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trying to get a rick and 14 years old

#22
Don't forget to practice! Get good enough to get paying gigs. If you feel that you are very good, get other kids who want to play and give em' lessons. Nothing wrong with the odd jobs, but a good bass player always works. You make good $ at what you like doing. Save...$.... all the time.
 
#23
Might I suggest putting on some decent clothes (nothing formal, but jsut not ratty) and scouring the local community for DIY house help. Not just mowing, but carpet cleaning, even painting a room, clearing brush/lumber, cleaning gutters, mending fences.

Simple car detailing in your neighborhood (and then others) could do it. Print up a little flyer, walk around, putem in mailboxes etc. DONT charge a lot. check tire pressure, adjust, fill radiator fluid, lube door hinges, advertise for car interior cleaning- vacuum it, armorall the dash, etc. Spray some febreeze inside.


Other suggestions- cruise around on trash night on your bike with a hack saw. I did this A LOT as a kid. find any copper, brass, or bronze fixtures wires or plumbing. Take it. When I was a kid copper was 42 cents a pound and brass was in the low 30's or high 20's. That adds up FAST. I made some serious cake that way as a youngster. Aluminum maybe is even getting worthwhile on the small scale now. check it out.

You could also (ask) and have mom/dad drive you to pick up the FREE craigslist items, check em out, then sell em on ebay or craigslist. Most is crap, but sometimes if you are fast you can find neat stuff.


There's a lot of small money to be made in local fixer-up type jobs and odd jobs, especially in our area of NJ. Be creative, diversify, and try em all.

Be creative.

And buy used.

And split some of the money with your parents.

And buy used.
 
#25
Im 15, have USA Fender Jazz a LMK head and 2 cabs.

Get really good grades and good reports. I get £50 a month that goes straight into my bank. Ebay a lot of your old ****. ask for jsut money for birthday and christmas and save everything into your bank account. Got my jazz on ebay for £630 including p+p it was only 6 months old and already had badass 3 and handwound pickups. Very good deal. Bought the head for £300 when its worth like £550 from a bands advert on myspace.

Being american its easier for you, everything is SO much cheaper over there than it is in the UK.
 
#26
Crockettnj said:
Other suggestions- cruise around on trash night on your bike with a hack saw. I did this A LOT as a kid. find any copper, brass, or bronze fixtures wires or plumbing. Take it. When I was a kid copper was 42 cents a pound and brass was in the low 30's or high 20's. That adds up FAST. I made some serious cake that way as a youngster. Aluminum maybe is even getting worthwhile on the small scale now. check it out.
Click to expand...

I'm 24 and I've been thinking of going around and collecting everyones cans and scrap metal. Extra scratch is extra scratch, especially if it's something that others arn't willing to take the time to take advantage of.

In my previous post on this thread, I mentioned how my band members and I save our cans to go into our band fund. I've brought the idea up to them of driving around on trash days and taking the recycle cans and scrap metal. Load the van up and head to the scrap yard, "we'll think about it" is all I got in response.

And to the people who are coming off crass about this subject, if the kid is willing to work hard for it, who are you to say he shouldn't? I'm sure working hard for your first pro or iconic instrument was very inspiring. I think that's something that trascends age no matter what medium it takes form in. Working hard for something you really want is not only gratifying but can be hugely inspirational for your devlopement.

-Benny
 
#27
Chris2112 said:
Put off the dream for aonother 10 years until you've learned to appreciate the value of a dollar.
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tinder said:
You don't. You're a juvenile.....not a very modest one, but you are still a child and children aren't really supposed to be able to afford Rickenbacker basses....get over it and yourself. Make do with something cheaper until you get a job...a real one that is.
Click to expand...

Ignore comments like this, they wont help you get a Rickenbacker.
 
#28
You've gotten some very good advice here and some very bad advice.

Of course you can buy a Rick if you want one. And it will mean a lot more to you if you buy it with money that you have earned yourself. I earned the money to buy my first car by age 14 and I was so proud of it, even though it was pretty much a POC.

The ideas of finding jobs are all great. But there are dozens of ways to pick up spare cash besides a single job where you just grind it out day by day. The poster who said save birthday and holiday money was right on. Make sure all relatives know you are saving for your dream bass. If they see you busting your hump to get it, they may find some work for you or be a little more generous at your birthday. Don't be afraid to let employers know what you are doing. I remember a few occasions when telling that I was saving for a car brought a little extra bonus, maybe since they liked the idea of saving for a purpose rather than earning mioney just to blow on foolish or frivolous things.

The hard part is getting started. It will take less time than you think. But (and this is the big but) you have to deny yourself some luxuries. Take that soda money and put it in the kitty. Don't buy that new video game. Put the money in the kitty. Be disciplined. If you can do that, you'll have your Rick, and it will be yours in every sense of the word.
 
#30
Or just do what kids do today..

STEAL

Nah, kidding here, better off is to become the neighborhoods well known extra worker as suggested, all those small jobs, washing windows, cars, dogs, doing garden work, cleaning out peeps attics and such ..

The "sell ya junk on ebay" advice is good too, you'd be surprised what crap peeps bid on, and what you can get for it. Bet ya have lots of toys and stuff that you never use anymore, take a picture, put it on theBay, and off it goes ...

Good luck m8, an make sure you send us a pic of that ric soon!!

D.Don
 
#31
You know those friends with the funny smelling cigarettes? Avoid them. Biggest waste of money ever.

Say yes to every work opportunity you can and you'll reach your target soon enough.

If you haven't got there by college, then that's what the student loan is for :D
 
#32
Dude, don't jump the gun.

I'm 14 as well, and recently bought a Lakland, and I cannot make this great bass sound good. So I'm trading it in for an Epi T-Brid or an Ibanez Soundgear. No matter how good you think you are, and no matter what kind of bass you think you deserve, you'll always be tonally limited by your hands and technique. I had to learn this the hard way. So find a bass that suits you personally, and use that one. Don't buy blind.

My .02
 
#35
fetfet said:
Dude, don't jump the gun.

I'm 14 as well, and recently bought a Lakland, and I cannot make this great bass sound good. So I'm trading it in for an Epi T-Brid or an Ibanez Soundgear. No matter how good you think you are, and no matter what kind of bass you think you deserve, you'll always be tonally limited by your hands and technique. I had to learn this the hard way. So find a bass that suits you personally, and use that one. Don't buy blind.

My .02
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very mature. +1000 fetfet
 
#36
"Simple. Get through high school and college, get a lucrative job and bingo, you might even afford not only one but two Ricks!"

Order on now though, as it might actually take that long due to Rickenbackers ever growing backlog.

Seriously though, this a really a silly question. Hard work and determination are the only things you need to get anything in this world. Nothing is for free.........:hmm:
 
#37
fetfet said:
Dude, don't jump the gun.

I'm 14 as well, and recently bought a Lakland, and I cannot make this great bass sound good. So I'm trading it in for an Epi T-Brid or an Ibanez Soundgear. No matter how good you think you are, and no matter what kind of bass you think you deserve, you'll always be tonally limited by your hands and technique. I had to learn this the hard way. So find a bass that suits you personally, and use that one. Don't buy blind.

My .02
Click to expand...

The only difference is, that Ric is going to hold it's resale value. The used price has even gone up a ton in the past couple years considering what you have to wait for a new one.

A liquid asset, especially something that holds it's value like a Ric or a vintage Fender is never a band thing. You can always flip it and get something different. Do that with the Ibby or Epi and you've lost money (more often then not).

-Benny
 
#38
Saetia said:
A liquid asset, especially something that holds it's value like a Ric or a vintage Fender is never a band thing. You can always flip it and get something different. Do that with the Ibby or Epi and you've lost money (more often then not).

-Benny
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Yes, but right now he has no reason to even buy a Ric. He should get a versatile beater bass that isn't the biggest investment. That way when he get the Ric, he'll get a bass he can be proud of, and a backup in case of Rickenbacker failure(broken string).
 
#39
fetfet said:
Yes, but right now he has no reason to even buy a Ric. He should get a versatile beater bass that isn't the biggest investment. That way when he get the Ric, he'll get a bass he can be proud of, and a backup in case of Rickenbacker failure(broken string).
Click to expand...

His profile says he currently has a Spector, so I think that counts not only as "backup" but also "versitile."

The reason is he wants one, that's enough. Most of the peeps on this board don't need their multi-thousand dollar customs... they want them.

If he has the ambition to actually carry it out, to make such a purchase/ investment then more power to him. I honestly don't see too many 14 year olds this day with enough motivation to take on such a feat. It also will help him understand what working hard for something means, as well as the value of a dollar... or $1600. You're never to younge to learn how to work hard, save/ manage money and invest. That's something that seems so lost these days. He very well could spend that money on something that is completely useless. I think it's not a matter of age, but a matter of choosing wisely what to invest in.

-Benny
 

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