Buster Brown said:
Indeed! And now that I'm on vacation and away from my Rick (I've a Cort PJ at my parents were I'm now) I've noticed that I'm listening more to bands and songs which are played with a Ric ......
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Why Rickenbackers are so expensive?
- Thread starter supremo
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Indeed! And now that I'm on vacation and away from my Rick (I've a Cort PJ at my parents were I'm now) I've noticed that I'm listening more to bands and songs which are played with a Ric ......
landau roof said:
The decision to restrict supply is acceptable regardless of capacity.
Contemplate this: diamonds aren't really that rare.
I was on the website a while back and noticed, Rickenbacker is going to start making left handed versions again! And, one of my favorite, the natural finish series. I like their simplicity -- three controls, two pickups, minimal hardware. And I believe they will be in the same price range as the MIA Fenders. Woo hoo, can't wait!
Also, besides being American made, there is a tone they get that just CANNOT be achieved by another bass anywhere. It HAS to be a Ric to create that tone. One of my favorite examples is listen to "Waiting for A Girl Like You" by Foreigner. The bass player is excellent with a soft touch for the ballad, allowing those silky Ric tones ring open.....
Also, besides being American made, there is a tone they get that just CANNOT be achieved by another bass anywhere. It HAS to be a Ric to create that tone. One of my favorite examples is listen to "Waiting for A Girl Like You" by Foreigner. The bass player is excellent with a soft touch for the ballad, allowing those silky Ric tones ring open.....
I think it's hilarious that Rickenbacker gets all this flak, while shops like Sadowsky, Lull, Dingwall, and Fodera have similarly long wait times and similarly small shops.
The issue, I think, is that Rickenbacker has much wider distribution than those other brands, and is much more iconic.
The issue, I think, is that Rickenbacker has much wider distribution than those other brands, and is much more iconic.
IntrepidCellist said:
With the exception of Fodera, none of the shops you mention have a two year wait.
"Restricting", "limiting", "manipulating", all infer that a decision or effort is made to keep the supply from meeting demand. This isn't happening if the existing facilities are producing all they can. The choice to not invest in new infrastructure is something else.
IntrepidCellist said:
Last time i talked to Dingwall about a bass, the wait was about a year. You try ordering a bass from Sadowsky.
Edited to add: making a comparison between the delivery times of a $12,000 bass and a $1900 bass seems a tad silly, no??
Indeed! And now that I'm on vacation and away from my Rick (I've a Cort PJ at my parents were I'm now) I've noticed that I'm listening more to bands and songs which are played with a Ric ......
Yeah, I'm sorry - but I don't get it. People have this inane idea that a Rickenbacker sells for tens of thousands of dollars (I "believe" John Hall or perhaps his Dad started this myth!) and they go on and on about how "expensive" they are.
I have played these things since the early 70s and here are two myths that I can ABSOLUTELY debunk:
(1) Rickenbackers are no more expensive than the average MIA Fender or Gibson. you want to see expensive? Buy a Warrior or a Ritter.
(2) There is NO SUCH THING as a 1 year wait for a Ric!!!! I can find dozens right now. Any color. That is an absolute MYTH perpetuated (again probably by someone at Ric) to keep people talkling about their products.
That is all. Now, everyone have a nicve day!
Buster Brown said:Yeah, I'm sorry - but I don't get it. People have this inane idea that a Rickenbacker sells for tens of thousands of dollars (I "believe" John Hall or perhaps his Dad started this myth!) and they go on and on about how "expensive" they are.
I have played these things since the early 70s and here are two myths that I can ABSOLUTELY debunk:
(1) Rickenbackers are no more expensive than the average MIA Fender or Gibson. you want to see expensive? Buy a Warrior or a Ritter.
(2) There is NO SUCH THING as a 1 year wait for a Ric!!!! I can find dozens right now. Any color. That is an absolute MYTH perpetuated (again probably by someone at Ric) to keep people talkling about their products.
That is all. Now, everyone have a nicve day!
The wait for a dealer to receive inventory from RIC is approximately two years. Call any dealer and ask them.
The fact of the matter is, they are a similar business model, except Fodera and Dingwall's more "exotic" instruments are even more scarce, and you hardly see people complaining about wait times on those shops.
The issue is that Rickenbacker has a much greater national exposure and dealer network (and thus greater demand) than any of the other small shops I've mentioned. And Rickenbacker are a very small shop. This means that available inventory is stretched thin. It means that they've got a buyer for every instrument they make, which means that they're running pretty safely (a good thing to do, especially in this economy.)
And, since their dealer network is so extensive, it's very possible to get a new 4003 in just about any color available for well under $2k.
Plus, an American-made bass from just about any other small shop will be priced similarly. I hardly see how they're out of line, especially with all the custom hardware and pickups they use.
The shops you mention have a base price for guitars as well. When you want a fodera, you know exactly what you're going to pay, and you know when you're going to get it.
http://www.fodera.com/PublicPages/PriceLists.aspx
Hall thinks this directly puts dealers into a bad position because they do not get the final say in price. You have to remember, Rickenbacker deals with dealers only, they do not sell to players. This is misconception. They're expensive because dealers have the only say in price, and because of an image of Rickenbacker Guitars. You can go on ebay and see guitars are twice MSRP and 4-5x as much as wholesale.
http://www.ebay.com/sch/Musical-Instruments-Gear-/619/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=4003
It's all rather coy and ingenuous, but at the same time, asinine, as the charade is slowly falling apart, especially given the recent build "quality". (Many members remember the MID sale a while ago)
This idea, one of suppressing knowledge, plays a key role in how Rickenbacker are perceived by people (one of being a rare, hard to come by, quality MIA instrument). Couple that with "30 years of Rickenbacker magic". Man, you're doing nothing less than literally printing money.
Anyway, this topic is discussed at least once every few months. Rickenbacker will dwindle. They have been for years. They will not compromise. Hall will sellout, and Rickenbacker will die a slow death. Nothing of value will be lost. The magic was already created with these instruments long before my time.
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Threads like this remind me that they no longer teach Econ in public high schools.........
Glad to see that when you run out of arguments, you're always willing to go the ad hominem route.
Sure they could grow, but that would be expensive and risky. If Rickenbacker is doing just fine the way they are (and by all accounts, they are) then more power to them.
Deciding to occupy a higher price point and keep production runs small is a legitimate business decision, and I fail to see the problem with the way that they are doing it.
If you don't like it, don't buy one. I got one used, and I'm pretty happy with it for what I paid.
I can understand the Rick, but it is the Hoffner that beats me, sure if you can get one of the copies, or the lower end Hoffner's I can see having one. The full fledged one, just blows my mind, there really seems to not be very much there, other than the marketing of Sir Paul playing it.
Sounds like if you got it used you can't, literally, support this business plan.
Good day sir.
I'm actually going to be buying one of the jetglos from Apple music hopefully within the next month or so... It's an awesome store run by great people and they easily have the best selection of high end guitars and basses of any store I've been to. Everyone should check 'em out if you live in the northwest.
Finding nothing wrong with their business practices and saving my own money are two entirely different concerns.
Umm, what?
The small shop working at capacity selling everything they can make before they can make it will dwindle and die, and Mr. Hall will have to sell it?
I think you just don't like Rics and are making a wishful prognosis.
