The All New RickenFaker Thread

[KevB]

Can see why there is a market for fakers, I was in PMT at the weekend and stood gaping at the price of a real jetglow 4003 (admittedly a LH model) - just short of £2900 I'm not sure I dare take mine out gigging now without reviewing my insurance....

[karlfer]

[quote name='KevB' timestamp='1500324638' post='3336990']
Can see why there is a market for fakers, I was in PMT at the weekend and stood gaping at the price of a real jetglow 4003 (admittedly a LH model) - just short of £2900 I'm not sure I dare take mine out gigging now without reviewing my insurance....
[/quote]

Maple board with black check
Chamfered top, belly cut check
Easily adjustable bridge check (although it's going to get a black one)
Very light weight check
Change from £400 delivered check
Half a 50's Cadillac wrapped round bridge pick up uncheck

[Bassassin]

There's something about black/black/maple that just works. One of the best-looking basses Mr Konig's offered IMO, if it had checked binding I would have had it myself.

[Skybone]

Nice addition to the collection Karl.

KevB, thing is, for that sort of money, you can buy a completely unique, hand built instrument from one of the fine luthier's up and down the country, and still have change instead of buying a brand new Rickenbacker. I'm guessing that it won't be too long before the second hand market prices will start to catch up with the current list price.

I still think that Rosetti just change the currency symbol on the RRP.

[BrunoBass]

I just popped into a well known Birmingham independent store that has just moved to new premises (I won't say which in case it's considered promoting the sale of Fakers!) and they had a load of Rockinbetters on the wall for £399 (in-store only...) two of which were white with checkerboard effect binding.

I recently traded my Fireglo Rockinbetter due to it's weight and I mistakenly thought I'd got the whole Faker thing out of my system. Having seen the white ones I'm now not so sure. Probably a good thing I left my credit card at home...

[jezzaboy]

Got a question for you Faker experts.

My neighbour who plays guitar, has shown me a copy that he got as part of a deal. At first I thought it was a diy build but the body shape, binding, fret markers and the neck in general makes me think its factory made. The neck is a 3 piece job with a scarf joint. According to the other owner, the head stock was a squarish shape but he had it modified to look like the real thing. It looks like a medium scale as well.

The bass is very light and made of maple I think. But it has a Jazz pickup in the bridge position that looks original and a poor copy of the real thing in the neck. It has one of those cheap MM style bridges that I think was put on by someone and isn`t original to the bass but the scratch plate and controls are all in the correct place and look like the real thing.

He says it plays well but knows no more about it. There are no serial numbers or names on it bar a dodgy R truss rod cover.

Any ideas?

[prowla]

A photo might help.

Some of the Japanese ones had fragile treble pickups and I've seen a Jazz one in one as a replacement.

[Harryburke14]

[quote name='PaulGibsonBass' timestamp='1500893889' post='3340843']
I just popped into a well known Birmingham independent store that has just moved to new premises (I won't say which in case it's considered promoting the sale of Fakers!) and they had a load of Rockinbetters on the wall for £399 (in-store only...) two of which were white with checkerboard effect binding.

I recently traded my Fireglo Rockinbetter due to it's weight and I mistakenly thought I'd got the whole Faker thing out of my system. Having seen the white ones I'm now not so sure. Probably a good thing I left my credit card at home...
[/quote]

I think i know the store in question...

[BrunoBass]

Look out Lemmy fans. Not my cup of tea, but it's a stunning looking bass.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=932916936847647&id=202825416523473

[ead]

Nice looking Greco RB800 on Facebook (Bass Players Market UK).

[Skybone]

There have been a few interesting Fakers for sale recently. Seen a few more "slip through the net" on eBay, Gumtree and the like.

[Harryburke14]

Rocktile are a company I've seen mentioned a lot and they're going for back pocket shrapnel. Anyone have any experience.

Oh and resurrecting the thread.

[Steve Browning]

On 23/05/2017 at 18:38, prowla said:

I'd just like to say that I am no longer a bona-fide member of the Rickenfaker club - I sold mine yesterday.

Who knows - might rejoin again someday, depending upon what crops up...

Do my eyes deceive me here?

[prowla]

7 hours ago, Steve Browning said:

Do my eyes deceive me here?

I subsequently bought another, a Shaftesbury, which was in a bit if a state and is currently having new binding applied.

It came with a blank TRC, so now I'm looking for a Shaftesbury one!

So it was only a temporary leave of absence...

Edited December 29, 2017 by prowla

[prowla]

On 12/28/2017 at 14:00, Harryburke14 said:

Rocktile are a company I've seen mentioned a lot and they're going for back pocket shrapnel. Anyone have any experience.

Oh and resurrecting the thread.

Hmmm - they don't quite look right.

I like the 70s Japanese ones.

[Harryburke14]

There is a certain old Japanese one on a well known auction site. If anyone knows their stuff can they PM me and help recommend me what it's worth?

[prowla]

Just now, Harryburke14 said:

There is a certain old Japanese one on a well known auction site. If anyone knows their stuff can they PM me and help recommend me what it's worth?

Is it the Hondo - I think they're Korean.

[Harryburke14]

How did you guess?

[prowla]

I'm watching it...

Some might say more, but £250 absolute tops for me and probably less; I think they're plywood body.

Have you seen that two of the strings are wound the wrong way?

I'm not bidding on it, btw.

[Harryburke14]

It is also missing a string completely 😅

I thought no more than £350 as thats the sort of region Rockinbetters and Retrovibe Renegades go for. I do know that the Hondos do get a good write up though.

In other news I've been offered one on Facebook that looks like a generic Chinese faker with a whole rework of the electrics needed.

[prowla]

Just now, Harryburke14 said:

It is also missing a string completely 😅

I thought no more than £350 as thats the sort of region Rockinbetters and Retrovibe Renegades go for. I do know that the Hondos do get a good write up though.

In other news I've been offered one on Facebook that looks like a generic Chinese faker with a whole rework of the electrics needed.

I think maybe my threshold is lower than others'; on the good side, it does have its TRC, but on the bad side the headstock looks a bit marked up.

The problem with the Chickenbackers is that they are a different size to Rics and especially the bridge is in the wrong place.

Funnily enough, I'm actually looking for a barebones (no/duff hardware/electronics) Ric or copy to swap parts around on, but because of the above a Chickenbacker would likely not be suitable.

I really don't like Rockinbetters, but some folks seem to like the Retrovibe ones (and the owner plays them on stage professionally).

[Harryburke14]

I currently have a few options anyway.

there's the Hondo, which I won't go above £350 for.

I have sourced a shop up north with a Rockinbetter in the redburst colour in stock that an old friend will go in and buy for me if I want it.

There's the Renegade in red that is in budget.

The generic chickenbacker on FB I've been offered for pennies but will need some doing uppering.

Theres an Indie IRK for sale on an auction site - comes in at the top of what I have to spend but they get a good write up.

And finally, the Career Rik400s are all over the interwebs for just above my budget.

[prowla]

Whereabouts in the country are you?

[Harryburke14]

North Birmingham me.

[prowla]

OK -  that's North to me. The reason I asked is because a shop near here (Berks) has had a Rockinbetter in for a while.

A Chickenbacker to abuse sounds fun, but beware of spending too much on it is my advice.