Why Rickenbackers are so expensive?

[terrytunz]

the bing covers the fret ends and has to be cut or stripped

 

[Freez]

To all of you RIC lovers and defenders out there. Correct me if I am wrong. Wasn't the orginal thread a question about why are they are Sooooo Expensive? I'm done with this. The reason why they are so expensive is because they have a loyal following who will come to their defense even if thought to be attacked and will pay whatever price they set. People are responding with personal reasons abut their love for RICS and all other kinds of things. This is about the price price. God forbid I should say RICS are passe' and just a niche bass. I happen to like RICs and yes they are overpriced. End of story, I'm otta here. Some angry people in the world today.

Waaaah! I say Ricks are overpriced and someone disagreed with my opinion so I'm taking my ball and going home...

Overpriced is a matter of opinion and personal economic situation, and clearly lots of us that love Ricks don't feel they're overpriced. We see the VALUE in the instrument, and we convey that by saying what we like about them. It's called "backing up your opinion with facts", and it's a much better way to have a discourse that just saying that they're overpriced and having a hissy fit when others disagree. If you think they are overpriced, spend your money elsewhere. I don't care, and neither does RIC. Is a $4,000 custom bass overpriced? I might think so, but the guy who paid for it to be exactly what he wanted loves it, and his opinion is the only one that matters, because it's his bass.

 

[Jeff Scott]

the bing covers the fret ends and has to be cut or stripped

RIC is not alone in this, other builders do this, too.

 

[GeezerDeacon69]

The endless bickering on these threads never fails to crack me up. Why must we label each other "fanboys" or "haters"?

One's opinion of a musical instrument SHOULD be based on personal experience, and everyone has different experiences.

My experience with a RIC was horrible. I bought one new during the infamous MID sale at MF. The pickups were ridiculously weak sounding, the binding starting cracking after a couple of months, and the paint started flaking off at about the same time. The bass never left the house and was kept at a steady temperature and humidity. My RIC was a piece of crap, straight up. Does that mean ALL RICs are crap? Of course not, but if someone asks me about Rickenbacker, the only INFORMED response I can give is personal experience. That doesn't make me a hater. Those with positive RIC experiences, conversely, are not fanboys.

 

[audiomitch]

The juvenile endless bickering on these threads never fails to crack me up. Why must we label each other "fanboys" or "haters"?

The critics are a lot faster to label you a "fanboy" if you try to interject any type of objectivity. It's almost pathological. I've seen some of these bashing threads where no one is even defending the bass and the critics are decrying the "fanboys". There wasn't even a single "fanboy" response in the thread!

Facts are disregarded, personal experiences and recorded history both ignored. It's truly weird.

I'm spending more of my time and energy playing my Ric/Fender/Lakland/Gibson/Peavey/Hofner/Westone/SX basses and less time on these silly semantics these days.

 

[Shawn Luckman]

I have 3 and the necks on them vary a little - none of them are uncomfortable at all though.

Shawn - you'll have to get together with Andy Mannion and myself one evening and we can compare our Rics!

Hello mate Andy had mentioned trying to meet up sometime,I would like to see your varied bass collection.

 

[Paul Boyer]

I guess you could say that they did. The 3001 and its short-scale brother 3000, were introduced in 1975. On the 1976 price sheet, the 3000 cost about two-thirds of the price of the flagship 4001, and the full-scale 3001 cost three-quarters of the 4001 price. Both featured only a single pickup on a simplified (but heavy) maple body, no binding, dot position markers, "bolt-on" necks (wood screws, really) and simplified controls and no "Rick-O-Sound" feature.

The 3000 was discontinued, and the 3001 morphed into the 2030/2050 line in 1984 with a passive circuit board in place of much of the wiring. These in turn evolved into the 2020/2060 line in 1992, but discontinued in 1995. Much more on these in my forthcoming book.

 

[BawanaRik]

I had one 1980. I got rid of it becuase of dead spot on the A. I mean when there was an A the rest of the band is looking at me because it sounded like I stopped playing.

I thought I was the only one.

I LOVE the look of Ricks, and LOVE the sound of Ricks, but I do not love the build quality.

A major manufacturer like they are should have been able to get the dead spots out of the neck, and fix the damn bridge so that it doesn't lift up by this time in their history.

They are only as expensive as they are because of the Beatles. In fact, the Beatles pretty much saved that company, though from my point of view, they are digging themselves a pretty big hole right now. People want it, but can't get it. One day people will notice how Fender and others are building AWESOME guitars, charging less, and you can get them right now.

 

[Korladis]

I don't think I've ever played one with dead noticeable dead spots.

 

[phillybass101]

Waaaah! I say Ricks are overpriced and someone disagreed with my opinion so I'm taking my ball and going home...

Overpriced is a matter of opinion and personal economic situation, and clearly lots of us that love Ricks don't feel they're overpriced. We see the VALUE in the instrument, and we convey that by saying what we like about them. It's called "backing up your opinion with facts", and it's a much better way to have a discourse that just saying that they're overpriced and having a hissy fit when others disagree. If you think they are overpriced, spend your money elsewhere. I don't care, and neither does RIC. Is a $4,000 custom bass overpriced? I might think so, but the guy who paid for it to be exactly what he wanted loves it, and his opinion is the only one that matters, because it's his bass.

Some of you have it completely wrong. I'm not crying at all. I'm laughing at typical ugly American ignorance. You can;t see the forest for the trees.

1. I have played on RICs before (that is gigged), I even mention that I like them.
2. The original thread reads Why Rickenbackers are so expensive.????Not why are they soooo good for the money they charge.
3. I replied with my opinion
4. Then all the responses from RIC owners or lovers
5. Quality, value, business admininstration defenses.
6. For what you get they are still overpriced. I said it I meant it. I can get a custom made carvin bass with my specs for $1200/$1300.
7. I indicated how other makers offer affordable versions
and what happens, Sterling by MM expands it's line to include a new SUB version, and a CA model. All priced around $600.
Get your heads out of the sand. It's not my ball, but someone else is taking it and running away with it. Its the other makers who realize that there is a market out there for an affordable version of their more expensive models. End of my participation in this thread. Good thing I don't base my opinion of a bass by the people who play on it.

RICs are good basses and overpriced, HAHAHAHAH!!!

 

[phillybass101]

Yes, they are comparable in price to the nicer, American-made Fender models. That's part of what makes this whinefest that they're too expensive so ridiculous.

Don't get me wrong guys. New American Fenders are overpriced too for what you get. I don't discriminate so don't think I'm just harping on RIC. Before I lay down 2k for a New American Fender, I'd buy a Lakland Skyline DJ 5 for like $1300 or so. Much nicer bass anyway. You guys just don't realize that you're getting jacked that's all.

 

[TOG]

OVERPRICED: most sports players, lexus/mercedes/bmw, movie stars, college professors, most union workers, many teachers, health care services, many medications...

 

[DBCrocky]

 

[Deep Release]

Because people like me are ok with paying the price they set!

 

[phillybass101]

If 5000 people come against 1 person to say that he is wrong, that person probably sees something they all refuse to see or accept. See how far we have evolved as people? This is just like a witch hunt and I'm laughing about how I'm being accused of being a whiner. I could care less about a RIC or a Fender or any brand name for that matter. For what's being offered by alot of vendors, their products are over priced. I play on a Geddy Lee jazz and when I see the MSRP for one I cringe.

 

[Mola Ram]

If 5000 people come against 1 person to say that he is wrong, that person probably sees something they all refuse to see or accept.

Or...OR...that one person is bonkers.

Just saying...if one person out of 5000 is convinced that their dog is telling them to kill people I don't think the obvious answer is that those 4999 aren't listening hard enough.

 

[electracoyote]

I don't think I've ever played one with dead noticeable dead spots.

I've played dozens, never found a dead spot.

But on these threads, the anomaly becomes the norm.

 

[landau roof]

For what you get they are still overpriced. I said it I meant it. I can get a custom made carvin bass with my specs for $1200/$1300.

Whatever checklist you've gone down that equates any Carvin to a RIC doesn't include the criteria that make a RIC unique.

It's you that's missing the forest for the trees, sorry.

 

[WokenDeer]

There are plenty of basses around and above the $1,500 mark. Are they "jacking" us too? Should we all play custom $1000 basses, is that the right thing to do? Rickenbackers cost that much because they cost that much and some people are of the opinion that it's worth it... So they buy it. And if you don't think it's worth it and you can do better for cheaper. Then that's cool too. You cant really find a Correct answer in the opinion department. This whole thread is kind of a pointless argument. If some of you guys think you can do better then where's your guitar shops and cult followings? And also. 2 grand might be a years savings for someone. And someone else's chump change. It's all relative anyway. People will fight about anything over the Internet. Is there an award system I don't know about for winning?

 

[Davbassdude]

I really have no idea what you're talking about when you say they're so expensive. I have bought two Rics. The first was a new 4001 I bought in 1978 on sale for $357.00. That one was ripped off in 1980. In 1981 I bought a new 4003 for $485.00. These prices were on par with any other American made bass at that time. Something I have been told, but have not been able to confirm regarding Ricks is that they only produce 300 at a time. They were both Mapleglo, and I actually LOVE my 4003. The only modification I had to make was removal of that annoying little cheap white metal hum bar over the pickup. The 4001's were not as sturdy as the 4003's. The neck would need to be adjusted if you looked at it funny.