other "club" nonsense, and I've been seeing gripes about Rickenbacker QC from shocked buyers on TB for a long time. It's not just this this thread.

The main thing I've learned is that, even more than most other US builders (which is saying a great deal), RIC needs to pull up its socks and get serious about the quality of their product and customer service, which are frequently atrocious.

I've also learned that if I'm going to buy a Rickenbacker (a move which I am seriously reconsidering), I need to be even more careful in scrutinizing the instrument and the price than I usually am.

And this just in...a local meatstick is trying to unload a used 2011 JetGlo on CL for $1600.

We don't want a fanboy thread ... but we don't want a troll thread either ... The club thread is not the place for bashing Ricks ...

I am about the farthest you can get from being a fanboy. I have been banned from the RRF.

I don't like flats, or 4 string basses, or 7 string basses, or death metal, or Kiss, etc ... But I don't ruin threads by trolling. It is a matter of good manners.

 

[thiocyclist]

I think Ric5 has a very good point--this is not a place for trolling. But is GG7 trolling? I don't think it's our place to say at this point. (S)he seems to have brought legitimate concerns. The aluminum foil stuff sounded totally fake to me until I looked at the pic again... indeed foil thin seems about right. Which is totally counter to my experience of a Ric finish, but the pic isn't lying. I also think the idea that TB posters have definitively isolated a bad run of Jetglo 4003s is not out of the question but also far, far away from being proven.

 

[Bongolation]

We don't want a fanboy thread ... but we don't want a troll thread either ... The club thread is not the place to for bashing Ricks ...

Discussing legitimate problems is not trolling, any more than discussing any other facet of an instrument is.

"Rickenbacker sux cuz they look funny!" is trolling.

The whole point is education. "If you want a 4003, great, but here are the things to look out for" is essential knowledge, and to the point these usually-fatuous "clubs" have any value, it lies in propagating such information.

I am about the farthest you can get from being a fanboy. I have been banned from the RRF.

Congratulations and God bless you!

 

[Ric5]

oops double post ...

 

[A-Step-Towards]

Discussing legitimate problems is not trolling, any more than discussing any other facet of an instrument is. "Rickenbacker sux cuz they look funny!" is trolling.

The whole point is education. "If you want a 4003, great, but here are the things to look out for" is essential knowledge, and to the point these usually-fatuous "clubs" have any value, it lies in propagating such information.



Congratulations and God bless you!

Agreed. Discussing actually problems with photos of proof is not trolling. He is not over exaggerating or lying, the evidence is in the photos. I have a 4003 I totally dig, I have had some lemons as well. I discussed them long ago and provided photos and then I provided photos of the good one I got. Thats discussing Ric's which is the point of this thread. Its not bashing them , its being truthful.

 

[GG7]

You know you've got a problem with a guitar brand when there is a discussion to create a separate thread for complaints and problems!

I own Fender and Gibsons too and you don't see me having to post pictures like this!

I think the saddest part is the denial on the part of some members in here that the problem even exists. Trust me! It does and that is a big problem if you ask me.

If I hadn't previously owned an older 4001 and knew how nice a "normal" 4001 or 4003 looks and plays like, I would have bailed after the second bass arrived screwed up with the same exact problem.

Any time I have purchased something new from a brand I am unfamiliar with, I am done after two attempts to get one that isn't F'ed up. Only reason I hung on this long was because of my fond memories of ten years of good times with my 72 4001.

I'm sorry to say that the company that made that bass no longer exists, and that is a pretty sad state of affairs.

If my opinions and reports of actual issues with this brand is perceived as trolling or whatever, I fine with bailing on this thread for good.

I belong to the Fender Telecaster community and have done for several years. Pretty active member over there as a matter of fact. I am not hurting for a place to discuss the guitars I am proud to own.

We don't see a lot of posts like the ones I have posted on here very often on the Fender boards. RIC could learn a thing or two about how Fender makes guitars.

 

[GG7]

We don't want a fanboy thread ... but we don't want a troll thread either ... The club thread is not the place to for bashing Ricks ...

I am about the farthest you can get from being a fanboy. I have been banned from the RRF.

I don't like flats, or 4 string basses, or 7 string basses, or death metal, or Kiss, etc ... But I don't ruin threads by trolling. It is a matter of good manners.

If you consider my photos of factory error induced damage a form of trolling, then you should excuse yourself from this thread since you are obviously a RIC fanboy. You gotta take the good with the bad, and if you don't like people posting issues like mine in this thread, then I suggest you buy a Fender or a Gibson and head over there. They don't have problems this bad, since they don't screw up like this during the production of their guitars and basses.

 

[Tarrbot]

Discussing legitimate problems is not trolling, any more than discussing any other facet of an instrument is.

"Rickenbacker sux cuz they look funny!" is trolling.

The whole point is education. "If you want a 4003, great, but here are the things to look out for" is essential knowledge, and to the point these usually-fatuous "clubs" have any value, it lies in propagating such information.



Congratulations and God bless you!

I've been sorely tempted to post for the last 20 pages. The reason I haven't is fear of being called a fanboy because I disagree with the discussion here. There's been a LOT of conjecture and essentially crummy discussion with little discussion on facts. (Here's where GG7 or someone comes in and cries foul about pics being facts). I'm not saying this wasn't screwed up. I'm saying that the implication (note: IMPLICATION IS IMPLIED BY ROTE) is that all Rickenbackers are made this way. That is not a fact.

Essentially what has happened on page 25 (post 485 for those keeping score) where hsech commented about his 2013 being thick painted.
GG7 then got seriously defensive about this comment and showed crybaby-like indignation with headshaking smileys and cries of "you're ok with this" as if hsech was an idiot.

THOSE are not useful discussions, bongolation. No matter how you paint them. This has been pretty much the tone for the last 20 pages.

It's obviously seen this way by others as people have mentioned this. Thanks Ric5. I don't think anyone else could have stated this without fanboy names being used... and indeed, this has unfortunately been the case. I mean, come on, it was even suggested that the Ric owners here misled him on buying a nutdriver. Are you kidding me? Seriously?

With this kind of thought process, any discussion seems doomed to be called fanboyism.

So let's move on with this thread and stop being a bunch of crybabies and start discussing things.

GG7 has found that he is getting a refin (by the factory?). Obviously this entire run had problems. Everyone (even the fanboys) know this. There's no use retreading old leather here.

Gotta love the Internet...

 

[FaithNoMan]

If you consider my photos of factory created damage as trolling, then you should excuse yourself from this thread based on your own set of rules, since that would definitely make you a Rickenbacker fanboy x 10!

Jeff has owned and worked on more Rics(converting them to 5 strings, even) than you can shake a stick at.

He was thrown off the Rickenbacker forums for NOT being a fanboy. I saw all of this myself, as he speaks his mind freely. You've had a run of bad luck in one of Ric's worst quality control periods and I can assure you for most of their lineage, the basses do not have these problems.

I'll be waiting on my "Rickenwaffen" badge any minute now

 

[Tarrbot]

If you consider my photos of factory error induced damage a form of trolling, then you should excuse yourself from this thread since you are obviously a RIC fanboy. You gotta take the good with the bad, and if you don't like people posting issues like mine in this thread, then I suggest you buy a Fender or a Gibson and head over there. They don't have problems this bad, since they don't screw up like this during the production of their guitars and basses.

You do realize Ric5 was banned from the RRF for discussing his views on Rickebacker the company right?

You do realize that Ric5 is the last person you should consider saying that to, right?

Are you even paying attention?

 

[GG7]

Discussing legitimate problems is not trolling, any more than discussing any other facet of an instrument is.

"Rickenbacker sux cuz they look funny!" is trolling.

The whole point is education. "If you want a 4003, great, but here are the things to look out for" is essential knowledge, and to the point these usually-fatuous "clubs" have any value, it lies in propagating such information.



Congratulations and God bless you!

Agreed. Discussing actually problems with photos of proof is not trolling. He is not over exaggerating or lying, the evidence is in the photos. I have a 4003 I totally dig, I have had some lemons as well. I discussed them long ago and provided photos and then I provided photos of the good one I got. Thats discussing Ric's which is the point of this thread. Its not bashing them , its being truthful.

Thanks guys!

Glad to see there are some "Sensible" RIC owners in here. If this rash of problems was happening to someone else in here, I would not be complaining about their photographic evidence of a serious problem.

What is more important to prospective new owners than knowledge of such issues as these?

I didn't personally come on here to discuss useless minutia of owning a brand of guitar. I've got far better things to do with my time such as actually using my guitar collection on some new original material in my studio.

 

[FaithNoMan]

GG7 has found that he is getting a refin (by the factory?). Obviously this entire run had problems. Everyone (even the fanboys) know this. There's no use retreading old leather here.

Gotta love the Internet...

Yup.

 

[254 stringer]

Well damn I didn't mean to get all this stirred up. I just want the rick club to get back to the way it was. Check out the precision club posts of basses I thought thats what the club threads were for to admire x brand/style of bass. Are Fenders perfect? No some have problems but people start a thread to discuss this and don't litter up the club threads.