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Why Rickenbackers are so expensive?

Like everything else here in America now. Greed and inflation plain and simple. Everyplace along the supply chain people are jacking their prices and jacking each other and blaming things on the economy and elevating prices. If the world wasn't so damn greedy and not always trying to jack each other to maintian a 'certain' profit margin prices could remain affordable and sustainable. Greed kiiled previous dynastys before. The same goes for every other expensive custom or production bass out there. Somebody, somewhere along the chain started yanking the chain, and others followed suit. I think it's a disgrace that we're buying 2-6K (priced) basses made out of $500 worth of parts. Even the prices of parts are jacked. How is a bass custom when everyone is using the same 'standard' in electronics and parts. Go to any custom luthier website and you'll see the same cookie cutter parts in all of their basses. whats special or custom is that 'this jacking has been made especially for you' LOL!!!!! I too am subject to it and guilty of it, especially when I get greedy and just have to have it.

Mostly inflation, actually. Someone already posted the conversion for how much Rickenbackers were back in the old days. They were more expensive then, adjusted for inflation.
 
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Pretty typical Ric thread IMO...;)

Unfortunately very true. These Ric bashing threads tend to go on forever. But don't worry, if you get tired of this one another one will pop up next week. Same cast of characters, same script, same myths, same old same old...
 
Some of the earliest Rickenbackers from the 1930s bare the brand name Electro, and in the late 50s or early 60s they revived the name for a line of' student' or 'budget' instruments. They were made in the same factory, but with less involved construction featuring set necks rather than necks-through, and a less intense finishing process. Everything else, I believe, was standard Rickenbacker equipment. IIRC Electro offered a 'kit' to assemble your own too.

EDIT: msb beat me to it!
 
Unfortunately very true. These Ric bashing threads tend to go on forever. But don't worry, if you get tired of this one another one will pop up next week. Same cast of characters, same script, same myths, same old same old...

Oh I never get tired of it, I find it quite entertaining...;)

I am a Ric owner and I love my 4003. If someone else doesn't that's cool too. Rock on...:bassist:
 
It's exactly this type of childish behaviour, RIC bashing most specifically, that led me to NOT continue as a supporting member on this site. Absolutley astonishing the level of mis-information, and downright stupidity, that certain members exhibit. Shameful.
 
Are Rick's expensive? If your answer is yes, I won't argue with you, that's your choice.

But I'd answer they're not inexpensive but worth the cost which makes them a good value...my music is important to me...so my Rick's were worth the cost to me.

If you're really interested in owning one, start saving and play whatever you currently have for a while.
After you eventually get it the money will be forgotten after a while.

Not sure this helps, but there's been a lot of nonsense on this thread.
 
RickenBoogie said:
It's exactly this type of childish behaviour, RIC bashing most specifically, that led me to NOT continue as a supporting member on this site. Absolutley astonishing the level of mis-information, and downright stupidity, that certain members exhibit. Shameful.

Ric bashing is pretty silly. But it does happen. I like Rics, but can't spend the $800-$1000 needed for a Ric, especially since I don't play just the bass. But I don't bash rics for being expensive. They are worth the cost. There is constant bashing on other forums too, but I learned to live with it. It still annoys me, but I'm over it.
 
I don't know, to me it seems that most of the problems people associate with rickenbacker are more the type like: well nothings perfect. And out of all the "problems" these basses have. I think they're out the bottom of my worry list. That and it's opinion just like anything else. There's nothing wrong with its shape or sound or feel. Some like it. Some don't. There's basses I see here that I don't particularly like, but they are definitely useful and functioning basses for someone.
 
You'd have to be pretty desperate or impatient to pay that price

Well if it's out of stock, they wouldn't be desperate or impatient, so there's that. The more likely scenario is that they just wouldn't know any better. They also wouldn't know that the July 22nd date is likely to be complete bollocks because Ric doesn't ever really let anyone know when they are getting them in. They just show up. I'm sure it's because Ric employees are way too busy working hard on a new bridge, or the paint failures, or the many other inconsistencies...that's got to be why they can't let their dealers know when their orders will arrive:D

when a few phone calls can easily get you the same bass NIB for several hundred dollars less.

There is one place I know for sure that can beat this price for "several hundred dollars less". Others, it's a matter of a hundred bucks plus local tax.
 
Rick basses were nice until around 73, not now though and why cant or dont they build a corrected 5 string ...........much better basses for the bread but i guess if u want to sound like the players that made them famous you'll spend the bread ...i wouldn't