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Why Rickenbackers are so expensive?

#42
I agree with the comments here about how Rickenbacker sells every one it makes and can pretty much set the price. They should really cost more....

After 30+ years I finally had the money to buy one...sight unseen. The first time my band saw it was at a big show we were playing. They absolutely LOVED it....and so did I.

And about the arm thing - yes, it bit into my arm the first time I played it, but not after that. Maybe I just adjusted to it...but it's very easy to play. The only issue I have with mine is the E string is a bit high and I occasionally push it over the side of the neck. Maybe I'll have to get it lowered. But for some reason the E string doesn't have the same 'pop' as the other strings....I don't understand why, but I love it.
 
#45
Every guitar manufacture has had their issues. Every One. So this notion of Ric quality issues is a non-issue IMO. Sure, they had some struggles going to CNC manufacturing, but that has been ironed out, and their new two-piece neck design is as straight and strong as could be.

As far as price goes, I read that dealers get a 4003 for around $900. So for a US manufacturer to get these out the door for that price is a feat in itself. If you price shop, you can buy new for $1400~$1500.

The bridge is always a topic for discussion. New ones seem to be okay, time will tell. They did have some plans for a re-design, but with their backlog, all their efforts have been on clearing that backlog. It is a small 100% family owned company.
 
#48
guy n. cognito said:
Simple supply and demand. RIC keeps the supply low, therefore manufacturing the perception of high demand. That perception of demand allows them to charge higher prices.
Click to expand...

Perception? It's an economic reality. Whether you think they manipulate supply or not, it's not just a matter of "perception". Their stuff sells.

Basic supply-demand applies to them like anyone else. I remember in 2008 when supplies were very dry, people were actually paying full price for 4003s, around the $2000 mark. Since mid-2009 average prices have declined $200-300 at popular RIC dealers.

Coolhandjjl said:
As far as price goes, I read that dealers get a 4003 for around $900. So for a US manufacturer to get these out the door for that price is a feat in itself. If you price shop, you can buy new for $1400~$1500.
Click to expand...

A friend of mine in the music instrument business told me $800 for a Ric bass to any dealer, which is pretty close to your estimate. But I don't think he dealt directly with RIC at any time working at his shop--he was definitely an underling--so his information isn't necessarily top-notch. Still you are right, it is easy enough to find a good deal on Rics, especially with supply being what it is right now. Wildwood has several MGs in stock last I checked for around the $1600 mark.
 
#50
I think, rickenbackers are so expensive:

because they are made of crappy wood
because the neck joint can easily break, if too many people look at it
because the neck profile is for little girl's hands (as sir paul's)
because the upper body binding is cutting in your forearm, if you are no pick player
because the laqcer is about 1 mm thick to kill the rest of life in the crappy wood
because the whole electric is a never ending repair job
because they are horribly balanced
and first of all:
because it has no bass at all, only deep mids.

I don't think that the design is the reason - if you design a ricky or a jazzy, it is the same work.

I think they're damn pretty, but no tool.

The only rickies in music history really sounding good are heavily modified.

Come on, butcher me...;-)

Greetz
 
#51
cassius987 said:
Perception? It's an economic reality. Whether you think they manipulate supply or not, it's not just a matter of "perception". Their stuff sells.

Basic supply-demand applies to them like anyone else. I remember in 2008 when supplies were very dry, people were actually paying full price for 4003s, around the $2000 mark. Since mid-2009 average prices have declined $200-300 at popular RIC dealers.

A friend of mine in the music instrument business told me $800 for a Ric bass to any dealer, which is pretty close to your estimate. But I don't think he dealt directly with RIC at any time working at his shop--he was definitely an underling--so his information isn't necessarily top-notch. Still you are right, it is easy enough to find a good deal on Rics, especially with supply being what it is right now. Wildwood has several MGs in stock last I checked for around the $1600 mark.
Click to expand...

Don't get your panties in a wad. There's nothing negative intended in my post about your beloved brand. Keeping supply low to create demand and inflate value is a legitimate marketing strategy employed by many companies. Perception IS reality even if some don't realize how such things work.
 
#53
They're not that expensive compared to a Fender (still don't get the pricing for those) or a T-bird or G&L, EBMM, etc. Like others have mentioned, no cheap foreign made copies to devalue the brand and design, and nothing else sounds quite like them, although my Cirrus can do a reasonable impersonation with enough EQ fiddling. I tend to wear my bass lower than some, so after playing a Ric for a couple of minutes, I adjust to the different ergonomics and forget about it and revel in the feel of the neck and the distinct sound and overall vibe. I will own one one day (after we sell our house and move somewhere less expensive), and I wouldn't mind paying what they go for. Of course, Chris Squire is one of my all-time favorite players, and early Geddy, so I may be a bit biased.
 
#54
Alvaro Martín Gómez A.;12889663 said:
Rickenbackers have never been cheap instruments, but they got a noticeable price hike in late 2006. Invalid Link Removed. (The article is dated August 2008, but I clearly remember it happened in late 2006 because I got my Ric early the same year and some months later I was like "phew! I was lucky!")
Click to expand...

I just read that linked article. I was guessing they were around a 20 million dollar company, but the article hinted closer to 10 million. That is a really really small company. Kudos to them for keeping it going. It is easy for a manufacturer to over expand, over extend their loans, then lose control by having to sell to their creditors, or to a competitor. (That's pretty much what happens to the other 99% of music companies.)
 
#55
In 1968, a 4001 bass had a list price of $429.50, which, adjusted for inflation, is $2,780 in 2012 money. In 2012, a 4003 bass has a list price of $2,159. If anything Rickenbackers are quite a bit *less* expensive (relatively) than they used to be.

What's changed, with the globalization of the labor market, is the expectation.
 
#56
Re:"keeping supply low to create demand is a legitimate marketing strategy"..with Ric,the reality is not so much a marketing ploy, actually the factory is churning them out as reasonably fast as they can,it just isn't capable of higher production,and the demand outstrips the supply. At least thats the way it seems to me.....as has been said,they are a smaller company with only one production facility and a finite staff/crew. And My panties are loose and unbunched,just an observation .....i've no dog in this hunt particularly,i've owned about 8 Ric basses (currently 3) over the past 35 years,but i have yet to purchase a brand new one.
As for their perceived value,used Ric 4000 series basses seem to sell on the used market for pretty close to what a new one costs,so,that represents their desirability,quality standards,etc.
 
#57
They stifle competition by requiring dealers not to post the prices of the basses. Hall claims this allows dealers to sell their basses at any price they deem fair. Since MSRP is the only thing that becomes a public number, it becomes the go-to reference for price.

MSRP is usually displayed as $2,250 or something along those lines. Rickenbacker usually sells their basses to dealers for $1,100. Everything in between and above is artificial inflation, from in my opinion, a fascist.
 
#58
Rickenbackers are so expensive because that's what people will pay for them. I won't. I'm someone who would buy a budget version if it existed but I don't have the money for a real version. As a result, instead of getting some of my money, they get none.

But they're obviously generating enough demand at the current price, so all the best to them and their customers.
 
#59
Small company, great quality product, high demand... what else?

I called Ric a few months ago and asked to speak to The Man.....they transferred me to Mr. Hall who took my call and discussed my concern. Try that with ANY other bass company besides maybe Ken Smith and Roger Sadowsky....both of whom also took my calls in the past. Great product and people who are love what they do...much like EBMM.
 
#60
Rickenbacker ticks me off. I like their instruments but they have some business practices that really need a re-think.

1) I have ordered both fretted & fretless 4003 basses; the fretted I waited 11-months for; the fretless I waited 2-yrs for before cancelling the order.

No one should have to wait 2-yrs for a new solid-body guitar; they aren't building hand carved archtop guitars & dipping them in swamp water under a full moon.
I don't want to take one that's been hanging on a wall for months and months. I want a brand new instrument! Moreover, they aren't plentiful where I live.

Their warranty is a pathetic joke. I know a man who bought a new 4003 from an authorized dealer; the neck did a pretzel act and the dealer informed Ric about it.

The owner did not send in his warranty card within the prescribed time-frame.

So, the warranty would not be honoured! The purchaser of the instrument was out of luck as far as Rickenbacker was concerned!

If a manufacturer of a less established product tried this - they'd be out of business!
 

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