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Who currently makes a nice Rickenbacker 4001 copy?

#68
McDreads said:
Rickenbacker is just plain stupid: Everybody in the market willing to pay 1.5-2K will never consider buying a copy, almost everybody buying a copy will buy the original down the road. So not being all that harsh on copycats is just good business.(look at Fender)
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Without bringing up the entire old debate and dragging it out... Ric own their designs and quite rightly protect them. Companies should be able to create a product and not have the rest of the world just rip it off. People who want a Ric should really buy a Ric. The imitators get nowhere near on the whole. Inferior copies like Rockinbetters DO reduce Ric's own product's sales potential. Fender and Gibson must wish they had done the same over the years, too.

If there were no copies, there would be lots of great new designs around, instead of acres of jazz basses and P basses.
 
#69
Not really a copy per se, but I would love one nonetheless...

0098%20burny%20prb-55_all.jpg
 
#71
At this point I really don't think the copies are cutting into RIC sales, case in point being there's over a year wait on ordering one from RIC if i'm not mistaken. Their CEO has said they can sell all they make (one reason behind the lack of innovation some comment on). I don't think the main motivation is to protect sales, but to protect ideas (otherwise why go after people selling 30 year old copies?) The two are interrelated to a degree, but yeah, they own the patents so they can pursue them with however much zeal they want, end of story. If someone doesn't like that, they can vote with their dollars.
Also I think demand influences design, not the other way around. There's acres of fender type basses because that's what people want, not because there's no alternatives (there's plenty). Take the Parker Fly guitar for example....a totally revolutionary design, and they were ubiquitous during the 90's. Now I never see one...and haven't in many years. I guess they are dated now, and a fender will never be. Gibson has been pretty much been cranking out the same bass models for the last few decades just like fender. I think there is sort of a mindset that guitars are like cars and should be constantly changed and improved each year. There's only so much that can be done. I would never pay over a grand for a fender type bolt on, but that's just me....
 
#72
The problem with the Ric copies is the way the trademark law is written.

Any company that wants to keep its trademark has to actively pursue any and all trademark violations aggressively or they will lose that trademark.

Fender and Gibson have pretty much lost many of their trademarks in their designs through lack of enforcement. This is why Essex can make their cheap $100 copies of classic designs.

I would seriously love to have one of those Sandberg 5 string Ric copies. That would be my dream bass.
 
#73
Darkstrike said:
Fender manage it, G&L do, Lakland, Gibson, and many more, the answer is to get Cort to make 'em!:D

Seriously though I do believe that they could do it if they wanted to, don't even have to make them that low cost, $1000 dollar Ricks would sell like hotcakes, cheaper pickups, bolt on neck, cheaper tuners, bridge.

Off topic: Sandberg Custom Shop Ricky!!!
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I want that bass!!
 
#75
Darkstrike said:
Fender manage it, G&L do, Lakland, Gibson, and many more, the answer is to get Cort to make 'em!:D

Seriously though I do believe that they could do it if they wanted to, don't even have to make them that low cost, $1000 dollar Ricks would sell like hotcakes, cheaper pickups, bolt on neck, cheaper tuners, bridge.

Off topic: Sandberg Custom Shop Ricky!!!
Link Removed
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make it a 7 string, put some sharktooth inlays on the board, move the neck pup a bit closer to the neck, and make a custom pg, and i'd be on that like white flies on rice. wow. :D
 
#77
What's a Ric 4003 going for nowadays? I looked on Musician's Friend, but you have to email for the price. My father has always played a 4001, so I'm pretty familiar with the Ric sound and feel. They are exceptional instruments. Though, are they worth the prices that people are selling them for on Ebay? In my opinion, no ****ing way! Then again, I've always found the "vintage guitar" scene to be pretty asinine.

Is it just me or is the pickup cover on that Rockinbetter look crooked? The horseshoe cover looks so much better.
 
#78
Darkstrike said:
Mabye the would do it, it could kick ass!:)


Or we just get two extra strings and some duct tape, see what happens.........:ninja:
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heh. problem for me would be getting a custom from europe would be seriously expensive now. i was lucky i got my ritter when i did - the euro went nuts right afterward, and hasn't calmed down since.
 
#80
john turner said:
heh. problem for me would be getting a custom from europe would be seriously expensive now. i was lucky i got my ritter when i did - the euro went nuts right afterward, and hasn't calmed down since.
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Forgot about that!
Then again, there must be some US luthiers who would be up to the task.

We used to always have the same problem, and still do to an extent, where with American brands, we pay major import, so Rickys, Fenders, Gibsons etc. cost abnormal amounts of money, and as far as I can tell, Ireland and the UK are worse than mainland Europe, hell, locally a MIM Fender costs just a little less than that Sandberg. :scowl:
 

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