Totally agree. Wasn't saying they were morally upright, they were doing what was best for business and you can't argue with that.
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Totally agree. Wasn't saying they were morally upright, they were doing what was best for business and you can't argue with that.
No, it wasn’t a simultaneous independent creation. The Tubeampology Treble Bezel was on sale for several years before Ric ripped it off. Take a look at the Tubeampology site and Ric boutique. The two products are virtually identical. I’m sure a lawyer could spin some legalese to obscure the issue, but it’s just blatant hypocrisy, all too common these days when law favors the highest bidder every time. I just loathe a hypocrite, personal failing, I guess.
Yup, understood. I too applaud Ric for creating very original designs, realizing the importance of those designs' appearances, and aggressively policing imitators, without assigning any particular moral significance. They've given us an iconic American guitar brand, and there aren't many brands that can say that. That said, I'm also glad that Fender and Gibson were more lax about protecting their brands' appearances, else we'd be really constrained in designs.
You realize how hard it is to not make a snarky comment about US foreign policy after an opener like that?
But yeah, get the tubeampology version. It’s original and higher quality to boot.
I have a running 'dossier' on leftybassist dot com, here's today's post.
December 1, 2019, kaput. I discovered the failing glue joint at the neck tenon recently... and pondered what to do. I deliberately left tension on the strings, to see how far the opening would develop. Last night, after coming home from my gig... I found out.
Total failure of the glue joint. I have not yet tried to take the neck out. I will later on, and post updates. I'm not really too upset, I knew I might either have to send this bass back to China, at my shipping cost at least one way- or try to take the back off to repair the tenon. It seems like the Chinese builders may have used a short tenon, inadequate to withstand the leverage placed upon it by string tension. This may be an opportunity to simply strengthen the existing tenon from the unseen part, and surface it properly, to achieve the correct angle of set- and then glue it back in, using real glue... not some factory crap that I've seen in Chinese upright basses.
Here's some pics. Again, unless you are a repairman/ woman- or are just taking a chance- if you MUST buy a Chickenbacker, get a neck through 4000 series bass.
December 1, 2019, kaput. I discovered the failing glue joint at the neck tenon recently... and pondered what to do. I deliberately left tension on the strings, to see how far the opening would develop. Last night, after coming home from my gig... I found out.
Total failure of the glue joint. I have not yet tried to take the neck out. I will later on, and post updates. I'm not really too upset, I knew I might either have to send this bass back to China, at my shipping cost at least one way- or try to take the back off to repair the tenon. It seems like the Chinese builders may have used a short tenon, inadequate to withstand the leverage placed upon it by string tension. This may be an opportunity to simply strengthen the existing tenon from the unseen part, and surface it properly, to achieve the correct angle of set- and then glue it back in, using real glue... not some factory crap that I've seen in Chinese upright basses.
Here's some pics. Again, unless you are a repairman/ woman- or are just taking a chance- if you MUST buy a Chickenbacker, get a neck through 4000 series bass.
That's the same problem some people have had with the Chinese Ric style kit basses Pitbull guitars use to sell, featured on the Guns and Guitars YT site. The 1/4" of wood left under the neck tenon on a set neck Chickenbacker can flex under string tension, and half the thickness of the neck tenon has already been hogged out for the neck pup, so if the glue job was sloppy, it fails. This occasionally happens to real Rics too, but it's pretty rare on a 4 string.
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I took the strings off, and literally pulled the neck out of the body. The tenon, as I suspected, is WAY too short. I'm, as I've mentioned many times here on TB, a luthier and repairman. I am not going to take the back off, and mod the tenon to be like a real Rickenbacker, where the 4005 tenon goes all the way to the bridge. This is pretty straightforward. The 'socket' it is glued into- is also short. I doubt the end of the tenon was even touching the end of the pocket. An end-grain joint, isn't a good thing, either. I will remove the neck pickup, and examine the neck pocket. I can add some seriously strong steel tube- or maybe I will have enough room to add wood. The advantage here, is a better joint, and I can reset the neck to sit at the correct angle to the body, which it did not have upon its arrival here.
WOW! I never saw a real 4005 with the back off. I assumed (you know what they say about assume!) that it was like this luthier built one. Thanks for posting, Jeff! And P.S., The Chinese one- the tenon is not as long as the genuine 4005, either.
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I'm going to add an extension/ scarf joint to the existing tenon, and use some type of permanent reinforcement in the tenon from the new end into the factory wood. Then I'll drill/ and chisel out wood from the areas my tools can reach. I'll glue it in, with hot hide glue, so it can someday, be removed if necessary... at the correct angle, touch it up, and be done with it. I don't think I'll need to do a bolt on, although it would make things easier.
That sort of thought process doesn't factor into the Chinese counterfeit instrument strategy at all. They could make a more structurally sound instrument, but their business model is built on making instruments that look the correct enough to get a sale. You're on AliExpress, three beers in, and you fancy a 4005 bass. And when are you ever going to get the chance to buy or even play a real one? Do it! $300 gets you something that looks a bit like a 4005. That is their business model.
The same mentality has people buying $5 AirPods and knock-off sonic toothbrush heads for $3. They are selling you the unbelievable; the someday-nice-to-have goods for a price you can pay now. Besides we can convince ourselves that the bootleg AirPods all come from the same factory anyway, much as people love to claim all sorts of instruments are sneakily built in China in the same factories that churn out Rickenbacker copies and Les Pauls with 'Gibson' on the headstock at $250 a unit.
The Chinese guitar plants could replicate a 4005 down to the last screw, tuner bushing, washer and capacitor. They simply don't have to do any of that. They don't have to weigh up the structural shortcomings of their instruments. They don't have to worry about the frets actually being in the right places for the instrument to intonate. They don't have to worry about bridges that never allow the action to be adjusted low enough.
If a buyer kicks up a fuss they either forget English or they shut up shop and start another store on TradeTang or wherever.
Odd that you'd say that about ric. then again maybe this is something current. My 1997 4003 Autumnglo is absolutely stunning. I've bought it almost new and have only played it a handfull of times. To me. its too beautiful to take to a gig.
