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WHAT??? Rickenbacker 4003S!?

Wonder how soon my local L&M store will be able to take a deposit on one...if any of you fellow Canadians here anything please advise... :)

Last year I put down a deposit on a 4003W almost immediately after the announcement came out...the guys at my local store didn't know anything about it and had to make some calls to find out if it even existed. So I would say go ahead and put the deposit down anytime now, as long as there has been an official announcement made that they can reference.
 
RIC responded to someone on FB asking about price and they said "less than a 4003."
STOKED

A 4003 is like $1900 at musicians friend but wildwood and other places can get you one under $1600. If I can get one of these for around $1400-$1500 I am grabbing one in the walnut I think but maybe a solid color not sure on that part yet, but I am getting one.

Havent had a new rick since 2011 :)
 
Possibly a dumb question here. Has Rickenbacker ever made a five-string? I'd live to try one.

4003s5

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4004cii5

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With nearly 30 of them at the present, the ONLY way I'm buying another is if they screw the parts on straight/true and give us the checkerboard binding option that the Japanese get.

The last Rick I bought was a stunning 4003W with figured walnut; it's absolutely gorgeous, but the bridge IS a hair off. However, the most glaring problem is a distinct easily felt sharp ridge on both sides of the neck where the fretboard is glued to the neck. You can actually run your thumb along the line. It's SUPER annoying; it's constantly felt just under my fingers on my palm. Horrible quality control; the terrible unsanded fretboard/neck joint missed both the factory (as if they really check for such things) as well as the dealer. I'm undecided as to whether I'm going to sand it down and re-oil it (risking a non-perfect oiled finish match) or to actually send it to Marty Bell to have it finished in gloss clear. The wood is SOOOOO beautiful that it would only be enhanced by the gloss finish...but I DO love the oiled look too. But, I HAVE to fix the neck ridge...and I want it to be unnoticeable. So, I'm not sure which direction I'm going yet.

The BEST thing about a Rick oiled finish is that it can't lift at the bridge like sooooooooo many Rickenbackers do nowadays (I've had this happen 5 times alone since 2011).

Anyhoo, here are a few pics of my latest when I got it last year (and no, I don't leave those silly stickers on even though they are in a few of my pics haha):

4003wneater.jpg

frysnazhftbkbyj7abto.jpg
 
A 4003 is like $1900 at musicians friend but wildwood and other places can get you one under $1600. If I can get one of these for around $1400-$1500 I am grabbing one in the walnut I think but maybe a solid color not sure on that part yet, but I am getting one.

I recently picked up a new 4003 FG from a shop for $1499, shipped. If the MSRP for the S is less than a 4003, then I could see folks getting a great deal if purchasing from the right dealer.
 
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It's oil; it is soaked INTO the wood; it's not just a "covering" like paint pretty much is. There is nothing to crack or lift up on the oiled finish as opposed to the brittle UV cured regular finishes that Rickenbacker uses now. Unlike Rick's matte finish on the 4001S (which is merely unpolished clearcoat paint) there is nothing on the oil finished models to actually eggshell/splinter (becoming brittle) and flake off.
 
It's oil; it is soaked INTO the wood; it's not just a "covering" like paint pretty much is. There is nothing to crack or lift up on the oiled finish as opposed to the brittle UV cured regular finishes that Rickenbacker uses now. Unlike Rick's matte finish on the 4001S (which is merely unpolished clearcoat paint) there is nothing on the oil finished models to actually eggshell/splinter (becoming brittle) and flake off.

Oil finish won't stop the tailpiece from lifting ... adding 2 extra screws will.

But the oil finish changes the tone in a nice way.

The oil does not effect the metal.
 
Oil finish won't stop the tailpiece from lifting ... adding 2 extra screws will.
The oil does not effect the metal.

I never said that the oil finish will keep the TAILPIECE from lifting; here is what I said: "The BEST thing about a Rick oiled finish is that it can't lift at the bridge like sooooooooo many Rickenbackers do nowadays." "It" in that sentence was of course referring to the "Rick oiled finish."

I was referring to how the current Rickenbacker UV-cured finish has the propensity to shatter/bubble/splinter/eggshell/lift at the bridge.
 
Do you mean like Fender?

Whenever Fender DOES come up with something different, they are raked over the coals for it NOT being a same old Jazz or Precision derivative. Fender can't win. When they DO release something new (Starcaster, Coronado Reissue, Reverse Jaguar, etc) they are ripped to shreds for it. The most asinine thing I ever read on this site is when Fender releases something original and some idiot says, "Oh its ok but it needs a nitro finish, a tort pickguard, and factory flats" or some other stereotypical cliched done-a-million-times douche-doggerel.
 
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