prowla

I’ve got a rather nice MIC Ovation and an Aria Pro PE. My iPhone is MIC, plus a selection of other kit. However I’ve also bought things recently which have been wrong, faulty, or poor quality.

I don't think that everything made in China is ropey; there is no way that is possible and the country produces loads of high-quality goods. It's just the bottom-end of the market, where things are made to a low price with little quality control; no different to anywhere else, really. In addition to that, there are the cheap counterfeits, as exemplified by the guitars with fake brands.

The problem with Jaydees (for me) is that they are rather large.

Hahaha!!!! It started with Chinese counterfeit Gibsons being called Chibsons, and went from there...

Yep - for £150 new it's difficult to find just complaints about it. I frequent some other fora and every once in a while someone buys a Chickenbacker and then sets out their plans to put a Ric bridge and pickups on it, and/or says it's as good or better than a real Ric, and/or someone is selling one at a hugely inflated price. So I now get the collywobbles whenever I see those bridges. What this is is a Chickenbacker with a different body shape and headstock, and a bit of fun; can't say fairer than that! 🙂

See - I knew it would all go to pot!

Yep - the issue is that the dimensions of the Chickenbackers (of which the HB is one!) are different to the Ric and so the bridge position is in a different place; they made a base plate in a similar shape, but it is not really the same.

Zat's wot I sed!

Well, Rics are supposed to have a low action and a hint of fret buzz (or at least that's how I like them!).

The brexit bill was that existing EU legislation is adopted into UK law; presumably it will remain so until it is specifically changed. Yes, I think the body shapes, pickups, etc. aren't covered this side of the pond.

Ah yes - the US ones too...

Here's one of the EU registered trademarks. https://euipo.europa.eu/eSearch/#details/trademarks/010177038 HB (and Rocktile) have decided to avoid that by just plonking a different headstock on their copies. I don't have it to hand, but RIC also registered the distinctive upper edge curve of the body.

Also, Rickenbackers aren't cheap!

You've expressed my thoughts perfectly! 🙂

He'd need more than the usual half bottle of JD if you gave him that to work on!

Can you imagine trying to adjust the truss rod and neck relief on that!?

Now £285.00...

🙂 I've just got the treble pickup added; I had to cut the treble pickup mount to fit it to a normal humbucker mount...

I'm glad I didn't see it in time, or I would've bought it.

They originally did a Fender shape and then modified it to avoid the possibility of legalities...

Dunno - I've never weighed one; they just seem fine to me when compared to putting on another bass.

As a further comment on the 'faker question, the stereo output of the Japanese ones which had dual outputs is labelled "Stereo-Sound" instead of "Ric-o-Sound". The Japanese fakers also didn't have the serial number stampes on the jack plate.

Someone on another site said that they thought the originals were Gotohs too! This is a really good neck, BTW - Blades are fine instruments. I've currently got it on a Warman body, but I think it might merit a better one. The downside is that the overhang in the neck pocket is deeper than a normal Fender fretboard extension, as it includes the truss-rod adjuster; that means that the bulkhead between the neck pocket and the neck pickup well needs to be cut down.

I'll be there! I'll bring along my latest faker too... (For the record, it's the one on the right which is a real Rickenbacker and a couple of folks had a go on it at the last SE Bass Bash!)