WHAT??? Rickenbacker 4003S!?

[A-Step-Towards]

Just a hunch, but I will bet a substantial amount of money that they will NOT let you do that.

I am not going to pay $60 to ship a bass when my car can go 30 miles for $2.50. That said I dont deal with Rickenbacker, I called them once and found out what pricks they were. If my bass is defective in anyway I just send them back to the retailers.

 

[Coolhandjjl]

That's your best bet. Most offer a one or two week trial/inspection period where you can either exchange it or return it for full refund. And if they don't, shop elsewhere.

 

[ggoat!!!]

I am not going to pay $60 to ship a bass when my car can go 30 miles for $2.50. That said I dont deal with Rickenbacker, I called them once and found out what pricks they were. If my bass is defective in anyway I just send them back to the retailers.

I know how you feel. It cost me almost $100 with insurance EACH TIME to ship this one bass back to Rickenbacker; the selling dealer wouldn't help; I was told to deal with Rickenbacker directly.

I forgot to mention the scratches Rickenbacker gouged into my case; several big gouges across the face and back. Remember, the bass was there several times for the good part of a year. I was told, "This type of damage is not covered by warranty" even though the case was in mint brand new condition when I shipped the bass to them in it and there were NO signs of shipping damage to any of the boxes I received the bass back in. And, I always double boxed it when I sent it to Rickenbacker (another reason it cost me almost $100 each time).

Rickenbacker also chewed up the bridge pickup mounting screws; I requested a few screws to be sent to me so I could replace them. I was told, again, "This is not covered by your warranty."

Here are the pics I sent Rickenbacker showing the damage they inflicted to my case:

 

[dje31]

I might have missed it...have they stated the colors available for the 4003S? Same as the standard 4003?

 

[Paul Boyer]

Yes, standard colors. I don't think RIC restricts color choice on models other than the vintage ones.

 

[dje31]

Thanks, PB.

BTW, re: the whole bridge / finish lift issue, is that more of an issue with solid painted colors ( JetGlo ) vs. transparent / natural ( MapleGlo ) ?

 

[Paul Boyer]

I don't know. We hear the reports here about ones that have problems, but we don't hear about the ones with no problems. It's inconsistent, but it seems most of the ones reported were Jetglo. It could have been a bad batch of paint or clearcoat that wasn't binding to the wood, or it could have been rough bottoms to the tailpiece castings, or it could have been the tails screwed down too tightly, or a combination of a number of these factors. I don't think RIC shipped them out with the problem apparent. It could be that the lifting of the finish occurred shortly after they were shipped and before (or even after) they were delivered to end users.

 

[kcole4001]

As always, if buying online it's safest to go with one of the bigger dealers: Pick of the Ricks, Wildwood, North Coast.

They inspect and set up the bass before shipping it to you if you want, and their prices normally can't be beat.
I'm sure there are others who will do the same, but these three all receive highest praise quite often.

I got mine back in 2010 from Musician's Friend and had no issues, so the odds aren't quite as bad as one might think of getting a problem case, but to be safe just check out one of those dealers I mentioned if anyone's interested.

It's nice to see that the price is a bit less than a 4003.

 

[SVTbird]

So about the finish lifting around the bridge, is there a fix for this? My JG started doing it shortly after my finish warranty expired (of course)

 

[Jeff Scott]

Yes, standard colors. I don't think RIC restricts color choice on models other than the vintage ones.

Addendum: the Trans______ colors are only available on the 4004 series.

 

[Paul Boyer]

True. Even there, it's not clear. They mention the Trans ____ colors available for the 4004 series, but then elsewhere in the price sheet indicate it is for only the 4004Cii - no mention for the 4004L. As far as I've seen, they apply only to the Cii, but the inconsistency is puzzling.

 

[Jeff Scott]

True. Even there, it's not clear.

Intentional pun?

 

[Paul Boyer]

Badump bump!

 

[Stinkoman20xx]

Any idea of what these might be going for compared to a standard 4003?

 

[jmw1977]

Any idea of what these might be going for compared to a standard 4003?

I just called Dave's in La Crosse, WI. As one of the largest dealers in Rickenbacker guitars and basses, even their specialist had absolutely no idea of the model rollout... He called back an hour later:

-Standard colors
-No customization WHATSOEVER. As if we didn't already anticipate that... but I had to ask for a fretless
-$1359+tax!

 

[kcole4001]

PotR has a big banner ad on their site, and they're listing a $1495 pre-order price tag on the new S models.
They have a bunch already ordered.

http://www.pickofthericks.com/

It'll likely be a little while before anyone gets their mitts on one of these.

 

[Rickenbottom]

And here in Canada L&M are selling them (4003S) for $1750.00 and the standard 4003 1975.00 as quoted at the Brampton store last night.

 

[PubliclyViewable]

I got mine at $1402 after tax After checking PotR, it seems like we'll see more used Fireglo's for sale than any other color!

 

[BASSKADET]

I just swapped my deposit over at Wildwood from a 4003W to a 4003SW Walnut. I'm the 1st one in with a deposit so I get 1st choice. Let the long wait begin. LOL I glad the price is lower because I'm putting in the horseshoe and toaster pups

 

[PubliclyViewable]

So who has been to NAMM?!