Where to get a Chickenbacker Bass

You can get them on Aliexpress, all the usual warnings and caveats apply. If you are willing to build from kit form, Pitbull Guitars of Australia sells what appears to be the same set-neck version available through Aliexpress in unfinished state. They have chickenbacker Kits on Aliexpress also. Good luck with it, hopefully this won't turn into another long boring chickenbacker flame-fest.

 

PS
Check out Groucho's "chinabacker" review, some honest appraisal there if you are willing to wade through the diatribes. He got his delivered intact and as ordered, maybe he can recommend a specific seller who won't scam you.

 

Wow! Just been looking at that Aliexpress site!! Prices look great even if the woods/parts are no doubt different. The Martin acoustics even have the Martin headstock (as do the Rickenbacker basses). Can they do that? How good are they? How reliable/safe is the site?

 

No, they can't "do that", that's the point - they do it anyway. Cheap obvious copies are one thing, but please don't buy counterfeit products.

 

Where can I pirate some software? How can I get my hands on some bogus $20 bills? Where can I obtain a fake passport? Why does this forum allow this baloney?

 

Wahh people are allowed to discuss things I don't morally agree with.

 

Is it actually legal to order one of these and have it imported into the US? I have no doubt that it would be possible to get one through customs and delivered to your door, but is it legal to import counterfeit goods such as this? I am assuming the bass in question would be marked as if it were a Rickenbacker. Do these even really qualify as "counterfeit goods?"

 

Allowing the promotion of the purchase of illegal, counterfeit Chinese crap is a stain on this entire forum.

 

Q: Why do people buy Rickenbackers?
A: The sound.
Q: Why do people buy the cheap copies?
A: The looks.

That pretty much says it all.

 

And I can only assume you'd have no problem with a forum thread entitled "Where to get a bootleg copy of Halabja's latest album."

(If you actually had an album, that is.)

 

I would never knowingly buy a counterfeit, but I really don't give a crap if someone else does.

Why do you care what someone else does with their money?

 

Because buying counterfeit goods hurts legitimate companies. It hurts legitimate creators. And in this case, it hurts an American company. Which means it hurts Americans.

Yeah, I care about that. So should you. And so should TalkBass.

 

Agreed. The thread wasn't created to discuss the merits of the sound or build quality, but to ask directly where a counterfeit bass could be obtained. It's beyond me how the TB forum can allow such a thread to remain on the board. For goodness' sake, earlier today a thread was banned which simply asked users to nominate ugly basses. That's not allowed, but the promotion of illegal fakes is OK? I think it's time for those who manage the TB forum to have a serious look at this.

 

I disagree. People buy those not intending to buy a real one. They buy a fakey instead of nothing. Therefore, those companies are losing no business. They're not built like the real deal. They don't play like the real deal. They don't sound like the real deal. It's the buyer's loss, not the companies'. If anything, they end up yearning for a real one because the fakey doesn't cut it, which creates business for the company that it otherwise wouldn't have had.

^That^ says it all. If someone chooses to throw away their money, let them. It's their loss.

 

Ok....I've seen enough of these..I'll play. Anyone buying a fake ric does so because they can't afford the real thing. Because the consumer was not going to spend any money on a real ric the American company is not hurt by this consumers purchase.

For people that just want the shape, I don't blame them getting a fake.

 

Ah, so Chinese counterfeit Rickenbackers are actually good for Rickenbacker's business. Makes perfect sense to me!

 

I'd be happy to wager that the folks at Rickenbacker would strongly disagree with your "assessment."

 

The same concept as killing the sick and weak strengthening the herd.

Drawing a different comparison, you're saying that boys looking at girly magazines will make them not want the real thing. I'm saying that boys looking at girly magazines will make them want the real deal that much more.